Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs eToro, 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.
Interactive Brokers vs eToro: Interactive Brokers (founded 1977) and eToro (founded 2007) are online brokers that are publicly traded and not banks. ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers at 99/99 and eToro at 96/99 on its Trust Score, where 90–99 is highly trusted, 80–89 trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, and below 59 not trusted.
In terms of regulation, Interactive Brokers holds 9 Tier-1 and 2 Tier-2 licenses, while eToro holds 4 Tier-1 and 1 Tier-2. Both sit in the highly trusted range, with Interactive Brokers offering broader top-tier licensing and eToro also well covered by major regulators.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2007 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 9 | 4 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
When comparing the online brokers Interactive Brokers and eToro regarding commissions and fees, Interactive Brokers is known for offering competitive pricing despite not publishing its average forex spreads. During Q3 2024, its average spread for EUR/USD was 0.19 pips, with an effective spread of 0.59 pips after commissions. The broker facilitates forex trading by aggregating prices from 17 interbank dealers and charges a per-trade commission that ranges between $16 and $40 per million round turn. This pricing model makes it attractive for active traders, who can benefit from discounts with higher monthly trading volumes. Interactive Brokers holds a high rating of 5 stars for commissions and fees and is ranked #2 out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com.
In contrast, eToro primarily appeals to traders for its social copy trading features rather than its spreads and fees. Operating as a market-maker broker, eToro lists a typical variable spread of 1 pip on the EUR/USD, which is slightly above the industry average. The broker offers a VIP program called the eToro Club, providing benefits such as discounted withdrawal fees and a dedicated account manager for traders who maintain balances between $5,000 and $250,000. Despite its higher spreads, eToro earns a solid 4.5-star rating for commissions and fees, ranking #22 out of 63 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com.
In summary, Interactive Brokers emerges as a favorable choice for active forex traders seeking lower commissions and efficient execution, especially for those who trade substantial volumes. Meanwhile, eToro caters to traders interested in social trading opportunities, offering a suite of VIP perks to enhance the trading experience for its clients, albeit at slightly higher spreads. Both brokers have distinct strengths, tailored to suit varying trader preferences and strategies.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $50-$10,000 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.59 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | N/A |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
Interactive Brokers vs eToro: For range of investments, both brokers let you trade forex as CFDs or spot, offer U.S. and international exchange-traded stocks (think AAPL and Vodafone), and support both real cryptocurrency and crypto CFDs. The key difference is social features: eToro includes copy trading, while Interactive Brokers does not.
On breadth, Interactive Brokers lists 8,500 tradeable symbols and 90 forex pairs; eToro offers 7,441 symbols and 55 forex pairs. Both earn 5 out of 5 stars for range, but in ForexBrokers.com’s 63-broker rankings, Interactive Brokers is #1 and eToro is #11. If you want the widest symbol count and currency pair selection, Interactive Brokers leads; if copy trading matters most, eToro stands out.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 7441 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 55 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | Yes |
| 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.
Interactive Brokers vs eToro: both brokers offer free paper trading (demo) accounts and each has a proprietary platform. Interactive Brokers provides both a downloadable Windows desktop platform and a web platform, while eToro focuses on an easy-to-use web platform and does not offer Windows desktop software. Both let you place trades directly from a chart, and neither supports MetaTrader 4 (MT4) or MetaTrader 5 (MT5).
If copy trading is important to you, eToro includes it and Interactive Brokers does not. For Trading Platforms and Tools, ForexBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers at 5 stars (ranked #2 of 63) and eToro at 4.5 stars (ranked #8 of 63). In short, Interactive Brokers suits traders who want both desktop and web platforms, while eToro suits those who prefer a simple web experience with copy trading.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 106 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Interactive Brokers vs eToro mobile apps: both offer iPhone and Android apps, price alerts for stocks and forex, and watchlist syncing across mobile and web. For charting, Interactive Brokers includes 97 technical studies while eToro offers 104. Interactive Brokers lets you draw trendlines in the app; eToro does not. Neither app auto-saves chart drawings.
In third-party testing, Interactive Brokers earned 5 stars and ranked #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps, while eToro earned 4.5 stars and ranked #10. Choose eToro if you want a few more indicators, or pick Interactive Brokers if drawing trendlines on mobile matters and you want the higher-rated, higher-ranked app.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
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eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 97 | 104 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Interactive Brokers vs eToro: both pack a lot of market research. Each provides daily market commentary, forex news from leading sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, Trading Central analytics, TipRanks insights, a sentiment tool showing long/short positioning, and an economic calendar. Neither broker includes Autochartist.
The key difference is that Interactive Brokers also offers Acuity Trading tools (including Signal Centre), which eToro does not. That extra layer helps explain the scores: Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars for Research and ranks #3 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while eToro scores 4.5 stars and ranks #13. If third‑party research depth matters most, Interactive Brokers edges ahead; if you’re fine without Acuity tools, eToro still delivers a well-rounded research experience.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | Yes | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | Yes | Yes |
| Acuity Trading | Yes | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
For beginners comparing trading education, both Interactive Brokers (IBKR) and eToro make it easy to get started. Each broker hosts monthly online webinars and offers at least 10 beginner videos, plus at least 10 advanced videos to help you progress from basics to more complex strategies. The information provided does not confirm whether either broker has 10 or more dedicated forex or CFD learning pieces, but both clearly invest in video-based learning and live sessions.
In ratings, Interactive Brokers takes the lead with a 5-star Education score and a #1 ranking out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com. eToro follows closely with a 4.5-star Education score and a #3 ranking. If you want the top-rated education track, IBKR edges ahead, while eToro remains a strong option for beginners who value frequent webinars and structured video lessons.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Interactive Brokers is better than eToro. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall rank of #2, while eToro finished with an overall rank of #9.
Interactive Brokers is a highly trusted multi-asset broker with an extensive offering of tradeable global markets. It delivers competitive fees and high-quality research and education, as well as a modern, institutional-grade trading platform suite.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
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eToro
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| Trust Score | 99 | 96 |
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Interactive Brokers vs eToro: both online brokers let you buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies and trade cryptocurrency CFDs, giving investors access to real crypto ownership and CFD-based exposure on either platform.
Among online brokers, both Interactive Brokers and eToro support ACH/SEPA transfers and bank wires for deposits and withdrawals, but only eToro also offers PayPal and Skrill while Interactive Brokers does not.
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.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 96 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | eToro Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
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| Regulation | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 96 | |
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2007 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 9 | 4 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | Yes | ||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 8500 | 7441 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 90 | 55 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | Yes | Yes | |
| 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 | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.59 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | N/A | |
| Inactivity Fee | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | No | Yes |
| Funding | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $50-$10,000 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | No | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 155 | 106 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 97 | 104 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
| Research | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | Yes | Yes | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | eToro Review |
| Overall | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 96 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | eToro Review |
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