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 (founded 1977) and eToro (founded 2007) are online brokers that are publicly traded and not banks. ForexBrokers.com rates trust on a 0–99 scale, where 90–99 is highly trusted, 80–89 trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, and below 59 not trusted. Interactive Brokers scores 99 and eToro scores 97, placing both in the highly trusted range.
Regulation is a key difference. Interactive Brokers holds 8 Tier-1 licenses and 2 Tier-2 licenses, while eToro holds 4 Tier-1 and 1 Tier-2. Tier-1 licenses are viewed as the most trusted by ForexBrokers.com, with Tier-2 also trusted. Both brokers are well regulated, with Interactive Brokers covering more top-tier jurisdictions.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1977 | 2007 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 8 | 4 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 2 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
Interactive Brokers (IBKR) delivers lower forex trading costs than eToro in most scenarios and earns a higher score for pricing. IBKR is rated 5/5 stars and ranks #2 of 63 brokers for Commissions & Fees, while eToro is rated 4/5 stars and ranks #22 of 63. The key difference: IBKR uses commission-based, agency-style execution with no spread markups, whereas eToro is a market-maker that folds its fees into the spread.
At Interactive Brokers, forex commissions start at 0.00002 (0.2 basis points) of the U.S. dollar trade value per side, with a $2 minimum per order ($4 round turn). That equates to roughly $16–$40 per million round turn, depending on volume. Though IBKR doesn’t publish average spreads, Q3 2024 data for EUR/USD showed a 0.19-pip raw spread, or about 0.59 pips all-in after commissions. Example: buying and selling $100,000 of EUR/USD incurs about 0.40 pips in commission-equivalent, plus the prevailing spread. Note that minimum charges make sub-100k trade sizes proportionally pricier. High-volume traders can unlock lower minimums ($1.50 per order above $1B/month; $1.00 above $5B/month), and IBKR can quote large orders via RFQ. IBKR Lite and IBKR Pro both support forex but are not commission-free.
eToro prices forex via the spread and lists a typical variable spread of 1 pip on EUR/USD, which is slightly above the industry average. Many retail traders choose eToro for its social copy trading rather than its spreads. For bigger balances, the eToro Club (Silver to Diamond) adds perks such as discounted withdrawal and deposit fees and other benefits, but it doesn’t change that eToro’s spread-based model generally runs higher than IBKR’s commission-plus-spread approach.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $50-$10,000 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.226 | N/A |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | 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 support forex trading as a CFD or spot contract. Interactive Brokers lists about 8,500 tradeable symbols compared with eToro’s 7,441. Forex traders get 90 currency pairs at Interactive Brokers versus 55 at eToro. Both platforms offer exchange-traded U.S. stocks like Apple and international shares like Vodafone (not CFDs), giving stock investors plenty of choice.
On crypto and special features, both let you buy actual cryptocurrency. Only eToro also offers crypto CFDs and copy trading; Interactive Brokers does not. Each broker earns a 5-star rating for Range of Investments from ForexBrokers.com, but Interactive Brokers ranks #1 out of 63 brokers, while eToro ranks #11. If you want the widest product list and more forex pairs, Interactive Brokers has the edge; if you value copy trading and access to crypto CFDs alongside real crypto, 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) | No | 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 and eToro both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, along with price alerts and watchlist syncing between mobile and web. For charting, Interactive Brokers provides 155 technical studies versus eToro’s 104. Interactive Brokers also lets you draw trendlines on charts, while eToro does not. Neither app auto-saves chart drawings.
According to ForexBrokers.com, Interactive Brokers earns 5 stars and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps, while eToro earns 4.5 stars and ranks #10. If you want deeper charting tools and trendline drawing on mobile, Interactive Brokers stands out. If you’re comfortable with fewer studies and no trendlines, eToro’s app remains a solid choice.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | 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 | 97 |
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Interactive Brokers vs eToro: both brokers allow buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but only eToro also offers cryptocurrency CFDs, while Interactive Brokers does not.
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 | 97 | |
| 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 | 97 | |
| 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 | 8 | 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 CMA 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) | No | 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 | 0.226 | N/A | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.226 | 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 | 155 | 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 | 97 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | eToro Review |
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