Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs eToro, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
Bottom line: For the widest set of investments and account types, Interactive Brokers stands out. It earns 5 out of 5 stars for Range of Investments and ranks #1 out of 14 brokers with StockBrokers.com, while eToro scores 2.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #14. Pick Interactive Brokers if you want many markets and IRA options; choose eToro if your top priority is a larger list of cryptocurrencies.
Both Interactive Brokers and eToro offer stock trading, options trading, crypto trading, and fractional shares. Interactive Brokers adds many markets that eToro doesn’t: margin trading, OTC stocks, mutual funds, forex, and futures. eToro does not offer margin, OTC stocks, mutual funds, forex, or futures. For crypto, Interactive Brokers supports 11 coins, while eToro lists 104.
Interactive Brokers also supports Traditional and Roth IRA accounts, whereas eToro does not offer IRAs. Neither broker offers advisor services. If you want a single platform for stocks, options, funds, global markets, and retirement accounts, Interactive Brokers is the more complete choice; if you mainly want stocks, options, and a wide crypto menu, eToro can fit the bill.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Stock Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Account Feature - Margin Trading | Yes | No |
| Fractional Shares (Stocks) | Yes | Yes |
| OTC Stocks | Yes | No |
| Mutual Funds | Yes | No |
| Options Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Futures Trading | Yes | No |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Crypto Trading - Total Coins | 11 | 104 |
| Range of Investments |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best Options Trading Platforms for 2025, Best Futures Trading Platforms for 2025: A Beginner-Friendly Guide to an Advanced Market
When choosing between Interactive Brokers and eToro for trading platforms and tools, Interactive Brokers stands out as the clear leader. With a perfect rating of 5 stars, it offers comprehensive features across various platforms, ranking #2 out of 14 brokers evaluated by StockBrokers.com. On the other hand, eToro, rated at 2.5 stars and ranked #12, provides more limited functionalities. Overall, Interactive Brokers not only equips traders with more advanced tools, but it also allows greater customization, making it a top choice for serious traders.
Interactive Brokers offers both downloadable and browser-based trading platforms, catering to Windows and Mac users, while eToro provides only a browser-based option. Both platforms support paper trading, but Interactive Brokers goes a step further with an integrated trading journal. For customizing watch lists, Interactive Brokers allows for 659 fields compared to eToro's 7, offering traders a more nuanced view of market data. Charting on Interactive Brokers is also more detailed, with 155 technical indicators and 85 drawing tools, whereas eToro offers 46 indicators and 48 drawing tools.
Additionally, Interactive Brokers enables users to adjust open orders directly on a stock chart and offers unique features like displaying historical trades and corporate events. eToro lacks these capabilities. While both platforms allow notes on charts and saving multiple chart profiles, Interactive Brokers excels by displaying automated technical analysis and allowing custom date ranges for charts. Although neither platform supports creating custom studies, Interactive Brokers provides more customization fields for moving average studies, cementing its position as the more comprehensive trading tool.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No |
| Desktop Platform (Mac) | Yes | No |
| Paper Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 659 | 7 |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | 46 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 85 | 48 |
| Platforms & Tools |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers & Trading Platforms for 2025, Best Paper Trading Apps & Platforms for 2025
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Interactive Brokers and eToro both offer beginner-friendly trading education, including lessons on stocks, ETFs, options, and bonds, plus video content and paper trading to practice without risking money. Interactive Brokers goes further with mutual funds education, live and on‑demand webinars, interactive quizzes, and tools to track your learning progress. eToro covers the basics with articles and videos and lets you try strategies in a demo account, but it does not offer mutual funds education, webinars, quizzes, or progress tracking. If you want a complete learning path with feedback and events, Interactive Brokers stands out; if you just need quick primers and practice mode, eToro can work.
Independent ratings reflect this gap. StockBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 5 stars for education and ranks it #3 out of 14 brokers, while eToro earns 2.5 stars and ranks #14 out of 14. For most beginners and long‑term investors seeking a structured learning center, Interactive Brokers is the stronger choice; traders who prefer lighter, self‑guided education may be fine starting with eToro.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Stocks) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (ETFs) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Options) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Mutual Funds) | Yes | No |
| Education (Fixed Income) | Yes | Yes |
| Paper Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Webinars | Yes | No |
| Education |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Platforms for Beginners of 2025
Interactive Brokers vs eToro: both offer strong stock trading apps for iPhone and Android, but Interactive Brokers comes out ahead overall. It adds an Apple Watch app, live streaming TV, more watch list customization, landscape charting, and mobile after-hours trading, and it holds a 5-star rating and #2 ranking (out of 14) from StockBrokers.com. eToro is well-rated too at 4.5 stars (#11 of 14) and actually includes more built-in technical studies, yet it skips a few advanced conveniences.
On mobile availability, both brokers have iPhone and Android apps and support options trading, streaming quotes, video on demand, stock alerts, custom watch lists, and chart comparisons. Interactive Brokers is the only one with an Apple Watch app and the only one that lets you customize watch list columns. It also supports after-hours trading on mobile; the provided eToro details do not confirm this capability. For market media, Interactive Brokers streams live TV while eToro does not.
For charts, both apps allow multiple time frames and after-hours charting. Interactive Brokers supports landscape mode; eToro does not. If you want a larger selection of indicators, eToro lists 103 technical studies versus 97 for Interactive Brokers. If you value orientation flexibility, deeper watch list controls, and built-in live TV, Interactive Brokers is the better fit.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes |
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple Watch App | Yes | No |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - After-Hours | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Technical Studies | 97 | 103 |
| Mobile Trading Apps |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps for 2025
Bottom line: Interactive Brokers is the stronger pick if you want $0 minimums, access to margin, and no account transfer or IRA fees, while eToro stands out for $0 per‑contract options. Both brokers offer $0 stock trades. Key trade‑offs are that eToro requires a $50 minimum deposit, doesn’t offer margin, and charges $75 for ACAT transfers; its IRA fees weren’t listed in the data provided.
Deposits and trading costs: Interactive Brokers has a $0 minimum deposit versus eToro’s $50 minimum. Regular stock trades are $0 at both brokers. For options, Interactive Brokers charges $0.65 per contract, while eToro lists $0 per contract. Both show $0 for options exercise and assignment fees.
Margin and account services: Interactive Brokers offers margin borrowing at 6.83% for balances under $100,000 (same rate shown across the listed tiers), whereas eToro does not offer margin. For retirement accounts, Interactive Brokers lists $0 for both IRA annual and closure fees; eToro’s IRA fees were not provided. For account transfers, Interactive Brokers charges $0 for both partial and full ACATs, compared with eToro’s $75 for either partial or full transfers.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $50.00 |
| Stock Trades | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Options (Per Contract) | $0.65 | $0.00 |
| Options Exercise Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Options Assignment Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | |
| IRA Closure Fee | $0.00 |
Dive deeper: Best Free Trading Platforms for 2025
When it comes to day trading capabilities, Interactive Brokers offers a comprehensive suite of tools that can enhance the trading experience compared to eToro. Interactive Brokers provides streaming time and sales for stocks, advanced features like live TV streaming, and direct market routing, which can significantly benefit active traders seeking timely and precise data. Additionally, Interactive Brokers supports advanced functionalities such as ladder trading and customizable trading hotkeys, which can improve execution speed for frequent trades. Furthermore, their platform includes detailed Level 2 quotes, allowing traders to gain deeper insight into market dynamics, alongside basic and advanced strategy backtesting to refine trading approaches.
In contrast, eToro, while popular for its user-friendly interface, lacks several tools that are critical for day trading. It does not offer streaming live TV, direct market routing, ladder trading, or trading hotkeys, which could impact the efficiency of executing rapid trades. eToro also falls short in providing Level 2 quotes and lacks both basic and advanced strategy backtesting features, which are crucial for traders aiming to test and optimize strategies. Moreover, those interested in short selling might find Interactive Brokers' short locator tool indispensable, as eToro does not offer this feature. Furthermore, Interactive Brokers provides liquidity rebates for orders, presenting potential cost benefits to high-frequency traders that are not available with eToro.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Streaming Time & Sales | Yes | Yes |
| Streaming TV | Yes | No |
| Direct Market Routing - Equities | Yes | No |
| Level 2 Quotes - Stocks | Yes | No |
| Trade Ideas - Backtesting | Yes | No |
| Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv | Yes | No |
| Short Locator | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Day Trading Platforms of 2025 for Beginners and Active Traders
Interactive Brokers vs eToro for market research: Interactive Brokers is the clear winner. It earns 5 out of 5 stars and ranks #4 of 14 brokers on StockBrokers.com, while eToro scores 1.5 stars and ranks #14. Choose Interactive Brokers if you want wide, in-depth research and trade idea tools across many asset types. eToro suits traders who only need basic stock and ETF insights with social sentiment.
Coverage and reports: Interactive Brokers offers research for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, pink sheets/OTC, and bonds. eToro limits research to stocks and ETFs, with no mutual fund, OTC, or bond research. For downloadable reports, Interactive Brokers provides 17 PDF stock research reports and also offers PDFs for ETFs and mutual funds. eToro has no downloadable PDF research for stocks, ETFs, or mutual funds. Both brokers include ESG research and social media sentiment data.
Tools and data: Interactive Brokers includes screeners for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and bonds to help generate trade ideas, plus the ability to see your portfolio allocation by asset class. eToro does not offer these screeners and does not show allocation by asset class.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| Screener - Stocks | Yes | No |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Screener - ETFs | Yes | No |
| Research - Mutual Funds | Yes | No |
| Screener - Mutual Funds | Yes | No |
| Research - Fixed Income | Yes | No |
| Screener - Fixed Income | Yes | No |
| Research |
|
|
When considering the banking capabilities of online brokers Interactive Brokers and eToro, there are distinct differences to note. Interactive Brokers does not provide traditional banking services, such as checking or savings accounts, debit or credit cards, and mortgage loans. However, it does offer Certificates of Deposit (CDs) for those interested in this type of investment. In contrast, eToro doesn't offer CDs or any of the traditional banking services mentioned above, including checking or savings accounts, debit or credit cards, or mortgage loans. This comparison highlights that while Interactive Brokers offers some investment-focused banking products, both platforms are not equipped to serve traditional banking needs.
| Feature |
Interactive Brokers
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Checking Accounts | No | |
| Savings Accounts | No | |
| Debit Cards | No | |
| Credit Cards | No | |
| Mortgage Loans | No | |
| 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 Interactive Brokers is better than eToro. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall score of 96.9%, while eToro finished with a score of 66.1%.
Interactive Brokers is a go-to choice for professionals because of its institutional-grade desktop trading platform, high-quality trade executions and rock-bottom margin rates.
Both Interactive Brokers and eToro offer crypto trading, but their coin lineups differ significantly. Interactive Brokers supports 11 cryptocurrencies, while eToro lists 104, giving eToro a wider selection for traders seeking variety.
Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers for Crypto Trading in 2025
Interactive Brokers provides both traditional and Roth IRA accounts with no annual or closure fees, contrasting with eToro, which does not offer IRA accounts.
Dive deeper: Best IRA Accounts for 2025
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
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| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | eToro Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
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| Trading Fees | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $50.00 | |
| Stock Trades | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| Penny Stock Fees (OTC) | $0.01 | N/A | |
| Mutual Fund Trade Fee | $14.95 | N/A | |
| Options (Per Contract) | $0.65 | $0.00 | |
| Futures (Per Contract) | $0.85 | (Not offered) | |
| Broker Assisted Trade Fee | Varies | $0 |
| Margin Rates | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margin Rate Under $25,000 | 6.83% | Not offered | |
| Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 | 6.83% | Not offered | |
| Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 | 6.83% | Not offered | |
| Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 | 6.83% | Not offered | |
| Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 | 6.83% | Not offered | |
| Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 | 6.83% | Not offered | |
| Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 | 6.83% | Not offered |
| Account Fees | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | ||
| IRA Closure Fee | $0.00 | ||
| Account Transfer Out (Partial) | $0.00 | $75.00 | |
| Account Transfer Out (Full) | $0.00 | $75.00 | |
| Options Exercise Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| Options Assignment Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Investment Options | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Account Feature - Margin Trading | Yes | No | |
| Fractional Shares (Stocks) | Yes | Yes | |
| OTC Stocks | Yes | No | |
| Options Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Complex Options Max Legs | 6 | 0 | |
| Futures Trading | Yes | No | |
| Forex Trading | Yes | No | |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Crypto Trading - Total Coins | 11 | 104 | |
| 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 | No | No | |
| International Countries (Stocks) | 36 | 0 |
| Order Types | Interactive Brokers | 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 | Yes | Yes | |
| Order Type - OCO | Yes | No | |
| Order Type - OTO | Yes | No | |
| Order Type - Broker Assisted | Yes | No |
| Beginners | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Stocks) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (ETFs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Options) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Mutual Funds) | Yes | No | |
| Education (Fixed Income) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | No | |
| Retirement Calculator | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary | Yes | No | |
| Paper Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Progress Tracking | Yes | No | |
| Interactive Learning - Quizzes | Yes | No |
| Stock Trading Apps | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple Watch App | Yes | 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 | Yes | Yes |
| Stock App Features | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mobile Research - Market Movers | Yes | Yes | |
| Stream Live TV | Yes | No | |
| Videos on Demand | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Option Chains Viewable | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist (Real-time) | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist (Streaming) | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlists - Create & Manage | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlists - Column Customization | Yes | No |
| Stock App Charting | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charting - After-Hours | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Can Turn Horizontally | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Technical Studies | 97 | 103 | |
| Charting - Study Customizations | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Stock Comparisons | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Trading Platform | Trader Workstation (TWS) | N/A | |
| Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Mac) | Yes | No | |
| Web Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Paper Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Trade Journal | Yes | No | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 659 | 7 |
| Stock Chart Features | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 155 | 46 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 85 | 48 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Historical Trades | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Custom Date Range | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Custom Time Bars | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Automated Analysis | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Save Profiles | Yes | Yes | |
| Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Study Customizations | 6 | 5 | |
| Charting - Custom Studies | No | No |
| Day Trading | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streaming Time & Sales | Yes | Yes | |
| Streaming TV | Yes | No | |
| Direct Market Routing - Equities | Yes | No | |
| Ladder Trading | Yes | No | |
| Trade Hot Keys | Yes | No | |
| Level 2 Quotes - Stocks | Yes | No | |
| Trade Ideas - Backtesting | Yes | No | |
| Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv | Yes | No | |
| Short Locator | Yes | No | |
| Order Liquidity Rebates | Yes | No |
| Research Overview | Interactive Brokers | 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 | Yes | No | |
| Screener - Fixed Income | Yes | No | |
| Portfolio Asset Allocation | Yes | No |
| Stock Research | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock Research - PDF Reports | 17 | 0 | |
| Stock Research - Earnings | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Research - Insiders | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Research - Social | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Research - News | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Research - ESG | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Research - SEC Filings | Yes | Yes |
| ETF Research | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ETFs - Investment Objective | Yes | Yes | |
| ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date | Yes | No | |
| ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio | Yes | No | |
| ETF Fund Facts - Total Assets | Yes | No | |
| ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings | Yes | No | |
| ETFs - Top 10 Holdings | Yes | No | |
| ETFs - Sector Exposure | Yes | No | |
| ETFs - Risk Analysis | Yes | No | |
| ETFs - Ratings | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap | Yes | No | |
| ETFs - PDF Reports | Yes | No |
| Mutual Fund Research | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mutual Funds - Investment Objective | Yes | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Performance Chart | Yes | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis | Yes | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Prospectus | Yes | No | |
| Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings | Yes | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown | Yes | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings | Yes | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation | Yes | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation | Yes | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Country Allocation | Yes | No | |
| Mutual Funds - StyleMap | Yes | No |
| Options Trading | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Option Chains - Total Greeks | 5 | 4 | |
| Option Analysis - P&L Charts | Yes | No |
| Banking | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank (Member FDIC) | No | ||
| Checking Accounts | No | ||
| Savings Accounts | No | ||
| Credit Cards | No | ||
| Debit Cards | No | ||
| Mortgage Loans | No |
| Customer Service | Interactive Brokers | 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 | Interactive Brokers | eToro | |
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| Ease of Use |
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| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Interactive Brokers Review | eToro Review |
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