Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of eToro vs CMC Invest, 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, eToro offers better pricing than CMC Invest 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 CMC Invest would cost £0 / £120 / £300 per year.
12 trades per year - eToro would cost £0 per year, while CMC Invest would cost £0 / £120 / £300 per year.
36 trades per year - eToro would cost £0 per year, while CMC Invest would cost £0 / £120 / £300 per year.
120 trades per year - eToro would cost £0 per year, while CMC Invest would cost £0 / £120 / £300 per year.
3 fund trades per year - eToro would cost $50 per year, while CMC Invest 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.
When comparing the investment options offered by online brokers eToro and CMC Invest, both platforms have their strengths. eToro excels in providing a comprehensive range of trading options, including share trading, cryptocurrency trading, ETF trading, and CFD trading. However, it does not offer fund trading, investment trusts, or advisory services. CMC Invest, on the other hand, covers share trading and ETF trading but stands out with its ability to offer funds and investment trusts, despite lacking in cryptocurrency and CFD trading options. Neither platform provides spread betting or advisory services.
Both eToro and CMC Invest receive a solid 4.5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com for their investment choices, indicating that users generally find their offerings robust. However, they differ in ranking, with eToro positioned at #9 and CMC Invest at #15 among 18 brokers for investment choices, indicating eToro's broader appeal in terms of available trading categories. Whether investors prioritize cryptocurrency and CFD trading or the inclusion of fund trading and investment trusts might sway their choice between these two platforms.
| Feature |
eToro
|
CMC Invest
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | No | Yes |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | No |
| Investment Trusts | No | Yes |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | No |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Investment Choices |
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Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
Low-cost US and UK shares.
When comparing the trading tools of eToro and CMC Invest, eToro stands out with its comprehensive range of features. eToro provides 56 drawing tools and 106 technical indicators, offering traders a rich toolbox for analyzing market trends. Traders on eToro can also enhance their charts by adding notes and overlays, both index and stock, allowing for a more tailored charting experience. Notably, eToro supports browser-based trading, making it accessible on different platforms and devices. It also offers real-time market data and the ability to set alerts for stock price updates, ensuring that traders stay informed.
On the other hand, CMC Invest offers more limited trading tools in comparison. It does not provide drawing tools, technical indicators, or chart-enhancing features such as adding notes and overlays. Additionally, CMC Invest lacks a browser-based trading platform, which might be restrictive for those who prefer online trading accessibility. However, like eToro, CMC Invest includes real-time market data and allows for the creation of alerts for stock price updates, ensuring traders can keep up with market movements despite its fewer charting features.
| Feature |
eToro
|
CMC Invest
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | No |
| 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 |
Both eToro and CMC Invest cater to UK investors by providing Individual Savings Accounts (ISA), making them viable choices for those looking to save tax-efficiently. However, a distinct difference arises when it comes to self-invested personal pensions (SIPP). While CMC Invest supports SIPPs for individuals aiming to grow their retirement savings, eToro does not currently offer SIPP accounts, potentially limiting the options for investors focusing on long-term retirement planning exclusively through eToro.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
When comparing the mobile app offerings of online brokers eToro and CMC Invest, both platforms provide robust solutions for both iPhone and Android users, ensuring accessibility across major devices. eToro's app is highly regarded, earning a top-tier 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com, while CMC Invest follows closely with an impressive 4.5-star rating. Among 18 evaluated brokers, eToro holds the 5th position in mobile app rankings, reflecting its commitment to user-friendly mobile trading. CMC Invest is ranked 7th, showcasing its competitive edge in delivering a quality mobile trading experience. Both brokers offer convenient and efficient mobile solutions for traders on the go.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
Both eToro and CMC Invest provide educational resources for beginner investors interested in share trading, but they lack client webinars, live or on-demand. Notably, CMC Invest offers additional education on funds and retirement, whereas eToro does not. In terms of ratings, eToro scores slightly higher with a 4.5-star rating compared to CMC Invest's 4 stars according to UK.StockBrokers.com. Furthermore, eToro is ranked 10th out of 18 brokers for beginner education, while CMC Invest is placed at 13th, indicating a slight edge for eToro in overall beginner-friendly resources.
| Feature |
eToro
|
CMC Invest
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 CMC Invest for market research features, each platform has its strengths and limitations. eToro stands out by providing the ability to view portfolio allocation by asset class and offering research for shares, ETFs, and CFDs, although it falls short by not providing research reports for funds or bonds. On the other hand, CMC Invest excels with its offering of detailed research reports for funds, shares, and ETFs, but lacks the ability to show portfolio allocation by asset class and does not cover CFDs or bonds research. Both platforms are comprehensive in shares and ETFs research, making them suitable for investors focusing on these areas.
| Feature |
eToro
|
CMC Invest
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | No |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | No | No |
| Research - Funds | No | Yes |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | No | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | No |
Which broker is better overall, eToro or CMC Invest? 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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CMC Invest
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Mobile App |
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When comparing online brokers eToro and CMC Invest, eToro stands out by offering cryptocurrency trading, while CMC Invest does not provide this feature.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | eToro | CMC Invest | |
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| Review | eToro Review | CMC Invest Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | eToro | CMC Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | No | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | No | |
| Funds | No | Yes | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | No | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | No | |
| Investment Trusts | No | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | No | |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Trading Fees | eToro | CMC Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £0 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £0 | £0 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | £0 / £120 / £300 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | £0 / £120 / £300 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | £0 / £120 / £300 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | £0 / £120 / £300 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | N/A | £120 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 | £120 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £0 | £120 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £0 | £120 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £0 | £120 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | N/A | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | N/A | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £0 | £0 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | N/A | £0 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | N/A | £0 |
| Broker Screenshots | eToro | CMC Invest | |
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| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Mobile Trading Apps Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | eToro | CMC Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | No | |
| 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 | CMC Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | No |
| Education | eToro | CMC Invest | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | CMC Invest | |
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| Review | eToro Review | CMC Invest Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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