Ally Invest vs eToro 2025
In this head to head comparison of Ally Invest vs eToro, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
In this head to head comparison of Ally Invest vs eToro, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
When choosing between Ally Invest and eToro based on investment options, it’s important to match their offerings with your personal needs. Ally Invest excels with a 4.5-star rating and a commendable 8th place ranking among 14 brokers by StockBrokers.com for its range of investments. In contrast, eToro earns a 2.5-star rating and ranks 14th, primarily due to its limited selection in traditional investment options. Whether you prioritize stock trading, IRA accounts, or diving into cryptocurrency, understanding the strengths and weaknesses of each platform can guide you to the right choice for your financial goals.
Ally Invest offers a broad range of investment options including stock trading, margin trading, OTC stocks, mutual funds, and options trading. Additionally, Ally Invest provides traditional and Roth IRA accounts, allowing users to focus on retirement planning. Those keen on guidance can benefit from their advisor services, adding another layer of support for investors. However, Ally Invest does not currently offer cryptocurrency trading or the ability to trade fractional shares, which might limit some investors looking for diversification in these fields.
eToro, on the other hand, stands out with its cryptocurrency trading option, featuring access to 26 different coins, making it a more appealing choice for those interested in the digital currency market. The platform also supports stock trading and options trading, as well as fractional shares, uniquely positioning it for those who want to start investing with smaller amounts. However, eToro lacks certain traditional investment avenues such as OTC stocks, mutual funds, and IRAs, and does not provide margin trading or advisor services, which might be drawbacks for more seasoned investors looking for a more comprehensive offering.
Feature |
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Stock Trading | Yes | Yes |
Account Feature - Margin Trading | Yes | No |
Fractional Shares (Stocks) | No | Yes |
OTC Stocks | Yes | No |
Mutual Funds | Yes | No |
Options Trading | Yes | Yes |
Futures Trading | No | No |
Crypto Trading | No | Yes |
Crypto Trading - Total Coins | 0 | 26 |
Range of Investments |
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Dive deeper: Best Options Trading Platforms for 2025, Best Futures Trading Platforms for 2025: A Beginner-Friendly Guide to an Advanced Market
When evaluating trading platforms and tools, Ally Invest appears to have a slight edge over eToro. Both platforms lack downloadable desktop applications for Windows and Mac, but provide browser-based experiences. Ally Invest excels in offering more customization options for technical analysis with 120 indicators and 36 drawing tools compared to eToro's 46 indicators and 48 drawing tools. Furthermore, Ally Invest offers features like automated technical analysis and a greater number of customization fields when editing a simple moving average study. These advantages contribute to Ally Invest's higher rating of 3 stars compared to eToro's 2.5 stars.
In terms of watch list functionality, Ally Invest accommodates 10 columns for organizing fields, surpassing eToro's 7-column capability. However, eToro stands out by offering a paper trading feature, which allows users to practice trading strategies without financial risk, a functionality lacking in Ally Invest. Both platforms enable users to add notes to charts and save multiple chart profiles, but neither provides the ability to adjust open orders directly on charts or display historical trades and corporate events on charts.
For traders prioritizing technical indicators and drawing tool availability, Ally Invest may be the ideal choice. With StockBrokers.com rankings placing Ally at #10 and eToro at #12 out of 14 brokers for trading platforms and tools, Ally Invest is recognized as the more favorable option for those seeking a comprehensive charting and customization experience. Nonetheless, traders seeking a platform with a practice mode should consider eToro for its paper trading capabilities.
Feature |
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Web Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
Desktop Trading Platform | No | No |
Desktop Platform (Mac) | No | No |
Paper Trading | No | Yes |
Watch Lists - Total Fields | 10 | 7 |
Charting - Indicators / Studies | 120 | 46 |
Charting - Drawing Tools | 36 | 48 |
Platforms & Tools |
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Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers & Trading Platforms for 2025, Best Paper Trading Apps & Platforms for 2025
When comparing Ally Invest and eToro for beginner and investor education, the two platforms offer distinct benefits. Ally Invest provides comprehensive education on a wide array of financial topics, including stocks, ETFs, options, mutual funds, and bonds. This makes it a valuable resource for beginners looking to deepen their understanding of diverse investment vehicles. However, Ally Invest lacks interactive educational tools like paper trading, videos, and webinars, which might engage newer investors in a more hands-on way. Despite this, StockBrokers.com has rated Ally Invest 4 stars for its educational offerings, positioning it at a respectable #7 out of 14 brokers in their rankings.
On the other hand, eToro is tailored towards hands-on learning with paper trading capabilities and educational videos, which can help beginners practice and absorb information more effectively. However, its educational content is limited to stock education, missing other significant investment areas like ETFs, mutual funds, options, and bonds. As a result, eToro receives a lower educational rating of 2.5 stars and is ranked #14 out of 14 brokers by StockBrokers.com. While eToro is better suited for those who prefer interactive learning methods, Ally Invest provides a broader educational foundation for those looking to deepen their knowledge of various investment options.
Feature |
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Education (Stocks) | Yes | Yes |
Education (ETFs) | Yes | No |
Education (Options) | Yes | No |
Education (Mutual Funds) | Yes | No |
Education (Fixed Income) | Yes | No |
Paper Trading | No | Yes |
Videos | No | Yes |
Webinars | No | No |
Education |
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Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Platforms for Beginners of 2025
When comparing Ally Invest and eToro in the realm of stock trading apps, eToro emerges as a slightly more feature-rich option, particularly in terms of charting capabilities and additional services. While both platforms are available on Android and iPhone, eToro offers a more comprehensive experience with video on demand and stock alerts, which Ally Invest lacks. These extra functionalities give eToro a stronger edge overall, earning it a 4.5-star rating compared to Ally Invest's 4-star rating. Despite both brokers lacking Apple Watch apps and live streaming TV, eToro's superior charting capabilities and added features make it a more attractive choice.
Both Ally Invest and eToro provide essential functions such as mobile options trading, streaming quotes, and the ability to create custom watch lists. They both lack the ability to customize watch list columns and view charts in landscape mode, yet both allow users to view charts across multiple time frames. Where eToro distinguishes itself is in its charting features, offering 103 technical studies and the option to display stock comparisons on charts, whereas Ally Invest offers none. This comprehensive set of tools places eToro ahead in terms of providing a richer charting experience.
In terms of app rankings, eToro takes the edge, coming in at #11 out of 14 brokers, compared to Ally Invest's #13 position in StockBrokers.com's ratings. Both brokers support after-hours trading on mobile, but eToro further stands out by offering after-hours charting, a feature Ally Invest does not provide. While Ally Invest maintains a solid performance and garners a loyal user base, eToro's advanced capabilities and higher ranking reflect its appeal to traders seeking more extensive analytic features and additional services.
Feature |
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iPhone App | Yes | Yes |
Android App | Yes | Yes |
Apple Watch App | No | No |
Stock Alerts | No | Yes |
Charting - After-Hours | No | Yes |
Charting - Technical Studies | 0 | 103 |
Mobile Trading Apps |
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Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps for 2025
When comparing Ally Invest and eToro for account fees and charges, Ally Invest stands out with a $0 minimum deposit requirement, making it accessible for new investors. In contrast, eToro requires a minimum deposit of $50. Both platforms offer commission-free trades for regular stocks, making them attractive choices for stock investors. However, differences appear in options trading fees, where Ally Invest charges $0.50 per contract, while eToro offers options contracts for free.
For traders interested in margin trading, Ally Invest provides varying interest rates based on account balance tiers, starting at 12% for balances below $25,000 and decreasing to 11% for balances between $50,000 and $99,999. On the other hand, eToro does not currently offer margin trading, making this feature a deciding factor for any potential investor considering leverage in their trades. IRA account holders will appreciate that Ally Invest charges no annual fees, although an IRA closure incurs a cost of $25. For account transfers, Ally Invest charges $50 for both partial and full Account Transfers (ACAT), while eToro charges a slightly higher fee of $75 for the same services.
Both Ally Invest and eToro offer free options exercise and assignment fees, which enhances their appeal for options traders. Despite the similarities in some areas, subtle differences like margin trading options and minimum deposit requirements highlight the contrasts between these two platforms, catering to distinct preferences among investors.
Feature |
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Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $50.00 |
Stock Trades | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Options (Per Contract) | $0.50 | $0.00 |
Options Exercise Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Options Assignment Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | |
IRA Closure Fee | $25.00 |
Dive deeper: Best Free Trading Platforms for 2025
When it comes to day trading capabilities, Ally Invest and eToro present a somewhat limited set of tools for traders. Neither platform offers features like ladder trading, trading hotkeys, or advanced backtesting, which might be crucial for more active traders. While Ally Invest does not provide streaming time and sales data for stocks, eToro fills the gap with this feature, potentially giving traders access to real-time data they may need. It's important to note that both platforms lack direct market routing and level 2 quotes, which could impact the decision-making process for day traders looking to execute more sophisticated strategies.
For those considering order flexibility, it's worth noting that neither Ally Invest nor eToro provides order liquidity rebates. Additionally, neither platform offers a short locator tool, which can be a significant limitation for traders needing to score real-time availability of shares for shorting. In terms of additional media resources, both platforms are on equal footing as neither offers streaming live TV. Traders need to carefully weigh these factors when choosing between Ally Invest and eToro, especially if their trading strategy relies heavily on access to more advanced tools and resources.
Feature |
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Streaming Time & Sales | No | Yes |
Streaming TV | No | No |
Direct Market Routing - Equities | No | No |
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks | No | No |
Trade Ideas - Backtesting | No | No |
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv | No | No |
Short Locator | No | No |
Dive deeper: Best Day Trading Platforms of 2025 for Beginners and Active Traders
When evaluating the market research capabilities of Ally Invest and eToro, Ally Invest emerges as the more comprehensive option. It offers a variety of research tools across multiple investment types, including stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, pink sheets/OTCBB, and bonds. In contrast, eToro is limited in scope, providing research primarily for stocks and ETFs, with additional features like ESG data, but lacking in areas like mutual funds and bonds. Ally Invest also provides tools such as stock and ETF screeners, which are absent from eToro’s offerings. This breadth in research options results in Ally Invest receiving a market research rating of 3.5 stars, compared to eToro's 1.5 stars, and a ranking of #8 versus eToro's #14 among 14 brokers on StockBrokers.com.
Both Ally Invest and eToro offer stock research leveraging social media sentiment data, which can be invaluable for investors looking to gauge market sentiment. However, neither broker provides downloadable PDF research reports for stocks, ETFs, or mutual funds, which might be a drawback for those who prefer offline access to detailed analysis. Despite this, Ally Invest's inclusion of a stock screener and ETF screener gives users tools to identify trade ideas, adding more depth to its research capabilities, whereas eToro lacks these features entirely.
In terms of ESG research, eToro has a slight edge over Ally Invest by incorporating this contemporary and increasingly sought-after investment research element. Despite eToro's singular advantage, Ally Invest's broad research scope covering more traditional investment sectors significantly outweighs this, making it the preferred choice for investors seeking a well-rounded market research experience.
Feature |
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Research - Stocks | Yes | Yes |
Screener - Stocks | Yes | No |
Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
Screener - ETFs | Yes | No |
Research - Mutual Funds | Yes | No |
Screener - Mutual Funds | No | No |
Research - Fixed Income | Yes | No |
Screener - Fixed Income | Yes | No |
Research |
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When it comes to banking capabilities, Ally Invest outshines eToro by providing a comprehensive range of financial services. Ally Invest supports a full suite of banking options, including checking and savings accounts, debit and credit cards, as well as mortgage loans. Additionally, Ally Invest offers certificates of deposit (CDs), giving customers more opportunities to grow their savings. In stark contrast, eToro lacks these banking offerings entirely, as it does not provide checking or savings accounts, debit or credit cards, mortgage loans, or CDs. For those seeking an online broker with extensive banking features, Ally Invest clearly holds a significant advantage over eToro.
Feature |
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Checking Accounts | Yes | |
Savings Accounts | Yes | |
Debit Cards | Yes | |
Credit Cards | Yes | |
Mortgage Loans | Yes | |
Brokerage CDs | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Brokerage Checking Accounts for 2025
After opening live accounts and testing 14 of the best online brokers, our research and live account testing finds that Ally Invest is better than eToro. Ally Invest finished with an overall score of 80.1%, while eToro finished with a score of 66.1%.
For current Ally customers looking to invest in stocks, Ally's universal-accounts experience and easy-to-use website offer a convenient solution. Its website is far stronger than the mobile app.
When comparing online brokers, eToro stands out for cryptocurrency enthusiasts by offering trading in 26 different coins, while Ally Invest does not provide any options for crypto trading.
Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers for Crypto Trading in 2025
Ally Invest offers both traditional and Roth IRA accounts with no annual fee, but imposes a $25 closure fee, whereas eToro does not provide IRA accounts, making Ally Invest the favorable choice for IRA services.
Dive deeper: Best IRA Accounts for 2025
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0 of 5Overall Rating | Ally Invest | eToro | |
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Overall |
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Mobile Trading Apps |
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Research |
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Customer Service |
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Education |
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Ease of Use |
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Winner | check_circle | ||
Review | Ally Invest Review | eToro Review |
Broker Screenshots | Ally Invest | eToro | |
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Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
Trading Fees | Ally Invest | eToro | |
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Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $50.00 | |
Stock Trades | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) | $4.95 | N/A | |
Mutual Fund Trade Fee | $0.00 | N/A | |
Options (Per Contract) | $0.50 | $0.00 | |
Futures (Per Contract) | (Not offered) | (Not offered) | |
Broker Assisted Trade Fee | $20 | $0 |
Margin Rates | Ally Invest | eToro | |
---|---|---|---|
Margin Rate Under $25,000 | 12% | Not offered | |
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 | 11.75% | Not offered | |
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 | 11% | Not offered | |
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 | 9.75% | Not offered | |
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 | 8.75% | Not offered | |
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 | 8.25% | Not offered | |
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 | 7.5% | Not offered |
Account Fees | Ally Invest | eToro | |
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IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | ||
IRA Closure Fee | $25.00 | ||
Account Transfer Out (Partial) | $50.00 | $75.00 | |
Account Transfer Out (Full) | $50.00 | $75.00 | |
Options Exercise Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
Options Assignment Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
Investment Options | Ally Invest | eToro | |
---|---|---|---|
Stock Trading | Yes | Yes | |
Account Feature - Margin Trading | Yes | No | |
Fractional Shares (Stocks) | No | Yes | |
OTC Stocks | Yes | No | |
Options Trading | Yes | Yes | |
Complex Options Max Legs | 4 | 0 | |
Futures Trading | No | No | |
Forex Trading | No | No | |
Crypto Trading | No | Yes | |
Crypto Trading - Total Coins | 0 | 26 | |
Fixed Income (Treasurys) | Yes | No | |
Fixed Income (Corporate Bonds) | Yes | No | |
Fixed Income (Municipal Bonds) | Yes | No | |
Traditional IRAs | Yes | No | |
Roth IRAs | Yes | No | |
Advisor Services | Yes | No | |
International Countries (Stocks) | 0 | 0 |
Order Types | Ally Invest | eToro | |
---|---|---|---|
Order Type - Market | Yes | Yes | |
Order Type - Limit | Yes | No | |
Order Type - After Hours | Yes | No | |
Order Type - Stop | Yes | Yes | |
Order Type - Trailing Stop | No | Yes | |
Order Type - OCO | No | No | |
Order Type - OTO | No | No | |
Order Type - Broker Assisted | Yes | No |
Beginners | Ally Invest | eToro | |
---|---|---|---|
Education (Stocks) | Yes | Yes | |
Education (ETFs) | Yes | No | |
Education (Options) | Yes | No | |
Education (Mutual Funds) | Yes | No | |
Education (Fixed Income) | Yes | No | |
Education (Retirement) | Yes | No | |
Retirement Calculator | No | No | |
Investor Dictionary | Yes | No | |
Paper Trading | No | Yes | |
Videos | No | Yes | |
Webinars | No | No | |
Progress Tracking | No | No | |
Interactive Learning - Quizzes | No | No |
Stock Trading Apps | Ally Invest | eToro | |
---|---|---|---|
iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
Android App | Yes | Yes | |
Apple Watch App | No | No | |
Trading - Stocks | Yes | Yes | |
Trading - After-Hours | Yes | No | |
Trading - Simple Options | Yes | Yes | |
Trading - Complex Options | Yes | No | |
Order Ticket RT Quotes | Yes | Yes | |
Order Ticket SRT Quotes | No | Yes |
Stock App Features | Ally Invest | eToro | |
---|---|---|---|
Market Movers (Top Gainers) | Yes | Yes | |
Stream Live TV | No | No | |
Videos on Demand | No | Yes | |
Stock Alerts | No | Yes | |
Option Chains Viewable | Yes | Yes | |
Watch List (Real-time) | Yes | Yes | |
Watch List (Streaming) | No | Yes | |
Watch Lists - Create & Manage | Yes | Yes | |
Watch Lists - Column Customization | No | No |
Stock App Charting | Ally Invest | eToro | |
---|---|---|---|
Charting - After-Hours | No | Yes | |
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally | No | No | |
Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
Charting - Technical Studies | 0 | 103 | |
Charting - Study Customizations | No | Yes | |
Charting - Stock Comparisons | No | Yes |
Trading Platforms | Ally Invest | eToro | |
---|---|---|---|
Active Trading Platform | N/A | N/A | |
Desktop Trading Platform | No | No | |
Desktop Platform (Mac) | No | No | |
Web Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
Paper Trading | No | Yes | |
Trade Journal | No | No | |
Watch Lists - Total Fields | 10 | 7 |
Stock Chart Features | Ally Invest | eToro | |
---|---|---|---|
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart | No | No | |
Charting - Indicators / Studies | 120 | 46 | |
Charting - Drawing Tools | 36 | 48 | |
Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes | |
Charting - Historical Trades | No | No | |
Charting - Corporate Events | No | No | |
Charting - Custom Date Range | No | No | |
Charting - Custom Time Bars | No | No | |
Charting - Automated Analysis | Yes | No | |
Charting - Save Profiles | Yes | Yes | |
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis | No | Yes | |
Charting - Study Customizations | 8 | 5 | |
Charting - Custom Studies | No | No |
Day Trading | Ally Invest | eToro | |
---|---|---|---|
Streaming Time & Sales | No | Yes | |
Streaming TV | No | No | |
Direct Market Routing - Equities | No | No | |
Ladder Trading | No | No | |
Trade Hot Keys | No | No | |
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks | No | No | |
Trade Ideas - Backtesting | No | No | |
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv | No | No | |
Short Locator | No | No | |
Order Liquidity Rebates | No |
Research Overview | Ally Invest | eToro | |
---|---|---|---|
Research - Stocks | Yes | Yes | |
Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
Research - Mutual Funds | Yes | No | |
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB | Yes | No | |
Research - Fixed Income | Yes | No | |
Screener - Stocks | Yes | No | |
Screener - ETFs | Yes | No | |
Screener - Mutual Funds | No | No | |
Screener - Fixed Income | Yes | No | |
Portfolio Asset Allocation | No | No |
Stock Research | Ally Invest | eToro | |
---|---|---|---|
Stock Research - PDF Reports | 0 | 0 | |
Stock Research - Earnings | No | Yes | |
Stock Research - Insiders | Yes | Yes | |
Stock Research - Social | Yes | Yes | |
Stock Research - News | Yes | Yes | |
Stock Research - ESG | No | Yes | |
Stock Research - SEC Filings | No | Yes |
ETF Research | Ally Invest | eToro | |
---|---|---|---|
ETFs - Investment Objective | No | Yes | |
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date | No | No | |
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio | Yes | No | |
ETF Fund Facts - Total Assets | Yes | No | |
ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings | No | No | |
ETFs - Top 10 Holdings | Yes | No | |
ETFs - Sector Exposure | No | No | |
ETFs - Risk Analysis | No | No | |
ETFs - Ratings | Yes | Yes | |
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap | No | No | |
ETFs - PDF Reports | No | No |
Mutual Fund Research | Ally Invest | eToro | |
---|---|---|---|
Mutual Funds - Investment Objective | Yes | No | |
Mutual Funds - Performance Chart | Yes | No | |
Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis | No | No | |
Mutual Funds - Prospectus | No | No | |
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings | Yes | No | |
Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown | No | No | |
Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings | Yes | No | |
Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation | No | No | |
Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation | Yes | No | |
Mutual Funds - Country Allocation | No | No | |
Mutual Funds - StyleMap | No | No |
Options Trading | Ally Invest | eToro | |
---|---|---|---|
Option Chains - Total Greeks | 5 | 4 | |
Option Analysis - P&L Charts | No | No |
Banking | Ally Invest | eToro | |
---|---|---|---|
Bank (Member FDIC) | Yes | ||
Checking Accounts | Yes | ||
Savings Accounts | Yes | ||
Credit Cards | Yes | ||
Debit Cards | Yes | ||
Mortgage Loans | Yes |
Customer Service | Ally Invest | eToro | |
---|---|---|---|
Phone Support (Prospective Customers) | Yes | No | |
Phone Support (Current Customers) | Yes | No | |
Email Support | Yes | Yes | |
Live Chat (Prospective Customers) | No | Yes | |
Live Chat (Current Customers) | Yes | Yes | |
24/7 Support | Yes | No |
Overall | Ally Invest | eToro | |
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Overall |
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Range of Investments |
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Platforms & Tools |
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Mobile Trading Apps |
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Research |
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Education |
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Ease of Use |
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Winner | check_circle | ||
Review | Ally Invest Review | eToro Review |