AvaTrade vs eToro

If you are reading this article, you’re likely having trouble deciding whether AvaTrade or eToro is the better Forex trading platform for you. While both platforms generally provide positive user experiences, there are some essential differences to note.

In this AvaTrade vs eToro review, we outline the highlights of each trading platform to help you make a more informed decision. We evaluate:

FeatureAvaTrade (visit site)eToro (visit site)
Headquarter:IrelandCyprus
Regulation :
MiFID, Central Bank of Ireland, FSA, ASIC, BVI, FFAJ, FSCA, ADMG - FRSACySEC, FCA, ASIC
Type of Broker:
ECN/STPMarket Maker
U.S. Clients Allowed:
Minimum Deposit:
$100$50 - $10,000
Maximum Leverage:
1:4001:30 (CySEC, FCA)
Commissions / Spreads:
SpreadsSpreads
Account 1:
RetailStandard
Account 2:
ProfessionalProfessional
Account 3:
Spread Betting
Account 4:
Standard
Demo Account:
Islamic Account:
Segregated Account:
Managed Accounts:
Institutional Accounts:
Website Languages:
  • imageEnglish
  • image Chinese
  • Other
  • imageEnglish
  • imageChinese
  • 18+
Support Hours:
24/524/5
E-mail Support:
SMS Support:
Chat:
Broker Offers:
*74% of retail CFD accounts lose money

Features and Platforms

eToro is one of the leaders in the social trading sub-sector which gives it a significant advantage for traders who need a hand with their trading However, independent traders will likely be happier trading with AvaTrade's popular platforms. Still, eToro remains popular with new traders, especially millennial ones, who prefer to follow others from their mobile devices with a few clicks. In that regard, eToro executes its business model well. AvaTrade provides traders with five trading platforms and three social trading alternatives. The proprietary WebTrader of AvaTrade remains superior to the eToro trading platform. It also offers broader social trading choices and pulls further ahead with its educational division, especially once the spun-off SharpTrader comes into consideration.

FeatureAvaTradeeToro
Type of Platform:MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Proprietary platform, Web-basedProprietary trading platform
Platform Languages:
  • imageEnglish
  • image Spanish
  • image Italian
  • image French
  • image German
  • Other
  • imageEnglish
  • 19+
OS Compatibility:
  • imageWindows
  • Mobile
  • Web
  • image iPhone
  • image iPad
  • imageWindows
  • Mobile
  • Web
  • image iPhone
  • image iPad
Trading Signals:
Charting Package:
Market Analysis:
Chart Trading:
Automated Trading:
Scalping:
Hedging:
Mobile Alerts:
Trailing Stops:
Guaranteed Stop Loss:
Guaranteed Limit Orders:
Guaranteed Execution:
One-click Execution:
Interest on Margin:
Web-based Trading:
Mobile Trading:

Available Markets

While AvaTrade has the edge with trading platforms, eToro provides a bigger asset selection, but AvaTrade tops eToro with quality over quantity. In fact, at the time of this Forex broker comparison, AvaTrade offered more currency pairs with 55 versus just 46 at eToro. AvaTrade also offers more commodities and indices, with 24 and 26, than eToro, where 16 and 13 are available. eToro grants notably more cryptocurrencies than AvaTrade, 92 versus 14. It also provides over 2,000 equity CFDs and ETFs, while AvaTrade features just above 1,000 but offers 42 options contracts. eToro beats AvaTrade with quantity and provides superior experience for anyone seeking cross-asset diversification.

FeatureAvaTradeeToro
ETFs:
CFDs:
Commodities:
Metals:
Stocks:
Oil:
Gold:
Binary Options:
Indices:

Typical Spreads and Fees

The minimum spread at AvaTrade is 0.9 pips versus 1.0 pips at eToro, which is minimal on an individual basis but adds up over volume and time. eToro advertises commission-free trading, which only applies to unleveraged buy orders. By comparison, AvaTrade grants commission-free trading across the board. The average mark-up is 0.13% at AvaTrade and eToro charges a 0.09% commission. Traders have to pay swap rates on leveraged overnight positions at both brokers. Where AvaTrade has a $50 monthly inactivity fee, versus $10 at eToro, eToro levies a $5 withdrawal fee and a 0.50% currency conversion cost, which does not exist at AvaTrade. Third-party payment processors apply at both brokers alike. Simply put, when it comes to spreads and fees, AvaTrade has a better offering than eToro.

Security and Trust

From a security and trust perspective, AvaTrade and eToro are on par with each other. Both segregate client deposits from corporate funds, offer negative balance protection in select jurisdictions, together with an investor protection fund where required by regulators. The Central Bank of Ireland provides primary oversight over AvaTrade, complemented by six additional regulators. Clients will enjoy the most competitive trading environment from divisions under BVI, the ASIC, and the FSCA oversight. eToro maintains compliance with four regulators. AvaTrade, founded in 2006, has marginally more experience than eToro, operational since 2007, but both earned a reputation for trust and honesty and grant clients with a secure trading environment.

AvaTrade vs eToro – Verdict

Neither AvaTrade nor eToro provides clients with research, but the former offers a significantly more in-depth educational program. AvaTrade's SharpTrader presents new traders with 40 sections and more than 200 videos. The trading platform choice at AvaTrade is equally more competitive, both with the proprietary webtrader and the MT4/MT5 trading platforms, which eToro ignores. AvaTrade creates more distance to eToro with a friendlier pricing environment and higher quality asset selection, where eToro beats on quantity only. eToro remains a leading social trading broker, but AvaTrade provides its traders with three alternatives, DupliTrade, ZuluTrade, and MQL5 Signal Service, which combine for a more comprehensive choice of strategies. Therefore, AvaTrade bests eToro in this category and delivers a more overall competitive trading environment. Despite offering a less favorable trading environment, eToro remains a popular choice with millennial traders. It is a testament to its excellent marketing team, the best asset at eToro. 72% of retail traders manage portfolios at a loss at AvaTrade, while eToro reports a loss rate of 68%. In the face-off between AvaTrade and eToro, we found AvaTrade to offer a wholly more superior offering.

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