Share Trading comparison
Capital.com vs Marketech Focus
Capital.com and Marketech Focus are fundamentally different products. Capital.com is a CFD broker — you never own the underlying asset, you're speculating on price movements with leverage. Marketech Focus is a genuine CHESS-sponsored ASX broker where you hold real shares in your own name. That single distinction dictates everything else: fees, features, and who each platform suits.
Choose
Capital.com
if…
- ›You want to trade CFDs on global markets (US, UK, EU, HK, JP, AU indices) with leverage and short-selling built in
- ›You're starting small — the minimum deposit is $20 and there are no monthly or inactivity fees
- ›You want a demo account to practise before risking real money
- ›You prefer 24/7 customer support via live chat, WhatsApp and phone
- ›You're comfortable with a custodial model (no HIN, no CHESS sponsorship) and don't need actual share ownership
Choose
Marketech Focus
if…
- ›You want to buy and hold real ASX shares or ETFs under your own HIN via CHESS sponsorship
- ›You need a tax-ready annual statement with CGT reports, distribution breakdowns and Sharesight integration
- ›You want dividend reinvestment (DRP) on your ASX holdings
- ›You're an SMSF investor — Marketech Focus supports SMSF accounts; Capital.com does not
- ›You're happy to pay a $20/month platform fee plus $20/month market data for genuine share ownership and Australian tax compliance
Where they differ
| Fact | Capital.com | Marketech Focus |
|---|---|---|
| Product type | CFDs only — no real share ownership | Real ASX shares and ETFs under CHESS sponsorship |
| ASX brokerage | $0 (cost embedded in spread) | $5 or 0.03% (whichever is higher) |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $20/month |
| Minimum deposit | $20 | $500 |
| Tax & reporting | No Australian tax statement, no CGT report, no Sharesight integration | Australian tax statement, distribution breakdown, CGT report, Sharesight integration |
Verdict
Choose Capital.com for leveraged CFD trading on global markets; choose Marketech Focus for real, CHESS-sponsored ASX shares with proper tax reporting.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Capital.com | Marketech Focus |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | — | chess |
| Individual HIN | — | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | — |
| Company account | Yes | — |
| Trust account | No | — |
| SMSF account | No | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | No | — |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | No | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| US shares supported | No | No |
| US ETFs supported | No | No |
| Other markets supported | US, UK, EU, HK, JP, DE, FR, AU | Cboe Australia, NSX (National Stock Exchange of Australia) |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | — |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | Yes | No |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | No | — |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 70% | — |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 70% | — |
| Holds USD account | No | No |
| FX currency switch trick | No | — |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $20/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| 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 | — | $5 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | — | 3% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | — | $16,667 |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $20/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $240/year |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | — |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Capital Com Australia Pty Ltd | Marketech Online Trading Pty Ltd |
| AFSL number | 513,393 | 337,927 |
| Year founded | 2,021 | 2,021 |
| 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 | Australian-owned private company; AFSL backing from Sanlam Private Wealth Pty Ltd; trade execution via OpenMarkets Australia Limited |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | private | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $20 | $500 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $20 | $0 |
| Deposit methods | PayID, bank transfer, debit card, credit card, Apple Pay, PayPal | Bank transfer (to Macquarie CMA), Direct credit |
| Settlement period | N/A (CFDs are not settled — positions are open contracts marked-to-market continuously) | 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. | Same-day to 1 business day (via Macquarie CMA) |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | Yes |
| Demo account | Yes | No |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | No |
| Free research reports | Yes | Yes |
| 2FA support | authenticator | — |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, live chat, WhatsApp | email, support portal |
| Support hours (AU time) | 24/7 English live chat and email; Melbourne-based phone support during AEST business hours | — |
| Education content | video + courses | basic articles |
| 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 | No |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | none |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | No |