One of the world's biggest online brokers, eToro lets millions of users trade various assets, CFDs, and ETFs every year. Whether you're just starting out or looking for a platform that combines investing with social features, understanding what eToro offers can help you decide if it's the right fit for your trading needs.
eToro stands out as a popular social trading platform offering direct access to multiple asset classes, including stocks, ETFs, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies. The service is regulated by several leading authorities, including the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and is currently available in 19 different languages. What makes it particularly interesting is how it merges traditional trading with social networking features, allowing users to learn from and copy successful traders.
The platform focuses mainly on providing investment and copy trading services. Founded in 2007 with the bold ambition to "disrupt the world of trading," eToro has grown into the world's largest social trading network, with over 13 million registered users making millions of transactions daily.
Back in 2010, they launched the first social trading platform along with CopyPortfolios—managed portfolios that combine either top eToro traders or various assets following a unified market investment strategy. This means you can use eToro to make your own trades or follow what other successful investors are doing.
The broker offers both a strong web-based trading platform and powerful mobile trading apps. Through these options, eToro clients can access six different asset classes with several thousand instruments in each, plus commission-free trading on select stocks.
eToro also has a tiered membership system called the eToro Club. You're automatically assigned to an account level based on how much money you have in your cash balance and the value of your investments. Everyone starts at the Bronze level (the standard account), while higher levels offer additional perks like lower fees, live webinars, premium subscriptions, and exclusive VIP events.
There's also an eToro Money account—an e-wallet app you can use to make payments or send and receive money from friends. Think of it as a basic version of PayPal. The main advantage is that you can deposit and withdraw money from your eToro trading account faster and with lower fees when using the eToro Money app.
eToro's trading platform offers over 3,000 assets spanning major and minor currency pairs, ETFs, stocks, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies. Let's break down what's available:
Stocks: You can trade over 3,000 stocks and ETFs across 16 different countries, including popular exchanges like NYSE, NASDAQ, London Stock Exchange, and more. Spreads start at 0% on select popular stocks, while most stocks and ETFs carry a 0.15% spread. ETFs may have additional management fees.
Cryptocurrencies: eToro supports over 70 crypto coins, with each cryptocurrency paired against the US dollar. There are also 14 crypto crosses where you can exchange one coin for another. The platform charges a flat 1% fee on all crypto transactions, added to the market price when you open and close trades.
Forex: There are 49 currencies available, including all major currency pairs plus a healthy number of minor and exotic pairs. Forex spreads start at 1 pip on major pairs like EUR/USD and USD/JPY, with most major or minor pairs starting at 2 pips.
Commodities: A total of 26 commodities are available, including precious metals, energy, and agricultural commodities. The minimum spread is 2 pips, though oil and silver start at 5 pips, and gold at 45 pips.
eToro offers leveraged trading options for all CFD trades, though the amount of leverage depends on what you're trading. Here's a general breakdown:
Cryptocurrencies: Up to 2:1 leverage
Stocks and ETFs: Up to 5:1 leverage
Forex major pairs: Up to 30:1 leverage
Commodities and indices: Varying leverage depending on the asset
The platform uses variable spreads across all account types and makes money from these spreads rather than commissions. This means eToro profits from the difference between the price they charge to buy an asset (bid price) and the price at which they sell it to users (ask price).
Minimum trade sizes on eToro start at $10 for stocks, ETFs, and crypto, rising to $1,000 for most other assets. There are no limits on the number of trades you can make per day.
One of eToro's flagship features is Copy Trading. This social trading function lets you select specific investors to follow and replicate their trades automatically. You can track their trading performance weekly, monthly, or annually, and access useful information like average holding time, weekly trades, feed comments, and profile descriptions.
You can also follow accounts without copying them and post comments or reactions on their social feeds. When copying an account through CopyTrader, you have full control over how much you're willing to risk, and the service is completely free. The feature creates a genuine sense of community on the trading platform, as traders are encouraged to interact frequently with each other.
To further incentivize top investors to allow copy trading, eToro launched the Popular Investors program, where top investors receive monthly payments (either a fixed amount or a percentage of assets under management, depending on the plan). This encourages top performers to participate and increases overall platform engagement.
CopyPortfolios take this concept further—these are CFD-based portfolios (essentially grouped funds). Unlike CopyTrader where you follow a specific investor, CopyPortfolios let you invest either in a portfolio of eToro investors or in themes. For example, investing in the "Big Banks CopyPortfolio" gives you direct exposure to various assets including Bank of America, Citibank, HSBC, and other major banks.
For most eToro customers in the US and UK, the minimum deposit is $10, with a maximum of $40,000. Limits vary depending on where you live and your payment method. Supported payment options include debit/credit cards, bank transfers, PayPal, Neteller, Skrill, Rapid Transfer, and several other e-wallet services.
Every withdrawal costs $5, regardless of payment method. Withdrawals to eToro Money accounts are instant, while other methods can take longer—up to 10 business days for debit/credit cards and bank transfers, and up to 2-3 business days for most e-wallet options.
The minimum withdrawal amount is $30, with no limits on maximum withdrawals beyond your available balance minus any outstanding obligations.
One of the most important questions: How easy is eToro to use?
eToro ranks among the easiest trading platforms to master. It was designed specifically for new users and people who may not have traded before. The web platform is intuitive and user-friendly, with straightforward features and a beginner-friendly layout. Registration is simple, and the platform offers a free demo account so new users can learn without risking their money—a feature we strongly recommend using before live trading.
You can customize the platform to your needs by managing your social feed, switching between real and virtual portfolios with a single toggle, and setting up a watchlist of your favorite assets. While it sometimes lacks depth in certain information areas, it provides a very comfortable social trading experience for most users.
The eToro mobile app is one of the best trading apps available today, offering the same excellent user experience as the web platform. It's free to download and available for both Android and iOS devices. The app is secured with two-factor authentication (2FA) and can be additionally protected with biometric data if your phone supports it.
eToro is a safe broker that complies with numerous regulatory requirements across different jurisdictions, separates client funds from its own, and maintains strong data protection policies. You won't find many safer online brokers than eToro.
The broker is regulated by several authorities worldwide, including the UK's Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC), and the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). It's also a member of the UK's Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) and Investor Compensation Fund (ICF), meaning investors in these jurisdictions are protected up to the maximum amounts (currently up to ÂŁ85,000).
eToro stores your funds in a separate bank account, which is crucial because it means the broker cannot use client funds for its own operations. Segregated funds also increase user security if the broker goes bankrupt, as client money is protected in tier-1 banks.
The eToro Academy serves as a comprehensive hub containing extensive educational materials. There are video courses explaining investing basics and how to use eToro, plus blogs and guides that dive into complex concepts and explain them simply.
While most content targets beginners, videos and webinars are also available for advanced users. The platform's free virtual portfolio gives you $100,000 in virtual dollars to practice trading through the same interface as real-money accounts—one of the best demo accounts available.
eToro provides a customer support portal on its website where you can submit tickets that get resolved by support team members within 24 hours. They also offer a live chat feature for more urgent requests.
Our eToro review shows this is one of the best CFD trading platforms in the industry and the most innovative overall trading platform. It offers over 3,000 assets including all leading stocks and cryptocurrencies, and ranks among the most user-friendly brokers available.
If you're looking for a social trading broker, this is the best platform for it. While fees run slightly higher than some other platforms, they're not unreasonable given how well-designed and reputable the broker is. More experienced investors might consider looking for a service aimed more at experts, but new investors and retail traders won't find many better options than eToro.
The combination of commission-free stock trading on select assets, comprehensive social trading features, strong regulatory oversight, and extensive educational resources makes eToro particularly appealing for those starting their investment journey or anyone interested in learning from successful traders.
Risk Warning: CFDs are complex instruments that carry a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. A significant percentage of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford the high risk of losing your money. Past performance does not guarantee future results. Cryptocurrency investments are risky and may not be suitable for retail investors—you could lose your entire investment.