Select a different country or region to view content tailored to your location.
Alison Heyerdahl is the Head of Content at FxScouts, a Chartered Market Technician (CMT), and an experienced trader, as well as a financial writer with extensive expertise in Forex trading, broker analysis, and market research. She has reviewed 100+ brokers, publishes weekly YouTube trading videos, and co-hosts the “Let’s Talk Forex” podcast.
In the fast-paced world of forex trading, choosing the right broker is crucial. Capital Index and Plus500 are two popular options, each with unique strengths and weaknesses. This comparison will dive into the key features of both platforms,helping you decide which one best suits your trading style and goals.
The radar chart above illustrates the comparison between Capital Index and Plus500 across several key metrics, with the highest possible score being 100 in each category.
At FxScouts, our mission is to assist traders in finding the broker that best suits their needs. Comparing brokers side-by-side is an effective method to achieve this goal. We evaluated Capital Index and Plus500, using our standard criteria: trust and regulation, trading platforms, costs and trading conditions, and educational and market analysis resources.
Trust and regulation are crucial when selecting a Forex broker. A broker’s credibility is largely built on its regulatory status. We spend considerable time verifying the safety of each broker by examining their regulatory licenses. We also consider numerous factors when deciding which tier a regulator belongs to. Regulators that we rank as the world’s top regulators, gets a tier 1 rank, while regulators who only scores a tier 5-rank, provide virtually no regulatory oversight. The more top-tier authorities regulating a broker, the higher its trust rating. Read more about regulation and our tier system here.
In our comparison:
Based on these findings, Plus500 earned a higher trust rating than Capital Index.
When comparing brokers, trading costs are a significant factor. We consider the minimum deposit required to open an account and ongoing costs, including spreads and commissions. We measure the cost to trade one lot of EUR/USD using the broker’s account with the lowest minimum deposit, including both the spread and any commission charged.
We found that Capital Index has overall lower trading costs than Plus500.
Trading Platforms Offered Traders prefer brokers that offer a variety of trading platforms. We rate brokers higher if they support multiple platforms like MetaTrader4, MetaTrader5, cTrader, and proprietary platforms.
Copy trading is beneficial for beginner traders or those unable to trade full-time. In this case both Capital Index and Plus500 offer copy trading.
A broader range of CFD instruments provides more trading opportunities. Capital Index offers a greater variety of instruments compared to Plus500:
For those interested in trading cryptocurrencies, Capital Index offers 570 cryptocurrencies, while Plus500 offers 18 cryptocurrencies. Therefore, Capital Index is the better choice for cryptocurrency trading.
Traders prefer brokers with quick and cost-effective deposit and withdrawal processes. We favor brokers that process withdrawals within 24 hours using multiple methods without charging fees.We found that neither Capital Index nor Plus500 charges a withdrawal fee. Overall, Capital Index has better deposit and withdrawal processes than Plus500.
We often find that brokers offer very little in the way of educational materials, forcing traders to use other third-party sites or self-educate elsewhere. Beginner traders need well-structured, well-presented materials in multiple formats to get a good start at trading. More experienced traders also benefit from webinars led by experts in the field and advanced trading strategy sections with new trading ideas.
Capital Index has better educational support than Plus500. Both Capital Index and Plus500 offer educational support for more experienced traders.Access to frequent and high-quality market research and analysis is crucial.
We found that Capital Index offers better research analysis than Plus500 and that both Capital Index and Plus500 offer frequent webinars.
With one of the lowest-cost trading environments in the industry and a large number of tradable assets, Capital.com provides a welcoming environment for both beginners and professional traders looking for a new MT4 broker.
A well-regulated broker, Capital.com offers trading on an extensive range of tradable instruments, including over 120 Forex pairs, over 2,700 share CFDs, 22 indices, 19 commodities, and 20 cryptocurrencies.
Although Capital.com only offers one trading account its trading costs are significantly lower than average, with spreads starting at 0.70 pips on the EUR/USD and no commission. Additionally, no fees are charged for deposits, withdrawals, or on inactive accounts. Unlike other brokers, Capital.com charges swap fees based only on the leverage provided rather than the trading position's entire value. This is a welcome development in an industry where extra fees are charged on most transactions.
Trading is offered on MT4 and Capital.com's award-winning proprietary web platform, and customer service is available 24/7 to help with any technical queries. Notable is Capital.com’s world-class educational and market analysis section, providing exceptional value for beginner and experienced traders alike.
One drawback is the lack of technical and fundamental analysis tools on offer. Most other brokers offer tools like Autochartist, Trading Central, and free VPS services, to help traders make better trading decisions.
A trustworthy CFD provider with regulation from eight national authorities and a listing on the London Stock Exchange, Plus500 is a good choice for traders looking for a simple account structure, reasonable trading fees, a wide range of tradable assets, and a well-designed mobile trading app.
Plus500 only offers one trading account, but its trading costs are low compared to many brokers, with spreads starting at 0.8 pips* on the EUR/USD and a minimum deposit of 1500 ZAR. Most traders will also be satisfied with the number of financial assets available, including over 70 Forex pairs and 1900 share CFDs.
Unlike other CFD providers that provide support for a variety of trading platforms – such as MT4, MT5, or cTrader – Plus500 only offers support for its own in-house platform. However, the platform is sleek and well-designed. Available as a mobile app or on the web with no need for any downloads, the platform is equipped with a number of useful risk management tools.
We were disappointed that Plus500’s education and market analysis materials are virtually non-existent, but its award-winning customer service is available 24/7, which is exceptional for an industry where the norm is 24/5.
*spreads correct as of 09:00, 21/06/2022
For more detailed reviews, please read our comprehensive assessments of Capital Index and Plus500.
Swipe to scroll
Broker | Overall Rating Our overall rating evaluates brokers on platform quality, fees, service, regulation, and instruments. Higher scores reflect better performance and reliability. | Official Site Click to visit the broker’s official website for more information and to open an account. | FSCA Regulated Indicates whether the broker is regulated by the Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) in South Africa, ensuring compliance with local financial laws and offering trader protection. | FSP number The FSCA licence number for the broker’s South African Financial Services Provider entity. Use it to verify local authorisation. | Onboarding Entity The legal company that holds your account after signup. It may be different from the broker’s brand name or local FSCA-licensed entity. | ZAR Account | Licenced by Displays the financial regulators licensing the broker, shown by national flags, ensuring compliance with financial standards for safer trading. | Best For This category highlights a broker's strongest feature based on trading conditions, platform experience, regulation, and user feedback. | Min. Deposit The smallest amount needed to open a live account with this broker. The real amount you need may be higher depending on the account type, base currency, and payment method. | Cost of Trading Total trading cost at the time of last update, for 1 lot of EUR/USD using the account with the lowest minimum deposit. Includes spread and commission. | Typical Withdrawal Broker-level withdrawal time field, typically shown in days where available. | Compare Select two brokers using the checkboxes to compare their features, fees, platforms, and more side by side. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 | Yes | 50926 | FP Markets (Pty) Ltd, South Africa | No |     | Best for ECN Trading | USD 100 | USD 6 | Next Business Day | |||
 | Yes | 45984 | AvaTrade Markets Ltd, BVI | Yes |     | Best for Beginners | ZAR 1900 | USD 9 | Two Plus Business Days | |||
 | No | Pepperstone Markets Kenya Limited | No |  | Best for Algorithmic Trading | USD 0 | USD 10 | Same Day | ||||
 | Yes | 51024 | Exness SC Ltd, Seychelles | Yes |   | Best Overall Broker | USD 3 | USD 7 | Two Plus Business Days | |||
 | No | 49970 | XTB International Limited, Belize | No |   | Most user-friendly proprietary platform | USD 0 | USD 7 | Next Business Day | |||
| No | 49977 | XM Global Limited, Belize | Yes | | Best for Educational Resources | USD 5 | USD 6 | Next Business Day | |||
 | No | IC Markets Ltd, Bahamas or Raw Trading Ltd, Seychelles | No | | Best for Scalping | USD 200 | USD 8 | Same Day | ||||
 | Yes | 41393 | IG International Limited. Bermuda | Yes |    | Best for Professional Traders | USD 0 | USD 6 | Same Day | |||
 | Yes | 51008 | ACY Securities SA Pty Ltd, South Africa | No |  | Best for Trading Tools | USD 50 | USD 10 | Next Business Day | |||
 | Yes | 49464 | Tickmill Seychelles Ltd. | Yes | | Best for Low Spreads | USD 100 | USD 6 | Next Business Day |
Select another broker to another broker to compare features, fees, and platforms side by side.
Alison and Chris cover a range of topics, including how to choose a Forex broker, safety and regulation, how to reduce your risk, trading psychology, trading platforms, and trading strategies, among others.
The FxScouts podcast helps beginner Forex traders get the best start to their trading careers.
