UK.StockBrokers.com is committed to the highest ethical standards and reviews services independently. Learn How We Make Money

eToro vs AJ Bell 2023

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

August 03, 2023

Is eToro better than AJ Bell? After scoring the best share dealing accounts across 46 different variables, our analysis finds that eToro is better than AJ Bell. Aside from some hidden fees and a limited research area, eToro does a very good job. It offers a functional and easy-to-use platform, with the bonus of an excellent copy trading option as well as zero-commission stock trades. Its only other limitation is that it doesn’t offer the same breadth of investments as many of the more traditional brokers.

Select Brokers

×
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxAJ Bell
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxBarclays
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCapital.com
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCMC Invest
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxDEGIRO
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxeToro
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFineco Bank
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFreetrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxHalifax
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxHargreaves Lansdown
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxIG
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxInteractive Brokers
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxInteractive Investor
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxLloyds Bank
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSaxo Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTrading 212
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxXTB

Compare

0 of 5
Overall Rating eToro AJ Bell
Overall Rating info 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Offering of Investments 3.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 3.5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Research 3/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4/5 Stars N/A
Education 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Review eToro Review
Winner check_circle
Investments eToro AJ Bell
ISA info No Yes
SIPP info No Yes
Share Trading info Yes Yes
CFD Trading info Yes No
Funds info No Yes
ETFs info Yes Yes
Bonds - Corporate info No Yes
Bonds - Government (Gilts) info No Yes
Investment Trusts info No Yes
Spread Betting info No No
Crypto Trading info Yes No
Advisor Services info No No
Trading Fees eToro AJ Bell
Minimum Deposit info £50.0 £0.0
Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month info £0 (Other Fees Apply) £9.95
Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month info £0 (Other Fees Apply) £4.95
Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month info £0 (Other Fees Apply) £4.95
5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info £154 £82.5
12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info £154 £161.4
36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info £154 £400.2
120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info £154 £636
3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) info N/A £79.5
Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 info £0 (Other Fees Apply) 0.25% (max £3.50/ month for shares)
Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K info £0 (Other Fees Apply) 0.25% (max £3.50/ month) for shares; 0.10% for funds between £250,000 and £1m
Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m info £0 (Other Fees Apply) 0.25% (max £3.50/ month) for shares; 0.10% for funds between £250,000 and £1m
Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over info £0 (Other Fees Apply) 0.25% (max £3.50/ month) for shares; 0.10% for funds between £250,000 and £1m; 0.05% for funds between £1m and £2m;
Bonds - Corporate - Fee info N/A £9.95
Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee info N/A £9.95
ETFs - Fee info £0 (Other Fees Apply) £9.95
Investment Trusts - Fee info N/A £9.95
Telephone Dealing Fee info N/A £29.95
Platforms & Tools eToro AJ Bell
Web Platform info Yes Yes
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Stock Alerts info Yes No
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 66 10
Charting - Drawing Tools info 13 1
Charting - Notes info No No
Charting - Display Corporate Events info No Yes
Charting - Stock Overlays info Yes Yes
Charting - Index Overlays info Yes Yes
Research eToro AJ Bell
Research - Shares info Yes Yes
Research - CFDs info No No
Research - Funds info No Yes
Fund Research - Research Reports info No Yes
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Research - Bonds info No Yes
Portfolio Allocation Breakdown info Yes Yes
Education eToro AJ Bell
Education (Share Trading) info Yes Yes
Education (Funds) info No Yes
Education (Retirement) info No Yes
Client Webinars info Yes No
Client Webinars (Archived) info Yes Yes
Overall Summary eToro AJ Bell
Overall Rating info 4/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Commissions & Fees 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Offering of Investments 3.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 3.5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Research 3/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4/5 Stars N/A
Education 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Review eToro Review
Winner check_circle
arrow_upward

Comparing online share dealing platforms side by side is no small task. For our 2022 review of U.K. brokers, nearly 600 data points were collected over a 10-week period and used to score each broker. Let’s compare eToro and AJ Bell.

eToro vs AJ Bell Comparison

For our 2022 Review, we assessed the best trading platforms in the UK for online share dealing. Let's compare eToro vs AJ Bell.

Is eToro a good broker?

Aside from some hidden fees and a limited research area, eToro does a very good job. It offers a functional and easy-to-use platform, with the bonus of an excellent copy trading option as well as zero-commission stock trades. Its only other limitation is that it doesn’t offer the same breadth of investments as many of the more traditional brokers.

Is AJ Bell a good broker?

AJ Bell Youinvest offers a mediocre trading platform and decent research tools, including in-house articles and videos. Ultimately, AJ Bell struggles to deliver value in the UK market against brokers that offer a better platform at a lower price point.

Which broker is less expensive?

Alongside the cost per trade, most UK online brokers also charge a monthly, quarterly, or annual management fee, which varies based on the account type and balance. Based on our thorough review, eToro offers better pricing than AJ Bell for share dealing.

Assuming a £30,000 portfolio size, here are the total annual costs for share dealing with both brokers, given different monthly activity scenarios.

5 trades per year - eToro would cost £154 per year, while AJ Bell would cost £82.5 per year.

12 trades per year - eToro would cost £154 per year, while AJ Bell would cost £161.4 per year.

36 trades per year - eToro would cost £154 per year, while AJ Bell would cost £400.2 per year.

120 trades per year - eToro would cost £154 per year, while AJ Bell would cost £636 per year.

3 fund trades per year - eToro would cost £50.0 per year, while AJ Bell would cost £0.0 per year.

How do eToro and AJ Bell compare in terms of minimum deposits required?

eToro requires a minimum deposit of £50.0, while AJ Bell requires a minimum deposit of £0.0. From our testing we found for accounts between £0 - £250,000 eToro charges annual custody fees of £0 (Other Fees Apply), while AJ Bell charges annual custody fees of 0.25% (max £3.50/ month for shares).

Which broker offers a wider range of investment options?

eToro offers investors access to Share Trading, CFD Trading, ETFs and Crypto Trading, while AJ Bell offers investors access to ISA, SIPP, Share Trading, Funds, ETFs, Bonds - Corporate, Bonds - Government (Gilts) and Investment Trusts. Neither have Spread Betting and Advisor Services. Investing encompasses a wide variety of asset classes, so finding a broker that offers every investment type you are interested in is important.

Do eToro and AJ Bell offer ISA or SIPP accounts?

Self-invested personal pensions (SIPPs) and individual savings accounts (ISAs) are tax-advantaged savings accounts that are an important tool for many individual investors. You can read more about how these accounts operate at Gov.UK: Click here for SIPP information and here for ISA information. Our analysis finds that eToro offers traders access to neither of these accounts, while AJ Bell offers traders access to SIPP and ISA accounts.

Do eToro and AJ Bell offer cryptocurrency?

In our analysis of top brokers for share dealing in the U.K., we research whether each broker offers the ability to trade cash cryptocurrency, such as bitcoin and ethereum, which is still a somewhat rare offering amongst major U.K. brokers. Our review finds that neither eToro and AJ Bell offer crypto investing.

Which broker offers better research?

Our testing concluded that eToro is better for research than AJ Bell. eToro offers more research options, including research reports, articles, and analyst ratings.

Which trading platform is better?

To compare the trading platforms of both eToro and AJ Bell, we tested each broker's website, trading platform, trading tools and stock trading app. All features compared, our analysis finds that eToro offers a better share dealing platform and eToro offers a better stock app for mobile trading.

Do eToro and AJ Bell offer educational resources?

Educational offerings are of particular importance to those who are newer to investing, and we examine the availability of several different types of educational materials in our analysis. Our research finds that eToro offers traders access to Client Webinars, Client Webinars (Archived) and Education (Share Trading), while AJ Bell offers access to Client Webinars (Archived), Education (Share Trading), Education (Funds) and Education (Retirement).

Overall winner: eToro

Read Next: Best UK Trading Platforms 2022


close