Is CapTrader free?
CapTrader does charge a commission for real stock trading on US markets, so in this sense it is not a free-to-trade broker. However, it might still be a reasonable choice for some of you, as there are many other aspects other than commissions that are important when you choose a broker. If you wish to stick with CapTrader though, then you will find the fees they charge below. Alternatively, you could check our article detailing the best zero commission brokers and how their apps scored in our test.
We should note that the payment-for-order-flow model, which is used by some zero-commission brokers to generate income (rather than relying on commissions), could potentially create a conflict of interest between you and your broker. This could result in trade execution (like routing your orders to specific market makers) that might be unfavorable for you under certain market conditions, especially when using market orders (as opposed to limit orders, which seem to be less affected).
Confused about fees? Use this tool to see what the commission fee of a specific stock trade would be at CapTrader. To check and compare fees at other brokers, go to our main Fee calculator page.
Before doing so, check out our Privacy Policy and our General Terms and Conditions.
CapTrader fees
Overview of CapTrader fees and charges
It's safe to say that CapTrader's fees are low in general. They either don't charge a brokerage fee for things that other brokers do, or they only charge a small amount.
Here's a high-level overview of CapTrader's fees
| Assets | Fee level | Fee terms |
|---|---|---|
| US stock fee | Low | $0.01 per share; min. $2, max. 1% of trade value |
| EURUSD fee | Average | Trade value less than $1 billion: 0.3 bps * trade value; min. $3.75 |
| US mutual fund fees | Average | $14.95 per transaction or 3% of trade value, whichever is lower |
| Inactivity fee | Low | If your portfolio is below $1,000 and no trades have been carried out during the month, then a monthly fee of $1 applies |
CapTrader fees
CapTrader fees explained
Online brokerages in general charge much lower brokerage fees than traditional brokerages do - this is largely because online brokerages' businesses can be much better scaled: from a purely technical standpoint, it doesn't make that much of a difference for them if they have 100 or 5,000 clients.
This is not to say, however, that they don't charge any fees at all. They make money by charging you various rates for various actions or events. Usually you need to keep an eye on the following three types of fees:
- Trading fees - these are brokerage fees that you pay when you actually carry out a trade, like buying an Apple share or an ETF. What you pay is either a commission, a spread or a financing rate. Some brokers apply all of these.
- A commission is either fixed or based on the traded volume.
- A spread is the difference between the buy price and the sell price.
- A financing rate or overnight rate is charged when you hold your leveraged positions for more than one day.
- Non-trading fees. These are usually related to some operations you carry out in your account, such as depositing money, withdrawing money, or not trading for an extended period.
We compare CapTrader fees with its closest competitors, Saxo Bank and Swissquote.
CapTrader fees
CapTrader trading fees
CapTrader's trading fees are mixed, which means that some asset classes come with high trading fees - be sure to check these carefully.
Let's break down trading fees according to the different asset classes available at CapTrader.
Trading fees
CapTrader's trading fees are low.
Stock fees and ETF fees
CapTrader has low stock trading fees.
| CapTrader | Saxo Bank | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stock | $2.0 | $10.0 | $25.0 |
| UK stock | $9.9 | $9.9 | $31.0 |
| German stock | $4.3 | $10.7 | $26.8 |
Forex fees
CapTrader's forex fees are average.
| CapTrader | Saxo Bank | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EURUSD benchmark fee | $18.3 | $13.7 | $13.9 |
| EURGBP benchmark fee | $16.3 | $11.6 | $12.4 |
Fund fees
CapTrader fund fees are average.
| CapTrader | Saxo Bank | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mutual fund | $15.0 | $0.0 | $9.0 |
| EU mutual fund | - | - | $9.0 |
Bond fees
CapTrader has low bond fees.
| CapTrader | Saxo Bank | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US Treasury bond | $5.0 | $85.6 | $75.0 |
| EU government bond | $10.0 | $85.6 | $53.5 |
Options fees
CapTrader's options fees are high.
| CapTrader | Saxo Bank | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US stock options | $35.0 | $30.0 | $14.9 |
| US stock index options | $35.0 | $30.0 | $19.9 |
| UK stock index options | $43.4 | $31.0 | - |
| German stock index options | $21.4 | $42.8 | $10.7 |
Futures fees
CapTrader's futures fees are high.
| CapTrader | Saxo Bank | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| US micro e-mini stock index futures | $35.0 | $40.0 | $19.9 |
| UK stock index futures | $43.4 | $37.2 | - |
| German e-mini stock index futures | $21.4 | $42.8 | $10.7 |
CFD fees
CapTrader has average CFD trading fees.
| CapTrader | Saxo Bank | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Apple CFD | $2.1 | $10.1 | - |
| Vodafone CFD | $5.4 | $10.3 | - |
| Germany | - | $11.4 | - |
Currency conversion fee
CapTrader will charge a Currency Conversion Fee for all trades on instruments denominated in a currency different to the currency of your account. The fee is charged as the following: Trade value less than $1 billion: 0.3 bps * trade value; min. $3.75.
Margin rates
CapTrader margin rates are low.
| CapTrader | Saxo Bank | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| USD margin rate | 7.6% | - | 9.1% |
| EUR margin rate | 5.6% | - | 7.2% |
CapTrader fees
CapTrader non-trading fees
When it comes to non-trading fees, CapTrader is a rather cheap broker.
Non-trading fees include various brokerage fees and charges at CapTrader that are not related to buying or selling assets. This can be a withdrawal fee, deposit fee, inactivity fee or account fee.
| CapTrader | Saxo Bank | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Withdrawal fee | $0 | $0 | $10 |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | Yes | Yes | No |
| Account fee | No | No | No |
CapTrader fees
CapTrader deposit fee
Usually, brokers don't charge anything for deposits, and CapTrader is no different.
| CapTrader | Saxo Bank | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | No | Yes | Yes |
| Electronic wallets | No | No | No |
| Deposit fee | $0 | $0 | $0 |
CapTrader fees
CapTrader withdrawal fee
CapTrader generally doesn't charge a withdrawal fee.
| CapTrader | Saxo Bank | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank transfer | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Credit/debit card | No | Yes | Yes |
| Electronic wallets | No | No | No |
| Withdrawal fee for bank transfer | $0 | $0 | $10 |
CapTrader fees
CapTrader inactivity fee
CapTrader does apply an inactivity fee and it is If your portfolio is below $1,000 and no trades have been carried out during the month, then a monthly fee of $1 applies. Keep this in mind to avoid getting charged after a longer idle period. The fact that CapTrader charges an inactivity fee makes it less ideal for you if you are a buy-and-hold investor.
The inactivity fee charged by CapTrader is low.
| CapTrader | Saxo Bank | Swissquote | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inactivity fee | Yes | Yes | No |
| Inactivity fee | If your portfolio is below $1,000 and no trades have been carried out during the month, then a monthly fee of $1 applies | In the UK, £25 after one quarter of inactivity. SIPP and ISA accounts are exempt from this fee. In non-UK countries, up to $150 after 6 months of inactivity | No inactivity fee charged |
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