eToro UK review 2024
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Free Trades
- Price per trade
- £0 on stocks
- Min. initial deposit
- $100
Our verdict
eToro has excellent social features like copy trading, and there's no commission when buying or selling stocks on this multi-asset trading platform.
We picked eToro as our best trading platform for 0% commission investing because you buy and sell stocks, shares and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) commission-free. There’s no limit on zero commission stock trading and you can even use its “CopyTrader” feature to copy trades from top investors or pay no commission to use its ready-made "Smart Portfolios".
However, there are additional fees to be aware of, such as inactivity, withdrawal and foreign exchange (FX) fees. Recent changes now mean you can deposit GBP as well as USD, so you can avoid paying the FX fee if you're investing in UK assets.
eToro offers shares from some of the world’s biggest stock exchanges. It also has great charting tools suitable for intermediate investors who want to control trades on the desktop, rather than in the app. It’s free to create an account and there's no ongoing platform fee.
When comparing and scoring trading platforms, eToro had one of the highest overall scores. This is a great all-round place to invest in a wide variety of assets at an affordable price.
Pros
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Commission-free stock trading
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Over 5,500+ stocks from 20 exchanges
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Fractional shares
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Social features like CopyTrading and News Feed
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Free to open an account
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Invest from just $10
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Lots of learning resources including a demo account
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Ability to use GBP and USD
Cons
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$5 withdrawal fee
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You can't invest in an ISA
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An emphasis on trading over long-term investing
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Some of the trading fees are complex for certain assets like crypto
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Inactivity fee after 12 months of no login
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$100 minimum first deposit
How we rated eToro's investment features
Feature | Finder Score | Details |
---|---|---|
Fees | 9 Excellent | No platform fee and 0% commission on stocks, but there is a small withdrawal fee and an inactivity fee. |
Investment choice | 8.8 Great | eToro offers a wide range of assets with access to plenty of markets. |
Safety and security | 8.5 Great | eToro has plenty of safety features in place to protect investors. |
Account types and products | 6.7 Standard | The platform is lacking in available account types. |
Ease of use | 8.9 Great | The app and platform is great to use and has plenty of positive reviews. |
Tools, resources and features | 10 Excellent | There are loads of free resources on eToro. |
What is eToro?
eToro is a multi-asset platform where you can invest commission-free on both UK and international stocks, which is why we’ve given it a top rating for fees. However, nothing in this world is completely free, there are some charges, as we highlight in our fees section.
We’ve tried out the app and rates the key aspects of it that investors care about. We’ve named it our best trading app for 0% commission on stocks. The platform is well-known for its social features, like the News Feed and CopyTrader features, which lets you see what other traders are doing, and you guessed it, copy them. You can read more about copy trading in our guide.
We’ve explained the copy trading feature in a bit more detail below. Bear in mind, you’re not guaranteed to make any profits, and your money is at risk when you invest.
Our experts have analysed and rated the key features of eToro, and we explain what you can invest in through the platform.
"There’s a lot packed into eToro and I found it took slightly longer than some other beginner-friendly platforms to find my way around. But once I got my bearings, it was dead easy to navigate, make an investment and view my portfolio insights, the platform mostly uses USD but you can now use GBP as well. Zero commission on real stocks combined with all the excellent social features (like CopyTrader) makes eToro a unique and affordable place to invest."
eToro fees
Fees score | 9 Excellent |
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Platform fee | £0 |
UK shares | £0 |
US stocks | £0 |
International shares | £0 |
Funds/ETFs | £0 |
Foreign exchange (FX) fee | 0.75% |
Regular investing | No |
Withdrawal/deposit fee | $5 withdrawal |
Inactivity fee | $10/month after 12 months of no login |
eToro trading fees calculator
Pick a stock, select a quantity and our calculator will give you a guide to the total cost of that trade on eToro. We regularly check fees, but bear in mind that stock prices, exchange rates and spreads fluctuate in real-time.
Stock
Quantity of shares
Platform | Finder Score | Account fee | Min. initial deposit | Trade cost | Link |
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9
Excellent
|
£0 | $100 | £1,464.94 |
Go to siteCapital at risk
|
Full comparison of share dealing platforms
eToro’s low fees are one of the main reasons it’s so popular. You pay no commission on stock trades, which is ideal for those on a budget or if you plan to invest regularly.
Although there are no commissions to pay for stocks, eToro has a few fees you should be aware of. Unlike most platforms, there is a withdrawal fee of $5. Another unusual charge is the inactivity fee, which is $10 a month if you don’t login for over a year.
Like other trading apps, there is a foreign exchange (FX) fee. Unfortunately, it’s a steep 0.75%. You can avoid this with eToro’s “Diamond” club, or get 50% off if you qualify for the “Platinum” club tiers. Recently, eToro introduced the option to use a GBP eToro money account which means you can deposit GBP and pay no FX fees if you’re investing in UK assets.
If you decide to delve into other forms of trading (outside regular stocks) with assets like cryptocurrenices, there are various additional fees.
So, although the eToro platform provides excellent investing value for most stock traders and investors, it’s still worth making sure you’re aware of all the potential fees involved. Zero commission doesn’t doesn’t apply to any leveraged trades, shorts, or stock CFDs.
There’s also a minimum deposit amount of $100 for your first deposit to keep in mind.
eToro investment choice and stocks
Investment choice score | 8.8 Great |
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Asset options | 5+ |
Markets | 20 |
Number of investments | 5,500+ |
Number of ETFs/funds | 600+ |
Fractional shares | |
Minimum deposit | $100 ($500 for bank transfer) |
Minimum investment | $10 |
We’ve rated eToro highly for investment choice because it lets you invest in over 4,500 different global stocks from the world’s biggest stock exchanges. This means you can invest in major firms like Apple, Netflix, Alphabet, easyJet, Tesla, Airbus and Adidas. Recenty, eToro also introduced the option to invest in stocks from the UAE, which is a market most platforms don’t provide access to.
eToro has helpfully organised its stocks by industry (such as technology, healthcare, and consumer goods) which is handy for discovering new stocks. You can also search by stock exchange if you know where the shares are listed. Once you’ve done this, you can begin to sort the stocks by performance or in alphabetical order.
Along with individual stocks, eToro also has a decent range of exchange-traded funds (ETFs) available, along with pre-made “Smart Portfolios” which give you a ready-made portfolio designed by analysts at eToro. As a multi-asset platform, you’re not just limited to stocks.
Keep in mind your first initial deposit needs to be at least $100, but after that you can deposit $10 or more. You can buy fractional shares with eToro but the trade needs to be at least $10 in value.
Is eToro safe?
Safety and security score | 8.5 Great |
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Biometric login/2FA | |
FCA regulated | |
FSCS protection | |
SSL certificate | |
Public company |
eToro is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK. So you can rest assured that the organisation is properly overseen.
It also offers full Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) protection. So deposits of up to £85,000 are protected if eToro was to go bust.
The eToro mobile and desktop apps also come with added security like two-factor authentication and biometric logins. The only flaw with eToro is that because it’s still a private company, we can’t dig into full financial details to truly understand the business.
eToro account types and products
Account types and products score | 6.7 Standard |
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General investment account (GIA) | |
Stock and shares ISA | |
Self-invested personal pension (SIPP) | |
Lifetime ISA (LISA) | |
Junior ISA (JISA)/Junior SIPP (JSIPP) | |
Business Account | |
Interest on cash balances |
eToro’s main drawback is that you can only invest in a general investment account – it doesn’t have a pension (like a SIPP) or stocks and shares ISA.
eToro does offer corporate accounts and if you have a high cash balance, you can also earn various levels of interest, here’s how the brackets look:
- 2% ($10,000+)
- 2.4% ($25,000+)
- 5% ($50,000+)
- 5.3% ($250,000+)
The most similar provider that also has an ISA is Trading 212. We’ve compared eToro and Trading 212 side by side below.
eToro ease of use
Ease of use score | 8.9 Great |
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Apple iOS rating | 3.7/5 |
Google Play rating | 3.8/5 |
Ways to contact customer service | Live chat, email and community forum |
UI/UX | Good |
Desktop or mobile app | Both |
The eToro platform scores well in our ease of use assessment with generally positive reviews for the app, and it also offers a desktop platform if you don’t want to invest using your phone.
There are 3 ways you can get hold of the eToro customer service team if you have any issues. Also, when using the eToro platform for ourselves, we found the overall user interface and user experience to work well for an enjoyable investing experience.
Over at the App Store, the eToro app has 3.8 out of 5 stars based on more than 9,200 reviews. On Google Play, the eToro app has 3.9 out of 5 stars based on more than 140,000 reviews (as of September 2024).
eToro customer reviews
Reviews platform | Score |
---|---|
Trustpilot | 4.4 |
Finder user reviews | 4 |
In our 2024 customer satisfaction survey, 93% of eToro customers said they’d recommend the platform. Several mentioned the Copy Trader function, which allows users to track and copy the trades of others.
One customer said: “eToro is easy to use for many different asset classes and they also have Copy Trader.”
Another commented: “The platform is easy to use and has fair fees. It’s safe, secure and reliable.”
On consumer review platform Trustpilot, eToro has 4.3 out of 5 stars and a rating of “Excellent”, based on more than 22,000 reviews (as of February 2024).
"I chose eToro because I kept seeing adverts and thought why not. I used it to dip my toes in and invest in a few different companies and then I’ve just left it, looking to go back in 10 years and hoping it’s grown.It was user-friendly, which was good. Surprisingly good that it was so user friendly. I think for people who have no idea what they’re doing it kind of shows you what you’re supposed to do.
If there’s one thing you’d tell a friend who’s thinking of getting this, what would it be?
Just do it. But only put in the smallest amount if that’s what you can afford."
What's it like to use eToro?
eToro tools, resources and features
Tools, resources and features | 10 Excellent |
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Analysis features | |
Tools for investing/trading | |
Social features | |
Learning resources | |
Additional Features |
eToro’s got an array of trading tools that can help you, including interactive and advanced charting tools. You can also use different trading order types like stop loss and trailing stop to have more control over your trades.
When it comes to research, there’s plenty of research on stocks and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) along with the latest news and company announcements. You can also create watch lists and get tips from other traders with the News Feed and social trading features.
eToro also has a virtual portfolio, which is a demo account that lets you trade up to the value of $100,000 to practise. This is ideal for new investors who want to do a dummy run before using real money.
eToro review: What else do I need to know?
eToro lets you trade stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), contracts for difference (CFDs), commodities, and currencies. As well as low-cost investing, eToro also offers pre-made “Smart Portfolios” and a CopyTrader service, which lets users automatically copy and execute other investor’s trades.
What is eToro's CopyTrader?
eToro is the leading social trading platform because of its “CopyTrader” feature. The social features mean you can connect with others to share your investment strategies and discuss trades. You can also copy other traders’ actions in real-time. This is a nice way of getting the hang of how it works and utilising knowledge and experience from successful investors.
The platform allows you to filter the different traders that you can copy by plenty of metrics like the risk score, how many people already copy them, number of profitable weeks they’ve had, and where they’re located. It also has “trending” traders and “top investors”.
The platform lets you see the users’ average risk score and gains in the last year. Of course, as always, past performance is not an indication of future results.
eToro CFD trading
If you’re more of an advanced trader, eToro allows you to trade contracts for difference (CFDs). These allow you to trade on market volatility without ever having to own the underlying asset. Great if you don’t want a truck full of soybeans rocking up on your doorstep.
Features of eToro’s CFD trading platform include:
- Customised risk management. “Trailing Stop Loss” and “Take Profit” can help you protect your investments.
- Analysis tools. Includes charts, analyst consensus and insider transactions.
- Innovative features. These include One-Click Trading, real-time alerts and interactive newsfeeds.
- Leverage. You can apply for up to 1:30 leverage.
What is leverage?
You’ll see leverage being referred to on the site as a ratio, such as 1:30 that you see above. Leverage allows you to open positions that are larger than your capital. For the example above, for every £1 you trade, you have the effect of £30 capital. Because of this, it is possible to lose more than your initial investment, which makes it riskier. You may have to have the funds available in your account to cover losses.
What are the eToro Club tiers?
The eToro Club is a tiered membership program that you can add to your eToro account, based on the amount of realised equity you have on the platform. It offers a range of perks including fee discounts, analytical tools and access to events.
You can get additional benefits and features with each upgrade in the eToro Club. The tiers are:
- Silver – $5,000+
- Gold – $10,000+
- Platinum – $25,000+
- Platinum+ – $50,000+
- Diamond – $250,000+
What is eToro Money?
eToro Money is available to all eToro members, with an added benefit of a Visa debit card for eToro Club members (explained above). This lets you deposit and withdraw money from your account. Those with a Visa card can do so with their card, with no setup costs or monthly feed. Those who aren’t eToro Club members get a sort code and account number, which lets you send and receive funds into and out of your eToro account without any conversion fees.
How to sign up to eToro
It takes 30 seconds to create your investing account via the eToro website, but you’ll then need to complete your profile and verify your account. This can take 10-15 minutes.
- Create an account. This doesn’t take long. You just need to choose a username and enter your email address and a password.
- Provide more information. You’ll need to select “complete your profile” to enter this. We’ve listed some of the things eToro will ask for below.
- Answer some questions. These will be about your experience of trading in the past, including equities, and leveraged products.
- Tell eToro what you plan to trade and for how long. You can choose between all the options available.
- Give an indication of your future plans. This includes information about what you’re investing for and your expected risk and reward scenario.
- Provide a photo of your ID. You’ll have to provide a copy of your passport or ID card and a utility bill or bank statement.
You’ll need to provide:
- Your name
- Your date of birth
- Your address
- Your national insurance number
- Whether you are a US citizen
- Information about your income
- Your phone number and email
It can take up to 3 business days for your account to be verified.
How to use eToro
Once you’ve been verified, you can deposit funds and start trading. With the free account, you can access many of the regular eToro features like CopyPortfolio, virtual trading and TipRanks expert stock analysis.
You can add and remove stocks or ETFs to your watchlist, and also track your portfolio.
However, when using the platform, keep in mind that only basic stock orders are commission-free. It can be quite easy to get carried away and start dabbling in other types of assets, but these will attract trading fees and may hold more risk.
Who might eToro suit?
This platform is going to be best-suited for those who want a cheap place to invest in stocks, or those who like the idea of a social trading element. The ability to copy trades from other investors with the CopyTrader gives eToro a unique dimension when compared to most other UK investing platforms.
If that’s not you, why not compare share trading platforms to find the right fit to match your style.
Can you vote at AGMs with eToro
eToro has partnered with Broadridge Financial Solutions to enable proxy voting. This means that as a shareholder — even of fractional shares — you can participate in annual general meetings (AGMs) by casting votes.
Votes are aggregated and shared with the company.
eToro vs Trading 212
We’ve also got a detailed comparison between eToro and Trading 212 if you want to know more. We’ve also compared eToro against IG
eToro is a multi-asset platform which offers both investing in stocks and cryptoassets, as well as trading CFDs.
Please note that CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 51% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
This review is intended for information and educational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice or investment recommendation. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Trading history presented is less than 5 complete years and may not suffice as basis for investment decision.
Copy Trading does not amount to investment advice. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.
Don’t invest unless you’re prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 mins to learn more
eToro USA LLC does not offer CFDs and makes no representation and assumes no liability as to the accuracy or completeness of the content of this publication, which has been prepared by our partner utilizing publicly available non-entity specific information about eToro.