eToro review: The online and CFD broker eToro is one of the most popular brokers in the world with over 30 million users in over 100 countries. eToro became known as a social trading broker where you can debate and discuss with other users and automatically replicate the trades of successful traders with CopyTrader.
But what is eToro really good for? What eToro reviews do the users have? What are the advantages and disadvantages of the broker? Also, what are the costs and fees? Is eToro safe and legit or a scam? What about regulation? Our detailed 2023 eToro review provides all the answers and shows step-by-step instructions on how to register with eToro.
Our eToro Review 2023
| Aspect | Details |
|---|---|
| Founder | Yoni Assia, Ronen Bar-Haim, and Nir Mendelhyim |
| Year Founded | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Tel Aviv, Israel |
| Offers | Social Trading, CFDs, Stocks, Cryptocurrencies, Forex, Commodities, Indices, ETFs |
| Tradable Cryptocurrencies | Bitcoin (BTC), Ethereum (ETH), Ripple (XRP), and more |
| Languages | 19+languages |
| Deposit Methods | Credit/Debit Cards, PayPal, Bank Transfer, Skrill, Neteller, and more |
| Withdrawal Methods | Bank Transfer, PayPal, Credit/Debit Cards, Skrill, Neteller, and more |
| Contact Options | Live Chat, Email Support |
| Website | eToro |
What is eToro?
eToro, a prominent online and CFD broker, boasts more than 30 million users across over 100 countries. Yoni Assia, Ronen Bar-Haim, and Nir Mendelhyim founded eToro in Israel back in 2007. The company is based in Tel Aviv, Israel, and has 10 offices worldwide, including its EU office in Cyprus.
eToro holds regulation and licensing within the EU through CySEC (Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission) and in the UK through the FCA (Financial Conduct Authority). As an online and CFD broker, eToro makes it possible to trade over 10,000 financial instruments in 6 asset classes: stocks, forex, ETFs, cryptocurrencies, indices and commodities. CFD trading also allows trading with leverage and entering into short positions.
The broker offers its customers a free demo version, which allows them to familiarize themselves with the functions of the platform before they start trading. The broker stands out from the dense field of online brokers with several special features:
- CopyTrader Service: The CopyTrader service allows users to automatically replicate the trading decisions of other successful traders. Beforehand, you can view the detailed trading performance of existing strategy providers over the last few months/years.
- Crypto CFDs & Tokens: At eToro, users can buy and trade real crypto tokens or crypto CFDs directly via the platform.
- Social trading: eToro became known for this feature, which traders on the platform can use to discuss trading opportunities, financial instruments or trading strategies with over 30 million other users.
- CopyPortfolios: eToro’s CopyPortfolios offer the opportunity for thematic investments, allowing you to curate a portfolio of financial instruments spanning diverse asset classes. While they often function similarly to ETFs or funds, it’s important to note that they hold a distinct legal status and are not classified as funds.
How many users does eToro have?As of August 2023, eToro has over 30 million registered users worldwide.
eToro: pros and cons
While there are numerous positive aspects about eToro as an online broker, there are also certain areas that could benefit from further improvement. We have summarized the most important eToro advantages and disadvantages here.
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
|---|---|
| ✓ Social Trading: Connect with over 20 million traders | ✗ Limited trading range: No futures and options offered |
| ✓ CopyTrader Feature: Automatically replicate top traders | ✗ No MetaTrader broker integration for professional traders |
| ✓ Large range of trading: Over 10,000 financial instruments in 6 asset classes | ✗ Aggressive Marketing: At times, aggressive marketing approach |
| ✓ Beginner-friendly: Simple and intuitive user interface | ✗ Limited Crypto Wallet: eToro Money Wallet lacks support for all tradable cryptos |
| ✓ Commission-free trading: Fee model with minimal spreads |
Is eToro good for beginners?
Yes, eToro is an excellent online broker for beginners and less experienced investors. In fact, eToro has placed a special focus on this target group and has considered numerous important features and tools, as well as created a particularly simple and intuitive user interface that even beginners will quickly find their way around.
We MarketXplora think eToro is good and well suited for beginners new to trading – there are 6 important aspects that speak for this: the high level of user-friendliness, the eToro app, the social trading feature, CopyTrader feature, an extensive range of training courses and the free demo account.
Trading Platform & User Interface
eToro’s user interface is designed to be simple, clear, and intuitive. It is pleasant that the eye always knows where to look. On the left is the vertical navigation bar, which you can use to access your portfolio, asset classes, CopyTrader feature, or the most important settings with just one click.
On the right you can open the detailed view of individual financial instruments, view more detailed information and metrics or the current price chart. At the top right you get to your personal profile and can make settings. If you click on an individual financial instrument and the “Chart” sub-tab, the user gets to a successful analysis platform, which offers beginners more than enough options to carry out a detailed technical analysis.
The trading interface is highly customizable, allowing traders to use any type of indicators and charting tools. On the left side of the trading interface, there is an area for indicators and drawing tools. In this section, traders can add and modify their own indicators and drawing tools. On the right side of the trading interface, there is an area for the charting tools.
In this area, traders can select their charts or switch to the eToro ProCharts to launch an even more powerful analysis platform, which sometimes offers the following tools and benefits, such as:
- 9 different time windows (1 minute – 1 week)
- 5 Chart Types (Candlestick, Hollow Candlestick, Bar, Line, Mountain)
- 25+ indicators: Bollinger Bands, Keltner Channel, MACD, and much more.
You can also export completed analyses or analysis charts with just a few mouse clicks and share them on social media or via a dedicated link.
eToro App
Of course, as expected from a professional online broker, there is an eToro app for Android/iOS. This allows investors to keep an overview of their trading positions at any time, even while on the move, or place new trades if an exciting trading opportunity arises.
One thing in advance: The eToro app offers the same range of functions as the eToro desktop platform so that you can access all the important features and also carry out technical analyzes on your smartphone.
The eToro app also offers a navigation bar on the left, which leads to all important functions of the trading platform. With two taps you are in your portfolio to manage or monitor trades, but you can also go to the trade range or to the settings.
eToro Social Trading
eToro’s social trading feature is particularly useful for beginners because you can use this Facebook-like feature, including a comment function, to exchange information about individual investment instruments or trades or trading positions directly with over 30 million users.
For example, one could comment on a profitable trade posted by a successful trader and ask questions about how the trader identified that trading opportunity and what was their method of spotting that trading opportunity. In addition, you can ask yourself questions about their latest updates and trades with strategy providers – whether you follow them or not – and understand the calculation and strategy behind them.
With eToro’s social trading feature, users can benefit from the knowledge and experience of others and become aware of the best trading opportunities of the moment. In addition, this makes the platform a little livelier and more interactive, which is why users usually report more positively about their eToro experiences than about other brokers.
eToro CopyTrader
One of the highlights of eToro and a particular boon for newcomers is the CopyTrader feature: it allows investors to find the best traders on the platform and see their trading performance over the past months and years.
For every month of every year that the trader has been active on the platform as a strategy provider, you can see the performance in terms of positive or negative performance of his investments. This allows one to get an accurate picture of the individual trader’s short and long-term track record and whether one should allocate their hard-earned capital to replicate the trader’s trades.
Acting as a strategy provider means that a trader discloses his trades on the platform and offers other traders the option of allocating capital and thus automatically copying or replicating the trades – i.e. the trading behavior of the strategy provider. The strategy provider gets financial compensation for every trader who “follows” or copies them.
eToro has made it really easy for beginners to copy the top traders with just a few clicks and start trading like the pros from day one. You simply click on “Copy” on the profile of the respective strategy provider and you can allocate capital. Click on “Portfolio” to view all of the trader’s open trades and trading positions (including their past performance). This allows beginners to learn how successful traders trade and create their own trading strategies.
eToro Academy
eToro offers its users an extensive range of training courses to teach them how to trade and invest. Training is available for beginners as well as for advanced users. In addition, users can also participate in webinars held by experienced traders and investors. In addition to these educational offerings, eToro also provides the eToro Academy where you can learn more about trading and investing.
The core of the training offered by the eToro Academy consists of explanatory videos, guides and webinars. eToro offers explanatory videos on various topics related to trading. These videos are short and concise and explain the most important concepts and terms as well as the most important features of the platform.
Guides provide a more in-depth introduction to specific topics and can therefore be helpful in deepening knowledge. eToro provides both general guides and guides on specific topics such as CFD trading or social trading. Webinars are interactive online seminars where experts cover various topics related to trading.
eToro regularly offers webinars covering different aspects of trading. Users can ask questions about the webinars and discuss the content in depth. Overall, eToro offers newcomers and novice traders a number of helpful materials and resources to help them prepare for trading.
eToro Demo
Perhaps the most practical for beginners is the free demo account from eToro, which can be used with full functionality and without any time restrictions.
As a user, you receive USD 100,000 in virtual credit and can use it to open trading positions in all asset classes at the current market price. It is advisable to use the free demo account at the beginning to get to know the eToro user interface and try out investing risk-free.
You can easily switch between the demo account and real money account at any time with a single mouse click, simply click on “Switch to virtual” below the navigation menu on the left side of the screen. All of these features make eToro the best broker for beginners in our opinion.
eToro Money Wallet
Secure long-term storage of purchased crypto tokens is also possible with eToro. The eToro Money Wallet, designed as a mobile wallet, was created for this purpose. This can be downloaded and installed from the App Store for Android/iOS. It is a hosted custodian wallet, eToro manages the private key.
You use the same account data for the eToro login, which you also use for the trading platform. To transfer real tokens, you need to request it on the trading platform with 2 mouse clicks, and the transfer takes place within 24-48 hours after approval.
The only downside is that the eToro Money Wallet currently only supports a few of the hosted cryptocurrencies. There is currently only support for the following coins: BTC, ETH, LINK, BAT, BNT, GNO, HEDG, DAI, TRON, ADA for the cryptocurrencies TRON, ADA and ETH there is also a staking function.
Crypto CFDs
eToro is therefore extremely advantageous as a crypto broker, especially for traders who only want to trade with this volatile asset class but do not have to bother with crypto wallets. At eToro you can trade crypto CFDs with 1:2 leverage, you can also act as a seller and shorten the crypto CFDs or, i.e. bet on a falling course and earn money even if the price falls.
How does eToro work?
The online broker eToro, a globally regulated and licensed financial service provider and online broker (EU: CySec regulation, license no.: 109/10), empowers its customers to invest in various investment products. At eToro, customers can invest in stocks as well as trade in other financial instruments such as cryptocurrencies, ETFs, indices and commodities.
Note: eToro also operates as a CFD broker, meaning many investments are not based on the actual asset value, but rather on a contract for difference that uses this asset value as the underlying. The CFD maps the performance of this underlying asset 1:1, but depending on the country, there may be different tax treatment of the profit from the investment in the real asset vs. a CFD on this.
eToro is not a classic securities or custodian bank, it is a trading account, not a securities account. It is therefore also not possible to switch securities accounts to another securities bank. eToro is a so-called social trading broker, where customers can not only trade themselves, but also follow other traders and copy their trading decisions.
In addition, eToro offers its customers a wide range of educational opportunities so that traders can continue their education. There is no minimum deposit required to trade at eToro. However, it is recommended to deposit at least $200 to give the trader enough latitude to make trading decisions.
In order to be able to trade with eToro, one must first register and then open an account. All you need to do is provide your name, e-mail address, and telephone number. After the account has been opened, the customer can deposit money into his account and then use this money to make investments.
eToro fees
As an online broker, eToro earns its money mainly through spreads and commissions, there are no custody fees – after all, it is not a securities account, but a trading account. The following fees and costs must therefore be taken into account with the eToro fee model:
- Spread: The spread is the difference between the buy and sell price of an instrument. The tighter the spread, the lower the cost to the trader.
- Commissions: Also known as commission, it is a flat amount calculated as a percentage of the investment amount, which eToro charges for each trade. The amount of the commission depends on the instrument and the volume of the trade. For example, the commissions for stocks are 0.1% if the trade is $10,000. This equates to a commission of $10.
- Funding Fees: eToro also charges funding costs when holding leveraged trading positions overnight. This is also referred to as the “overnight fee”. These costs vary by instrument and market conditions and are charged daily.
- Fixed Fee: A fixed fee is charged for some asset classes such as cryptocurrencies, for cryptocurrencies this is 1%.
- Deposit Fees: These types of fees are incurred when making a deposit into your trading account with a broker. eToro has always followed the practice of not charging any deposit fees – regardless of the deposit type.
- Withdrawal fees: These costs are incurred when you make a withdrawal from your broker’s trading account to your payment method used, eg bank account, credit card. For legal reasons, a payout is only possible via the payment method that was used for the deposit. eToro charges a withdrawal fee of $5 per withdrawal, regardless of the amount and method of withdrawal.
The level of the spreads also differs according to asset class and according to how liquid the respective financial instrument is or how heavily it is traded. So the spreads are roughly as follows:
- Forex Majors: 3 Pips
- Stocks: –
- Cryptocurrencies: 0.75-1.50%
What can you trade with eToro?
eToro is a leading global online broker offering its clients access to a wide variety of financial instruments and markets. The trading offer includes over 10,000 financial instruments in the asset classes equities, cryptocurrencies, ETFs, commodities, indices, and Forex.
The platform allows clients to invest in different asset classes, thereby diversifying their portfolio. With eToro, investors can invest in the following asset classes:
Stocks
With eToro, investors can invest in more than 2,000 different stocks on 20 stock exchanges around the world. These include numerous US, German, British, and Swiss stocks. Among them are the stocks most popular with traders and traders, such as:
- US: Microsoft, Meta, Apple, Nvidia, Amazon, Google, IBM, and Tesla.
- UK: BP, GlaxoSmithKline, HSBC Holdings, Lloyds Banking Group oder Royal Dutch Shell
- Germany: Adidas, BMW, Daimler, Deutsche Bank, Siemens and Volkswagen.
- Switzerland: Nestle, Novartis, Roche Holding or UBS Group.
As far as stock trading leverage is concerned, eToro investors can invest or trade in stocks with a leverage of up to 1:5.
Cryptocurrencies
With eToro, which also acts as a crypto exchange, you can invest in real cryptocurrencies or crypto CFDs (possible 1:2 leverage). Most of the real crypto tokens can be moved within the account to the mobile wallet, the eToro Money Wallet, and kept safe there. As a leading crypto broker, eToro has over 70 cryptocurrencies in its range, including many coins in the DeFi, Layer-1s, GameFi or Metaverse areas.
Which cryptocurrency to buy? eToro certainly has an answer:
- Payment Coins: Bitcoin, Bitcoin Cash, Litecoin, Stellar Lumens
- Layer-1s: Ethereum, EOS, TRON, IOST, Solana, Neo, Tezos, Polkadot
- GameFi: Enjin Coin, Theta Token
- Metaverse: Decentraland, The Sandbox
- Memecoins: Dogecoin, Shiba Inu
ETFs
- Indices: Vanguard S&P 500, iShares FTSE 250, iShares Nasdaq 100
- Bonds: 20+ Year Trsry Bond iShares, iShares TIPS Bond,
- Sectors: Invesco Solar, SPDR Utilities Select Sector
- Commodities: SPDR Gold, Global X Uranium, iShares Silver Trust, United States Oil Fund
- Countries: iShares MSCI India, iShares MSCI Germany, iShares MSCI China
At eToro, customers can invest in ETFs with a leverage of 1:2 up to 1:5.
Commodities
At eToro you can invest in many different types of commodities. These include commodities in the categories of precious metals, agricultural products, energies, and agricultural commodities as follows:
- Precious metals: gold, silver, palladium, and platinum
- Energies: petroleum, gas, oleic acid, fuel oil
- Agricultural Products: Wheat, Corn, Sugar, Coffee Beans
- Agricultural Commodities: Pork, Cattle
Depending on the commodity, these can be traded as CFDs with leverage of up to 1:5, 1:10 or 1:20.
Indices
Of course, with eToro you can also invest in the most important and largest indices in the world – a total of 20 indices are currently available. In addition to Nasdaq, S&P 500, GER40, US Dollar Index, FTSE, DJ30, FRA40, these also include JPN225, EUSTX50 and ESP35.
Depending on the size of the index, leverage trading is possible with up to 1:10 or 1:20 leverage.
Currencies
Forex trading is possible at eToro for over 60 different currency pairs or currencies. These include all of the well-known categories:
- Majors: EUR/USD, USD/JPY, GBP/USD, USD/CHF, etc.
- Minors: EUR/GBP, EUR/AUD, GBP/JPY, EUR/CHF, etc.
- Exotics: NOK/SEK, NZD/CHF, EUR/HUF, EUR/SEK, etc.
eToro offers customers the opportunity to invest in over 50 different currency pairs or foreign exchange. With over 10,000 financial instruments, eToro’s trading offer is very broad and deep, so all of your investment needs are met here. As an investor, you can therefore implement a complex or simple investment strategy and build up an investment portfolio that is diversified by country, industry, and asset class.
eToro reviews by customers
eToro is one of the most popular brokers for trading cryptocurrencies, CFDs and stocks worldwide. The platform is used by over 30 million users in over 100 countries and also has a very good reputation in Nigeria. A look at the eToro experiences and reviews of existing users found on the Internet shows that customers appreciate the simple and intuitive operation of the platform and the many useful functions.
For example, they can look at other traders’ portfolios to see which strategies are successful. Copy trading, where you can copy other traders’ trades, is also a popular feature. Unfortunately, users report less good eToro experiences with the existing eToro Money App.
Other points of criticism that emerge from the eToro reviews and ratings and appear again and again are, for example, that the company’s fee structure is relatively opaque and can be disadvantageous for some customers, and that the eToro customer service is rather slow and not well coordinated.
You can get a very concrete picture of the eToro experience by reviewing eToro as a broker or the eToro app in the official Android and Apple app stores. We have compiled the current eToro reviews and ratings here:
- In the Android Store, eToro receives 4.1 out of 5 stars from over 150,000 reviews.
- It has 4.3 out of 5 stars – “Excellent” – on TrustPilot from over 20,500 reviews.
- The ratings in the Apple App Store are also very positive, with over 140,752 ratings of 4.7 out of 5 stars.
So overall, eToro is a very popular and great broker for cryptocurrencies and other financial instruments, as evidenced by the numerous positive ratings. At the same time, the eToro experience shows that the broker could still optimize his range of cryptocurrencies and, above all, the compatibility with the eToro Money Wallet; Another weakness is the higher-than-average Forex trading fees.
How to register with eToro?
In this section, we describe the eToro signup process and how to open an account with eToro in 4 steps.
Step 1: Open an account
Simply click on the button below to go to the eToro homepage. Click on “Sign Up” if the registration form is not already displayed.
Then enter the required personal data such as name, email address and password. Accept the T&Cs and then click on “Create Account”.
Step 2: Verify Account
You will now receive an email from eToro asking you to verify your account. This process is required by EU directives for all brokers and financial service providers. This requires proof of identity and address.
Sounds complicated, but it’s actually quite simple: click on the link in the email, then follow the instructions and upload a color scan of a valid identity card or passport (proof of identity) and a color scan of a current electricity or gas bill (proof of address ). eToro customer service will review the documents and complete account verification within 24-48 hours, unlocking access to all trading features.
Step 3: Make a deposit
Once the account is verified, one can fund their eToro account before investing in the financial instruments. You have the choice between different payment methods such as bank transfer, credit card or PayPal or direct transfer. No deposit fees will be charged.
Click on “Send”, then enter the deposit method, enter the deposit amount and add the other payment details. After clicking on “Deposit” the transfer takes place, the money is credited immediately.
Step 4: Buy Bitcoin
After you have deposited the money into your eToro account, you can finally invest with it. We will now show you how to buy Bitcoin with eToro as an example! Simply enter “Bitcoin” in the search bar at the top of the screen, then click on the search result that appears to go to the asset.
Click on “Trade” at the top right, the buy menu appears. Now enter the desired purchase amount in USD, then select x1 leverage to trade without leverage. Then click on “Open Trade” and the purchase process is already complete.
eToro customer service
There are several ways to get in touch with eToro customer service. We can especially recommend the live chat. You will usually receive an answer within a few minutes.
Unfortunately, customer service is not always available in some languages. This can sometimes make communication difficult. In our opinion, however, this circumstance is tolerable thanks to the use of support.
eToro also makes it possible to create inquiries via the ticket system. eToro currently states a response time of four days. However, depending on the situation, the processing time can deviate significantly from the information given.
Is eToro safe and legit or a scam broker?
Yes, eToro is a safe and legitimate broker. CySEC (Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission) regulates eToro under license number 109/10 (14/01/2010), and the company holds licenses throughout the EU as a financial services provider. CySEC is the local regulator for financial institutions in Cyprus. Regulation by CySEC ensures that eToro acts transparently and fairly and offers customers the best possible service.
The CySEC license also means that eToro complies with all applicable EU directives and regulations for financial service providers and brokers. This means that eToro holds customer deposits in segregated accounts, manages them in escrow, and the broker cannot access them.
For customers within the EU, this also implies protection under the Investor Compensation Fund, offering a statutory deposit guarantee of up to EUR 20,000 per account. Besides, the online broker eToro has operated in the market for over 15 years and has attracted more than 20 million users from over 100 countries. eToro holds worldwide licenses and, through its additional global branches, subject to regulation and licensing by the following regulatory authorities:
- eToro (UK) Ltd. durch die Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in UK
- eToro USA Securities Inc. durch Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA)
- eToro AUS Capital Limited by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC), license number 491139
eToro reviews– conclusion
Our detailed eToro review shows that an overwhelmingly large number of users express particularly positive sentiments in their eToro reviews.
The online and CFD broker has a huge range of trading with over 10,000 financial instruments in 6 asset classes, and it also offers its own copy portfolios, which offer a bundling of theme investments similar to an ETF.
The broker is especially suitable for beginners – it ensures a high level of user-friendliness, minimal fees, comprehensive training courses, and the particularly popular functions of copy trading and Social Trading. The broker is reputable, regulated, and licensed and already offers over 20 million customers a secure and reliable platform for trading CFDs and cryptocurrencies.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) about eToro
In this section of our eToro review, we provide answers to the most important questions about the eToro trading platform.
- Is eToro safe and legit?
eToro now looks back on 15 years of experience as a broker and has proven itself as a safe broker.
- What is the eToro wallet?
The eToro Wallet is a crypto wallet for more than 120 cryptocurrencies that you can use to store your cryptocurrencies.
- Are there hidden costs at eToro?
In our eToro review 2023, we did not notice any hidden costs. However, the monthly inactivity fee of $10 dollars after twelve months and the withdrawal fee of $5 dollars are criticized. However, eToro points out both fees.
- How to withdraw money from eToro?
To withdraw money from eToro, follow these 8 steps:
- Log In: Sign in to your eToro account using your credentials.
- Navigate to Withdrawal: Click on your profile icon or username, then select “Withdraw Funds.”
- Choose Amount: Enter the amount you wish to withdraw from your available balance.
- Select Withdrawal Method: Choose your preferred withdrawal method, such as bank transfer or e-wallet.
- Provide Details: Fill in the necessary details for your chosen withdrawal method, including your bank or e-wallet information.
- Confirm Withdrawal: Review the withdrawal request and confirm.
- Wait for Processing: eToro will process your withdrawal request. The time it takes may vary depending on the method chosen.
- Receive Funds: Once processed, you will receive the withdrawn funds in your chosen withdrawal account.
- How long does eToro withdrawal take?
The duration of eToro withdrawal processing can vary based on several factors, including the payment method and the verification process. On average, eToro states that withdrawals may take up to:
- Credit/Debit Cards: 1-8 business days
- PayPal: 1-2 business days
- Bank Transfer: 1-4 business days
Please note that these timeframes can be affected by factors like the user’s account verification, withdrawal request volume, and potential delays from payment providers or financial institutions.