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Capital.com vs Interactive Brokers for US stocks
Interactive Brokers gives you the actual share; Capital.com gives leveraged exposure to the price without ownership. That is not a preference — it is a different product, with different tax, dividend and risk treatment.
Pick Capital.com if small starting balances. Pick Interactive Brokers if real share ownership from almost any country.
Low entry barrier and a wide share-CFD list; the trade-off is that everything is a derivative, so there is no dividend ownership or voting right — only cash adjustments.
Visit Capital.comThe default answer for a non-US investor who wants to actually own US shares rather than a derivative of them.
Visit Interactive BrokersSide by side
| Capital.com | Interactive Brokers | |
|---|---|---|
| What you hold | A CFD on the price | The share |
| US stock access | 3,000+ share CFDs across US and global exchanges | Full US listed market (NYSE, Nasdaq, AMEX) plus 150+ global markets |
| Minimum deposit | $20 | None |
| Fractional shares | Yes | Yes |
| Published pricing | Share CFD costs are built into the spread with no separate commission on the standard offering; overnight fees apply to held positions. | IBKR Lite offers $0 commission on US listed stocks and ETFs for eligible clients; IBKR Pro is tiered/fixed per-share pricing. |
| Platforms | Capital.com web, Capital.com mobile, MetaTrader 4, TradingView | Trader Workstation, IBKR Desktop, IBKR Mobile, Client Portal, API |
| Extended hours | Extended-hours pricing on selected US shares | Pre-market and after-hours routing available |
| Regulation | FCA 793714, CySEC 319/17, ASIC 513393, FSA SD019 | SEC SIPC member, FCA 208159, CBI C423427 |
| Founded | 2016 | 1978 |
Where each one wins
Capital.com
- Small starting balances
- Fractional-size share CFD positions
- Traders who want one account for stocks, indices and FX
- CFDs are leveraged and you do not own the underlying share
- Not available to US residents
Interactive Brokers
- Real share ownership from almost any country
- Multi-currency accounts
- Options, futures and international listings in one account
- The desktop platform is dense and unforgiving for first-timers
- Data subscriptions are billed separately
Frequently asked questions
Capital.com or Interactive Brokers — which is better for US stocks?
Interactive Brokers gives you the actual share; Capital.com gives leveraged exposure to the price without ownership. That is not a preference — it is a different product, with different tax, dividend and risk treatment. Capital.com: small starting balances. Interactive Brokers: real share ownership from almost any country.
Which is cheaper?
Capital.com: Share CFD costs are built into the spread with no separate commission on the standard offering; overnight fees apply to held positions. Interactive Brokers: IBKR Lite offers $0 commission on US listed stocks and ETFs for eligible clients; IBKR Pro is tiered/fixed per-share pricing. Both figures are restated from each broker's own pricing page; for small non-USD accounts, currency conversion usually costs more than commission does.
Which is better regulated?
Capital.com is authorised by FCA, CySEC, ASIC, FSA; Interactive Brokers by SEC, FCA, CBI. What matters is which entity holds your account, since that determines your compensation scheme and leverage limits.
Reviewed August 2026. Figures restated from each broker's published pages.