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.
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 seeking a diverse range of investment choices, both eToro and Barclays present appealing options, each with distinct offerings. eToro is particularly popular for its share and crypto trading services, catering to a modern audience interested in digital currencies. It also facilitates trading in ETFs and CFDs, making it a versatile choice for tech-savvy traders. However, for those looking for traditional investment options, Barclays might be a better fit. Barclays offers a broader array of investment products, including share and ETF trading, alongside funds, corporate bonds, gilts, and investment trusts. This makes Barclays more suited for those who prefer a comprehensive selection beyond just shares and ETFs.
While eToro boasts a commendable 4.5-star rating for investment choices, it is ranked 15th out of 18 by UK.StockBrokers.com, indicating room for improvement in variety. In contrast, Barclays, with its extensive product range, has secured a higher 5-star rating and is ranked 9th. Furthermore, Barclays offers advisory services, providing an added layer of guidance for investors. This detailed level of support can be beneficial to individuals seeking expert advice alongside their investment activities, thereby offering a more traditional and potentially reassuring investing experience.
| Feature |
eToro
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | No | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | Yes |
| Investment Trusts | No | Yes |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | No |
| Advisor Services | No | Yes |
| Investment Choices |
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Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Low-cost US and UK shares.
When it comes to online trading tools, eToro significantly outshines Barclays. While both platforms provide a browser-based trading experience and the capability to set alerts for stock price updates, eToro goes several steps further. It offers a wide range of charting features, including 56 drawing tools and 106 technical indicators, alongside the ability to add notes, index overlays, and stock overlays to charts. In contrast, Barclays lacks these advanced charting functions, providing no drawing tools or technical indicators and not supporting notes or overlay additions.
Moreover, eToro provides real-time market data, which is crucial for timely decision-making, whereas Barclays does not offer this service. Neither platform currently supports displaying corporate events such as earnings reports or dividends on charts. For UK investors seeking comprehensive charting capabilities and real-time data, eToro presents a far more feature-rich choice compared to Barclays.
| Feature |
eToro
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 106 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 56 | 0 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
When comparing online broker eToro to Barclays in terms of available retirement accounts for UK users, there are some key differences. Both eToro and Barclays offer ISA accounts, which provide a tax-efficient way to save and invest. However, if you're looking to contribute to a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), Barclays has you covered with their offering, while eToro does not provide SIPP accounts. This makes Barclays a more versatile choice for those seeking comprehensive retirement planning options alongside tax-efficient savings through ISAs. Consider your retirement planning needs when choosing between these two financial service providers.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
For UK investors seeking mobile trading solutions, both eToro and Barclays offer apps compatible with iPhone and Android devices. However, in terms of user satisfaction and features, eToro's mobile app shines brightly with a 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com, ranking 5th out of 18 brokers. In contrast, Barclays' mobile app, with a 2.5-star rating, falls significantly lower, ranked at 21st. While both apps provide the basic functionality needed for trading on the go, eToro has clearly captured a stronger reputation for its mobile user experience compared to Barclays.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
For beginner investors exploring educational resources in the UK, both eToro and Barclays offer a solid start. They gain equal acclaim from UK.StockBrokers.com, each earning 4.5 stars for their beginner investment education. While neither platform provides on-demand webinars, they do cover share trading. Barclays extends its offerings with additional insights into funds and retirement planning, where eToro does not. Ranked among 18 brokers, Barclays just edges out eToro, securing the 10th spot compared to eToro's 11th place, making Barclays slightly more versatile for those looking to broaden their financial knowledge base.
| Feature |
eToro
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | No | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | No | Yes |
| Education (Retirement) | No | Yes |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing eToro and Barclays for market research features, UK investors have distinct options based on their needs. Barclays excels in providing comprehensive research reports for various investment vehicles including funds and bonds, offering valuable insights for those interested in these areas. eToro, by contrast, does not provide funds and bonds research but shines in areas like CFDs, a market absent from Barclays' offerings. Both platforms enable investors to examine shares and ETFs, as well as view portfolio allocation by asset class, ensuring a thorough analysis of their investments. Ultimately, Barclays offers a traditional approach with extensive fund and bond research, while eToro caters more to those exploring CFDs.
| Feature |
eToro
|
Barclays
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | No |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | No | Yes |
| Research - Funds | No | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | No | 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
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Charges & Fees |
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| Investment Choices |
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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 for crypto enthusiasts by offering cryptocurrency trading, whereas Barclays does not provide this option, making eToro a compelling choice for investors interested in digital assets.
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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 | No | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No | |
| Funds | No | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | No | Yes | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | Yes | |
| Investment Trusts | No | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | No | |
| Advisor Services | No | 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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| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
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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 | No | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
| Research | eToro | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | No | |
| Research - Funds | No | Yes | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | No | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | No | Yes | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | eToro | Barclays | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | No | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | No | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | No |
| Overall Summary | eToro | Barclays | |
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| Review | eToro Review | Barclays Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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