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.
When choosing between Interactive Brokers and eToro, UK investors will find distinct differences in the variety of investment choices each platform offers. Interactive Brokers is well-versed in traditional trading avenues, providing access to shares, ETFs, CFDs, and more niche markets like funds and bonds (both corporate and government). Although this platform does not cater to cryptocurrency or spread betting, it stands out with a comprehensive offering that has earned it a commendable 5-star rating for investment options by UK.StockBrokers.com, placing it as the 2nd best choice among 18 brokerages.
Conversely, eToro caters to modern investors by offering the ability to trade shares, ETFs, CFDs, and an added bonus of cryptocurrency trading. However, it does not support trading in funds, bonds, or investment trusts, which may limit options for those seeking diversified portfolios. Despite these constraints, eToro's diverse market access, including coveted crypto options, grants it a competitive edge with a 4.5-star rating and a ranking of 15th among 18 brokers in investment choice by UK.StockBrokers.com. Both platforms cater to different investor needs, making the choice dependent on specific trading preferences.
| 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 | No | Yes |
| 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 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.
Interactive Brokers and eToro both offer convenient mobile apps for iPhone and Android users, catering to traders who prefer managing their investments on the go. In the UK, both platforms achieve an impressive rating of 5 stars for their mobile apps according to UK.StockBrokers.com. However, in terms of rankings, Interactive Brokers is slightly ahead, positioned fourth among 18 brokers, while eToro follows closely in fifth place. This comparison highlights that while both Interactive Brokers and eToro provide highly-rated mobile trading experiences, Interactive Brokers holds a marginal edge in overall ranking.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
When it comes to educational resources for beginner investors, Interactive Brokers and eToro each offer unique features. Interactive Brokers provides educational webinars, both live and archived, which are accessible on demand, whereas eToro lacks this feature. Both brokers cover share trading education; however, Interactive Brokers extends its educational offerings to include insights into funds and retirement, which eToro does not provide. Both platforms receive a commendable 4.5 out of 5-star rating from UK.StockBrokers.com for their beginner education, but Interactive Brokers holds the advantage, ranking 8th out of 18 brokers, as opposed to eToro's 11th place. This makes Interactive Brokers a more comprehensive choice for those seeking a variety of educational topics and flexible learning options.
| 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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While Interactive Brokers does not provide crypto trading options, eToro offers crypto trading, appealing to investors interested in diversifying their portfolios with digital assets.
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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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