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.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Interactive Brokers, established in 1977, is a well-established online broker that enjoys a very high trust rating. With a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 99 out of 99, it is backed by an impressive nine Tier-1 licenses, reflecting its strong international regulatory standing. Although not a bank, Interactive Brokers is a publicly traded company, providing an additional layer of transparency and confidence for investors and traders looking for a reliable platform.
On the other hand, Capital.com, founded in 2016, is a more recent player in the market. It holds a respectable ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 87, making it a trusted choice among brokers. It is supported by three Tier-1 licenses and one Tier-2 license, highlighting its commitment to regulatory compliance. While Capital.com is not publicly traded, it has managed to carve out a niche for itself in the trading world, offering a competitive and trustworthy service without being a traditional bank.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2016 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 9 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| 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 | 0.59 | 0.64 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | 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.
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Interactive Brokers and Capital.com both support forex trading either as CFDs or via spot contracts, but their overall range of investments differs. Interactive Brokers lists about 8,500 tradeable symbols versus Capital.com’s 5,585. For currency traders, Capital.com offers more forex pairs (125) than Interactive Brokers (90). In third-party ratings for range of investments, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #1 out of 63 brokers, while Capital.com earns 4.5 stars and ranks #18.
If you want access to real exchange-traded shares, Interactive Brokers lets you buy U.S. and international stocks (for example, Apple on NASDAQ and Vodafone in London), whereas Capital.com does not offer exchange-traded securities. Neither broker supports copy trading. For crypto, Interactive Brokers provides both actual cryptocurrency (not a CFD) and crypto CFDs, while Capital.com offers crypto CFDs only. In short, pick Interactive Brokers for the widest mix and the ability to own shares and crypto directly, or Capital.com if you mainly want CFD trading with a strong selection of forex pairs.
| 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) | Yes | 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.
Comparing the mobile trading apps from Interactive Brokers and Capital.com, both offer iPhone and Android apps with price alerts, plus tools to draw trendlines on charts. The key differences show up in syncing and charting depth. Interactive Brokers syncs watchlists between the mobile app and your online account, while Capital.com does not. For charting, Interactive Brokers packs in 97 technical studies compared with 30 at Capital.com. On the flip side, Capital.com automatically saves your chart drawings, whereas Interactive Brokers does not.
Ratings and rankings also set them apart. Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps at ForexBrokers.com, while Capital.com earns 4.5 stars and ranks #11. If you want deeper charting features and synced watchlists, Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick. If auto-saving chart annotations matters more, Capital.com may suit you better. Both apps are polished choices for trading on the go.
| 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 | 97 | 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 and trade cryptocurrency CFDs, while Capital.com does not offer actual crypto purchases but does provide cryptocurrency CFD trading.
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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| Trust Score | 99 | 87 | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Capital.com Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
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