Capital.com vs nabtrade
Capital.com and nabtrade couldn't be more different under the bonnet. Capital.com is a CFD provider — you never actually own shares, you trade contracts on price movements with leverage. nabtrade is a traditional CHESS-sponsored broker where you hold real ASX shares in your own name. If you want to own Australian shares, nabtrade is your only option here.
- ›You want to trade CFDs on global indices, currencies, commodities or crypto — not real shares
- ›You're comfortable with leverage and want to open positions with a small deposit (from $20)
- ›You need a demo account to practice strategies before risking real money
- ›You want 24/7 customer support and fast withdrawals (most processed within minutes)
- ›You prefer zero brokerage, zero platform fees and zero inactivity fees — costs are in the spread
- ›You want to buy and hold real ASX shares or ETFs under your own HIN via CHESS sponsorship
- ›You need a full suite of account types — joint, trust, SMSF, minor — for family or self-managed super investing
- ›You want dividend reinvestment plans (DRP), IPO access, managed funds and bonds in one place
- ›You need an Australian tax statement and CGT calculator/report at tax time
- ›You're already a NAB customer and want instant transfers to a linked NAB account
Where they differ
| Fact | Capital.com | nabtrade |
|---|---|---|
| What you actually buy | CFDs only — you never own the underlying asset | Real shares and ETFs (CHESS-sponsored, your own HIN) |
| ASX brokerage (minimum) | $0 (cost in spread) | $9.95 |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $19.95/month |
| Minimum initial deposit | $20 | $500 |
| Account types offered | Individual and company only | Individual, joint, company, trust, SMSF, minor |
Choose nabtrade for real share ownership and CHESS sponsorship; choose Capital.com only if you want leveraged CFD trading, not investing.
Common questions
How do Capital.com and nabtrade compare on what you actually buy?
Capital.com: CFDs only — you never own the underlying asset. nabtrade: Real shares and ETFs (CHESS-sponsored, your own HIN). This is the fundamental difference between the two platforms.
How do Capital.com and nabtrade compare on asx brokerage (minimum)?
Capital.com: $0 (cost in spread). nabtrade: $9.95. Capital.com has no explicit brokerage but you pay via the spread.
How do Capital.com and nabtrade compare on market data fees?
Capital.com: $0/month. nabtrade: $19.95/month. nabtrade charges for real-time data; Capital.com includes it free.
When is Capital.com the better choice over nabtrade?
Pick Capital.com if you want to trade CFDs on global indices, currencies, commodities or crypto — not real shares; you're comfortable with leverage and want to open positions with a small deposit (from $20); you need a demo account to practice strategies before risking real money; or you want 24/7 customer support and fast withdrawals (most processed within minutes).
When is nabtrade the better choice over Capital.com?
Pick nabtrade if you want to buy and hold real ASX shares or ETFs under your own HIN via CHESS sponsorship; you need a full suite of account types — joint, trust, SMSF, minor — for family or self-managed super investing; you want dividend reinvestment plans (DRP), IPO access, managed funds and bonds in one place; or you need an Australian tax statement and CGT calculator/report at tax time.
Capital.com or nabtrade — what's the verdict?
Choose nabtrade for real share ownership and CHESS sponsorship; choose Capital.com only if you want leveraged CFD trading, not investing.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Capital.com | nabtrade |
|---|---|---|
| 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 (LSE), Germany (Xetra), Hong Kong (HKEx) |
| 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 | Yes |
| IPO access | No | Yes |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 70% | 80% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 70% | 80% |
| Holds USD account | No | No |
| FX currency switch trick | No | — |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $19.95/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 | — | $9.95 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | — | 11% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | — | $20,000 |
| US brokerage minimum | — | US$9.95 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 11% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | — |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | — |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | — |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | — | $55 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Capital Com Australia Pty Ltd | WealthHub Securities Limited |
| AFSL number | 513,393 | 230,704 |
| Year founded | 2,021 | 2,012 |
| 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 | National Australia Bank Limited (ASX: NAB) |
| 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 | Direct credit / EFT, BPAY, Internal transfer from linked NAB account |
| Settlement period | N/A (CFDs are not settled — positions are open contracts marked-to-market continuously) | ASX T+2; US T+1; UK/Germany/HK T+2 |
| 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. | Instant to linked NAB accounts; 1 business day to other Australian banks |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | No |
| Demo account | Yes | No |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | Yes |
| Free research reports | Yes | Yes |
| 2FA support | authenticator | SMS + PIN |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, live chat, WhatsApp | Phone, Email, Secure messaging (via NAB Internet Banking) |
| Support hours (AU time) | 24/7 English live chat and email; Melbourne-based phone support during AEST business hours | Mon-Fri 8am-6pm AEST/AEDT (contact centre typically 9am-5pm) |
| Education content | video + courses | structured |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | No | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | No | No |
| 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 | No |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | none |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | No |