Capital.com vs Altcoin Trader: Fees, Security, Features & Which to Choose (2025)

Trying to choose between Capital.com and Altcoin Trader This side-by-side comparison reveals total cost (fees + spreads), security & licenses, coins/derivatives, deposits/withdrawals, and app quality. In 2 minutes you’ll see who wins for beginners, active traders, and long-term holders. Clear pros/cons, a quick verdict, and safe links to get started.

Last updated on September 5, 2025

Capital.com

Altcoin Trader

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Available Countries

United States

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

Yes

China

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

Yes

United States

Yes

Europe

Yes

Latin America

Yes

India

China

Yes

Canada

Yes

United Kingdom

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Capital.com is ideal if:

For tech-savvy learners – Its intuitive, AI-powered platform and rich educational resources make it a great fit if you rely on smart tools to refine your trading strategy.
For traders across devices – With both proprietary web/mobile platforms and MetaTrader 4 support, it's ideal if you value flexibility in how and where you trade.
For internationally regulated users – Strong oversight from trusted authorities (FCA, CySEC, ASIC, and others) ensures you benefit from high-tier security and compliance.

Altcoin Trader is ideal if:

Ideal for newcomers seeking simplicity: Its intuitive interface and straightforward trading make onboarding smooth and stress‑free.
Perfect if you want seamless ZAR access: Supports direct South African Rand deposits and withdrawals tied to local banking systems.
Great for those who value passive earnings: Offers an interest‑bearing feature that lets you earn on crypto holdings without lock‑ins.

Capital.com isn’t ideal if:

If you want direct ownership – It only offers CFD-based exposure, which means you don’t acquire the actual underlying assets.
If you need a wide variety of account types – Options beyond demo, retail, or professional are limited compared to some competitors.
If you're looking for copy trading or social features – It doesn’t support social trading or copy-trading capabilities.

Altcoin Trader isn’t ideal if:

Not for multi-fiats or passive earners: Only accepts South African Rand and lacks earning tools like staking or interest accounts.
Not for advanced traders: Platform design is basic—missing advanced order types, robust charting, or professional trading tools.
Not optimal for large-volume traders: Lower liquidity and trading volume compared to big exchanges may affect execution of bigger trades.

Fees & Total Costs

Spot Maker/Take

Capital.com does not use classic maker/taker fees for spot trading; instead, all trading costs are embedded in the dynamic spread, and there is no tiered volume-based discount or native token benefit.

AltCoinTrader applies a flat fee of 0.10% for both maker and taker spot trades, regardless of your trading volume; there are no volume-based tiers or discounts for using any native token.

Futures/Derivatives

Capital.com offers CFDs on derivatives rather than crypto futures, so there are no separate maker/taker or funding fees—rather, overnight financing charges apply depending on position leverage and duration.

The platform does not offer any futures or derivatives trading—so there are no associated maker/taker fees or funding costs to consider.

Average Spreads on Liquid Pairs

While exact numbers shift with market conditions, spreads on major crypto CFDs tend to be competitive and relatively tight during normal liquidity, reflecting a cost structure built into the quoted prices.

AltCoinTrader does not publicly disclose average spreads for these pairs; given its focus on ZAR-based markets, spreads may vary, and the platform does not advertise this metric prominently.

Fiat Deposits & Withdrawals

You can deposit via credit/debit cards, bank transfers, or e-wallets with no deposit fees; card or digital payments are typically instant, while bank transfers may take a few days. Withdrawals are also free but processing can take up to five business days depending on the method.

You can deposit and withdraw South African Rand via EFT, bank transfer, Capitec Pay, and similar local methods—with deposit fees around 0.5% (capped at R95), and withdrawal fees set at 0.5% plus a fixed R16 (also capped at R95); deposits are typically credited within one to three days, depending on your bank.

On-chain Withdrawals

Capital.com does not support direct on-chain crypto withdrawals, as it operates using CFDs—so there is no blockchain withdrawal fee to consider because you can’t withdraw crypto into an external wallet.

Withdrawal fees for cryptocurrencies are network-based and vary by coin—e.g., a BTC withdrawal costs approximately 0.00057 BTC—indicating a fixed fee per network rather than dynamic gas-based pricing.

Hidden Costs

Hidden costs may include a currency conversion fee when trading in a currency different from your account base (around 0.7%), and an inactivity fee charged monthly after a year of dormancy; there are no express KYC fees.

Although there are no explicit inactivity or express KYC fees mentioned, non-ZAR conversions may involve indirect conversion costs, and fee transparency for different services (like instant processing) isn’t fully clear—so always check within your account before proceeding.

Real-World Cost Example: “€500 BTC

If you buy €500 in BTC (via CFDs), your cost would include the embedded spread on entry, possible conversion if your base currency differs, and if you withdraw funds later via bank transfer, you’ll incur no Capital.com fee—only standard bank or intermediary charges may apply.

Suppose you purchase the equivalent of €500 in BTC via the market; you’d pay roughly 0.10% in trading fee plus a spread embedded in the quote, and if withdrawing immediately you’d incur the fixed BTC withdrawal fee—altogether reflecting trading, conversion, and withdrawal without outlining exact amounts to keep it evergreen.

Crypto Offering & Trading Features

Number of Coins & Pairs

Capital.com offers CFD trading on around 400 crypto assets, with the most traded pairs including prominent names like BTC/USD, ETH/USD, SOL/USD, XRP/USD, DOGE/USD, SHIB/USD, and others that typically rank among the top 20 by volume.

AltCoinTrader supports approximately 37 unique cryptocurrencies across around 48 trading pairs, with the top 20 pairs by volume dominated by ZAR-based markets—including notable pairs like XRP/ZAR, BTC/ZAR, USDT/ZAR, and ETH/ZAR.

Product Range

The platform focuses on spot-style CFD trading with leverage and margin; it does not support perpetuals, options, crypto ETFs, staking, lending, copy trading, grid bots, or automated DCA features.

AltCoinTrader focuses on basic spot trading and includes a passive income product called “Easy Save,” but it does not offer margin or derivatives, crypto ETFs, lending, copy trading, grid bots, or automated DCA tools.

Liquidity

While exact figures vary with market conditions, BTC and ETH CFDs usually benefit from strong liquidity and tight order-book depth, ensuring that positioning in these flagship pairs remains fluid and responsive to market moves.

Liquidity is modest, with 24-hour trading volumes in the low-to-mid million-dollar range; although exact order book depth isn’t publicly shown, it’s likely thinner than on major global exchanges, especially for BTC and ETH markets.

Tools

Traders get limit, stop and OCO-like functionality, plus smart price alerts, richly featured charting powered by a native TradingView integration, and a full REST & WebSocket API for deep automation and data access.

The platform provides market and limit orders, slightly more advanced charting via TradingView Basic, and API access; however, features such as stop or OCO orders, price alerts, WebSocket data, or advanced charting tools are notably limited or absent.

Geographic Restrictions by Product

Crypto CFD derivatives are broadly available, but notably not offered to UK retail clients, reflecting regulatory constraints that may apply depending on your residence.

Being South African-based, AltCoinTrader’s features are tailored mainly to ZAR-speaking regions, with no support for derivatives or advanced instruments—there are no explicit regional blackouts, but advanced products simply aren’t offered anywhere.

Innovation

The platform focuses on core CFD trading and charting infrastructure and does not currently provide features like launchpads, launchpools, or flexible vs blocked “earn” products.

AltCoinTrader doesn’t support token launch mechanisms or pools, but it does offer an innovative passive yield feature via Easy Save, which allows flexible, interest-like returns on idle crypto without lock-ins—offering a rare, flexible-earn option among regional exchanges.

Security, Regulation & Custody

Operating Entity & Jurisdiction

Capital.com operates through several legal entities—most notably Capital Com SV Investments Ltd in Cyprus (head office in Limassol), with regional arms like Capital Com MENA Securities Trading LLC in the UAE—established around 2016 and headquartered across jurisdictions like Cyprus, the UK, Australia, the Bahamas, and UAE.

AltCoinTrader (Pty) Ltd, founded around 2015 and headquartered in South Africa, operates under South African law with a visible company registration—making it a locally regulated and established crypto service provider.

Licenses/Registration

The broker is regulated by top-tier authorities including CySEC (EU), FCA (UK), ASIC (Australia), SCB (Bahamas), and SCA (UAE); it complies with MiFID standards in the EU but is not classified as a VASP under current crypto-specific regulatory frameworks.

AltCoinTrader is officially licensed by the South African Financial Sector Conduct Authority (FSCA) as a Category I/II Crypto Asset Service Provider (CASP), and also registered as a Financial Service Provider (FSP), reflecting compliance with local and FATF-aligned regulatory standards.

Custody

Client funds are held in segregated accounts with top-tier banks and not commingled with company assets, though there’s no public evidence of Proof of Reserves, audit reports, or specified cold-storage percentages specific to crypto holdings.

AltCoinTrader manages its own custody of user assets, employs a statutory audit confirming that client reserves exceed liabilities, and holds a major portion of assets in cold storage—though it doesn’t publicly provide a full-proof of reserves report.

Insurance & Protection Funds

Retail clients in the EU receive coverage through Cyprus’ Investor Compensation Fund (up to a certain limit), and UK clients through FSCS; there is also mandatory negative balance protection for retail users, but there appears to be no standalone private insurance for custody.

There is no publicly detailed insurance policy or external protection fund advertised—such coverage is either not offered or not transparently disclosed on the platform.

Incident History

There are no publicly reported major security breaches, trading suspensions, account freezes, or regulatory fines associated with the platform to date, indicating a clean historical safety record.

There are no known reports of major hacks or regulatory fines, although a small number of users have complained about account issues or fund access delays on review platforms—no confirmed systemic security breaches.

Risk Controls

Security features include 2FA, internal fraud and anti-phishing safeguards, and supported tools for risk management; however, there is no explicit mention of whitelisted addresses, sub-account structures, or highly granular API permission tiers.

The platform enforces standard risk controls like two-factor authentication (2FA) and OTP-based withdrawal verification; more advanced tools such as whitelisting addresses, sub-account management, anti-phishing measures, or granular API permissions are not prominently featured.

Transparency

The platform provides regulatory compliance transparency through standard policies, but does not offer monthly audit reports, public wallet listings, or formal service-level agreements (SLAs) as part of its disclosures.

AltCoinTrader does not appear to publish monthly financial or transparency reports, does not offer publicly auditable wallet addresses, nor sets formal SLAs—though it does voluntarily participate in regulatory audits and maintains compliance processes under financial law.

Deposits, Withdrawals, KYC & Support

Fiat Deposit Methods

Capital.com lets you deposit via bank transfer, debit/credit cards, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal, Neteller, Skrill, and regional services like iDEAL, Trustly, SPEI or Lean; minimums vary by method (typically $20 or equivalent), and funds via card or e-wallet tend to arrive instantly, whereas bank transfers may take a few business days.

AltCoinTrader accepts fiat deposits via local bank transfers and Ozow instant EFT, requiring a minimum of around R100 (approx. $6), with no stated maximum; processing usually happens within a few hours to one business day, depending on method and bank operations.

Supported Fiat Currencies & Conversion

KYC (Verification Levels)

You must complete KYC before trading; basic verification covers deposits up to your initial funding, with advanced verification required for higher withdrawal amounts or accessing profits via bank transfer, but there’s no public tiered structure labeled “basic” vs “advanced” on their site.

AltCoinTrader uses multi-tiered verification

Withdrawals

Withdrawals must be made via the original deposit method up to that amount; profits require a verified bank account; minimums start around $20 or local equivalent, processing occurs within 24 hours (most within minutes), although it can take up to five business days depending on the provider.

Crypto withdrawals depend on the chosen network (ERC-20, TRC-20, etc.) and follow standard network protocols; fiat ZAR withdrawals offer a “near-instant” service (R250K max outside banking hours; R5M during) taking 5–15 minutes to process but up to 24 hours to reflect, and must be sent to a personal bank account in your name.

Customer Support

Capital.com offers 24/7 chat support and email response through a help centre with quick turnaround, backed by a robust knowledge base covering deposits, tools, trading, and troubleshooting.

Support is available via email, tickets, and phone during South African business hours (typically weekdays, 9

Languages & Localization

The platform supports a wide array of languages including native-level Spanish, presents fees and pricing in local fiat formats like €, and is tailored and regulated per locale via regional subsidiaries.

The platform is presented in English, displays fees and balances in ZAR, and is fully oriented toward South African regulatory standards, offering smooth localization for users in that region while showing limited adaptability for others.

App Quality & Stability

Their mobile app is regularly updated to enhance performance and tools, showing strong stability with minimal reported crashes—though no specific crash rate or version history is publicly shared.

AltCoinTrader’s mobile app is generally stable and feature-rich in terms of basic trading, earning a middling performance score; while it supports TradingView charts, APIs, and indicators, there’s no public data on crash rates—user feedback indicates reliable stability but limited advanced features.

Experience, Performance & Ecosystem

UX/UI

The interface is friendly for beginners, with a clean layout and intuitive navigation, while offering advanced charting tools that feel like a “Pro” experience—there’s no separate mode labeled Lite or Pro, but the design scales nicely with your growing skill.

AltCoinTrader features a clean, beginner-friendly interface with a shallow learning curve and no separate Lite or Pro modes—making it simple and consistent for users of all levels.

Performance

The platform executes orders swiftly with minimal latency and holds up well even during volatile market conditions; account verification remains efficient without major backlogs, even when markets heat up.

The exchange typically handles order submissions quickly and remains solid even during market swings, though occasional slowdowns or verification delays may occur during surges of activity or peak trading periods.

Education

Capital.com features a strong educational ecosystem, including a richly featured demo account, live webinars, glossaries, articles, and full Spanish-language content to guide both new and intermediate traders.

While the platform offers helpful webinars, detailed FAQs, and guided support, it lacks a built-in demo or simulator and currently doesn’t provide structured educational content in Spanish.

Community

While it doesn’t host its own public forum or Discord, the platform encourages community via integrated social tools and offers a referral program that rewards users for inviting new traders.

AltCoinTrader does not host public forums or Discord/Telegram channels, but it does run a referral program alongside its support-driven community engagement through its helpdesk and email support.

Integrations

The integration with TradingView is seamless and empowers deep charting and automation, but there are no built-in tools for external bots, tax reports, or accounting features—those must be sourced externally.

The platform includes basic charting with TradingView Lite integration, but it doesn’t yet support external trading bots, tax tools, or accounting package integrations.

Who Each One Is Best For

This setup works best for traders who value polished interfaces with pro-level tools, rich educational support, and solid integrations—making it ideal for both curious beginners and performance-oriented intermediate users.

AltCoinTrader is ideal for South African beginners or casual traders seeking secure, straightforward ZAR-based buying and basic earning, but less suitable for advanced traders craving sophisticated tools or broader language and automation support.