Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers 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, Interactive Brokers 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 - Interactive Brokers would cost £15 per year, while Capital.com would cost N/A per year.
12 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £36 per year, while Capital.com would cost N/A per year.
36 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £108 per year, while Capital.com would cost N/A per year.
120 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £360 per year, while Capital.com would cost N/A per year.
3 fund trades per year - Interactive Brokers 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.
For UK investors seeking a diverse array of trading options, Interactive Brokers might be the go-to choice. It offers share trading, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and contracts for difference (CFD) trading, alongside trading in corporate and government bonds, funds, and investment trusts. With a five-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers ranks impressively high at number two out of 18 brokers for investment choices, reflecting its broad spectrum of available trading instruments.
Capital.com, on the other hand, presents a more limited selection focusing primarily on CFD trading. It does not offer share trading, ETFs, funds, bonds, or investment trusts, which could be a drawback for those seeking a more varied investment portfolio. Rated at 2.5 stars for investment choices by UK.StockBrokers.com, Capital.com doesn't receive a specific rank for investment choices, potentially indicating a narrower focus in its offerings.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | No |
| CFD Trading | Yes | 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 | No | No |
| Investment Choices |
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Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Low-cost US and UK shares.
When comparing Interactive Brokers and Capital.com in terms of trading tools, several differences emerge. Interactive Brokers stands out by allowing users to display corporate events like earnings, splits, and dividends directly on charts, a feature not available with Capital.com. Additionally, Interactive Brokers offers an impressive 80 drawing tools and 96 technical indicators for chart analysis, which significantly surpasses Capital.com's 18 drawing tools and 77 indicators. Both platforms allow users to add notes to charts, but only Interactive Brokers provides the option to add both index and stock overlays, enhancing the depth of analysis for traders.
Both platforms offer browser-based trading solutions and the ability to create alerts for stock price updates. However, Capital.com edges ahead with real-time market data availability, a feature Interactive Brokers does not provide. UK traders looking for a comprehensive analysis toolkit might lean towards Interactive Brokers for its extensive charting features, while those prioritizing real-time data might find Capital.com more appealing.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 77 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 80 | 18 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
For UK investors eyeing retirement account options, Interactive Brokers and Capital.com offer distinct choices. Interactive Brokers supports both Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs) and Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), providing flexibility for your retirement savings strategy. In contrast, Capital.com does not offer ISAs or SIPPs, which may limit its appeal for those specifically seeking these tax-efficient savings and investment vehicles. When considering these platforms, Interactive Brokers stands out for offering these popular retirement account types in the UK market.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
For UK investors comparing mobile trading apps, both Interactive Brokers and Capital.com provide apps available for iPhone and Android, catering to a wide range of devices. Interactive Brokers stands out with a top-notch 5-star rating for its mobile app from UK.StockBrokers.com, placing it at an impressive 4th rank among 18 brokers. On the other hand, Capital.com's mobile app holds a strong 4.5-star rating, although its specific ranking is not provided. This makes Interactive Brokers a slightly preferred choice for mobile trading, according to UK.StockBrokers.com, while Capital.com remains a solid contender in the market.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When it comes to beginner investor educational resources, Interactive Brokers stands out compared to Capital.com. Unlike Capital.com, Interactive Brokers offers educational webinars that can be accessed live or viewed on demand, providing valuable flexibility for new learners. Additionally, Interactive Brokers covers a wider range of educational topics, including share trading, funds, and retirement, areas where Capital.com provides no formal education. These educational advantages are reflected in their ratings, as Interactive Brokers receives a 4.5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com for beginner education, securing the 8th position among 18 brokers. In contrast, Capital.com has a 3.5-star rating with no specific ranking, highlighting a significant gap in educational support for beginners. For UK investors seeking comprehensive learning resources, Interactive Brokers presents a more favourable option.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | No |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
For UK investors seeking comprehensive market research features from their online broker, comparing Interactive Brokers and Capital.com reveals distinct offerings. Interactive Brokers excels in providing a wide range of research options, including detailed reports on funds, shares, ETFs, and bonds. Investors can benefit from insights across various asset classes and explore full portfolio allocations. In contrast, Capital.com offers research primarily in CFDs, along with visualizing portfolio allocation by asset class, but lacks the extensive research capabilities found with Interactive Brokers. This difference makes Interactive Brokers a more suitable choice for those in need of in-depth market analysis and diverse research tools.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | No |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | No |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No |
| Research - Funds | Yes | No |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Interactive Brokers or Capital.com? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Interactive Brokers to be a better trading platform overall.
Interactive Brokers is a sophisticated trading platform aimed at confident and institutional-grade investors. For newer investors, Interactive Brokers is more intimidating, though it's worth exploring the platform to see if you could save money or access more investments compared to other brokers.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
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Capital.com
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Both Interactive Brokers and Capital.com do not offer crypto trading, making them similar in this aspect.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Capital.com Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | No | |
| SIPP | Yes | No | |
| Share Trading | Yes | No | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | 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 | Yes | No | |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | £20 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3 | N/A | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3 | N/A | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3 | N/A | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £15 | N/A | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £36 | N/A | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £108 | N/A | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £360 | N/A | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 / £14.85 | N/A | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £0 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £0 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £0 | £0 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3 | N/A | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | N/A | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
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| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 77 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 80 | 18 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | No | |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | No | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | No | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Overall Summary | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Capital.com Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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