Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Investor 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, Interactive Investor offers better pricing than eToro 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 Investor would cost £79.83 per year, while eToro would cost £0 per year.
12 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £107.76 per year, while eToro would cost £0 per year.
36 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £203.52 per year, while eToro would cost £0 per year.
120 trades per year - Interactive Investor would cost £59.88 / £538.68 per year, while eToro would cost £0 per year.
3 fund trades per year - Interactive Investor 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 comparing Interactive Investor with eToro, UK investors will find distinct offerings that cater to different investment preferences. Interactive Investor excels in traditional investments, offering share trading and access to funds, corporate bonds, and government bonds (gilts). Additionally, they provide trading of ETFs and investment trusts, presenting a comprehensive range for seasoned investors focused on diversified portfolios. In contrast, eToro stands out for its modern investment features, including cryptocurrency and CFD trading, along with share and ETF trading options. This makes eToro attractive to those interested in innovative investment avenues and higher-risk opportunities.
Rated 5 stars by UK.StockBrokers.com, Interactive Investor holds the 3rd spot among 21 brokers for investment choices, underscoring its strong offering in conventional investments. Meanwhile, eToro, with a 4.5-star rating, ranks 15th, appealing to traders seeking varied assets like crypto but lacking in options like bonds and investment trusts. Both platforms offer unique benefits, with Interactive Investor catering to comprehensive traditional investing needs and eToro providing a gateway to versatile, modern trading experiences.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFD Trading | No | 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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Low-cost US and UK shares.
Professional’s Gateway to the World’s Markets.
For UK traders looking to compare online trading platforms, Interactive Investor and eToro both offer comprehensive features with notable differences. Interactive Investor excels by allowing corporate events like earnings, splits, and dividends to be shown on charts, a feature currently not supported by eToro. However, when it comes to charting, eToro provides a wider variety of drawing tools, boasting 56 options compared to Interactive Investor’s 18. Both platforms are equally matched in terms of adding notes, as well as stock and index overlays to charts, and each delivers real-time market data through easy-to-use browser-based trading interfaces.
While Interactive Investor provides 104 technical indicators for chart enthusiasts, eToro slightly surpasses this with 106. Both brokers give users the capability to create alerts for stock price updates, ensuring that traders remain informed about market movements. Whether your focus is on the ability to visualise corporate events or access a broad range of charting tools, both Interactive Investor and eToro present reliable choices for traders in the UK.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 106 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 18 | 56 |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | Yes |
For UK investors seeking to manage their retirement funds, both Interactive Investor and eToro offer ISA accounts, providing tax-efficient ways to save for the future. However, Interactive Investor takes the lead in retirement planning by also offering SIPP accounts, allowing for greater flexibility and control over pension investments. In contrast, eToro does not currently provide SIPP accounts, making Interactive Investor a more comprehensive option for those looking to manage both ISAs and SIPPs under one platform.
Dive deeper: Best SIPP Providers, Best Stocks and Shares ISA Providers.
Interactive Investor and eToro both offer mobile apps for iPhone and Android users, making it convenient for UK investors to manage their investments on the go. On UK.StockBrokers.com, Interactive Investor's app is rated at 4.5 stars and holds the 7th spot in a ranking of 21 brokers for mobile performance. Meanwhile, eToro's app is rated slightly higher at 5 stars, securing the 5th position in the same ranking. Hence, while both brokers provide accessible mobile platforms, eToro edges out slightly in user ratings for its app experience.
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps UK.
Interactive Investor and eToro provide educational resources for beginner investors, but they differ in specific offerings. Interactive Investor excels with its webinar accessibility, offering live and archived webinars, while eToro lacks this feature. Both platforms provide learning materials on share trading, but only Interactive Investor covers funds and retirement topics. According to UK.StockBrokers.com, Interactive Investor stands out with a 5-star rating and ranks second among 21 brokers for beginner education, compared to eToro's 4.5-star rating and eleventh place ranking. For UK beginners seeking comprehensive educational support, Interactive Investor offers a more extensive suite of resources.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | No |
| Education (Share Trading) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Funds) | Yes | No |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No |
| Education |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best UK Trading Platforms for Beginners.
When comparing Interactive Investor and eToro for market research features, UK investors will find notable differences. Interactive Investor provides a rich resource, offering research reports for funds alongside comprehensive insights into shares, ETFs, and bonds. Additionally, investors can view portfolio allocation by asset class, which is also available on eToro. However, eToro does not support fund research, focusing instead on shares, ETFs, and CFDs. While Interactive Investor caters to those interested in traditional asset classes like bonds and funds, eToro appeals to traders interested in CFDs. Both platforms offer valuable resources, but the choice will depend on the specific research needs of the investor.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes |
| Research - CFDs | No | 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 Investor or eToro? After collecting more than 900 data points over a 10-week period, we found Interactive Investor to be a better trading platform overall.
The standout feature at Interactive Investor (ii) is its low flat-rate fees. Other investment platforms typically favour percentage fees for fund investing, although more brokers are now opting for flat fees. Our view is that Interactive Investor is a great platform for any investor, offering a wide range of investments for cheap prices on the whole.
| Feature |
Interactive Investor
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eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Charges & Fees |
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| Mobile App |
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While Interactive Investor does not provide options for cryptocurrency trading, eToro offers a comprehensive platform for trading a variety of cryptocurrencies.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Investor | eToro | |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | eToro Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
| Investments | Interactive Investor | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ISA | Yes | Yes | |
| SIPP | Yes | No | |
| Share Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| CFD Trading | No | 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 | No | Yes | |
| Advisor Services | No | No |
| Trading Fees | Interactive Investor | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | £0 | $50 | |
| Share Trading: 0-9 Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 10-19 Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £0 | |
| Share Trading: 20+ Deals/ Month | £3.99 | £0 | |
| 5 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £79.83 | £0 | |
| 12 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £107.76 | £0 | |
| 36 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £203.52 | £0 | |
| 120 trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £59.88 / £538.68 | £0 | |
| 3 fund trades per year (£30k portfolio) | £71.85 | N/A | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £0 - £250,000 | £59.88 - £143.88 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £250K-£500K | £143.88 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £500,000 - £1m | £143.88 | £0 | |
| Annual Custody Fee: £1m and over | £143.88 | £0 | |
| Bonds - Corporate - Fee | £3.99 | N/A | |
| Bonds - Government (Gilts) - Fee | £3.99 | N/A | |
| ETFs - Fee | £3.99 | £0 | |
| Investment Trusts - Fee | £3.99 | N/A | |
| Telephone Dealing Fee | £49 | N/A |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Investor | eToro | |
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| Website Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Platforms & Tools | Interactive Investor | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 106 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 18 | 56 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Display Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Stock Overlays | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Index Overlays | Yes | Yes |
| Research | Interactive Investor | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Shares | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - CFDs | No | 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 Investor | 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 Investor | eToro | |
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| Review | Interactive Investor Review | eToro Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
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