eToro is a trading platform that you can use to buy and sell stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs), cryptocurrencies, commodities and currencies. Trading 212 allows you to trade over 3,100 cryptocurrencies, stocks, commodities and currencies.
With the current market volatility and poor returns on cash savings, it’s no surprise that people are turning to investing with the hope that stocks will bounce back in due course.
So, how do eToro and Trading 212 compare?
 |  | |
| Finder score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Customer satisfaction survey | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Stocks and shares ISA available? | ||
| FSCS protected? | ||
| Fees score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk. 51% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Capital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| Go to site More Info | More Info |
Both eToro and Trading 212 are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which means your deposits are protected by up to £85,000 if either provider were to go bust. This doesn’t protect your investments if they go down in value.
Trading 212 lets you invest in an individual savings account (ISA). This means that you can use your ISA allowance each year to invest tax free. The allowance for the 2024/2025 tax year is £20,000. eToro does not have an ISA available, so you may have to pay capital gains tax on any profits over £3,000 in each tax year.
You can’t use your ISA allowance to trade CFDs.
We surveyed both eToro and Trading 212’s customers in December 2020. eToro’s customers liked that it was low cost, as it offers zero commission on stocks, and think it’s easy to navigate and easy to use. Customers didn’t like that it has some additional fees, and feel that they add up.
Trading 212’s customers found it to be easy to use and liked that it also offers commission-free trading. Customers praised its new pie feature, which helps you balance your portfolio and invest in other people’s balanced portfolios.
| Logo | FREE TRADES | |
|---|---|---|
| Fees score | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Minimum deposit | £50 | £1 |
| Standard trading fee | £0.00 | £0 |
| Best trading fee | £0.00 | £0 |
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk. 51% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Capital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| Go to site More Info | More Info |
It’s difficult to compare the costs of both of these platforms, as they’re both commission-free stock trading platforms. Trading 212 only has a foreign exchange fee, which is 0.15% as well as restrictions on withdrawal and deposit amounts, eToro does have a couple of charges.
Basic trades are free with eToro, but there is a withdrawal fee of US$5 and an inactivity fee of US$10.
With eToro, all funds deposited get converted into US dollars. That means that even if you’re only planning to trade UK stocks, you’ll still get hit with the 1.5% FX fee at the point of funding your account. We’d be keen to see that change, and eToro has told us it is considering multi-currency accounts (which would act like separate wallets for different currencies).
Trading 212 has always let you hold sterling in your acount, and it launched multi-currency accounts in 2023. If you sell, say, a stock traded in euros, and you intend to reinvest those funds into another stock traded in euros, then you won’t necessarily have to convert your money back into sterling in the interim with Trading 212. And if you have an account elsewhere holding US dollars, then you might deposit from this to Trading 212, and your funds wouldn’t necessarily have to be converted into pounds.
Winner: Trading 212
Pick a stock, select a quantity and our calculator will give you a guide to the total cost of that trade on 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
| Platform | Finder Score | Account fee | Min. initial deposit | Trade cost | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
4.3 ★★★★★ |
£0 | $100 | £963.00 |
Go to siteCapital at risk
|
|
4.7 ★★★★★ |
£0 | £1 | £950.19 |
Read reviewCapital at risk
|
Full comparison of share dealing platforms
| | |
| Stocks and shares ISA available? | ||
| Lifetime ISA (LISA) | ||
| Contracts for difference | ||
| Pension (SIPP) | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk. 51% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Capital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| Go to site More Info | More Info |
Neither eToro nor Trading 212 let you invest in a pension product or a lifetime ISA. Trading 212 lets you invest in an ISA, which means that you can use your annual ISA allowance.
Winner: Trading 212
Both eToro and Trading 212 let you trade shares, commodities, forex and indices. eToro also lets you trade ETFs and options, which aren’t available with Trading 212.
Winner: eToro
| | |
| 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. 51% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Capital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| Go to site More Info | More Info |
Trading 212 lets you invest in more of the biggest stock exchanges than eToro, including UK shares, US shares, Canadian shares and European shares. eToro still gets you access to some of the largest stock exchanges, including UK shares, US shares and most European shares.
Winner: Trading 212
| | |
| Features rating | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Desktop or web access | ||
| iPhone app | ||
| Android app | ||
| In-app news and research | ||
| In-app top-up | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk. 51% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Capital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| Go to site More Info | More Info |
When it comes to features, both eToro and Trading 212 have web, iPhone and Android apps. You can set up notifications or alerts, access news and research and create or view watch lists. Trading 212’s company details and research is better than eToro’s.
Winner: Trading 212
| | |
| Resources rating | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
| Guides | ||
| Videos and walkthroughs | ||
| Demo account | ||
| In-depth learning tools | ||
| Keep in mind | Capital at risk. 51% of retail CFD accounts lose money | Capital at risk. 78% of retail CFD accounts lose money |
| Go to site More Info | More Info |
Both eToro and Trading 212 have pretty decent learning resources, which would be helpful for beginner investors or those that want to understand investing more. You can read guides and access videos or walkthroughs with both providers.
Both of these platforms have demo accounts available, meaning you can practise trading without using real money. Once you’ve got the hang of it, you can try it out for real!
eToro’s demo account can only be accessed after signing up, while Trading 212 lets you have a go without even giving up an email address. Of course, if you want to keep an eye on your imaginary stocks for days, weeks or months, you’ll have to sign up.
On both platforms, there is no obligation to go ahead and trade real money. You can make imaginary trades for life, if you want.
Winner: Tie
As it goes, these are both good options for 0% commission share trading and they are very similar. Both of these platforms offer a huge range of stocks, commission-free stock trades and no trading limits.
These are both great for beginners, as they allow you to give it a go for free and with fake money, making them both pretty good educational resources, too.
The 2 things that put Trading 212 in the top spot is its ISA and its lower FX fee. The ISA is free to use (which is rare) and the 0.15% FX is much lower than eToro’s of 1.5%.
Winner: Trading 212
If you are interested in more than just traditional investing, then look at eToro's crypto trading platform. This brings all social trading features of the eToro platform to crypto investing.
All investing should be regarded as longer term. The value of your investments can go up and down, and you may get back less than you invest. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. If you’re not sure which investments are right for you, please seek out a financial adviser. Capital at risk.
*Cryptocurrencies aren't regulated in the UK and there's no protection from the Financial Ombudsman or the Financial Services Compensation Scheme. Your capital is at risk. Capital gains tax on profits may apply.
Cryptocurrencies are speculative and investing in them involves significant risks - they're highly volatile, vulnerable to hacking and sensitive to secondary activity. The value of investments can fall as well as rise and you may get back less than you invested. Past performance is no guarantee of future results. This content shouldn't be interpreted as a recommendation to invest. Before you invest, you should get advice and decide whether the potential return outweighs the risks. Finder, or the author, may have holdings in the cryptocurrencies discussed.
Charles Schwab now offers a brokerage service to UK investors. Find out what Finder’s investing expert thought when testing and using this broker.
Commission-free share-trading app Robinhood has launched in the UK. Our investing expert tried it out – find out the pros and cons.
Saxo is a solid all-rounder that’s widely respected in its field, offering loads of global investment options and research tools.
Both Freetrade and Trading 212 offer the chance to trade without paying any commission. Find out how they compare on features.
Both Moneyfarm and Moneybox invest on your behalf using information about your risk appetite. Both let you invest in a stocks and shares ISA.
We took a look at interactive investor to find out about its products, features, fees and app. Read our guide to get the full scoop about this investing platform.
Stake promises to put the US stock market in the palm of your hand, with cheap trading and real-time market data.
Online trading giant eToro lets you buy stocks with no commission, but is it the best option for traders and investors?
The Freetrade app lets you buy and sell UK, US, and EU stocks with minimal fees. We look under the bonnet to find out whether there are any catches.