Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of eToro vs IG, 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 IG 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 IG would cost £136 per year.
12 trades per year - eToro would cost £0 per year, while IG would cost £96 per year.
36 trades per year - eToro would cost £0 per year, while IG would cost £108 per year.
120 trades per year - eToro would cost £0 per year, while IG would cost £360 per year.
3 fund trades per year - eToro would cost $50 per year, while IG 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 it comes to investment choices, eToro and IG each offer various trading options, though there are notable differences between them. Both platforms provide share trading, allowing investors to buy and sell a variety of stocks. While both offer access to ETFs and CFDs, only eToro extends its offerings to include cryptocurrency trading, an asset class gaining popularity among modern investors. Neither broker provides spread betting, funds trading, or the ability to trade corporate or government bonds (gilts). However, IG does set itself apart by offering investment trusts, which eToro does not.
In terms of ratings and rankings, UK.StockBrokers.com rates both eToro and IG highly for their investment choices, each earning a solid 4.5 out of 5 stars. In a competitive evaluation of 18 brokers, eToro ranks at #9, slightly edging out IG, which stands at #10. While both platforms deliver strong offerings, the differences in available asset classes, such as the availability of cryptocurrency on eToro and investment trusts on IG, can guide investors in choosing which brokerage is better suited to their personal investment strategies.
| Feature |
eToro
|
IG
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | Yes | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | No | No |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | No |
| Investment Trusts | No | Yes |
| Spread Betting | No | Yes |
| 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 it comes to charting tools and features, eToro and IG both have strengths and areas where they excel. eToro offers a comprehensive suite with a notable advantage of 56 drawing tools, compared to IG's 19, making it a versatile choice for traders who like detailed chart analysis. Additionally, eToro provides a substantial range of 106 technical indicators, far surpassing IG's 33, which may appeal to users focused on intricate technical details. Moreover, eToro allows adding both index and stock overlays to charts, features which are not available with IG. However, IG holds an advantage in offering the ability to display corporate events such as earnings, splits, and dividends on charts–a feature absent on eToro.
Both eToro and IG offer their users the ability to add notes to charts, ensuring that you can keep track of your insights on both platforms. Each broker also supports trading through a browser-based platform and provides the tools to set alerts for stock price updates along with real-time market data, thus ensuring users have immediate access to critical trading information. Ultimately, the decision between eToro and IG should be based on which platform aligns best with your specific trading needs and preferences, particularly in terms of charting features and tools.
| Feature |
eToro
|
IG
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 106 | 33 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 56 | 19 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | Yes |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
When comparing eToro and IG for retirement accounts, it's clear both platforms cater to different investor needs. eToro and IG both offer ISA accounts, providing a tax-efficient way for UK investors to grow their savings. However, if you're looking to invest in a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP), IG stands out as it provides SIPP accounts, unlike eToro. This makes IG a more versatile choice for those seeking various retirement investment options, while eToro remains a solid choice for straightforward ISA investment strategies.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
For investors seeking versatile trading experiences on the go, both eToro and IG offer robust mobile apps compatible with iPhone and Android devices. Both platforms are highly regarded, each earning a stellar 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com for their mobile applications, reflecting their user-friendly interfaces and comprehensive functionality. In a competitive market, eToro is ranked #5 out of 18 brokers for its mobile app, while IG closely follows at #6, making them both excellent choices for mobile trading enthusiasts.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When comparing the educational resources for beginner investors between eToro and IG, there are notable differences. IG stands out with its offering of educational client webinars that are also archived for on-demand viewing, providing flexible learning opportunities. eToro, on the other hand, does not offer webinars or archived content. Both platforms provide education on share trading, but when it comes to investing in funds or planning for retirement, only IG covers retirement topics. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, IG's educational resources are rated 5 stars, ranking 7th out of 18 brokers for beginner education, while eToro received a 4.5-star rating, ranking 10th. This makes IG a slightly more comprehensive option for novice investors seeking structured learning experiences.
| Feature |
eToro
|
IG
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | No | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | Yes |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | No | No |
| Education (Retirement) | No | Yes |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing the market research features of eToro and IG, there are notable differences that cater to various investor needs. eToro shines with its ability to display portfolio allocation by asset class, an essential feature for those looking to diversify their investments effectively. Both eToro and IG offer robust research options for shares, ETFs, and CFDs, allowing investors to make informed decisions in these markets. However, when it comes to research reports for funds, IG takes the lead by providing these insights, whereas eToro does not offer this feature. Neither platform provides research for bonds, and both lack research options for funds. This comparison highlights that while both brokers offer substantial research tools for certain asset types, IG excels in fund research, and eToro provides beneficial portfolio allocation details.
| Feature |
eToro
|
IG
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | No | No |
| Research - Funds | No | No |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | No | Yes |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | No |
Which broker is better overall, eToro or IG? 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 |
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IG
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When comparing online brokers, eToro stands out by offering cryptocurrency trading, unlike IG, which does not provide this service.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | eToro | IG | |
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| Review | eToro Review | IG Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | eToro | IG | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | No | Yes | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Funds | No | No | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | No | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | No | No | |
| Investment Trusts | No | Yes | |
| Spread Betting | No | Yes | |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | No | |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Trading Fees | eToro | IG | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £0 | £0-£10 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £0 | £3 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £0 | £3 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | £136 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | £96 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | £108 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 | £360 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | N/A | N/A | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 | £0 / £96 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £0 | £0 / £96 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £0 | £0 / £96 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £0 | £0 / £96 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | N/A | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | N/A | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £0 | £0 - £8 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | N/A | £0 - £8 | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | N/A | £50 |
| Broker Screenshots | eToro | IG | |
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| Platforms & Tools | eToro | IG | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 106 | 33 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 56 | 19 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | No | Yes | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | No |
| Research | eToro | IG | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Funds | No | No | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | No | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | No | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | No |
| Education | eToro | IG | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | No | No | |
| Education (Retirement) | No | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | No | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | No | Yes |
| Overall Summary | eToro | IG | |
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| Review | eToro Review | IG Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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