Capital.com Broker Review

Capital.com’s Overall Rating

Capital.com offers a well-rounded trading experience with its web trading platform, MT4 and TradingView compatibility catering well to new and more experienced traders. Its standout features include a vast selection of tradable assets, with over 120 Forex pairs and 2700+ share CFDs available through a single trading account. This account has competitive spreads starting from 0.60 pips on EUR/USD and no commission. Furthermore, Capital.com’s commitment to education and customer support, available 24/7, significantly benefits traders at all levels. Capital.com ensures the safety of client funds through strict regulatory compliance and negative balance protection.

FxScouts gives Capital.com a high rating of 4.78 out of 5.

Is Capital.com safe?

Yes, Capital.com is a safe broker for South Africans to trade with.  It maintains regulation from the world’s top regulators, including the UK’s FCA, ASIC of Australia, CySEC in Cyprus, and the NBRB of Belarus.  

Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Cyprus, Capital.com is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Cyprus Security and Exchange Commission (CySEC), the Australian Securities and Investments Commission, and the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus (NBRB).  Furthermore, every deposit is protected by the Investor Compensation Fund or by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme in the UK in accordance with regulatory provisions. See the following list of Capital.com registered companies:

• Capital Com (UK) Limited is registered in England and Wales with company registration number 10506220 and authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), under register number 793714.  
• Capital Com SV Investments Limited is regulated by Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) under license number 319/17. Capital Com SV Investments Limited, Company Registration Number: 354252, registered address: 28 Octovriou 237, Lophitis Business Center II, 6th floor, 3035, Limassol, Cyprus. (Capital Com SV Investments Limited is deemed authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. The nature and extent of consumer protections may differ from those for firms based in the UK. Details of the Temporary Permissions Regime, which allows EEA-based firms to operate in the UK for a limited period while seeking full authorisation, are available on the Financial Conduct Authority’s website).
• Capital Com Australia Limited (ABN 47 625 601 489) is a company registered in Australia and regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) under AFSL 513393.
• Capital Com Bel is regulated by the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus, registered by Minsk city executive committee 19.03.2019 with company registration number 193225654. Address: 220030, the Republic of Belarus, Minsk, Internatsionalnaya street 36/1, office 823. Certificate of inclusion in the register of forex companies No. 16 dated 16.04.2019. 

South Africans will be trading under the subsidiary, Capital Com Bel, authorised and regulated by the National Bank of the Republic of Belarus (NBRB). A well-respected regulator, the NBRB ensures that all Capital.com client funds are held in segregated accounts and that Capital.com offers its traders negative balance protection, ensuring that clients cannot lose more than is in their trading account. Additionally, under this regulation, leverage is capped at 100:1 on major currency pairs.

Capital.com has won many awards over the last few years, further burnishing its credentials as a safe broker.  Recent awards include:

• 2021 Education Materials/Programmes (Investment Trends)
• 2021 Mobile App/Platform (Investment Trends)
• 2021 Overall Client Satisfaction (Investment Trends)
• Best Trading Functions 2020 (Brokercheck.eu)
• Most Innovative Broker 2020 (The European)

Overall, because of its history of responsible behaviour, strong international regulation, and wide industry acclaim, we consider Capital.com a safe broker for South Africans to trade with.

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Trading Fees

Capital.com’s trading fees are lower than other similar brokers.

Unlike other brokers that offer a range of accounts with higher minimum deposits linked to tighter spreads and increasing account benefits, Capital.com offers one live commission-free account with competitive trading costs (click here for more on Capital.com’s account types).  

Capital.com’s account was assessed to compare the costs to those of other forex brokers. The costs were evaluated based on the trading fees on one lot (100 000 USD) on the EUR/USD, including the spreads and commission.  

When making this calculation, we used one lot of EUR/USD as a benchmark as it is the most commonly traded currency pair and it usually has the tightest spread.

Trading Cost Formula: Spread x Trade Size + Commission = Cost in Secondary Currency (USD):

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At 6 USD per lot traded, Capital.com’s trading costs are highly competitive – most other good brokers have an average trading cost of 9 USD per lot of EUR/USD. 

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Broker

Trading Conditions

Base Currencies

EURUSD (Standard)

Trading Cost (Standard)

EURUSD (Best)

GBPUSD (Best)

USDJPY (Best)

Commission

Capital.com

5/ 5

USD, EUR, GBP, CHF, AED, MXN, HKD, SGD

0.60 pips

USD 6

0.60 pips

1.30 pips

1.00 pips

USD 0

IC Markets

4/ 5

AUD, USD, EUR, GBP, CAD, SGD, NZD, JPY, CHF, HKD

0.10 pips

USD 8

0.02 pips

0.23 pips

0.14 pips

USD 7

Pepperstone

4.5/ 5

EUR, GBP, USD, AUD, NZD, JPY, CHF, SGD, HKD, CAD

1.00 pips

USD 10

0.10 pips

0.40 pips

0.30 pips

USD 0

Swap Fees

Another important cost to consider is the swap rate charged on positions held overnight.   Interest is paid (or received) for each night a position is held. When trading a currency, you are borrowing one currency to purchase another. The swap interest fee is calculated based on the difference between the two interest rates of the traded currencies, however, Capital.com charges only for the amount borrowed and not the total position size, but this only applies to Cryptocurrencies, Shares, and Thematic Investments. Unfortunately, Capital.com does not publish the swap fees on its website, but you can find the specific overnight fee for your chosen instruments in the market information panel on the Capital.com platform. 

Overall, Capital.com provides one of the most competitive pricing environments in the industry.

Non-trading Fees

Capital.com’s non-trading fees are significantly lower than other brokers.

Some of the most overlooked trading costs are the non-trading fees that are charged by brokers.  These fees can significantly affect your profitability and so should be carefully scrutinised.

Unlike other brokers, Capital.com does not charge deposit or withdrawal fees.  No fees are charged on dormant accounts either, which is rare among CFD brokers.  

Opening an Account at Capital.com

The account opening experience at Capital.com is excellent: it is intuitive, quick, and easy, and accounts are generally approved within one business day.  

South African traders can open an account at Capital.com as long as they meet the minimum deposit requirement of 20 USD.

Traders can open a corporate account (in which case, clients need to contact customer support), or an individual account, which will be the focus of this review:

1. Click “Trade Now” at the top right-hand corner of the website.  

2. Traders will be directed to fill in their details, including name, country of residence, employment status, and financial status, etc. 

3. The next step requires choosing your preferred base currency (click here for more on Capital.com’s trading account currencies).

4. Capital.com requires at least two documents to accept you as an individual client:

1. Proof of Identification – Capital.com accepts all government-issued identification documents such as Passport, national ID card, driving license, or other government-issued ID. 

2. Proof of Address – Proof of residence/address document must be issued in the name of the Capital.com account holder within the last 6 months and must contain a trader’s full name, current residential address, issue date, and issuing authority.

After the application is approved, traders can log in and fund their accounts.  we suggest you read Capital.com’s risk disclosure, customer agreement, and terms of business before you start trading.  

Overall, Capital.com’s account-opening process is fully digital, intuitive, and hassle-free.

Capital.com’s Trading Account

Capital.com offers only one account type, whereas most CFD brokers will provide at least two or three, but its account is suited to both beginners and more experienced traders.

With a single registration, Capital.com clients can open both a real and a demo account, and trading is offered on Capital.com’s proprietary web trader platform and MT4. 

Capital.com’s account is suited to both beginners and more experienced traders. We define beginner traders as inexperienced traders who have never traded before or have been trading for less than a year. Beginners often do not want to risk trading large sums of money, and will generally not be able to trade full-time during the workweek. Capital.com’s account has a reasonable minimum deposit requirement of 20 USD, putting it within the reach of beginner traders.

While experienced traders often prefer higher minimum deposits and tighter spreads, in exchange for a commission per lot, Capital.com offers a low-cost trading environment and a wide choice of tradable assets (click here for more on Capital.com’s available assets), making it appealing to more experienced traders.  Capital.com also offers professional accounts for more experienced traders who meet certain criteria.

Capital.com offers trading on over 2000 assets, including 135 currency pairs.   Leverage for South African clients is 100:1 as stipulated by NBRB regulations and as high as 500:1 for professional traders.  Note that the professional account is without negative balance protection if leverage above 50:1 is deployed.  

Capital.com only derives its revenue from spreads, and no commissions apply.  The EUR/USD spread is listed as 0.60 pips pips, representing a competitive offer with no additional costs. Capital.com also allows hedging and scalping, but it does not have a copy trading option.    

Note that Capital.com does not offer Islamic Swap-free accounts.

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Professional Account

Capital.com categorizes clients as either retail or professional. Even if you are initially categorized as a retail client, you can qualify to be a professional-client later, which allows you, for example, to trade at higher leverage (up to 1:500 on currencies). To qualify, you have to meet the following criteria:

• 10 trades placed in the previous quarter; these trades have to be relevant with a significant size
• Your portfolio exceeds 500,000 EUR.
• You have worked in the financial sector for at least one year

Demo Accounts

Capital.com offers a free unlimited demo account where clients can test out trading strategies with virtual funds. The customer support team is available 24/7 to help with any account setup or technical difficulties.

Overall, although Capital.com only offers a single live account, its trading costs, low deposit requirements, and wide range of assets make it appealing to both beginners and experienced traders alike.

Deposits and Withdrawals

Capital.com offers a wide range of deposit and withdrawal methods, and no extra fees are charged.  

As a well-regulated broker, Capital.com ensures that all Anti-Money Laundering rules and regulations are followed, and as such, all withdrawals are returned to the deposit source.  Capital.com offers commission-free deposit and withdrawal options that can be performed on the broker’s trading platform. The deposit and withdrawal methods offered include Debit cards, Credit cards, Bank Wire transfers, Sofort, iDeal, Giropay, Multibanko, Przelewy24, QIWI, Webmoney, and Trustly. However, South Africans can only make use of bank transfers and debit/credit cards.  

Withdrawal requests are processed within 24 hours but can take between five to seven business days for funds to reach client accounts. Wire transfers may take longer. 

The minimum deposit is 20 EUR, 20 USD, 20 GBP, 1500 RUB, or 100 PLN for all payment methods, except a wire transfer, which has a minimum of 250 EUR (or the equivalent in the currency of your trading account).

See below for details:

How to Make a Deposit

To make a deposit on our app, go to Account -> Payments -> Deposit Funds and select a payment method (a card, a bank transfer or any other available method).

Overall, Capital.com offers a wide range of funding methods, and exceptionally, no fees are charged for deposits or withdrawals.  Additionally, its processing times are generally fast.  

Base Currencies (Trading Account Currencies)

Capital.com offers an average number of base (trading account) currencies compared to other similar brokers.

Trading accounts can be denominated in five base currencies – EUR, USD, GBP, RUB, and PLN, which is average compared to other brokers.  However, Capital.com does not offer ZAR trading accounts, which is a disadvantage for South Africans who will likely have bank accounts denominated in ZAR, and who will have to pay currency conversion fees on deposits and withdrawals.

For traders that trade in large volumes (more than 10 lots a month), it is better to open an account denominated in USD at a digital currency bank, especially for trading on assets such as the EUR/USD. This is because when trading a USD quoted currency pair with another currency account, there will be a small conversion fee for every trade made. However, traders can also open multiple accounts in different base currencies to avoid fees on deposits and withdrawals.  

Overall, Capital.com offers an average number of trading account currencies compared to most other large international brokers, but it does not offer accounts denominated in ZAR.

Trading Platforms

Capital.com’s trading platform support is average compared to other brokers.

Capital.com offers support for its award-winning proprietary web trading platform and recently, for Metatrader 4.

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Broker

Platform Choice

Copy Trading

Platforms

Capital.com

4.5/ 5

No

Capital.com

MT4

IC Markets

5/ 5

Yes

MT4

MT5

cTrader

TradingView

Pepperstone

5/ 5

Yes

MT4

MT5

cTrader

TradingView

Capital.com Web Platform

Capital.com has its own self-developed trading platform, available on web browser.  The platform is easy to use, intuitive and simple to set up, which is great for beginner traders.

The bespoke platform offers an in-depth financial analysis with over 75 technical indicators, multiple trading chart types, and extensive drawing tools.  It also enables users to effortlessly toggle in and out of up to six tabs while keeping an eye on all charts and instruments in the trading arsenal.  One is also able to set up multiple watch lists to track selected markets.   It also provides traders with smart risk management tools allowing traders to control their risk with various stop loss and take profit tools.  One drawback of the platform is that it lacks support for automated trading solutions and third-party strategies.

Metatrader 4

Capital.com recently added MT4 to its offering. Developed by MetaQuotes in 2002, MT4 is still the most popular CFD trading platform in the world.  Although the platform’s interface is now dated, MT4 is still widely recognised for its fast execution speeds, wide range of charting tools, algorithmic trading, and customisability.  Other features of MT4 include:

• Supports the creation, modification, and utilisation of automated trading strategies.

• Supports MQL4 programming language.

• Algorithmic trading, which allows any trading strategy to be formalised and implemented as an Expert Advisor. 

• Allows traders to develop their own custom indicators.

• Superior charting tools in nine timeframes.

• 85 pre-installed custom indicators for deeper insight into market trends.

• Analysis tools that empower traders to make better-informed decisions.

• Additional Smart Trader Tools, including 30 popular technical indicators and 24 analytical objects.

• Multiple chart setups to control positions quickly and effectively.

• Guardian angel personalised trading feedback tool to improve decision making.

The benefit of Capital.com offering third-party platforms such as MT4 is that traders can take their own customised version of the platform with them should they choose to migrate to another broker.  Additionally, there are thousands of plugins and tools available for MT4.  

Overall, Capital.com’s platform support is average compared to other similar brokerages, and it offers its own proprietary trading platform which is easier to use and set up than MT4.  

Mobile Trading

Capital.com’s mobile trading platforms are limited when compared to other similar brokers.

Capital.com does not offer support for the mobile version of MT4.  

Capital.com’s trading platform is available on both Android and iOS mobile devices and tablets. As with the web trading platform, traders can choose from multiple languages. Although there is slightly limited functionality compared to the desktop version of the platform, with reduced timeframes and fewer charting options, traders will still have access to analytics with technical indicators, graphical objects, and a full set of trading orders.  

Trading Tools

Capital.com’s trading tools are severely limited compared to other similar brokers.

Capital.com offers support for Trading View in addition to a few risk management tools on its web platform.  

Trading View

Capital.com recently added Trading View to its arsenal of trading tools.  Trading View is free of charge for traders who open a live account. It is an excellent tool for researching, charting and screening any instrument.  Additional features of Capital.com’s Trading View tool include:

• 50+ intelligent charting tools

• Over 100,000 custom user-built indicators and scripts

• Synchronised layout for multiple charts

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Broker

Economic Calendar

Autochartist

Trading Central

Trading View

Free VPS

Capital.com

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

IC Markets

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Pepperstone

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Overall,capital.com offers fewer trading tools than most other brokers.

Capital.com’s Financial Instruments

Capital.com’s range of financial instruments to trade is wider than most other brokers, with large numbers of share CFDs, Forex pairs, and cryptocurrencies rarely seen at other brokers.  

Alongside Forex pairs, Capital.com offers cryptocurrencies, stocks, commodities, indices, and currency indices:

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• Forex: Capital.com has over 138 currency pairs available for trading, a much broader range than most other brokers.  These include majors (EUR/USD, GBP/USD, and USD/JPY), minors (NZD/JPY, GBP/JPY, and USD/ZAR), and exotics. 

• Share CFDs: Capital.com offers over 3600 share CFDs, much more than other large international brokers.  The selection available includes some of the major US, UK, and European Exchanges.  

• Indices: There are 22 indices available for trading at Capital.com, which is around the average available at other similar brokers. The most popular indices are those that combine the shares of some of the largest and globally acknowledged companies.   

• Commodities: Capital.com offers trading on 22 commodities, a broader range than is typically seen at other brokers. Most brokers offer between 5 and 10 commodities. Commodities include metals such as gold and silver, energies such as oil and natural gas, and softs such as sugar, cocoa, and cotton. 

• Cryptocurrencies: With over 200 crypto pairs available for trading, Capital.com has one of the largest ranges of cryptocurrencies in the industry. The spreads vary significantly compared to other traditional Fiat currencies. Additionally, leverage of up to 100:1 is offered on cryptos, but traders should be aware of trading with high leverage on such a volatile asset.

Overall, Capital.com offers a wide range of financial instruments, including a huge range of shares, Forex pairs, and cryptocurrencies that are not usually available at other brokers.

Capital.com for Beginners

Capital.com provides an extensive, well-organized selection of educational and market analysis materials, far exceeding that of other brokers.  Notable is Capital.com TV, which stages numerous high-quality videos that covers a range of trading-related content.  It also provides trading ideas related to current events. 

Educational Material

Capital.com’s educational materials are excellent compared to other similar brokers.

Capital.com’s educational materials comprise the following:

• Demo account
• General educational videos
• Webinars
• Quality educational articles
• Glossary
• Learning courses (on different topics, ending with a quiz)

Capital.com’s excellent written educational materials help traders develop skills to improve trading performance.  Seven guides have been compiled and cover topics ranging from basic trading strategies to financial markets and instruments.  Capital.com also provides five video courses, providing an in-depth introduction to the most fundamental trading elements, and allows traders to explore various trading approaches. 

Capital.com regularly hosts free webinars, which are available to subscribers of the broker’s official YouTube channel.

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Broker

Beginner Course

Advanced Course

Well Structured Education

Education Quality

Webinars

Capital.com

Yes

Yes

Yes

High

Yes

IC Markets

Yes

Yes

Yes

High

Yes

Pepperstone

Yes

Yes

Yes

Medium

Yes

Market Analysis Materials

Like its educational materials, the market analysis available at Capital.com surpasses that of most other brokers.  

The Financial News and Features section is filled with well-presented, up-to-date analytics and fundamental analyses.  The overall quality of the content, the comprehensive analysis, and the research’s educational value far exceed its competitors.  This research material correlates with videos presented on the Capital.com TV platform.  An Economic Calendar is also available. 

Customer Support

Available 24/7, Capital.com’s customer support is excellent compared to other brokers

Capital.com offers customer support 24/7 via phone, Facebook messenger, Viber, WhatsApp, Telegram, online Live Chat, and email in English, Russian, German, Spanish, Arabic, French, Italian and Turkish.

For the purposes of this review, we found customer support responsive, polite, and very helpful.  They were able to answer most of our questions to our satisfaction.  

Evaluation Method

We value transparency and openness in the way we review the partners. To bring transparency to the forefront, we have published our review process that includes a detailed breakdown of how we review Capital.com’s product offering. Central to that process is the evaluation of the broker’s reliability, the platform offering of the broker, and the trading conditions offered to clients, which are summarised in this review. Each one of these is graded, and an overall score is calculated and assigned to the broker.

Capital.com’s Risk Warning

Trading Forex is risky, and each broker is required to detail how risky the trading of Forex CFDs is to clients. Capital.com would like you to know that:  CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 83.51% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Transactions with non-deliverable over-the-counter instruments are a risky activity and can bring not only profit but also losses. The size of the potential loss is limited to the size of the deposit. Past profits do not guarantee future profits. Use the training services of our company to understand the risks before you start operations.

Overview

A CFD market maker, Capital.com is a trustworthy and well-regulated broker.  It offers competitive, variable spreads on a wide range of assets and charges no commissions, inactivity, withdrawal, or deposit fees. 

Capital.com’s extensive, well-organized selection of education and research materials makes it an excellent choice for beginner traders.  Its proprietary platform is user-friendly and boasts a wide range of functionality.  Overall Capital.com is an exceptional choice for traders looking for a low-cost trading environment on a large number of tradable assets.

Editorial Team

 

Chris Cammack
Head of Content

Chris joined the company in 2019 after ten years experience in research, editorial and design for political and financial publications. His background has given him a deep knowledge of international financial markets and the geopolitics that affects them. Chris has a keen eye for editing and a voracious appetite for financial and political current affairs. He ensures that our content across all sites meets the standards of quality and transparency that our readers expect.

 

Alison Heyerdahl
Senior Financial Writer

Alison joined the team as a writer in 2021. She is the Senior Editor for FXScouts.  She has a medical degree with a focus on physiotherapy and a bachelor’s in psychology. However, her interest in forex trading and her love for writing led her to switch careers. She has a passion for Forex trading and over a decade of editorial experience researching Forex and the financial services industry, producing high-quality content. She hosts a weekly podcast, “Let’s Talk Forex,” alongside her colleague, Chris, and has produced over 100 Forex educational videos for the FXScouts YouTube channel. She also writes weekly technical analyses and has tested and reviewed over 100 Forex brokers.

 

Ida Hermansen
Financial Writer

Ida joined our team as a financial writer in 2023. She has a degree in Digital Marketing and a background in content writing and SEO. In addition to her marketing and writing skills, Ida also has an interest in cryptocurrencies and blockchain networks. Her interest in crypto trading led to a wider fascination with Forex technical analysis and price movement. She continues to develop her skills and knowledge in Forex trading and keeps a close eye on which Forex brokers offer the best trading environments for new traders.