Share Trading comparison
Capital.com vs Pepperstone
Both Capital.com and Pepperstone are CFD-only platforms — you never actually own the underlying shares, so forget about CHESS sponsorship, HINs or dividends. The biggest practical difference is that Pepperstone has been around since 2010, offers a wider range of account types (joint, trust) and supports more deposit methods, while Capital.com is newer (2021) but pitches itself as simpler with a lower minimum deposit and faster withdrawals.
Choose
Capital.com
if…
- ›You want the lowest possible barrier to entry — Capital.com's minimum deposit is just $20
- ›You value near-instant withdrawals (91% processed within 5 minutes)
- ›You prefer 24/7 live chat and WhatsApp support over limited weekend hours
- ›You want a demo account alongside a platform that's heavy on video education and courses
Choose
Pepperstone
if…
- ›You need a joint account or trust account — Capital.com doesn't offer either
- ›You want a wider choice of deposit methods including BPAY, Google Pay, Neteller and Skrill
- ›You'd prefer a longer track record — Pepperstone was founded in 2010 versus Capital.com's 2021
- ›You want a USD-denominated account to avoid FX conversion on US trades (Pepperstone holds USD accounts; Capital.com does not)
Where they differ
| Fact | Capital.com | Pepperstone |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum initial deposit | $20 AUD | $0 AUD |
| Account types | Individual and company only | Individual, joint, company and trust |
| USD account | No | Yes |
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.7% | 0.5% |
| Withdrawal speed | 91% within 5 minutes; 1 business day for bank transfer | Up to 2 business days for cards and bank transfer |
Verdict
If you need joint/trust accounts or a USD wallet, pick Pepperstone; otherwise Capital.com is faster and cheaper to start with.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Capital.com | Pepperstone |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | Yes |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | No | Yes |
| SMSF account | No | No |
| Kids / minor account | No | No |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | No | No |
| ASX ETFs supported | No | No |
| US shares supported | No | No |
| US ETFs supported | No | No |
| Other markets supported | US, UK, EU, HK, JP, DE, FR, AU | US, UK, DE, FR, HK, BE, CH, DK, NO, SE, FI, IE, PT, ES, AT, AU |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | No |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | Yes | Yes |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | No | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 70% | 50% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 70% | 50% |
| Holds USD account | No | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | No | No |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/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. | Not applicable — Pepperstone offers share CFDs only, not real shares. Clients have no entitlement to rights issues, SPPs, takeover offers or shareholder voting. Dividend adjustments are passed through as cash entries on share CFD positions (credited on longs, debited on shorts, with franking credits not passed through). |
| costs visible | ||
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Capital Com Australia Pty Ltd | Pepperstone Group Limited |
| AFSL number | 513,393 | 414,530 |
| Year founded | 2,021 | 2,010 |
| 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 | Privately held. Majority owner FX Group Holdings (Fiona Lock, CEO Tamas Szabo and Andrew Defina) acquired the 60% stake previously held by CPE Capital (formerly CHAMP Private Equity) in 2018; founders Owen Kerr and Joe Davenport retain the remaining 40%. |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | private | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $20 | $0 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $20 | $0 |
| Deposit methods | PayID, bank transfer, debit card, credit card, Apple Pay, PayPal | PayID, BPAY, bank transfer, debit card, credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay, Neteller, Skrill |
| Settlement period | N/A (CFDs are not settled — positions are open contracts marked-to-market continuously) | N/A (CFDs are not settled — positions are open derivative contracts marked-to-market continuously, with overnight swap charges in lieu of settlement) |
| 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. | Up to 2 business days for cards, PayID, BPAY and domestic bank transfer; up to 1 business day for PayPal/Neteller/Skrill. |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | Yes |
| Demo account | Yes | Yes |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | Yes |
| Free research reports | Yes | Yes |
| 2FA support | authenticator | authenticator |
| 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 | 24/5 (Monday morning AEST to Saturday morning AEST), with 18 hours coverage on weekends; Melbourne-based Australian support team available during AEST business hours. |
| Education content | video + courses | video + courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | No | No |
| Distribution component breakdown | No | No |
| CGT calculator / report | No | No |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | No | No |
| 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 | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | Yes |