Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Capital.com vs Plus500, 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.
When comparing online brokers Capital.com and Plus500, there are key differences in their regulatory standings and trust metrics. Founded in 2016, Capital.com remains privately owned and is not listed on any stock exchange. In terms of regulatory licenses, it holds 3 Tier-1 licenses and 1 Tier-2 license, reflecting a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 87, which indicates a trusted status. Despite its relatively recent establishment, Capital.com offers a secure environment for trading but is not in the highest trust bracket.
On the other hand, Plus500, established in 2008, enjoys a more seasoned presence in the market and is publicly traded, adding an additional layer of transparency. It holds 6 Tier-1 licenses and 3 Tier-2 licenses, contributing to an impressive Trust Score of 99 from ForexBrokers.com, placing it in the highly trusted category. Both brokers are not banks, but Plus500's extensive regulatory coverage and stock market listing enhance its reputation as a reliable choice for investors.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2016 | 2008 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | Yes |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 6 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
When comparing commissions and fees, Capital.com offers better value for money compared to Plus500. Capital.com's pricing is slightly better than the industry average, with its universal account available to retail traders and a professional account for those who qualify. The standout feature of Capital.com is its low average spread for the EUR/USD pair, which was confirmed to be 0.67 pips during April 2024. This makes it an appealing option for low-cost forex trading, earning Capital.com a 5-star rating for commissions and fees and a #3 ranking out of 62 brokers by ForexBrokers.com.
In contrast, Plus500's pricing is slightly above the industry average, especially for active traders. Unlike Capital.com, Plus500 does not offer discounts to retail clients, although they do provide cash rebates for those designated as Professional clients. For the same EUR/USD pair, Plus500 averaged a spread of 1.5 pips in April 2024, which is higher than both the industry average and what Capital.com offers. Despite these less competitive rates, Plus500 still holds a respectable 4-star rating for commissions and fees, ranking #25 out of 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com.
Overall, Capital.com is the better choice for traders focusing on minimizing costs, particularly in forex trading. Its low spreads and high ratings highlight its competitive edge over Plus500, which may appeal more to those eligible for Professional client benefits. Both brokers have their strengths, but traders seeking the best value in commissions and fees might lean towards Capital.com for a more cost-effective trading experience.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $20 | €100 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.67 | 1.5 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.67 | 1.5 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Capital.com and Plus500 both cater to traders interested in forex, providing services through CFDs or spot contracts. While Plus500 shines brighter in its total range of offerings with 5,500 tradeable symbols against Capital.com's 3,007, Capital.com offers a wider variety of forex pairs, featuring 125 pairs compared to Plus500's 65. When it comes to direct access to exchange-traded securities, Plus500 outpaces Capital.com by allowing clients to invest in U.S. and international stocks, a feature not available on Capital.com. Neither platform supports copy trading, nor do they offer the opportunity to buy actual cryptocurrencies, sticking strictly to cryptocurrency derivatives instead.
Both platforms score 4.5 stars in the range of investments category, yet they occupy different positions in a broader industry ranking. Based on evaluations by ForexBrokers.com, Capital.com holds the 22nd spot while Plus500 is slightly lower at 24th among a total of 62 brokers. Each broker brings its unique set of strengths, allowing users to pick based on their preference for variety in tradeable symbols or specific access to international securities.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 3007 | 5500 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 125 | 65 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | 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). Non-CFD share trading at Plus500 is only available through the Plus500 Invest account. |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
When evaluating the trading platforms and tools at Capital.com and Plus500, users can find distinct features tailored to different needs. Both brokers offer a free virtual demo account, allowing traders to practice with simulated funds before diving into live trading. Each also offers a proprietary platform developed in-house, providing a unique user experience. For those who prefer trading on a desktop, Capital.com's proprietary platform is available as a Windows download, whereas Plus500 opts for a purely web-based solution. Both brokers have web-based trading options, but only Capital.com extends support for MetaTrader 4, enhancing its appeal to those familiar with this popular trading platform. Neither broker supports copy trading, DupliTrade, or ZuluTrade, focusing instead on their proprietary offerings.
When it comes to charting, Plus500 edges ahead with 22 drawing tools compared to Capital.com's 18, though both brokers do not specify the number of technical indicators they provide. Capital.com allows traders the flexibility to execute trades directly from a stock chart, an option Plus500 does not offer. In terms of organizing market data, Capital.com provides 11 fields for watch lists, slightly more than Plus500's 10 fields. While both platforms receive a commendable 4.5-star rating for their trading tools, Capital.com holds a slight ranking advantage, coming in 12th out of 62 brokers reviewed on ForexBrokers.com, compared to Plus500's 14th place standing.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 83 | 114 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 18 | 22 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | No |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 10 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When comparing the mobile trading apps offered by Capital.com and Plus500, both platforms provide apps compatible with iPhones and Android devices, catering to a broad range of users. Each app lets you enable stock and forex price alerts, enhancing your market responsiveness. However, a notable difference is that Plus500 allows watchlist symbol syncing, so any modifications made on the mobile app or online account remain consistent across devices, whereas Capital.com does not have this feature.
For traders interested in technical analysis, Plus500 offers a significant edge with 110 technical studies in its mobile app compared to Capital.com's 30. Both services enable users to draw trend lines and view multiple time frames like daily or intraday charts. Capital.com has the advantage of auto-saving chart drawings, while Plus500 lacks this capability. Both apps support watchlist creation with real-time quotes, aiding swift access to key market information. Rated equally at 4.5 stars for their mobile trading experience, Capital.com edges Plus500 slightly in rankings for mobile trading apps, securing the #12 spot versus Plus500's #14 according to ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 110 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing the market research offerings of online brokers Capital.com and Plus500, both platforms provide daily market commentary, allowing users to stay updated with ongoing financial discussions. However, neither broker delivers forex news from leading sources like Bloomberg or Reuters. While Capital.com does not include technical analysis tools from Autochartist or Trading Central, Plus500 offers tools from Trading Central to support detailed technical analysis. Both brokers provide a sentiment-based trading tool, enabling traders to gauge market sentiment by showing the proportion of long or short positions on various instruments.
Additionally, Capital.com distinguishes itself with market research tools from TipRanks, which Plus500 does not provide. In terms of economic calendars, both brokers offer features that keep traders informed about global news events across different economies. Capital.com holds a higher research rating of 4.5 stars compared to Plus500’s 4.0 stars. According to ForexBrokers.com, Capital.com is ranked 14th among 62 brokers, while Plus500 is ranked 19th in the Research category. These distinctions highlight Capital.com's competitive edge in providing comprehensive market research tools.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | No |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When comparing the educational resources available for beginners at Capital.com and Plus500, both platforms offer a wide range of materials to kickstart learning in forex and CFDs. Capital.com provides a comprehensive selection of educational pieces such as articles, videos, and archived webinars, specifically focused on forex and CFDs. Although they don't host monthly webinars, Capital.com compensates with a rich library of previously recorded sessions and numerous videos tailored for both beginners and advanced traders. An additional highlight is their investor dictionary, offering over 50 definitions of essential trading terms, helping newcomers demystify complex concepts.
Plus500 also hosts a commendable collection of educational content aimed at beginners, featuring a plethora of articles, videos, and archived webinars dedicated to forex and CFDs education. In contrast to Capital.com, Plus500 conducts monthly educational webinars, providing real-time learning opportunities. Although they lack an investor dictionary, Plus500 delivers a solid foundation of beginner and advanced video content to enhance trading skills. With a slightly lower rating of 4.0 stars in education compared to Capital.com's 4.5 stars, Plus500 still presents itself as a viable option. However, Capital.com's #8 education ranking by ForexBrokers.com significantly outshines Plus500's #31 ranking, underscoring Capital.com's superior educational offerings.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | No | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that Capital.com is better than Plus500. Capital.com finished with an overall rank of #10, while Plus500 finished with an overall rank of #14.
Capital.com stands out for its quality research, strong educational content, and innovative web platform. Capital.com holds fewer regulatory licenses and offers a narrower range of markets than some of the best brokers, but still significantly outperforms the industry average.
| Feature |
Capital.com
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 87 | 99 |
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Both Capital.com and Plus500 do not provide the option to purchase actual cryptocurrencies, instead, they offer the ability to buy cryptocurrency derivatives.
Both Capital.com and Plus500 support depositing and withdrawing account funds through PayPal, Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires, but neither offers ACH or SEPA transfers as an option.
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 | Capital.com | Plus500 | |
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| Trust Score | 87 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Capital.com Review | Plus500 Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Capital.com | Plus500 | |
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| Regulation | Capital.com | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 87 | 99 | |
| Year Founded | 2016 | 2008 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | Yes | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 6 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Capital.com | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Capital.com | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | Capital.com | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 3007 | 5500 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 125 | 65 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | 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). Non-CFD share trading at Plus500 is only available through the Plus500 Invest account. |
| Cost | Capital.com | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.67 | 1.5 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.67 | 1.5 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | No | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | Capital.com | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $20 | €100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | Capital.com | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Capital.com | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 11 | 10 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 83 | 114 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 18 | 22 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | No | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Capital.com | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 30 | 110 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Capital.com | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | No | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Capital.com | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | No |
| Major Forex Pairs | Capital.com | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | Capital.com Review | Plus500 Review |
| Overall | Capital.com | Plus500 | |
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| Trust Score | 87 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Capital.com Review | Plus500 Review |
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