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Ally Invest vs eToro 2025

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

September 17, 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.

Ally Invest
4/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0.00
  • Stock Trades: $0.00
  • Options (Per Contract): $0.50
eToro
3.5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $50.00
  • Stock Trades: $0.00
  • Options (Per Contract): $0.00

Range of investments

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 Ally Invest logoAlly Invest
eToro logoeToro
Stock Trading info Yes Yes
Account Feature - Margin Trading info Yes No
Fractional Shares (Stocks) info No Yes
OTC Stocks info Yes No
Mutual Funds info Yes No
Options Trading info Yes Yes
Futures Trading info No No
Crypto Trading info No Yes
Crypto Trading - Total Coins info 0 26
Range of Investments 4.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Options Trading Platforms for 2025, Best Futures Trading Platforms for 2025: A Beginner-Friendly Guide to an Advanced Market

Trading platforms and tools

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 Ally Invest logoAlly Invest
eToro logoeToro
Web Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Trading Platform info No No
Desktop Platform (Mac) info No No
Paper Trading info No Yes
Watch Lists - Total Fields info 10 7
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 120 46
Charting - Drawing Tools info 36 48
Platforms & Tools 3/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers & Trading Platforms for 2025, Best Paper Trading Apps & Platforms for 2025

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Beginners and education

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 Ally Invest logoAlly Invest
eToro logoeToro
Education (Stocks) info Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) info Yes No
Education (Options) info Yes No
Education (Mutual Funds) info Yes No
Education (Fixed Income) info Yes No
Paper Trading info No Yes
Videos info No Yes
Webinars info No No
Education 4/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Platforms for Beginners of 2025

Stock trading apps

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 Ally Invest logoAlly Invest
eToro logoeToro
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple Watch App info No No
Stock Alerts info No Yes
Charting - After-Hours info No Yes
Charting - Technical Studies info 0 103
Mobile Trading Apps 4/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps for 2025

Fees

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 Ally Invest logoAlly Invest
eToro logoeToro
Minimum Deposit info $0.00 $50.00
Stock Trades info $0.00 $0.00
Options (Per Contract) info $0.50 $0.00
Options Exercise Fee info $0.00 $0.00
Options Assignment Fee info $0.00 $0.00
IRA Annual Fee info $0.00
IRA Closure Fee info $25.00

Dive deeper: Best Free Trading Platforms for 2025

Day Trading

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 Ally Invest logoAlly Invest
eToro logoeToro
Streaming Time & Sales info No Yes
Streaming TV info No No
Direct Market Routing - Equities info No No
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks info No No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting info No No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv info No No
Short Locator info No No

Dive deeper: Best Day Trading Platforms of 2025 for Beginners and Active Traders

Market Research

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 Ally Invest logoAlly Invest
eToro logoeToro
Research - Stocks info Yes Yes
Screener - Stocks info Yes No
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Screener - ETFs info Yes No
Research - Mutual Funds info Yes No
Screener - Mutual Funds info No No
Research - Fixed Income info Yes No
Screener - Fixed Income info Yes No
Research 3.5/5 Stars 1.5/5 Stars

Banking

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 Ally Invest logoAlly Invest
eToro logoeToro
Checking Accounts info Yes
Savings Accounts info Yes
Debit Cards info Yes
Credit Cards info Yes
Mortgage Loans info Yes
Brokerage CDs info Yes No

Dive deeper: Best Brokerage Checking Accounts for 2025

Winner

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.

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Ally Invest or eToro?

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

Does Ally Invest or eToro offer IRAs?

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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Compare

0 of 5
Overall Rating Ally Invest eToro
Overall 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Range of Investments 4.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 3/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 4/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 3.5/5 Stars 1.5/5 Stars
Customer Service 4/5 Stars N/A
Education 4/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review Ally Invest Review eToro Review
Broker Screenshots Ally Invest eToro
Broker Gallery (click to expand)
Trading Fees Ally Invest eToro
Minimum Deposit info $0.00 $50.00
Stock Trades info $0.00 $0.00
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) info $4.95 info N/A
Mutual Fund Trade Fee info $0.00 N/A
Options (Per Contract) info $0.50 $0.00
Futures (Per Contract) info (Not offered) (Not offered)
Broker Assisted Trade Fee info $20 $0
Margin Rates Ally Invest eToro
Margin Rate Under $25,000 info 12% Not offered
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 info 11.75% Not offered
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 info 11% Not offered
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 info 9.75% Not offered
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 info 8.75% Not offered
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 info 8.25% Not offered
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 info 7.5% Not offered
Account Fees Ally Invest eToro
IRA Annual Fee info $0.00
IRA Closure Fee info $25.00
Account Transfer Out (Partial) info $50.00 $75.00
Account Transfer Out (Full) info $50.00 $75.00
Options Exercise Fee info $0.00 $0.00
Options Assignment Fee info $0.00 $0.00
Investment Options Ally Invest eToro
Stock Trading info Yes Yes
Account Feature - Margin Trading info Yes No
Fractional Shares (Stocks) info No Yes
OTC Stocks info Yes No
Options Trading info Yes Yes
Complex Options Max Legs info 4 0
Futures Trading info No No
Forex Trading info No No
Crypto Trading info No Yes
Crypto Trading - Total Coins info 0 26
Fixed Income (Treasurys) info Yes No
Fixed Income (Corporate Bonds) info Yes No
Fixed Income (Municipal Bonds) info Yes No
Traditional IRAs info Yes No
Roth IRAs info Yes No
Advisor Services info Yes No
International Countries (Stocks) info 0 0
Order Types Ally Invest eToro
Order Type - Market info Yes Yes
Order Type - Limit info Yes No
Order Type - After Hours info Yes No
Order Type - Stop info Yes Yes
Order Type - Trailing Stop info No Yes
Order Type - OCO info No No
Order Type - OTO info No No
Order Type - Broker Assisted info Yes No
Beginners Ally Invest eToro
Education (Stocks) info Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) info Yes No
Education (Options) info Yes No
Education (Mutual Funds) info Yes No
Education (Fixed Income) info Yes No
Education (Retirement) info Yes No
Retirement Calculator info No No
Investor Dictionary info Yes No
Paper Trading info No Yes
Videos info No Yes
Webinars info No No
Progress Tracking info No No
Interactive Learning - Quizzes info No No
Stock Trading Apps Ally Invest eToro
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple Watch App info No No
Trading - Stocks info Yes Yes
Trading - After-Hours info Yes No
Trading - Simple Options info Yes Yes
Trading - Complex Options info Yes No
Order Ticket RT Quotes info Yes Yes
Order Ticket SRT Quotes info No Yes
Stock App Features Ally Invest eToro
Market Movers (Top Gainers) info Yes Yes
Stream Live TV info No No
Videos on Demand info No Yes
Stock Alerts info No Yes
Option Chains Viewable info Yes Yes
Watch List (Real-time) info Yes Yes
Watch List (Streaming) info No Yes
Watch Lists - Create & Manage info Yes Yes
Watch Lists - Column Customization info No No
Stock App Charting Ally Invest eToro
Charting - After-Hours info No Yes
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally info No No
Charting - Multiple Time Frames info Yes Yes
Charting - Technical Studies info 0 103
Charting - Study Customizations info No Yes
Charting - Stock Comparisons info No Yes
Trading Platforms Ally Invest eToro
Active Trading Platform info N/A N/A
Desktop Trading Platform info No No
Desktop Platform (Mac) info No No
Web Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Paper Trading info No Yes
Trade Journal info No No
Watch Lists - Total Fields info 10 7
Stock Chart Features Ally Invest eToro
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart info No No
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 120 46
Charting - Drawing Tools info 36 48
Charting - Notes info Yes Yes
Charting - Historical Trades info No No
Charting - Corporate Events info No No
Charting - Custom Date Range info No No
Charting - Custom Time Bars info No No
Charting - Automated Analysis info Yes No
Charting - Save Profiles info Yes Yes
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis info No Yes
Charting - Study Customizations info 8 5
Charting - Custom Studies info No No
Day Trading Ally Invest eToro
Streaming Time & Sales info No Yes
Streaming TV info No No
Direct Market Routing - Equities info No No
Ladder Trading info No No
Trade Hot Keys info No No
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks info No No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting info No No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv info No No
Short Locator info No No
Order Liquidity Rebates info No
Research Overview Ally Invest eToro
Research - Stocks info Yes Yes
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Research - Mutual Funds info Yes No
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB info Yes No
Research - Fixed Income info Yes No
Screener - Stocks info Yes No
Screener - ETFs info Yes No
Screener - Mutual Funds info No No
Screener - Fixed Income info Yes No
Portfolio Asset Allocation info No No
Stock Research Ally Invest eToro
Stock Research - PDF Reports info 0 0
Stock Research - Earnings info No Yes
Stock Research - Insiders info Yes Yes
Stock Research - Social info Yes Yes
Stock Research - News info Yes Yes
Stock Research - ESG info No Yes
Stock Research - SEC Filings info No Yes
ETF Research Ally Invest eToro
ETFs - Investment Objective info No Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date info No No
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio info Yes No
ETF Fund Facts - Total Assets info Yes No
ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings info No No
ETFs - Top 10 Holdings info Yes No
ETFs - Sector Exposure info No No
ETFs - Risk Analysis info No No
ETFs - Ratings info Yes Yes
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap info No No
ETFs - PDF Reports info No No
Mutual Fund Research Ally Invest eToro
Mutual Funds - Investment Objective info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Performance Chart info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis info No No
Mutual Funds - Prospectus info No No
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown info No No
Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation info No No
Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Country Allocation info No No
Mutual Funds - StyleMap info No No
Options Trading Ally Invest eToro
Option Chains - Total Greeks info 5 4
Option Analysis - P&L Charts info No No
Banking Ally Invest eToro
Bank (Member FDIC) info Yes
Checking Accounts info Yes
Savings Accounts info Yes
Credit Cards info Yes
Debit Cards info Yes
Mortgage Loans info Yes
Customer Service Ally Invest eToro
Phone Support (Prospective Customers) info Yes No
Phone Support (Current Customers) info Yes No
Email Support info Yes Yes
Live Chat (Prospective Customers) info No Yes
Live Chat (Current Customers) info Yes Yes
24/7 Support info Yes No
Overall Ally Invest eToro
Overall 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Range of Investments 4.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 3/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 4/5 Stars 4.5/5 Stars
Research 3.5/5 Stars 1.5/5 Stars
Education 4/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4.5/5 Stars 4/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review Ally Invest Review eToro Review
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