Hargreaves Lansdown vs eToro
Find out what we thought when we compared two of the biggest investment platforms in the UK.
Hargreaves Lansdown and eToro are both share trading platforms for investing in stocks and exchange traded funds (ETFs) on a broad range of stock exchanges. eToro is a commission-free platform with a few tucked-away fees, while Hargreaves Lansdown charges a fairly hefty commission per trade. In exchange for a higher commission, investors do get some additional tools, research and features. We’ve pitted these platforms against one another to find out which comes out on top.
Hargreaves Lansdown vs eToro: trade calculator
Got a specific trade in mind? Pick your stock, select a quantity and our calculator will give you a guide to the total cost using each of these platforms. We regularly check fees, but bear in mind that stock prices, exchange rates and spreads fluctuate in real-time.
Stock
Quantity of shares
1000
| Platform | Finder score | Account fee | Min. initial deposit | Trade cost | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
4.2 ★★★★★ |
£0 | £1 | £4,244.01 |
Go to siteCapital at risk
|
 |
4.39 ★★★★★ |
£0 | $100 | £4,253.22 |
Go to siteCapital at risk
|
Full comparison of share dealing platforms
Hargreaves Lansdown vs eToro: Vital stats
| | |
| Finder score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Customer satisfaction survey | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Stocks and shares ISA available? | ||
| FSCS protected? | ||
| Costs score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk. 51% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| Go to site More Info | Go to site More Info |
Both Hargreaves Lansdown and eToro score 5 stars out of 5 in our trading app analysis, which looked at more than 80 (and counting) features and fees of trading platforms. Hargreaves Lansdown is a winner in the Finder Customer Satisfaction Awards 2024.
One major benefit of Hargreaves Lansdown over eToro is that it offers an individual savings account, which means that you can invest up to £20,000 in the 2024/2025 without having to pay tax on your profits. Your allowance is reset each year. eToro doesn’t offer an ISA at the moment.
eToro has a better costs rating than Hargreaves Lansdown as it offers commission free trading, but it does have some additional fees.
Both providers are covered by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which means that your deposits are protected by up to £85,000 if your platform were to go bust.
Round 1: Stock exchanges
| | |
| Exchanges covered score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| UK - London Stock Exchange | ||
| US - NASDAQ | ||
| US - New York Stock Exchange | ||
| Canada - Toronto Stock Exchange | ||
| Japan - Japan Exchange Group | ||
| Euronext | ||
| Germany - Deutsche Börse | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk. 51% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| Go to site More Info | Go to site More Info |
Winner: Tie
Round 2: Financial instruments
| | |
| Financial instruments score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Shares | ||
| ETFs | ||
| Bonds | ||
| Funds | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk. 51% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| Go to site More Info | Go to site More Info |
Both Hargreaves Lansdown and eToro offer shares and exchange-traded funds (ETFs). Hargreaves Lansdown also offers bonds and funds, which eToro does not have. eToro also lets you invest in fractional shares, which can get you access to pricier shares if you’re only investing small amounts. Hargreaves Lansdown does not offer fractional shares.
Winner: Hargreaves Lansdown
Round 3: Fees
| | |
| Costs score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Minimum deposit | £1 | £50 |
| Standard trading fee | £11.95 | £0.00 |
| Best trading fee | £5.95 | £0.00 |
| Foreign exchange fee | 1% | 0.5% |
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk. 51% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| Go to site More Info | Go to site More Info |
eToro is commission free for real stock positions, which is a pretty big bonus. Hargreaves Lansdown charges £11.95 per trade, or £5.95 if you trade regularly enough. Both providers charge foreign exchange fees — eToro charges 0.5% and Hargreaves Lansdown charges 1%.
eToro does have additional fees, such as for withdrawals and inactivity, which you won’t find with Hargreaves Lansdown. It also insists that all funds deposited are converted to US dollars, so there’s no escaping that FX fee.
But even with those slightly annoying, not-hidden-but-also-not-obvious fees, eToro is the cheaper option in all but a handful of very specific scenarios.
Winner: eToro
Round 4: Mobile and web features
| | |
| Features rating | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| iPhone app | ||
| Android app | ||
| Desktop/web app | ||
| Notifications | ||
| Watch lists | ||
| Community or forums | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk. 51% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| Go to site More Info | Go to site More Info |
These providers both offer most of the features you’d expect from a share trading platform, including mobile apps and share price notifications. Both Hargreaves Lansdown and eToro have desktop trading and great charting tools.
eToro has a community and a lot of social features, including an excellent social trading feature.
Winner: eToro
Round 5: Learning resources
| | |
| Resources rating | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Guides | ||
| Videos and walkthroughs | ||
| Demo account | ||
| In-depth learning tools | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk | Capital at risk. 51% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| Go to site More Info | Go to site More Info |
Learning resources allow beginner investors to learn the ropes as they invest. One of the best ways to learn is to use a demo account, which both Hargreaves Lansdown and eToro offer. Both of them also have investment guides and videos to help you learn about investing.
Winner: Tie
Our verdict: Is Hargreaves Lansdown better than eToro?
This is a close one, but we’d say that eToro takes home the win. Our experts thought that fees are a key consideration when choosing a platform. There are still some downsides to eToro, like its lack of ISA and extra fees, like inactivity fees and withdrawal fees.
If you’re still not sure, you can read our full reviews of both Hargreaves Lansdown and eToro to find out more.
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