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Freetrade ReviewCapital.com Review
Written by Elizabeth Anderson, Blain Reinkensmeyer
Edited by Carolyn Kimball
Fact-checked by Steven Hatzakis
Your capital is at risk.
Capital.com is a U.K. broker primarily known for CFDs (contracts for difference) and spread betting. While it previously offered the chance to buy and sell shares commission-free, you can no longer buy shares directly through Capital.com. Trading is limited to an unleveraged CFD account.
-
Minimum Deposit:
£20 -
ISA:
No -
SIPP:
No
Capital.com pros & cons
Pros
- Capital.com’s pricing and low trading fees are very competitive compared to other U.K. brokers.
- There are no custody charges at Capital.com – an uncommon benefit among U.K. stock brokers.
- Capital.com’s mobile trading app is user-friendly and very easy to use.
- Beginner investors will find a good range of educational material in both written and video form (though the content is aimed at CFDs and spread betting).
- The broker’s web platform has an intuitive interface and features customisable charts with a good range of technical indicators.
Cons
- Investors can no longer purchase stocks directly– you can only bet on stock price movements, via CFDs.
- Capital.com’s investment offering is very limited for everyday investors. It does not offer mutual funds, bonds, ETFs, or investment trusts.
- There is no option to trade through an ISA or SIPP.
- A monthly inactivity fee of £10 is incurred if you haven’t traded within the past 12 months.
Overall summary
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| Charges & Fees |
|
| Investment Choices |
|
| Mobile App |
|
| Website |
|
| Ease of Use |
|
| Education |
|
Charges and fees
Capital.com does not charge any commission when investing indirectly in stocks through its 1X Account, a CFD trading account without the use of leverage. There are also no custody charges, no inactivity fees or charges for depositing or withdrawing money. However, be aware you will not own actual shares through Capital.com.
This makes Capital.com very competitive on price compared to other brokers. It is unusual to find a broker that does not have any custody charges. Capital.com makes money through its CFDs, charging for holding positions overnight and for guaranteed stop losses.
A minimum deposit of £20 is required to open an account. Minimum withdrawals are £50, unless you have less than this in your account so you can withdraw the whole lot if needed.
A monthly inactivity fee of £10 is charged if you haven’t traded within the past 12 months, which is something to be mindful of.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £20 |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | N/A |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | N/A |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | N/A |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £0 |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £0 |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £0 |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | N/A |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | N/A |
| ETFs - Fee | N/A |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | N/A |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | N/A |
What type of trader are you?
New to the world of investing? See my picks for the best UK trading platforms for beginners. More experienced traders should check out my guide to the best UK Trading Platforms for Active Traders. If you're looking to trade shares on the go, read my guide to the best UK stock trading apps.
Mobile trading apps
Capital.com’s mobile app is user-friendly and very easy to use. When you log in, you are taken to a summary of how the main stock markets are performing in the U.S., U.K. and Germany. You can also see your watch list, set stock price alerts, see which stocks are popular right now, and access the education hub. Here, there are various videos on how to use the platform and explaining key investment strategies.
Capital.com also has a stand-alone app, Investmate, which houses educational content to help you achieve goals such as learning how to predict trends and becoming confident in CFD trading.
Tapping on a stock will bring up the option to buy or sell through a CFD trade, along with a chart showing historical performance up to the past six months and latest news relating to the company. There are 18 chart drawing tools and 77 indicators available through the app, but there doesn’t appear to be an ability to overlay two stocks on a single chart for comparison. I think this would be a useful feature to add, and is offered by competitors including Saxo and Interactive Brokers.
Tap for a walk-through of Capital.com's trading app.
Website
Like the app, the website is reserved for CFD trading and spread betting. You can no longer buy stocks through Capital.com, although we hope to see Capital.com add the ability to trade stocks again at some point.
The web platform has an intuitive interface that is easy to use and navigate. You can customise a chart using 18 drawing tools and 77 technical indicators. You cannot overlay different stocks or assets on a single chart, but you can compare charts side by side.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes |
| iPhone App | Yes |
| Android App | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 77 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 18 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | No |
Investment choices
Capital.com’s investment offering is very limited for everyday investors. It does not offer mutual funds, bonds, ETFs or investment trusts – and no longer offers the opportunity to own shares directly.
You can bet on stock price movements through the 1X Account, which is a CFD trading account without the use of leverage. This can be confusing to those new to share trading as you will not own the underlying share itself. If you want to purchase shares directly, check out other brokers including Freetrade, eToro and Trading 212.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes |
| CFD Trading | Yes |
| ETFs | No |
| Funds | No |
| Bonds - Corporate | No |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No |
| Investment Trusts | No |
| Spread Betting | Yes |
| Crypto Trading | No |
| Advisor Services | No |
Are you new to investing?
We thoroughly tested 17 top U.K. brokerages to find the best choices for beginner investors. Read more in our guide.
Education
Overall, Capital.com offers a very good range of educational material in both written and video form. There are various courses on both its website and standalone app, Investmate, which take you through the basics of trading and how to understand technical terms such as CFDs. The education is aimed at CFD trading and spread betting.
Capital.com has its own YouTube channel with more than 190,000 subscribers, and features regular video analysis on oil, gold and forex, and, less frequently, on individual stocks.
In the news section of the website, you can see market analysis and an economic calendar of upcoming global announcements.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | No |
| Education (Funds) | No |
| Education (Retirement) | No |
| Client Webinars | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No |
Final thoughts
Capital.com is shifting its focus towards the retail investor market but it still has a long way to go. It is a shame that Capital.com no longer offers the chance to own shares directly – particularly because the lack of commission fees and custody charges would make Capital.com a very cheap platform for share ownership and would especially be attractive to those looking to trade small amounts.
There is also no option to trade through an ISA or SIPP. We hope to see these offered in future if Capital.com hopes to capture a wider range of U.K. investors.
About Capital.com
Capital.com launched in 2016 and has 55,000 traders using its web and app-based platform today. Headquartered in the U.K., it has offices across Europe and in Australia and the Bahamas.
Is Capital.com good for trading stocks?
Capital.com no longer offers the chance to purchase stocks directly – you can only bet on stock price movements, via CFDs (contracts for difference). If you want to own and trade shares, you are better looking at platforms such as IG, Interactive Brokers or Hargreaves Lansdown.
Is my money safe with Capital.com?
Yes, as Capital.com is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), under Capital Com (UK) Limited (“CCUK”) registration number 793714. However, like with all investing you could lose money if your investments don’t perform as well as hoped.
How much does Capital.com charge for cash withdrawals?
Capital.com does not charge for cash withdrawals. However, minimum withdrawals are £50.
Does Capital.com charge inactivity fees?
Yes, Capital.com charges £10 a month if your account is inactive and you haven’t traded in the past 12 months.
Who is Capital.com owned by?
Capital.com is 100% owned by VP Capital, which was founded in 2012 by serial tech entrepreneur Viktor Prokopenya. Capital.com was launched in 2016.
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Methodology
For the UK.StockBrokers.com Annual Review, we assessed, rated, and ranked 17 U.K. share dealing platforms over a 10-week time period. Each broker’s platforms and features were exhaustively tested by hand and graded on 53 different variables. In total, over 25,000 words of research were produced.
We thoroughly tested and compared features of prime interest to everyday investors, including but not limited to:
- Investment choices, such as whether the broker offers trading of shares, ETFs, funds, bonds, and CFDs; and offers SIPP and ISA accounts.
- The broker’s charges and fees for investing.
- Functionality and design of mobile apps and website platform, and a fluid experience moving between app and web.
- Usability of tools such as charting and watch lists.
- Market research, such as screening, news and analysis.
- Educational resources including tutorials, online courses, videos, webinars and articles.
Our rigorous data validation process yields an error rate of less than .001% each year, providing site visitors with quality data they can trust. Our lead researcher and writer, Elizabeth Anderson, has more than a decade’s experience as a financial journalist and market researcher. Elizabeth’s expertise is backed by a team of veteran fellow traders, data auditors, editors and project managers who work to ensure that UK.StockBrokers.com reviews and guides are the most unbiased and complete in the industry. Read more about our team.
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Show allAbout the Editorial Team
Elizabeth Anderson, lead writer and researcher, has been a financial journalist for more than a decade. In addition to her work with UK.StockBrokers.com, she has written extensively for major publications including BBC, The Times and Bloomberg. A keen investor herself, she is passionate about helping people understand finance and investing.
Blain Reinkensmeyer has 20 years of trading experience with over 2,500 trades placed during that time. He heads research for all U.S.-based brokerages on StockBrokers.com and is respected by executives as the leading expert covering the online broker industry. Blain’s insights have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and the Chicago Tribune, among other media outlets.
Carolyn Kimball is a former managing editor for Reink Media and former lead editor for the StockBrokers.com Annual Review. Carolyn has more than 20 years of writing and editing experience at major media outlets including NerdWallet, the Los Angeles Times and the San Jose Mercury News. She specializes in coverage of personal financial products and services, wielding her editing skills to clarify complex (some might say befuddling) topics to help consumers make informed decisions about their money.
Steven Hatzakis is the Global Director of Online Broker Research for UK.StockBrokers.com and ForexBrokers.com. Steven previously served as an Editor for Finance Magnates, where he authored over 1,000 published articles about the online finance industry. Steven is an active fintech and crypto industry researcher and advises blockchain companies at the board level. Over the past 20 years, Steven has held numerous positions within the international forex markets, from writing to consulting to serving as a registered commodity futures representative.