menuclose
Back to Main Menu
ForexBrokers.com is committed to the highest ethical standards and reviews services independently. Learn How We Make Money

Interactive Brokers vs eToro 2026

ForexBrokers.com

Written by ForexBrokers.com

February 05, 2025

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.

Interactive Brokers
5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0
  • Trust Score: 99
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 8500
eToro
5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $50-$10,000
  • Trust Score: 97
  • Tradeable Symbols (Total): 7441

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.

Regulation

Interactive Brokers vs eToro: both are long-standing, regulated online brokers. Interactive Brokers was founded in 1977 and eToro in 2007. Each is publicly traded and neither operates as a bank, which means client money is held with third-party institutions under regulatory rules.

On regulatory strength, Interactive Brokers holds 9 Tier-1 licenses and 2 Tier-2 licenses, while eToro holds 4 Tier-1 and 1 Tier-2. According to ForexBrokers.com, Tier-1 regulators are highly trusted and Tier-2 are trusted. The ForexBrokers.com Trust Score rates Interactive Brokers at 99/99 and eToro at 97/99—both fall in the “highly trusted” 90–99 range (80–89 trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, below 59 not trusted).

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
eToro logoeToro
Year Founded info 1977 2007
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes Yes
Bank info No No
Tier-1 Licenses info 9 4
Tier-2 Licenses info 2 1
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 0 1

Fees

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 logoInteractive Brokers
eToro logoeToro
Minimum Deposit info $0 $50-$10,000
Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account info 0.59 info N/A
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 0.65 info N/A
Non-wire bank transfer info Yes Yes
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.

Featured Offers


IG
5/5 Stars

Join 239,000+ traders worldwide.

Pepperstone
4.5/5 Stars

Regulated in 7 jurisdictions

Range of investments

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 logoInteractive Brokers
eToro logoeToro
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 8500 7441
Forex Pairs (Total) info 90 55
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info Yes Yes
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info Yes Yes
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info 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.

Trading platforms and tools

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 logoInteractive Brokers
eToro logoeToro
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes No
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info No No
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info No No
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 155 106
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.

Forex trading apps

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 logoInteractive Brokers
eToro logoeToro
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple iOS App info Yes Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info 97 104
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes No
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info No No

Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.

Market research

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 logoInteractive Brokers
eToro logoeToro
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes Yes
Autochartist info No No
Trading Central info Yes Yes
Client sentiment data info Yes Yes
TipRanks info Yes Yes
Acuity Trading info Yes No
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.

Beginners and education

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 logoInteractive Brokers
eToro logoeToro
Webinars info Yes Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes Yes

Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.

Winner

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 logoInteractive Brokers
eToro logoeToro
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 97
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Interactive Brokers or eToro?

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.

What funding options does each broker offer?

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.

More Comparisons

Interactive Brokers vs Tickmill Interactive Brokers vs eToro Interactive Brokers vs Spreadex Interactive Brokers vs HYCM (Henyep Capital Markets) Interactive Brokers vs FP Markets Interactive Brokers vs XM Group eToro vs BlackBull Markets eToro vs AvaTrade eToro vs ActivTrades eToro vs Questrade eToro vs HYCM (Henyep Capital Markets) eToro vs CMC Markets

Show all



announcementPlease 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

↓×
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxActivTrades
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxAvaTrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxBlackBull Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCapital.com
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCharles Schwab
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCity Index
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxCMC Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxEightcap
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxeToro
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxExness
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFOREX.com
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFP Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFXCM
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxFxPro
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxHFM
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxHYCM (Henyep Capital Markets)
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxIC Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxIFC Markets
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxIG
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxInteractive Brokers
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxIUX
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxOANDA
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxOcta
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxPepperstone
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxPlus500
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxQuestrade
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSaxo
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSpreadex
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxSwissquote
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTickmill
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxTrading 212
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxVantage
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxXM Group
  • check_box_outline_blankcheck_boxXTB

Compare

0 of 5
× Interactive Brokers
× eToro
Sponsored

+ Add Broker

Close Menu ×

navigate_before navigate_next
Overall Rating Interactive Brokers eToro
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 97
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review eToro Review
Broker Screenshots Interactive Brokers eToro
Broker Gallery (click to expand) info
IBKR mobile watchlist. IBKR Desktop platform charts. Interactive Brokers research Traders Insight daily analysis article detail Interactive Brokers IBKR Podcast video.
eToro mobile watchlist eToro web trading platform cryptocurrency watchlist eToro Digest & Invest podcast. eToro academy courses beginners.
Regulation Interactive Brokers eToro
Trust Score info 99 97
Year Founded info 1977 2007
Publicly Traded (Listed) info Yes Yes
Bank info No No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info Yes info Yes info
Tier-1 Licenses info 9 4
Tier-2 Licenses info 2 1
Tier-3 Licenses info 0 0
Tier-4 Licenses info 0 1
Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) Interactive Brokers eToro
Australia (ASIC Authorised) info Yes Yes
Canada (CIRO Authorised) info Yes No
Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) info Yes No
Japan (FSA Authorised) info Yes No
Singapore (MAS Authorised) info Yes Yes
Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) info Yes
United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) info Yes Yes
USA (CFTC Authorized) info Yes No
New Zealand (FMA Authorised) info No No
Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). info Yes info Yes info
Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) Interactive Brokers eToro
Kenya (CMA Authorised) info
Israel (ISA Authorised) info No No
South Africa (FSCA Authorised) info No No
UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) info Yes Yes info
India (SEBI Authorised) info Yes No
Jordan (JSC Authorised) info
Investments Interactive Brokers eToro
Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) info Yes Yes
Tradeable Symbols (Total) info 8500 7441
Forex Pairs (Total) info 90 55
U.S. Stocks (Shares) info Yes Yes
Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No Yes
Cryptocurrency (Underlying) info Yes Yes
Cryptocurrency (CFDs) info 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 info 0.59 info N/A
All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active info 0.65 info N/A
Inactivity Fee info No Yes
Order execution: Agency info Yes Yes
Order execution: Market Maker info No Yes
Funding Interactive Brokers eToro
Minimum Deposit info $0 $50-$10,000
PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) info No Yes
Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) info Yes Yes
Non-wire bank transfer info Yes Yes
Trading Platforms Interactive Brokers eToro
Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Platform (Windows) info Yes No
Web Platform info Yes Yes
Copy Trading info No Yes
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) info No No
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) info No No
cTrader info No No
Trading Tools Interactive Brokers eToro
Virtual Trading (Demo) info Yes Yes
Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) info 155 106
Charting - Trade From Chart info Yes Yes
Charts can be saved info Yes Yes
Mobile Trading Interactive Brokers eToro
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple iOS App info Yes Yes
Mobile Price Alerts info Yes Yes
Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] info
Mobile Watchlists - Syncing info Yes Yes
Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies info 97 104
Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines info Yes No
Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave info No No
Mobile Research - Economic Calendar info Yes No
Research Interactive Brokers eToro
Daily Market Commentary (Articles) info Yes Yes
Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) info Yes Yes
Autochartist info No No
Trading Central info Yes Yes
TipRanks info Yes Yes
Client sentiment data info Yes Yes
Economic Calendar info Yes Yes
Education Interactive Brokers eToro
Webinars info Yes Yes
Videos - Beginner Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Videos - Advanced Trading Videos info Yes Yes
Major Forex Pairs Interactive Brokers eToro
GBP/USD [DELETED] info
USD/JPY [DELETED] info
EUR/USD info Yes Yes
USD/CHF [DELETED] info
USD/CAD [DELETED] info
NZD/USD [DELETED] info
AUD/USD [DELETED] info
Review Interactive Brokers Review eToro Review
Overall Interactive Brokers eToro
Overall Rating info 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trading Fees 5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trading Platforms 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 5/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Education 5/5 Stars 5/5 Stars
Trust Score info 99 97
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review eToro Review
arrow_upward

close
navigate_before navigate_next