Updated September 29, 2026 · BrokerCue Editorial Team
Capital.com vs Trading 212
Where Capital.com and Trading 212 differ
| Compare |  Capital.com | Trading 212 ReviewSee alternativesSee alternatives |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | £20 | £1Lower |
| Stock trade fee | $0 | £0 |
| Markets | Stocks, ETFs, Forex, CFDs, Crypto, Bonds, Spread bettingCovers more | Stocks, ETFs, Forex, CFDs |
| Regulators | FCA, Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) | Financial Conduct Authority, Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission, Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) |
| Platforms | Web platform, Mobile app, MT4, TradingView | Trading 212 App, Web Platform |
| Retail accounts that lose money | 65% | Not confirmed |
| Deposit and withdrawal fees | Free deposits and withdrawals | Not confirmed |
| Account types | Not confirmed | ISA, SIPP, Joint |
| Maximum retail leverage | 1:30 | Not confirmed |
Same on both: Account fee (£0), Inactivity fee (£0), Investor protection (FSCS up to GBP 85,000).
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Key differences
- Regulators: only Capital.com offers FCA.
- Regulators: only Trading 212 offers Financial Conduct Authority, Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission.
- Founded is lower at Trading 212: 2006 vs 2016.
- Minimum deposit is lower at Trading 212: £1 vs £20.
- Markets: only Capital.com offers Crypto, Bonds, Spread betting.
- Platforms: only Capital.com offers Mobile app, MT4, TradingView.
- Platforms: only Trading 212 offers Trading 212 App.
- Features: only Trading 212 offers Fractional shares.
- Pricing model: only Capital.com offers Low fees.
Our verdict on each
Capital.com
Capital.com suits traders who want one account across shares, forex, CFDs, crypto and bonds without a monthly or inactivity charge. UK clients sit under FCA regulation with FSCS protection of FSCS up to GBP 85,000. The minimum deposit of £20 is the only cost barrier, above CFI at $0.
Trading 212
Trading 212 suits UK and European beginners who want flat costs: a stock trade fee of £0, an account fee of £0 and an ISA, SIPP and joint account. Forex and CFDs share the same menu, so the easy entry is the reason to look closer, not to trade heavily.
Score breakdown
| Area | Capital.com | Trading 212 |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | 9.2Account fee of £0, stock trade fee of $0 and no inactivity charge, with free deposits and withdrawals. | 9.3HigherCharges sit at the floor: £0 on a trade, £0 on the account, £0 when idle. |
| Offer | 9.5Higher | 9.2 |
| Trust | 9.1 | 9.5Higher |
How they place
| Ranking | Capital.com | Trading 212 |
|---|---|---|
| Stock and ETF brokers | 56 of 490 | 74 of 490 |
| Forex brokers | 25 of 147 | 32 of 147 |
| Low-spread forex brokers | 23 of 145 | 30 of 145 |
| CFD brokers | 20 of 122 | 25 of 122 |
| Low-fee brokers | 7 of 11 | 9 of 11 |
Side by side, item by item
| Markets | Capital.com | Trading 212 |
|---|---|---|
| Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Forex | Yes | Yes |
| CFDs | Yes | Yes |
| Crypto | Yes | No |
| Bonds | Yes | No |
| Spread betting | Yes | No |
Availability and regulation
| Country | Capital.com | Trading 212 |
|---|---|---|
| Cyprus | CySEC HE 354252 Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) MiCA CASP 984500C46B3B7B69Y904 | Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) MiCA CASP 21380045KC28948FNE32 |
| United Kingdom | FCA 793714 |
Every fact side by side
| Fact | Capital.com | Trading 212 |
|---|---|---|
| Features | Demo account, Mobile app | Fractional shares, Demo account, Mobile appCovers more |
| Pricing model | Commission free, Low feesCovers more | Commission free |
| Audience | Not confirmed | Beginners |
| Legal entity | CAPITAL VAULT LTD | Trading 212 Markets Ltd |
| Headquarters | Cyprus | Cyprus |
| Founded | 2016 | 2006Lower |
| Support channels | Chat, Help centre | Not confirmed |
Where each stands against the rest
| Fact | Capital.com | Trading 212 | Median |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | £20below the median | £1lowest quarter | £25 |
| Account fee | £0at the median | £0at the median | £0 |
| Retail accounts that lose money | 65%lowest quarter | Not confirmed | 70.375% |
Median across 38 listed brokers.
Pros and cons
Capital.com
Pros
- No account fee at all, which puts it joint first on that measure in our data (£0).
- No inactivity charge, also joint first in our data, so an unused balance is not quietly billed (£0).
- Stock trades cost $0 under a commission-free model.
Cons
- The minimum deposit of £20 is far higher than CFI, which asks for $0.
- Support runs on chat and help centre, so there is no phone line for questions about a leveraged position.
- Retail accounts lose 65% of money, and the market is open around the clock.
Trading 212
Pros
- Nothing to pay for holding or for going quiet: the account fee reads £0 and the inactivity fee reads £0.
- Trading shares costs £0, the same stock trade fee eToro lists at $0, so the trade price is not the reason to move.
- The entry of £1 sits under the $5 Vantage asks for, which matters for a first transfer.
Cons
- The market list pairs shares and ETFs with forex and CFDs in stocks, etfs and forex, so a platform aimed at beginners, beginners, also carries leveraged products.
- The fee sheet is the easy part: retail accounts lose money at 70.15% across the brokers compared, and a £0 trade cost does not remove that risk.
- The money side runs through Trading 212 Markets Ltd in Cyprus, registered with the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission as MiCA CASP 21380045KC28948FNE32, so a UK saver is dealing with a Cyprus entity alongside the UK one.
Who each suits
Capital.com
Who it suits
- Traders who want shares, forex, CFDs, crypto and bonds in one account
- UK residents who want FSCS protection alongside a CySEC regulated entity
- People who keep a balance and would otherwise pay inactivity fees
Who should look elsewhere
- eToro, if you want a social platform with copy trading
- Vantage, if you would rather start from a smaller deposit of $5
Trading 212
Who it suits
- Beginners and small regular investors who want a low bar to entry, since the minimum deposit is £1 and the app and demo account in fractional shares, demo account and mobile app support a cautious start.
- UK and European savers who care about holding cost, because the account fee of £0 and the inactivity fee of £0 leave the account free to sit and free to open.
- Savers who want a tax-wrapped and shared holding together, since isa, sipp and joint covers an ISA, a SIPP and a joint account under one provider.
Who should look elsewhere
- Not for forex and CFD traders who want a deeper market list: Trading 212 stops at stocks, etfs and forex, while eToro and Vantage cover more of the leveraged side.
- Not for anyone who needs a no-cost opening: CFI takes a minimum deposit of $0 against the £1 asked here.
- Not for savers who want a bigger spread of wrappers: the account range is listed as isa, sipp and joint, which does not stretch to every tax-sheltered account type.
Questions about each
Capital.com
What is the minimum deposit at Capital.com?+
The minimum deposit is £20 in the UK. That is higher than CFI at $0 and Vantage at $5. Clients who want a smaller opening balance may prefer a rival on that measure.
What does it cost to open and hold an account?+
There is no account fee, so the account costs £0. There is also no inactivity charge, at £0. Both rank the brand joint first on our data, so an unused balance is not billed.
Trading 212
What is the minimum deposit to open a Trading 212 account?+
The published minimum deposit is £1, low enough to open and fund in one step. That entry sits under the €4.64 level seen across the brokers compared here, and under the $5 Vantage asks for, so a small first transfer is enough to get going.
Does Trading 212 charge for keeping an account open or leaving it idle?+
The account fee reads £0 and the inactivity fee reads £0, so neither holding the account nor letting it sit dormant is billed on the published sheet. The €10 inactivity level across the brokers compared sits well above that floor, which is where dormant-account charges usually show up.