Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of eToro vs Barclays, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, investment options, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
Your capital is at risk.
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, Barclays offers better pricing than eToro 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 £0 per year, while Barclays would cost £105 per year.
12 trades per year - eToro would cost £0 per year, while Barclays would cost £75 or £147 per year.
36 trades per year - eToro would cost £0 per year, while Barclays would cost £75 or £291 per year.
120 trades per year - eToro would cost £0 per year, while Barclays would cost £75 or £795 per year.
3 fund trades per year - eToro would cost $50 per year, while Barclays would cost £0 per year.
What type of trader are you?
New to the world of investing? See our picks for the Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners. More experienced traders should read our guide to the Best UK Trading Platforms for Active Traders.
For UK investors looking to compare eToro and Barclays, both platforms offer a variety of investment options, although they cater to different preferences. eToro is well-suited for those interested in share, crypto, and ETF trading, with additional capabilities in CFD trading. Its modern, social trading platform makes it an attractive choice for those seeking an engaging, user-friendly experience. However, eToro does not provide access to more traditional investment products like funds, bonds, or investment trusts. It holds a UK.StockBrokers.com rating of 4.5 stars for investment choices, ranking 15th out of 21 brokers surveyed.
On the other hand, Barclays provides a comprehensive selection of traditional investment options, making it a strong contender for those seeking a more established financial institution. Barclays offers share and ETF trading but stands out with its offerings in funds, corporate and government bonds (gilts), and investment trusts. Additionally, Barclays extends advisory services, providing personalized guidance for investors. With its broader range of products, Barclays is rated 5 stars for investment choices and ranks 9th in UK.StockBrokers.com's rankings, affirming its appeal to investors seeking a wide array of investment opportunities.
| Feature |
eToro
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | ||
| Crypto Trading | Yes | |
| Advisor Services | Yes | |
| Investment Choices |
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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
When comparing the trading tools of eToro to Barclays, eToro clearly stands out for those seeking comprehensive charting capabilities and technical analysis features. eToro offers an impressive 56 drawing tools and 106 technical indicators for detailed chart analysis, while Barclays lacks both. Additionally, eToro allows users to display corporate events like earnings and stock splits directly on their charts, add notes, and overlay indexes and stocks, functionalities not available with Barclays. Both platforms do offer browser-based trading environments and the ability to create alerts for stock price updates, although eToro presents a more enriched experience with real-time market data, a feature not specified for Barclays.
Traders looking to delve deeper into market trends and analytics will find eToro's offerings more appealing and useful compared to Barclays. eToro's advanced charting tools enable a thorough technical analysis experience, making it a preferable choice for traders aiming to enhance their strategies with extensive data insights. Always ensuring that key corporate events are incorporated into the analysis can empower users to make informed decisions, something that eToro facilitates comprehensively. Whether you're a seasoned trader or a newcomer, eToro equips you with more tools to stay ahead in the dynamic world of trading, making it a strong contender for your investment endeavors.
| Feature |
eToro
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 106 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 56 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | ||
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes |
When comparing eToro and Barclays for UK investors seeking retirement accounts, both platforms offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs), allowing users to save or invest tax-efficiently. However, when it comes to Self-Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs), Barclays provides this option, while eToro does not. This distinction may be a crucial factor for individuals looking to consolidate all their retirement savings options within a single broker. eToro is known for its user-friendly interface and social trading features, appealing to those wanting an approachable entry into investing. Meanwhile, Barclays, with its established presence, offers a more traditional route, including comprehensive access to ISA and SIPP options for long-term retirement planning. Evaluating these differences can help investors align their financial goals with the right platform, ensuring a suitable match for long-term savings and investment needs.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
For UK investors evaluating online trading platforms, the mobile app offerings from eToro and Barclays present notable differences. Both eToro and Barclays provide apps available for iPhone and Android users. However, when it comes to user satisfaction and functionality, eToro significantly outshines Barclays. Rated 5 stars by UK.StockBrokers.com for its mobile app, eToro boasts the 5th best app among 21 brokers. In contrast, Barclays' app received a 2.5-star rating and is positioned at the bottom of the ranking, at 21st. This comparison highlights eToro as a more user-friendly option for mobile trading enthusiasts.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For beginner investors in the UK seeking educational resources, eToro and Barclays both offer solid options, but with notable differences. eToro provides education on share trading, receiving a commendable 4.5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com for its beginner education, although it lacks archived webinars and materials on funds or retirement. Conversely, Barclays not only matches eToro's star rating but also slightly surpasses it with a higher ranking at #10 out of 21 brokers. It offers detailed educational content on share trading, funds, and retirement, with archived webinars available for those who prefer on-demand learning. However, eToro does not offer webinars, live or archived, making Barclays a more comprehensive choice for those wanting a broad spectrum of financial education.
| Feature |
eToro
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | ||
| Client Webinars (Archived) | ||
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing eToro and Barclays for market research features, both platforms provide substantial options for UK investors. Both eToro and Barclays offer insights into portfolio allocation by asset class, and comprehensive research for shares and ETFs. However, Barclays stands out by also providing research reports for funds, bonds, and funds research, areas where eToro falls short. Meanwhile, eToro excels in providing CFD research, a service not offered by Barclays. This makes eToro suitable for those interested in CFDs, while Barclays is a better choice for traditional market research, particularly for investors seeking detailed reports on funds and bonds.
| Feature |
eToro
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, eToro or Barclays? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found eToro to be a better trading platform overall.
eToro offers a wide range of assets and instruments and is well-known for its ‘social trading’ approach. It has among the lowest fees and best mobile app experiences of brokers we tested in the U.K., and offers a great starting point for those new to stock trading. Our analysis finds it better suited to short-term traders than long-term investors.
| Feature |
eToro
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Barclays
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|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Charges & Fees |
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| Mobile App |
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| Website |
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| Ease of Use |
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| Education |
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eToro stands out in the online brokerage space by offering crypto trading options, whereas Barclays does not provide this service, making eToro a more versatile choice for investors interested in cryptocurrency.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | eToro | Barclays | |
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| Review | eToro Review | Barclays Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | eToro | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | ||
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | ||
| Funds | Yes | ||
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | ||
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | ||
| Investment Trusts | Yes | ||
| Spread Betting | |||
| Crypto Trading | Yes | ||
| Advisor Services | Yes |
| Trading Fees | eToro | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £0 | £6 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £0 | £6 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £0 | £6 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | £105 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | £75 or £147 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | £75 or £291 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | £75 or £795 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | N/A | £75 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 | £0 - £525 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £0 | £525 - £650 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £0 | £650 - £850 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £0 | £850 and up | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | N/A | £6 | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | N/A | £6 | |
| ETFs - Fee | £0 | £6 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | N/A | £6 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | N/A | £25 |
| Broker Screenshots | eToro | Barclays | |
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | eToro | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 106 | 0 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 56 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | ||
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | |||
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | ||
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes |
| Research | eToro | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | ||
| Research - Funds | Yes | ||
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | ||
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | ||
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | eToro | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | ||
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | ||
| Client Webinars | |||
| Client Webinars (Archived) |
| Overall Summary | eToro | Barclays | |
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| Review | eToro Review | Barclays Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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