Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of City Index vs Capital.com, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
City Index and Capital.com are online brokers with different levels of regulatory coverage. City Index, founded in 1983, holds seven Tier-1 licenses and one Tier-2 license and carries a 99/99 Trust Score from ForexBrokers.com, which places it in the highly trusted range. Capital.com, founded in 2016, holds three Tier-1 and three Tier-2 licenses and has an 89/99 Trust Score, classed as trusted.
City Index is publicly traded and not a bank; Capital.com is not publicly traded and also not a bank. For reference, ForexBrokers.com categorizes Trust Scores as 90–99 highly trusted, 80–89 trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, and under 59 not trusted. If you want the most top-tier licenses and a long history, City Index leads; if you prefer a newer broker with multiple Tier-1 and Tier-2 approvals, Capital.com is a trusted choice.
| Feature |
City Index
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1983 | 2016 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
City Index offers commissions and fees that are generally in line with the industry average, especially for CFD, forex, and spread-betting trading. Its best prices are usually found on the broker’s own platforms or MetaTrader, and active traders may qualify for the Premium Trader account after depositing more than £10,000. City Index also offers rebates for high-volume traders, with U.K. professional clients potentially earning from £4 per million and up, depending on monthly trading volume. City Index is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #16 out of 36 for commissions and fees.
Capital.com comes out slightly ahead on pricing, with fees that are better than the industry average overall. Its standout feature is a low average EUR/USD spread of about 0.67 pips, which makes it a strong pick for low-cost forex trading. The broker offers a standard retail account and a professional account for eligible clients. Capital.com is rated 5 out of 5 stars and ranks #3 out of 36 for commissions and fees.
In a direct comparison, Capital.com has the edge for traders looking to keep costs down, thanks to its lower average forex spreads and stronger category ranking. City Index is still a solid choice, especially for active traders who may benefit from rebates or premium pricing options, but Capital.com is the better-value option overall for commissions and fees.
| Feature |
City Index
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £100.00 | $20 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.4 | 0.64 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.9 | 0.67 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
City Index and Capital.com both give traders access to forex as CFDs or spot contracts, and both also let users trade cryptocurrency CFDs rather than actual coins. Neither broker offers direct share dealing on U.S. or international stock exchanges, and neither supports buying delivered cryptocurrency. The biggest differences are in size and mix: City Index lists 13,500 tradeable symbols, which is well above Capital.com’s 5,585, while Capital.com offers more forex pairs at 125 compared with City Index’s 66.
City Index also stands out for copy trading, a feature Capital.com does not offer. These differences are reflected in third-party ratings too, with City Index scoring 5 out of 5 for Range of Investments and ranking #8 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while Capital.com scores 4.5 out of 5 and ranks #18. For traders looking for a wider overall market selection, City Index has the edge, while Capital.com may appeal to those who want more forex pair choices.
| Feature |
City Index
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 13500 | 5585 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 66 | 125 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | No |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
City Index and Capital.com both give traders plenty of platform options, including a free demo account, a proprietary platform, a web-based platform, a Windows desktop download, and MetaTrader 4. Both also let you trade directly from charts, and each earns a 4.5-star rating for Trading Platforms and Tools. In ForexBrokers.com’s rankings, Capital.com places slightly higher at #10 out of 36 brokers, while City Index comes in at #11.
The main difference is that City Index offers copy trading, while Capital.com does not. On the other hand, Capital.com supports MetaTrader 5, which City Index does not. For traders comparing platform choice and useful tools, both brokers cover the basics well, but Capital.com has the edge for MT5 users, and City Index may appeal more to those interested in copy trading.
| Feature |
City Index
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 88 | 97 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
City Index and Capital.com both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, along with stock and forex price alerts, trendline drawing, and automatic saving of chart drawings. Each app is also rated 4.5 out of 5 stars for mobile trading, so both are strong choices for traders who want to manage positions on the go.
The biggest difference is in charting and watchlist syncing. City Index offers watchlist symbol syncing between its mobile app and online account, while Capital.com does not, which can make City Index more convenient for keeping track of the same lists across devices. City Index also gives traders more technical studies for chart analysis, with 88 compared with Capital.com’s 30, and it ranks higher for mobile trading apps overall, placing #9 out of 36 brokers versus Capital.com at #11.
| Feature |
City Index
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 88 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
City Index and Capital.com both provide a strong set of market research tools for traders. Each broker offers daily market commentary, forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, a sentiment tool that shows long and short positioning, and an economic calendar for tracking major global events. Neither broker includes Autochartist, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading tools.
The main difference is that City Index also includes Trading Central research tools, such as Technical Analytics, while Capital.com does not. Both brokers are rated 4.5 out of 5 stars for Research, but City Index places higher in ForexBrokers.com’s rankings at #10 out of 36, compared with Capital.com at #14.
| Feature |
City Index
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
City Index and Capital.com both give beginners a strong starting point, with each offering at least 10 beginner trading videos and at least 10 advanced videos for more experienced users. They are tied on the Education rating at 4.5 out of 5 stars, which suggests both platforms do a good job supporting traders who want to learn at their own pace. In ForexBrokers.com’s Education ranking, Capital.com places slightly higher at #8 out of 36 brokers, while City Index is close behind at #9.
One clear difference is live learning. City Index offers online educational client webinars at least once a month, while Capital.com does not. City Index also provides forex or CFDs education that meets the 10-piece minimum, giving beginners more material focused directly on these markets. Capital.com also offers forex or CFDs education, but City Index has the edge for traders who value regular webinars and more structured market-specific learning.
| Feature |
City Index
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that City Index is better than Capital.com. City Index finished with an overall rank of #8, while Capital.com finished with an overall rank of #12.
Backed by StoneX Group, City Index is a trusted brand known for its versatile trading platforms, excellent mobile app, diverse market research, and extensive range of tradeable markets.
| Feature |
City Index
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Capital.com
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|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 89 |
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City Index vs Capital.com: neither broker lets you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies, but both offer cryptocurrency trading via CFDs.
In comparing deposit and withdrawal methods, City Index supports ACH/SEPA and bank wires while Capital.com does not support ACH/SEPA; both brokers accept PayPal and bank wire transfers, only Capital.com offers Skrill, and Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | City Index | Capital.com | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 89 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | City Index Review | Capital.com Review |
| Broker Screenshots | City Index | Capital.com | |
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| Regulation | City Index | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 89 | |
| Year Founded | 1983 | 2016 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 3 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | City Index | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | City Index | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | City Index | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 13500 | 5585 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 66 | 125 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | No | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | City Index | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.4 | 0.64 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.9 | 0.67 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | City Index | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £100.00 | $20 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | City Index | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | City Index | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 88 | 97 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | City Index | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 88 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | City Index | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | City Index | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | City Index | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | City Index Review | Capital.com Review |
| Overall | City Index | Capital.com | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 89 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | City Index Review | Capital.com Review |
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