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eToro vs Charles Stanley Direct 2024

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

August 06, 2024

Is eToro better than Charles Stanley Direct? After scoring the best share dealing accounts across 46 different variables, our analysis finds that eToro is better than Charles Stanley Direct. 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.

Select Brokers

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  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxAJ Bell
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxBarclays
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxBestinvest
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCapital.com
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCharles Stanley Direct
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCMC Invest
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxeToro
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFidelity International
  • 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_boxRevolut
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxRobinhood UK
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSaxo
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTrading 212
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxVanguard UK Investor
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxWebull
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxXTB

Compare

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Overall Rating eToro Charles Stanley Direct
Overall Rating 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Charges & Fees 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Investment Choices 4.5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Mobile App 4.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Website 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Education 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Review eToro Review Charles Stanley Direct Review
Winner check_circle
Investments eToro Charles Stanley Direct
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 info
Investment Trusts info No Yes
Spread Betting info No No
Crypto Trading info Yes No
Advisor Services info No Yes
Trading Fees eToro Charles Stanley Direct
Minimum Deposit info $100 info £0
Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month info £0 £0 - £10 info
Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month info £0 £10
Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month info £0 £10
5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info £0 £57.50
12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info £0 £138
36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info £0 £414
120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) info £0 £1,380
3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) info N/A £90 - £102
Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 info £0 £60 - £600
Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K info £0 £600
Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m info £0 £600
Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over info £0 £600
Bonds - Corporate - Fee info N/A £25
Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee info N/A £25 info
ETFs - Fee info £0 £10 info
Investment Trusts - Fee info N/A £10
Telephone Dealing Fee info N/A £25 minimum
Broker Screenshots eToro Charles Stanley Direct
Website Gallery (click to expand)
Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand)
Education Gallery (click to expand)
Platforms & Tools eToro Charles Stanley Direct
Web Platform info Yes Yes
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Stock Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 105 14
Charting - Drawing Tools info 19 1 info
Charting - Notes info Yes No
Charting - Display Corporate Events info No No
Charting - Stock Overlays info Yes Yes
Charting - Index Overlays info Yes Yes
Research eToro Charles Stanley Direct
Research - Shares info Yes Yes
Research - CFDs info Yes No
Research - Funds info No Yes
Fund Research - Research Reports info No Yes
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Research - Bonds info No No
Portfolio Allocation Breakdown info Yes Yes
Education eToro Charles Stanley Direct
Education (Share Trading) info Yes Yes
Education (Funds) info No Yes
Education (Retirement) info No Yes
Client Webinars info No No
Client Webinars (Archived) info No Yes
Overall Summary eToro Charles Stanley Direct
Overall Rating 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Charges & Fees 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Investment Choices 4.5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Mobile App 4.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Website 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Education 4.5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Review eToro Review Charles Stanley Direct Review
Winner check_circle
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Comparing online share dealing platforms side by side is no small task. For our 2024 review of U.K. brokers, more than 900 data points were collected over a 10-week period and used to score each broker. Let’s compare eToro and Charles Stanley Direct.

eToro vs Charles Stanley Direct Comparison

For our 2024 Review, we assessed the best trading platforms in the UK for online share dealing. Let's compare eToro vs Charles Stanley Direct.

Is eToro a good broker?

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.

Is Charles Stanley Direct a good broker?

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 Charles Stanley Direct 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 Charles Stanley Direct would cost £57.50 per year.

12 trades per year - eToro would cost £0 per year, while Charles Stanley Direct would cost £138 per year.

36 trades per year - eToro would cost £0 per year, while Charles Stanley Direct would cost £414 per year.

120 trades per year - eToro would cost £0 per year, while Charles Stanley Direct would cost £1,380 per year.

3 fund trades per year - eToro would cost $100 per year, while Charles Stanley Direct would cost £0 per year.

query_stats What type of trader are you?

New to the world of investing? See my picks for the best UK trading platforms for beginners. More experienced traders should check out my guide to the best UK Trading Platforms for Active Traders. If you're looking to trade shares on the go, read my guide to the best UK stock trading apps.

How do eToro and Charles Stanley Direct compare in terms of minimum deposits required?

eToro requires a minimum deposit of $100, while Charles Stanley Direct requires a minimum deposit of £0. From our testing we found for accounts between £0 - £250,000 eToro charges annual custody fees of £0, while Charles Stanley Direct charges annual custody fees of £60 - £600.

Which broker offers a wider range of investment options?

eToro offers investors access to Share Trading, CFD Trading, ETFs and Crypto Trading, while Charles Stanley Direct offers investors access to ISA, SIPP, Share Trading, Funds, ETFs, Bonds - Corporate, Bonds - Government (Gilts), Investment Trusts and Advisor Services. Neither have Spread Betting. 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 Charles Stanley Direct 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 Charles Stanley Direct offers traders access to SIPP and ISA accounts.

Do eToro and Charles Stanley Direct 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 eToro offers crypto investing, while Charles Stanley Direct does not.

Which broker offers a better website experience?

Our testing concluded that the website of eToro is better than the website of Charles Stanley Direct. eToro offers more functionality, is cleanly designed, and is, overall, easier to use for beginners and casual investors.

Which stock trading app is better?

To compare the trading platforms of both eToro and Charles Stanley Direct, we tested each broker's stock trading app. All features compared, our analysis finds that eToro offers a better mobile app. Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.

Do eToro and Charles Stanley Direct 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 Education (Share Trading), while Charles Stanley Direct offers access to Client Webinars (Archived), Education (Share Trading), Education (Funds) and Education (Retirement). Neither have Client Webinars.

Overall winner: eToro

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