Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs Capital.com, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
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Interactive Brokers vs Capital.com: Interactive Brokers, founded in 1977, is a publicly traded online broker; Capital.com, founded in 2016, is privately held. Neither company is a bank.
Regulation and trust: Interactive Brokers holds 8 Tier-1 and 2 Tier-2 licenses, while Capital.com holds 3 Tier-1 and 2 Tier-2 licenses. According to ForexBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers scores 99/99 (highly trusted) and Capital.com scores 87/99 (trusted). Their scale: 90–99 highly trusted, 80–89 trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, and under 59 not trusted.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2016 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 2 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
When comparing the commissions and fees of Interactive Brokers and Capital.com, both platforms offer competitive pricing, but there are key differences to consider. Interactive Brokers is rated 5 stars for its pricing structure and ranks #2 out of 63 brokers for commissions and fees by ForexBrokers.com. However, it does not publish its average forex spreads, making comparisons challenging. During Q3 2024, the average spread for EUR/USD was reported at 0.59 pips after commissions. Forex trading commissions begin as low as 0.00002 of the U.S. dollar trade value, with discounts available for active traders meeting certain volume thresholds. A minimum charge of $2 per trade may apply, making smaller trades proportionally more costly.
Capital.com is also a 5-star rated broker, achieving the #3 rank among 63 brokers for its commissions and fees. Known for slightly better-than-average industry pricing, Capital.com offers a universal account option suitable for most traders, along with a professional account with fewer regulatory protections for qualifying users. Its average spread for EUR/USD in April 2024 was a low 0.67 pips, making it a strong contender for those seeking cost-effective forex trading.
In summary, while both Interactive Brokers and Capital.com offer excellent pricing structures, Interactive Brokers may be better suited for very active traders who can take advantage of volume discounts, while Capital.com provides consistently low spreads across trades. Both platforms ensure traders can benefit from cost-saving opportunities, though their approaches to spreads and commission differ.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $20 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.226 | 0.64 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | 0.67 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Interactive Brokers vs Capital.com for range of investments: Interactive Brokers lists about 8,500 tradeable symbols, while Capital.com offers about 5,585. Both brokers support forex trading; Capital.com has around 125 forex pairs compared with about 90 at Interactive Brokers. For this category, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5 stars and ranks it #1 out of 63 brokers, while Capital.com earns 4.5 stars and ranks #18.
Interactive Brokers lets you buy exchange-traded stocks on both U.S. and international exchanges (for example, Apple on NASDAQ and Vodafone in London). Capital.com does not offer exchange-traded shares. For crypto, Interactive Brokers supports buying actual cryptocurrencies (not CFDs), whereas Capital.com offers cryptocurrency as CFDs but not as delivered coins. Neither broker offers copy trading.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 5585 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 125 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | No | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
Interactive Brokers vs Capital.com: both brokers check the core boxes for trading platforms and tools. Each offers a free paper trading (demo) account, a proprietary platform, a web (browser) platform, and a Windows desktop download. You can place trades directly from charts on both. Neither broker supports copy trading. A key difference is MetaTrader: Capital.com offers MT4, while Interactive Brokers does not support MT4 or MT5. Capital.com also does not offer MT5.
For overall platform quality, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #2 out of 63 brokers for Trading Platforms and Tools at ForexBrokers.com, while Capital.com earns 4.5 stars and ranks #10. Choose Interactive Brokers if you want a top-rated, feature-rich in-house platform suite; pick Capital.com if MT4 access alongside a simple web and desktop platform matters most. Both make it easy to test strategies with a free demo and to trade from charts, but neither provides copy trading.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 97 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Interactive Brokers and Capital.com both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, and each supports price alerts and trendline drawing on charts. In independent reviews, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps, while Capital.com scores 4.5 stars and ranks #11.
The main differences show up in workflow and charting depth. Interactive Brokers syncs watchlists between mobile and web, so changes carry over automatically, and it packs in 155 technical studies for advanced analysis. Capital.com does not sync watchlists with the web platform, but it does auto-save chart drawings (Interactive Brokers does not) and includes 30 technical studies. Choose Interactive Brokers if you want extensive indicators and seamless watchlist syncing; pick Capital.com if auto-saving drawings and a simpler toolset fit your style.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Interactive Brokers and Capital.com both offer a wealth of daily market commentary and provide forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg and Reuters. This ensures traders receive timely updates and insights on financial markets. Both brokers feature sentiment-based trading tools to gauge the ratio of long or short positions across various instruments. Additionally, each offers market research powered by TipRanks and includes an economic calendar outlining global economic events, allowing traders to make informed decisions.
However, a key distinction lies in their available research tools. Interactive Brokers stands out by offering tools from Trading Central, including Technical Analytics, as well as research from Acuity Trading's Signal Centre. In contrast, Capital.com does not provide these specific services. This difference is reflected in their ratings, with Interactive Brokers receiving a stellar five-star rating for research and ranking third among 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com. Capital.com, while highly regarded with a 4.5-star rating, ranks 14th, emphasizing that while both platforms serve traders well, Interactive Brokers offers a slight edge in research capability.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | Yes |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Interactive Brokers is the clear winner for beginner trading education. It hosts client webinars at least once a month and offers a large library with 10+ beginner videos plus 10+ advanced videos to help you progress. Thanks to its depth and consistency, Interactive Brokers earns a 5-star Education rating and ranks #1 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com.
Capital.com also supports new traders with 10+ beginner videos and 10+ advanced videos you can watch on demand, but it does not run monthly educational webinars. Even so, its education program is highly regarded, earning 4.5 stars and a #8 ranking out of 63. Bottom line: choose Interactive Brokers if live learning and top-tier ratings matter most; pick Capital.com if you prefer flexible, high-quality video lessons without a webinar schedule.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Interactive Brokers is better than Capital.com. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while Capital.com finished with an overall rank of #12.
Interactive Brokers is a highly trusted multi-asset broker with an extensive offering of tradeable global markets. It delivers competitive fees and high-quality research and education, as well as a modern, institutional-grade trading platform suite.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
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Capital.com
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| Trust Score | 99 | 87 |
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Interactive Brokers vs Capital.com: Interactive Brokers lets you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency but does not offer crypto CFDs, while Capital.com offers cryptocurrency CFDs but does not provide access to buying the underlying (delivered) coins.
Comparing deposit and withdrawal options, Interactive Brokers supports ACH/SEPA and bank wire transfers but not PayPal or Skrill, while Capital.com offers PayPal, Skrill, and bank wires but not ACH/SEPA, with Visa/Mastercard availability not specified for either broker.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 87 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Capital.com Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
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| Regulation | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 87 | |
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2016 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 3 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 2 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 5585 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 125 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | No | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.226 | 0.64 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | 0.67 | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $20 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 97 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | Yes | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Capital.com Review |
| Overall | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 87 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Capital.com Review |
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