Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of eToro vs ActivTrades, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Comparing online brokers eToro and ActivTrades: eToro was founded in 2007 and is publicly traded, while ActivTrades started in 2001 and is not listed on a stock exchange. Neither broker is a bank.
In terms of regulation and trust, eToro holds 4 Tier-1 licenses and 1 Tier-2 license, earning a 96/99 Trust Score from ForexBrokers.com (rated highly trusted). ActivTrades holds 2 Tier-1 licenses and 1 Tier-2 license with an 81/99 Trust Score (rated trusted). Tier-1 licenses are seen as highly trusted and Tier-2 licenses as trusted, helping traders gauge each broker’s safety profile.
| Feature |
eToro
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2007 | 2001 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
Comparing commissions and fees, ActivTrades edges out eToro on spreads, though neither is the absolute lowest-cost choice. eToro, a market-maker, lists a typical variable spread of 1 pip on EUR/USD, which is slightly above the industry average and not the main reason traders choose it. ActivTrades reported an average EUR/USD spread of 0.98 pips in May 2024, a touch better than average but still not among the very cheapest brokers.
eToro’s value on costs leans more on perks than raw spread pricing. Its eToro Club (five tiers from Silver to Diamond) caters to balances from $5,000 to $250,000 and can include access to Trading Central, discounted deposit and withdrawal fees, and a dedicated account manager—while its appeal often centers on social copy trading rather than tight spreads alone.
ActivTrades keeps pricing straightforward with one main Individual Account, plus Professional and Islamic options. Spreads are the same across account types, there’s no active-trader pricing or special high-volume account, and costs can vary by asset and platform; spreads may also widen during rollover. For commissions and fees, eToro earns 4.5/5 stars and is ranked #23 out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, while ActivTrades earns 4/5 stars and is ranked #29 out of 63.
| Feature |
eToro
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50-$10,000 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1 | 0.98 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Both eToro and ActivTrades let you trade forex as CFDs and as spot, and each supports copy trading. That said, eToro’s lineup is much broader: 7,441 tradeable symbols versus ActivTrades’ 1,267, and 55 forex pairs versus 49. For shares, eToro lets you buy real, exchange-traded stocks on both U.S. markets (for example, Apple on NASDAQ) and international exchanges, while ActivTrades offers real international shares but not U.S.-listed stocks.
If cryptocurrency is on your list, eToro offers both actual coins you can buy and hold as well as crypto CFDs; ActivTrades provides crypto CFDs but not delivered crypto. Reflecting this breadth, ForexBrokers.com rates eToro 5 stars for Range of Investments (ranked 11th of 63 brokers), while ActivTrades earns 4 stars (ranked 32nd). Choose eToro if you want the widest mix including U.S. stocks and real crypto, or consider ActivTrades if you’re comfortable with a smaller lineup that still covers forex, copy trading, international shares, and crypto CFDs.
| Feature |
eToro
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 7441 | 1267 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 55 | 49 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
eToro and ActivTrades both provide free demo (paper) accounts and offer their own in-house platforms that run in a web browser. If you want a Windows desktop download, ActivTrades has one, while eToro does not. Both brokers include copy trading and let you place trades directly from a chart, helping you go from analysis to action quickly.
Platform choice is a key separator: ActivTrades supports MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), while eToro does not. According to ForexBrokers.com, eToro earns 4.5 stars and ranks #8 out of 63 brokers for Trading Platforms and Tools; ActivTrades earns 4 stars and ranks #32. Pick eToro for a streamlined web experience with social and copy trading, or choose ActivTrades if you need a Windows desktop platform or MetaTrader access.
| Feature |
eToro
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | No | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 106 | 30 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Both eToro and ActivTrades offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, along with price alerts to help you stay on top of market moves. eToro stands out for convenience: its watchlists sync between the mobile app and your online account, while ActivTrades does not sync watchlists. In overall scores for mobile trading, eToro is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #10 out of 63 brokers, compared with ActivTrades at 4 out of 5 stars and #19.
If charting is your focus, the trade-offs are clear. eToro supplies a larger set of technical indicators (104 vs. 30 on ActivTrades), which is great for scanning strategies. However, eToro’s app doesn’t let you draw trendlines and won’t auto-save drawings. ActivTrades offers fewer indicators but does allow trendline drawing and automatically saves your chart annotations. Choose eToro if you want more indicators and synced watchlists; pick ActivTrades if you need drawing tools that persist across sessions.
| Feature |
eToro
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
eToro and ActivTrades both cover the basics for market research: daily market commentary, top-tier forex news (from sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones), a sentiment tool showing long/short positioning, and an economic calendar. Neither broker includes Autochartist or Acuity Trading tools. Where they differ is in third-party research depth—eToro adds Trading Central analytics and TipRanks insights, while ActivTrades does not offer these extras.
Ratings reflect that gap. eToro scores 4.5/5 stars for Research and ranks #13 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com. ActivTrades earns 4/5 stars and ranks #31. If you want added technical and stock research from well-known providers, eToro is the stronger pick. If you just need daily updates, quality news, sentiment data, and a clear calendar, both platforms will do the job.
| Feature |
eToro
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
eToro and ActivTrades both deliver beginner-friendly education for forex and CFDs. Each meets the minimum of 10 educational pieces and hosts online client webinars at least once a month. Beginners get 10+ starter videos, and there are also 10+ advanced videos for when you’re ready to go further—making both platforms suitable places to learn the basics and build skills over time.
That said, eToro stands out for quality: it holds a 4.5-star Education rating and ranks #5 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com. ActivTrades is solid too, with a 4-star rating and a #38 ranking. If you want a higher-rated learning experience, eToro has the edge; if you simply want dependable education with regular webinars, ActivTrades also fits the bill.
| Feature |
eToro
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that eToro is better than ActivTrades. eToro finished with an overall rank of #9, while ActivTrades finished with an overall rank of #33.
eToro is a winner for its easy-to-use copy-trading platform, where traders can copy the trades of experienced investors – or receive exclusive perks for sharing their own trading strategies.
| Feature |
eToro
|
ActivTrades
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
|
| Trust Score | 96 | 81 |
| Range of Investments |
|
|
| Commissions & Fees |
|
|
| Platforms & Tools |
|
|
| Research |
|
|
| Mobile Trading |
|
|
| Education |
|
|
In the eToro vs ActivTrades comparison for crypto trading, eToro allows buying both actual (delivered) cryptocurrency and cryptocurrency CFDs, whereas ActivTrades offers only cryptocurrency CFDs and does not provide delivered crypto.
In the eToro vs ActivTrades comparison, eToro supports ACH/SEPA, PayPal, Skrill, and bank wire transfers, while ActivTrades supports Skrill and bank wires but not ACH/SEPA or PayPal; Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified for either broker.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
Select Brokers
↓×Compare
0 of 5| Overall Rating | eToro | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Commissions & Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Platforms & Tools |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 96 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | eToro Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Broker Screenshots | eToro | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
|
|
| Regulation | eToro | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 96 | 81 | |
| Year Founded | 2007 | 2001 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | ||
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | eToro | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | eToro | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No |
| Investments | eToro | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 7441 | 1267 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 55 | 49 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | eToro | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1 | 0.98 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | eToro | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50-$10,000 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | eToro | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | No | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | eToro | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 106 | 30 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | eToro | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | No | Yes |
| Research | eToro | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | eToro | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | eToro | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | eToro Review | ActivTrades Review |
| Overall | eToro | ActivTrades | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
|
| |
| Commissions & Fees |
|
| |
| Range of Investments |
|
| |
| Platforms & Tools |
|
| |
| Mobile Trading |
|
| |
| Research |
|
| |
| Education |
|
| |
| Trust Score | 96 | 81 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | eToro Review | ActivTrades Review |
IG
CMC Markets
FOREX.com
XTB
eToro
AvaTrade
Plus500
Pepperstone
FP Markets
Tickmill