Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Charles Stanley Direct vs Capital.com, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, investment options, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
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, Charles Stanley Direct offers better pricing than Capital.com 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 - Charles Stanley Direct would cost £57.50 per year, while Capital.com would cost N/A per year.
12 trades per year - Charles Stanley Direct would cost £138 per year, while Capital.com would cost N/A per year.
36 trades per year - Charles Stanley Direct would cost £414 per year, while Capital.com would cost N/A per year.
120 trades per year - Charles Stanley Direct would cost £1,380 per year, while Capital.com would cost N/A per year.
3 fund trades per year - Charles Stanley Direct would cost £0 per year, while Capital.com would cost £20 per year.
What type of trader are you?
New to the world of investing? See our picks for the Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners. More experienced traders should read our guide to the Best UK Trading Platforms for Active Traders.
Charles Stanley Direct and Capital.com each present distinct offerings for UK investors seeking online brokerage services. Charles Stanley Direct excels with a comprehensive array of investment choices, including share trading, ETFs, funds, corporate bonds, government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts. They even offer advisor services, setting them apart for those who appreciate guidance. In terms of industry recognition, Charles Stanley Direct enjoys a stellar 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com for investment choices, earning a commendable #6 ranking out of 18 brokers.
While Capital.com stands out with its option for CFD trading, it lacks access to direct share trading, ETFs, funds, bonds, and advisor services. This limited selection reflects in its 2.5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com, and it doesn't hold a ranked position among the 18 brokers reviewed. Investors who prioritize diverse investment vehicles may find Charles Stanley Direct's offerings more aligned with their needs than the options available at Capital.com.
| Feature |
Charles Stanley Direct
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | No |
| CFD Trading | No | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | No |
| Funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No |
| Spread Betting | No | Yes |
| Crypto Trading | No | No |
| Advisor Services | Yes | No |
| Investment Choices |
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Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Low-cost US and UK shares.
For UK investors evaluating trading tools, Charles Stanley Direct and Capital.com each offer distinct advantages. Capital.com stands out with its extensive range of charting capabilities, featuring 18 drawing tools and 77 technical indicators, empowering traders to conduct in-depth analyses. Additionally, Capital.com allows users to add notes to charts, further enhancing personalization and record-keeping. While both platforms support browser-based trading and real-time market data, only Charles Stanley Direct provides features like index and stock overlays for those keen on comparing against market benchmarks or other stocks directly on the charts.
Neither Charles Stanley Direct nor Capital.com display corporate events on charts, which could be a consideration for users focused on timeline-based analysis. Both platforms are well-equipped to send alerts for stock price updates, ensuring traders stay informed on market movements. Choosing between these brokers will depend on whether a trader values a broader array of charting tools and personalization, as offered by Capital.com, or the ability to overlay charts with indices and stocks, as Charles Stanley Direct provides.
| Feature |
Charles Stanley Direct
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 14 | 77 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 1 | 18 |
| Charting - Notes | No | Yes |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
When comparing Charles Stanley Direct to Capital.com for retirement account options, UK investors find a significant difference between the two platforms. Charles Stanley Direct offers both ISA and SIPP accounts, providing flexibility and tax-efficient opportunities for saving towards retirement and other financial goals. In contrast, Capital.com does not offer ISA or SIPP accounts, limiting its retirement-focused services. Therefore, for UK individuals seeking to invest with the added benefit of tax efficiency through ISA or SIPP accounts, Charles Stanley Direct presents a more comprehensive choice.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
When comparing the mobile app offerings of Charles Stanley Direct and Capital.com, both brokers provide applications compatible with iPhone and Android devices, catering to a wide user base in the UK. Charles Stanley Direct's app has a rating of 3.5 stars by UK.StockBrokers.com, placing it at #20 out of 18 brokers, indicating there may be more room for improvement. On the other hand, Capital.com's app receives a higher rating with 4.5 stars, though it doesn’t have a specific ranking in the same survey. This suggests that Capital.com's mobile app might offer a more satisfactory user experience overall compared to Charles Stanley Direct’s.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For UK beginners seeking educational resources from online brokers, Charles Stanley Direct and Capital.com present different offerings. Charles Stanley Direct shines with archived educational webinars, allowing flexible learning at any time, and covers essential topics such as share trading, funds, and retirement. Although they lack live webinars, their comprehensive content contributes to a high rating of 4.5 stars by UK.StockBrokers.com for beginner education, positioning them 12th among 18 brokers. In contrast, Capital.com does not offer archived webinars or education on share trading, funds, or retirement, resulting in a lower 3.5-star rating and no specific ranking for beginner education from UK.StockBrokers.com.
| Feature |
Charles Stanley Direct
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | No |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No |
| Education |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When it comes to market research features, Charles Stanley Direct and Capital.com cater to different needs for UK investors. Charles Stanley Direct provides comprehensive research reports covering funds, shares, and ETFs, along with the ability to view your portfolio allocation by asset class. However, it does not offer research on CFDs or bonds. On the other hand, Capital.com allows you to see your portfolio allocation by asset class and specifically covers CFDs research, but lacks in-depth research reports on funds, shares, ETFs, and bonds. Depending on your investing style and the research support you seek, these differences could play a key role in choosing between the two platforms.
| Feature |
Charles Stanley Direct
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | No |
| Research - CFDs | No | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | No |
| Research - Bonds | No | No |
| Research - Funds | Yes | No |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Charles Stanley Direct or Capital.com? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Charles Stanley Direct to be a better trading platform overall.
| Feature |
Charles Stanley Direct
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Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Charges & Fees |
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| Mobile App |
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Comparing online brokers, both Charles Stanley Direct and Capital.com do not offer crypto trading options, which may influence investor decisions depending on their interest in digital currencies.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Charles Stanley Direct | Capital.com | |
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| Review | Charles Stanley Direct Review | Capital.com Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Charles Stanley Direct | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | No | |
| SIPP | Yes | No | |
| Share Trading | Yes | No | |
| CFD Trading | No | Yes | |
| Funds | Yes | No | |
| ETFs | Yes | No | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No | |
| Spread Betting | No | Yes | |
| Crypto Trading | No | No | |
| Advisor Services | Yes | No |
| Trading Fees | Charles Stanley Direct | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £20 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £0 - £10 | N/A | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £10 | N/A | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £10 | N/A | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £57.50 | N/A | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £138 | N/A | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £414 | N/A | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £1,380 | N/A | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £90 - £102 | N/A | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £60 - £600 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £600 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £600 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £600 | £0 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £25 | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £25 | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £10 | N/A | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £10 | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 minimum | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | Charles Stanley Direct | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | Charles Stanley Direct | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 14 | 77 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 1 | 18 | |
| Charting - Notes | No | Yes | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
| Research | Charles Stanley Direct | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | No | |
| Research - CFDs | No | Yes | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | No | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | No | |
| Research - Bonds | No | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Charles Stanley Direct | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | No | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Overall Summary | Charles Stanley Direct | Capital.com | |
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| Review | Charles Stanley Direct Review | Capital.com Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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