Share Trading comparison
Capital.com vs CMC Invest
Capital.com and CMC Invest look like trading platforms but serve completely different purposes. Capital.com is a CFD broker — you never own the underlying asset, you're speculating on price movements with leverage. CMC Invest is a traditional CHESS-sponsored broker where you buy and hold real ASX and US shares. That distinction changes everything about fees, risk, and what you can actually do with your money.
Choose
Capital.com
if…
- ›You want to trade leveraged positions on indices, commodities, forex or crypto — not just shares
- ›You're comfortable with CFDs and understand you don't own the underlying asset
- ›You want to start with as little as $20 and trade commission-free (costs are in the spread)
- ›You need 24/7 customer support and a demo account to practise before risking real money
- ›You trade actively and want overnight / after-hours market access
Choose
CMC Invest
if…
- ›You want to buy and hold real ASX or US shares under your own HIN with CHESS sponsorship
- ›You're a long-term investor who wants dividend reinvestment, tax statements and CGT reports
- ›You want to trade US shares with a tiny FX spread (0.006%) instead of Capital.com's 0.7%
- ›You need a broader account range — joint, trust, SMSF, kids accounts are all available
- ›You want to invest via auto-invest / DCA into ETFs or managed funds
Where they differ
| Fact | Capital.com | CMC Invest |
|---|---|---|
| What you actually own | CFD contracts — you never hold the underlying shares | Real shares under your own HIN (CHESS-sponsored) |
| ASX brokerage | $0 (cost embedded in spread) | $0 on first $1,000 buy per security per day, then $11 or 0.1% |
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.7% | 0.006% |
| Account types | Individual and company only | Individual, joint, trust, SMSF, company, kids |
| Minimum deposit | $20 | $500 |
Verdict
Pick Capital.com for leveraged CFD speculation; pick CMC Invest for real, long-term share ownership under your own HIN.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Capital.com | CMC Invest |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | — | chess |
| Individual HIN | — | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | Yes |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | No | Yes |
| SMSF account | No | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | No | Yes |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | No | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| US shares supported | No | Yes |
| US ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| Other markets supported | US, UK, EU, HK, JP, DE, FR, AU | United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | No |
| Options trading | No | Yes |
| CFDs supported | Yes | No |
| Managed funds | No | Yes |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | No | Yes |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 70% | 0.6% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 70% | 0.6% |
| Holds USD account | No | No |
| FX currency switch trick | No | — |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Phone trade surcharge | — | $59.95 |
| Corporate action fees | Not applicable — Capital.com offers CFDs only, not real shares. There are no corporate-action fees because clients do not hold underlying securities; dividend adjustments on share CFDs are passed through automatically (credited on long positions, debited on short positions) without an explicit fee. | — |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | — | $11 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | — | 0.1% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | — | $1,000 |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | $0 brokerage on first ASX buy order per security per day for trades up to $1,000 (excludes margin loan settled trades and sells) |
| US brokerage minimum | — | US$0 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 0% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | $15 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | — | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Capital Com Australia Pty Ltd | CMC Markets Stockbroking Limited |
| AFSL number | 513,393 | 246,381 |
| Year founded | 2,021 | 1,989 |
| Parent / ownership | Capital.com Group (founded by Viktor Prokopenya, backed by VP Capital); ultimate AU operator is Capital Com Australia Pty Ltd, part of the Cyprus-headquartered Capital.com group with multiple regulated entities globally | CMC Markets plc (LSE: CMCX) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | private | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $20 | $500 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $20 | $0 |
| Deposit methods | PayID, bank transfer, debit card, credit card, Apple Pay, PayPal | PayID, Bank transfer (EFT), BPAY |
| Settlement period | N/A (CFDs are not settled — positions are open contracts marked-to-market continuously) | T+2 for ASX; T+1 for US |
| Withdrawal time | Within 1 business day for PayID and bank transfer; 3-5 business days for card/Apple Pay/PayPal. 91% of withdrawals processed within 5 minutes. | 1-2 business days |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | Yes |
| Demo account | Yes | No |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | Yes |
| Free research reports | Yes | Yes |
| 2FA support | authenticator | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, live chat, WhatsApp | phone, email, live chat |
| Support hours (AU time) | 24/7 English live chat and email; Melbourne-based phone support during AEST business hours | Monday-Friday, business hours AET (approx 8am-6pm) |
| Education content | video + courses | structured courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | No | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | No | Yes |
| CGT calculator / report | No | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | No | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | No | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | single asset |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | No |