CapTrader Review: Reliable Broker or Scam?

CapTrader review ratingCapTrader is a German brokerage. As such, this broker gives you access to more than 135 stock exchanges worldwide. So if you are looking for a broad investment pool, it may be your ideal broker. Without jumping to conclusions, you first need to test this broker and determine whether it really is the best choice. To help you decide, here is a CapTrader Review 2025.

CapTrader: Who Are They?

CapTrader is an online brokerage platform, what is generally called a broker. It is an intermediary through which you can invest on the stock market. Of course, the broker charges you for its services in the form of fees.

CapTrader has been around since 1997, so you can see that this broker has some experience in trading. Proof of this is that it gives access to several thousand assets. It has an office in Germany, at Elberfelder Str. 2, 40213 Düsseldorf.

CapTrader location review

This broker is not fully independent. In reality, CapTrader works closely with the broker Interactive Brokers. In most cases, it redirects you to that broker so that you invest there. It is therefore an introducing broker.

On the other hand, it provides its own trading service and claims to be the best broker in this field. This CapTrader review 2025 will tell us what is really the case.

On related topics, our articles “Alvexo Review” and “Profiforex Review” complement this read well.

CapTrader Trading Review:

  • More than 1.2 million securities you can trade
  • Personalised customer service always available
  • The ability to trade on Interactive Brokers
  • Multiple trading platforms
  • Direct access to more than 135 stock exchanges worldwide

Is CapTrader an ECN Broker or a Market Maker? Review

CapTrader review logoAs an introducing broker for Interactive Brokers, CapTrader does not really have its own execution type. In fact, it works the same way as IBKR. CapTrader is therefore both an ECN broker and a Market Maker.

When it executes your orders as a Market Maker, it makes the market and is your counterparty. Otherwise, CapTrader is an ECN broker. In this case, it is not your counterparty. Your orders go straight to the interbank market. You get the best prices, but you are more exposed to slippage. It will therefore be up to you to choose the type of execution that suits you best.

Key Information About CapTrader

To continue this CapTrader review, here is some information that gives you an overview of the broker.

KEY INFORMATION

Founded

1997

Regulation

  • None

Average Spreads

  • From 0.3 pip

Assets Offered

  • Forex

  • ETFs

  • Bonds

  • Hedge Funds

Trading Platforms

  • WebTrader

  • TraderWorkstation

  • Mobile App

  • Agena Trader

  • IBot

  • Client Portal

Minimum Deposit

  • $2,000

Payment Methods

  • Bank transfer

Customer Service

  • Email

  • Live chat

  • Phone call

What Leverage Does CapTrader Offer?

The online broker CapTrader does not give enough information about the leverage it offers. However, since its main purpose is to direct clients to IBKR, its leverage will match IBKR’s.

So if you are a professional client, your maximum CapTrader leverage is 1:200. This is in fact the highest margin the broker can offer you. If you are a retail trader, CapTrader and IBKR can only give you 50% margin.

Finally, under ESMA rules, the broker offers only 1:30 leverage to all European traders. In view of these factors, our CapTrader review is negative on this point. Its maximum leverage of 1:200 is nothing compared with Vantage’s (1:500).

Products Available on CapTrader

CapTrader’s range of instruments is identical to that of Interactive Brokers. Here are the different assets you can trade using CapTrader:

  • Stocks
  • ETFs
  • Forex currencies
  • Bonds
  • Exchange For Physical
  • Hedge Funds

CapTrader also lets you trade contracts for difference with the broker IBKR on these different assets.

As you have just seen, CapTrader is well stocked in terms of instruments. Its offering is as satisfying as eToro’s. On this point, the CapTrader review is positive.

Funding Your CapTrader Account – Review

Our CapTrader review is not very positive when it comes to funding, because of the limited payment methods. With this broker, you cannot use a credit card or e-wallet for your transactions. Only bank transfers are allowed for deposits and withdrawals.

The problem is that this payment method is relatively slow to process. You sometimes have to wait several days for a transaction to complete. Yet with other brokers you can transfer money to your account in several ways, instantly.

CapTrader requires a minimum deposit of $2,000 to start investing. It is a reasonable minimum deposit, but you can start with more than $10,000 in your account if you wish.

How to Contact CapTrader

If you need help, do not hesitate to contact CapTrader through one of the following channels:

  • Phone number: 00800-08723370
  • Email address: info (@) captrader.com
  • Live chat on the official website

You can also ask CapTrader to call you back later. To do so, simply select the “call me back” feature on the website. Then you set a callback date on which the broker will contact you again.

CapTrader’s contact channels are available 24/5, Monday to Friday. The broker is responsive and answers all your questions.

Can You Trust CapTrader?

This part of the CapTrader review covers the broker’s reliability. To analyse this, you need to consider two points:

  • Any fraud and scams already recorded against the broker
  • Regulation

Fraud and Scams at CapTrader – Review

Since its founding in 1997, a few rumours have circulated that tarnish CapTrader’s reputation. These rumours are unverified. You can therefore consider CapTrader a broker free of fraud and scams. To date, CapTrader has not scammed anyone, nor has it committed fraud. It is a broker with a clean record.

Regulation

CapTrader is only an introducing broker. As such, it is not regulated by any regulatory body. However, since it operates under IBKR’s umbrella, CapTrader can be considered indirectly regulated by Interactive Brokers’ regulators. These are, of course, bodies such as:

  • FCA
  • FINMA
  • IIROC
  • SEC

Does CapTrader France Exist?

You will only find CapTrader offices in Germany. The broker has no presence in France. It does not even have a version of its website dedicated to French users. If you visit its official website, you will find the following languages: German, English and Russian. French is not one of them.

In short, CapTrader France does not exist. If you are looking for a French-speaking broker, XM is one of many options to explore.

Is CapTrader an AMF-Regulated Broker?

You saw above that CapTrader is not regulated by anyone, so the question answers itself. CapTrader is not recognised by the AMF. However, it is an introducing broker that you can use from France, because its parent company (IBKR) is not banned by the Autorité des Marchés Financiers.

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How Does CapTrader Protect Client Funds? Review

The introducing broker CapTrader gives no information about the measures it takes to protect your money. After all, its main purpose is to redirect you to Interactive Brokers, not to secure your money. IBKR is responsible for protecting your funds when you use CapTrader.

Even so, CapTrader works to protect your personal data when you sign up, so your accounts are hard to access. This is the only fund protection measure CapTrader uses.

CapTrader Awards

CapTrader has received several awards over the years, which shows that this broker still offers a quality service. In this part of the CapTrader review, we present the main awards it has won:

  • Award for Digital Service Strength, from Focus Money (2020)
  • Best telephone service, awarded by the DTGV Service Award (2020)
  • Best online broker, awarded by Handelsblatt (2019)

What Account Types Are Available on CapTrader in 2025? Review

Like any good brokerage, CapTrader first offers a demo account. This is intended solely for learning. You use it until you feel ready to invest.

Apart from the demo account, CapTrader also offers a “Paper Account”. This is also for practice, but it is more advanced. It can simulate real trading situations, but with virtual money.

After practising, you can open a live account. To do so, you need to choose from the following options:

  • Individual: for a single person
  • Joint: for up to two investors
  • Trust: intended for the management of a trust
  • Friends & Family, which can accommodate up to around 15 traders
  • Family Office, dedicated to family wealth managers
  • small business account
  • option for Money Managers

Our CapTrader review is positive on accounts. Although it does not offer an Islamic account, it is well suited to different investor profiles.

Note: the different accounts mentioned above are similar to IBKR trading accounts, because CapTrader is its main introducing broker.

What Are CapTrader’s Fees?

CapTrader mainly charges three types of fees:

  • Spreads: the difference between an asset’s Ask and Bid prices
  • Commissions: the price of the service, which you pay the broker on each position.
  • Swaps.

CapTrader Spreads

Unfortunately, CapTrader does not say enough about its spreads. However, they are considered affordable, given that it works hand in hand with Interactive Brokers. CapTrader simply says that spreads are low and can go down to 0.3 pip.

CapTrader Commissions

Here are CapTrader’s main commissions:

  • US stocks: $0.01/share
  • UK securities: $10.4 for a $2,000 position
  • German company shares: $4.8 for a $2,000 position

Apart from these commissions, CapTrader charges an inactivity fee of $1 for each month without trading, or with a balance below $1,000.

CapTrader Trading Platforms

When you sign up with CapTrader, you can use the following trading platforms:

  • CapTrader WebTrader, accessible in your browser
  • Trader WorkStation
  • CapTrader mobile app
  • Agena Trader
  • Client Portal
  • IBot

The CapTrader review is therefore positive here, since this broker has several trading platforms. It is a pity, though, that MetaTrader is not part of the range.

Slippage and Order Execution

There is no precise information on CapTrader’s execution speed. As a result, nothing guarantees that the risk of slippage is not significant. CapTrader is really not reassuring on this point.

CapTrader Educational Resources

CapTrader is far from the best broker for learning to trade. Its educational resources are very limited. It only offers:

  • Trading guides
  • Video tutorials
  • Educational seminars.

CapTrader Trading Tools

CapTrader has the same trading tools as Interactive Brokers. These include:

  • economic calendar
  • OptionTrader
  • SpreadTrader and many others.

How to Become a CapTrader Affiliate

CapTrader has a program called FXreach. To access it, simply go to the official website and click “Affiliation”. You will be redirected to FXReach. Fill in the affiliate form and you are done. As a CapTrader affiliate, your job is to refer as many clients as possible to this broker. In return, you receive money and many other benefits.

CapTrader vs Other Brokers

How can you check whether CapTrader is the best broker of 2025? You have to compare it with other brokerages. In this part of the CapTrader review, we have listed the most reputable brokers on the planet. You will see whether CapTrader can hold its own against them. Here are the comparisons we are referring to.

The table below summarises this head-to-head between CapTrader and the other brokers.

Broker

Strengths

Client Rating

Captrader
  • Wide range of instruments

  • Several trading platforms

  • A variety of trading accounts

★★★☆☆ 3/5Discover
Logo Vantage
  • Excellent stock broker

  • Client fund protection

  • Comprehensive forex training

★★★★★ 5/5Discover
Axi logo blanc 1
  • Tight spreads

  • Free deposits/withdrawals

  • Comprehensive education section

★★★★☆ 4.5/5Discover
Logo eToro
  • Copy trading feature

  • Large community

  • Buy stocks for €0

★★★★☆ 4.5/5

Pros and Cons

Throughout this review, you have seen CapTrader’s various strengths and weaknesses. It is time to sum them up to give an objective verdict. Here are the pros and cons of the broker CapTrader.

Pros

Cons

  • Wide range of instruments

  • Several trading platforms

  • A variety of trading accounts

  • More than 135 markets available

  • The option to trade in an ECN or Market Maker model.

  • No real regulation

  • Only one payment method allowed

  • No French version of the website.

  • Impractical for French-speaking traders

What Is Our Final Verdict on CapTrader in 2025?

In all honesty, CapTrader is not the best broker on the planet, as FX Open reviews also show. It still needs to make efforts to get there. First, it needs to become a fully independent broker. Its status as an introducing broker does not allow it to develop its service quality as it should. It also needs a better training program to attract beginner traders. Finally, it needs a French version to make things easier for French-speaking traders. In the meantime, Vantage already has all these qualities. It makes sense to try it.

Have you ever used CapTrader? Tell us all about it in the comments.

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