Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs eToro, 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 Interactive Brokers 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 - Interactive Brokers would cost £15 per year, while eToro would cost £0 per year.
12 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £36 per year, while eToro would cost £0 per year.
36 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £108 per year, while eToro would cost £0 per year.
120 trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £360 per year, while eToro would cost £0 per year.
3 fund trades per year - Interactive Brokers would cost £0 per year, while eToro would cost $50 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.
Interactive Brokers and eToro both offer a variety of investment choices for UK investors, including share and cryptocurrency trading, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), and contracts for difference (CFDs). However, Interactive Brokers extends its offerings to include trading in funds, corporate bonds, government bonds, and investment trusts, which are not available with eToro. Neither platform provides spread betting or advisor services, keeping their focus on trading options.
When evaluated by UK.StockBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers earns a stellar 5-star rating for investment choices, securing the second spot among 21 brokers, while eToro holds a solid 4.5-star rating, ranking 15th. These rankings highlight Interactive Brokers' broader range of investment products compared to eToro, which still offers a comprehensive suite of trading options for diversified investment strategies.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | Yes | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No |
| Spread Betting | No | No |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| 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 Interactive Brokers and eToro, those seeking a comprehensive charting experience will find distinct features in each. Interactive Brokers allows users to display corporate events directly on charts, whereas eToro does not. With 80 drawing tools, Interactive Brokers gives users a wide array of options to customize their charts, slightly edging out eToro's 56 tools. However, eToro takes a lead in technical analysis with 106 indicators compared to Interactive Brokers' 96. Both platforms allow users to add notes, as well as overlay indexes and stocks onto charts, ensuring a detailed trading experience.
For traders in the UK looking for accessibility, both Interactive Brokers and eToro offer browser-based trading platforms and facilitate stock price alerts. However, a crucial differentiator arises in market data access—eToro provides real-time data, a feature not available with Interactive Brokers. Ultimately, your choice might depend on whether you value real-time insights or a more extensive charting toolkit.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 106 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 80 | 56 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | Yes |
When comparing online brokers Interactive Brokers and eToro for UK investors focusing on retirement accounts, it’s noteworthy that both platforms offer Individual Savings Accounts (ISAs), enabling tax-efficient savings. However, Interactive Brokers further caters to retirement planning by providing Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) accounts, a crucial option that eToro does not currently support. This distinction could be significant for those prioritizing a comprehensive retirement strategy, making Interactive Brokers a versatile choice for investors looking to maximize their retirement savings options.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
For UK investors assessing the mobile trading options offered by Interactive Brokers and eToro, both platforms deliver highly rated iPhone and Android apps. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, both apps hold a perfect rating of 5 stars. Interactive Brokers distinguishes itself slightly, securing the 4th position out of 21 brokers for mobile app quality, while eToro closely follows at 5th place. Whether you prefer Interactive Brokers or eToro, both provide top-notch mobile apps to suit your trading needs.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When comparing the educational resources for beginner investors offered by Interactive Brokers and eToro, UK investors will find distinct differences. Interactive Brokers provides a comprehensive range of learning options, including live client webinars as well as archived sessions for on-demand viewing, covering topics such as share trading, funds, and retirement. In contrast, eToro lacks webinar offerings and primarily focuses its educational content on share trading, without additional coverage on funds or retirement planning. Both platforms receive a commendable 4.5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com for their beginner education efforts. However, Interactive Brokers ranks slightly higher at #8 among 21 brokers, whereas eToro is ranked at #11, indicating a modest edge in educational support for those starting their investment journey in the UK.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No |
| Education |
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Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When it comes to market research features, Interactive Brokers and eToro offer a range of options, but they differ in some key areas. Interactive Brokers provides research reports for funds, whereas eToro does not offer this service. Both platforms allow users to view their portfolio allocation by asset class and offer shares and ETF research. However, while Interactive Brokers covers funds and bonds research, eToro falls short by not providing these insights. Both platforms do provide research for CFDs. UK investors might find Interactive Brokers more comprehensive for in-depth research, especially if they're looking to delve into funds and bonds.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No |
| Research - Funds | Yes | No |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
Which broker is better overall, Interactive Brokers or eToro? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Interactive Brokers to be a better trading platform overall.
Interactive Brokers is a sophisticated trading platform aimed at confident and institutional-grade investors. For newer investors, Interactive Brokers is more intimidating, though it's worth exploring the platform to see if you could save money or access more investments compared to other brokers.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
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eToro
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| Website |
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Both Interactive Brokers and eToro provide cryptocurrency trading options, making them competitive choices for investors seeking diverse trading platforms that cater to the emerging demand in digital currencies.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | eToro Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | No | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Funds | Yes | No | |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Bonds - Corporate | Yes | No | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) | Yes | No | |
| Investment Trusts | Yes | No | |
| Spread Betting | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | $50 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3 | £0 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £15 | £0 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £36 | £0 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £108 | £0 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £360 | £0 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £0 / £14.85 | N/A | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £0 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £0 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £0 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £0 | £0 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | 0.1% (for <10,000 EUR) 0.025% (for >10,000 EUR) | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3 | £0 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | N/A | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £25 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
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| Platforms & Tools | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 96 | 106 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 80 | 56 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Funds | Yes | No | |
| Fund Research - Research Reports | Yes | No | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Bonds | Yes | No | |
| Portfolio Allocation Breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Overall Summary | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | eToro Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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