Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers 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.
Interactive Brokers (founded 1977) and Capital.com (founded 2016) are online brokers with wide regulatory coverage. Interactive Brokers is publicly traded, while Capital.com is privately held; neither firm is a bank. According to ForexBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers holds a Trust Score of 99, placing it in the highly trusted 90–99 bracket, whereas Capital.com scores 89, which falls in the trusted 80–89 range.
Looking at licenses, Interactive Brokers has 8 Tier-1 licenses and 2 Tier-2 licenses. Capital.com holds 3 Tier-1 and 3 Tier-2 licenses. These figures highlight each broker’s level of oversight across top and mid-tier regulators, helping investors compare regulatory strength alongside other factors like pricing and platforms.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2016 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
Interactive Brokers and Capital.com both earn top marks for commissions and fees, with each broker rated 5 stars. In ForexBrokers.com’s ranking of 36 brokers, Interactive Brokers sits at #2, while Capital.com is close behind at #3. For traders focused on low costs, both names stand out, but they use different pricing styles.
Interactive Brokers is especially appealing for active forex traders because it uses commission-based pricing rather than simply widening spreads. In Q3 2024, its average EUR/USD spread was 0.19 pips, which works out to an effective all-in spread of about 0.59 pips after commission. Forex commissions start at 0.00002 of the U.S. dollar trade value per side, with a $2 minimum per order, or $4 round turn. That minimum can make small trades more expensive, but costs can fall for very active traders.
Capital.com keeps things simple with spread-based pricing and also comes in slightly better than the industry average overall. Its average EUR/USD spread was 0.6712 pips in April 2024, which is still a low-cost option for forex trading. If you want transparent pricing without separate commissions, Capital.com may feel easier to understand, while Interactive Brokers may be better for traders who want tighter pricing and don’t mind a commission model.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $20 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.226 | 0.7 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | 0.67 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Interactive Brokers offers a wider range of investments overall than Capital.com, with 8,500 tradeable symbols versus 5,585. It also gives clients access to more traditional stock-market investing, including exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, so you can buy shares such as Apple or Vodafone directly. In addition, Interactive Brokers lets clients buy actual cryptocurrency, not just a crypto CFD, while Capital.com does not offer delivered crypto.
Capital.com does have a larger selection of forex pairs, with 125 compared with 90 at Interactive Brokers, and it supports forex trading as a CFD or spot contract like Interactive Brokers. However, Capital.com does not offer direct share dealing on U.S. or international exchanges, and it only provides crypto CFDs. Overall, Interactive Brokers is rated higher for Range of Investments, with 5 stars and a #1 ranking out of 36 brokers, while Capital.com holds 4.5 stars and ranks #18.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 5585 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 125 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | No | 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.
Interactive Brokers and Capital.com both give traders a wide choice of platform options, including a free paper trading account, their own in-house platform, a Windows desktop app, and a web-based platform. Each also lets users place trades directly from a price chart, which can make it easier to act quickly while reviewing market moves. Neither broker offers copy trading, so traders looking for a hands-off, follow-another-trader feature will not find it here.
The main difference is that Capital.com supports both MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, while Interactive Brokers does not. That may matter for traders who prefer the familiar MetaTrader setup and its tools. In ForexBrokers.com’s Trading Platforms and Tools category, Interactive Brokers earns 5 out of 5 stars and ranks #2 out of 36 brokers, while Capital.com scores 4.5 stars and ranks #10, making Interactive Brokers the stronger choice overall for platform quality and trading tools.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
Capital.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 97 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Interactive Brokers and Capital.com both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, and each app includes stock or forex price alerts as well as trendline drawing on charts. Where Interactive Brokers stands out is watchlist syncing between its mobile app and online account, which Capital.com does not offer. Interactive Brokers also gives mobile traders access to 155 technical studies, far more than Capital.com’s 30, making it a stronger choice for users who rely on chart analysis.
In overall mobile trading app ratings, Interactive Brokers comes out ahead with 5 out of 5 stars and a #4 ranking out of 36 brokers from ForexBrokers.com. Capital.com still performs well with a 4.5-star rating and a #11 ranking, and it does have one useful advantage: chart drawings auto-save in the app, while they do not on Interactive Brokers. For traders who want more charting tools and synced watchlists, Interactive Brokers has the edge, while Capital.com may suit those who value simple mobile charting with saved drawings.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
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 | 155 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Interactive Brokers and Capital.com both give traders a strong mix of market research tools, including daily market commentary, news from major sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, a sentiment tool for spotting long and short positioning, and an economic calendar for tracking key events. Neither broker offers Autochartist, so traders looking for that specific research service will not find it at either platform.
The main difference is in the extra research coverage. Interactive Brokers goes further by offering Trading Central tools, TipRanks data, and Acuity Trading features such as Signal Centre, while Capital.com does not include those services. That wider research lineup helps explain why Interactive Brokers earns a 5-star research rating and ranks #3 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, compared with Capital.com’s 4.5-star rating and #14 ranking.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
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 | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners looking for trading education, Interactive Brokers comes out ahead of Capital.com. Interactive Brokers offers forex and CFDs learning material with at least 10 education pieces focused on those topics, plus online client webinars held at least once a month. It also has at least 10 beginner videos and 10 advanced videos, giving new traders and more experienced users plenty to work through. That strong mix helps explain why it earns 5 stars for Education and ranks #1 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com.
Capital.com also gives beginners a solid set of learning tools, including at least 10 beginner videos and at least 10 advanced videos. However, it does not offer monthly online client webinars, and its forex or CFDs education does not meet the same level described for Interactive Brokers. Capital.com is rated 4.5 stars for Education and ranks #8 out of 36 brokers, which still makes it a useful choice, but not as strong overall for education as Interactive Brokers.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
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 Interactive Brokers is better than Capital.com. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while Capital.com finished with an overall rank of #12.
Interactive Brokers is a highly trusted multi-asset broker with an extensive offering of tradeable global markets. It delivers competitive fees and high-quality research and education, as well as a modern, institutional-grade trading platform suite.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
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Capital.com
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|---|---|---|
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| Trust Score | 99 | 89 |
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Interactive Brokers vs Capital.com: Interactive Brokers lets you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency but does not offer crypto CFDs, while Capital.com offers cryptocurrency CFDs but does not provide access to buying the underlying (delivered) coins.
Comparing deposit and withdrawal options, Interactive Brokers supports ACH/SEPA and bank wire transfers but not PayPal or Skrill, while Capital.com offers PayPal, Skrill, and bank wires but not ACH/SEPA, with Visa/Mastercard availability not specified for either broker.
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 | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 89 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Capital.com Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
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| Regulation | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 89 | |
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2016 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 3 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | 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) | Yes | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 5585 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 125 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | No | 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 | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.226 | 0.7 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | 0.67 | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | No | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $20 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 97 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Interactive Brokers | 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 | 155 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Interactive Brokers | 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 | Interactive Brokers Review | Capital.com Review |
| Overall | Interactive Brokers | Capital.com | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 89 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | Capital.com Review |
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