Comparing online share dealing platforms side by side is no small task. For our 2022 review of U.K. brokers, nearly 600 data points were collected over a 10-week period and used to score each broker. Let’s compare Capital.com and Barclays.
Capital.com vs Barclays Comparison
For our 2022 Review, we assessed the best trading platforms in the UK for online share dealing. Let's compare Capital.com vs Barclays.
Is Capital.com a good broker?
Although previously better known for its CFD trading platform, Capital.com has branched out to offer direct investing and trading in shares. They offer the lowest fees on our in-depth analysis with zero commissions and no “hidden” charges either. Although this is clearly attractive to many investors and particularly more active traders, the limited offering of investment options and the absence of a web-based or desktop trading platform means that Capital.com falls short for any investor or trader looking for the complete package.
Is Barclays a good broker?
Barclays Smart Investor offers average share dealing commissions (£6 per trade) alongside a good selection of research tools and education. However, there is no dedicated mobile app for share dealing, and the trading tools offered are just average.
Which broker is less expensive?
Alongside the cost per trade, most UK online brokers also charge a monthly, quarterly, or annual management fee, which varies based on the account type and balance. Based on our thorough review, Capital.com offers better pricing than Barclays for share dealing.
Assuming a £30,000 portfolio size, here are the total annual costs for share dealing with both brokers, given different monthly activity scenarios.
5 trades per year - Capital.com would cost £0 per year, while Barclays would cost £60 per year.
12 trades per year - Capital.com would cost £0 per year, while Barclays would cost £102 per year.
36 trades per year - Capital.com would cost £0 per year, while Barclays would cost £246 per year.
120 trades per year - Capital.com would cost £0 per year, while Barclays would cost £750 per year.
3 fund trades per year - Capital.com would cost £0.0 per year, while Barclays would cost £0.0 per year.
How do Capital.com and Barclays compare in terms of minimum deposits required?
Capital.com requires a minimum deposit of £0.0, while Barclays requires a minimum deposit of £0.0. From our testing we found for accounts between £0 - £250,000 Capital.com charges annual custody fees of £0, while Barclays charges annual custody fees of 0.2% (minimum £48).
Which broker offers a wider range of investment options?
Capital.com offers investors access to Share Trading, CFD Trading and Spread Betting, while Barclays offers investors access to ISA, SIPP, Share Trading, Funds, ETFs, Bonds - Corporate, Bonds - Government (Gilts), Investment Trusts and Advisor Services. Neither have Crypto Trading. Investing encompasses a wide variety of asset classes, so finding a broker that offers every investment type you are interested in is important.
Do Capital.com and Barclays offer ISA or SIPP accounts?
Self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) and individual savings accounts (ISAs) are tax-advantaged savings accounts that are an important tool for many individual investors. You can read more about how these accounts operate at Gov.UK: Click here for SIPP information and here for ISA information. Our analysis finds that Capital.com offers traders access to neither of these accounts, while Barclays offers traders access to SIPP and ISA accounts.
Do Capital.com and Barclays offer cryptocurrency?
In our analysis of top brokers for share dealing in the U.K., we research whether each broker offers the ability to trade cash cryptocurrency, such as bitcoin and ethereum, which is still a somewhat rare offering amongst major U.K. brokers. Our review finds that neither Capital.com and Barclays offer crypto investing.
Which broker offers better research?
Our testing concluded that Capital.com is better for research than Barclays. Capital.com offers more research options, including research reports, articles, and analyst ratings.
Which trading platform is better?
To compare the trading platforms of both Capital.com and Barclays, we tested each broker's website, trading platform, trading tools and stock trading app. All features compared, our analysis finds that Capital.com offers a better share dealing platform and Capital.com offers a better stock app for mobile trading.
Do Capital.com and Barclays offer educational resources?
Educational offerings are of particular importance to those who are newer to investing, and we examine the availability of several different types of educational materials in our analysis. Our research finds that Capital.com offers traders access to Client Webinars, Client Webinars (Archived) and Education (Share Trading), while Barclays offers access to Client Webinars, Client Webinars (Archived), Education (Share Trading), Education (Funds) and Education (Retirement).
Overall winner: Capital.com
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