eToro review: our experience with the trading platform

Are you searching for insight into the world of eToro? We’ve delved deep, testing the trading platform thoroughly and have emerged with an eToro review that is brimming with our thoughts and opinions from the trader’s perspective.

eToro is a game changer in the world of online trading, providing a space where investors can view, follow, and even copy the moves of the most successful traders in real-time. But it’s not just about the numbers, the platform also encourages interaction and discussions of investment strategies amongst its users, making it the perfect breeding ground for those new to the game of trading.

Note: Our reviews of brokerage platforms are based on a comprehensive evaluation process. To learn more about how we review trading platforms, please click here.

eToro review: What we like about eToro

• The ability to copy market leaders in trading
• Seamless transactions with Bulgarian bank accounts and cards
• Easy-to-use online interface for trading
• Speed and ease of investing in cryptocurrencies
• Low commissions charged on transactions and withdrawals

eToro review: What we dislike about eToro

• Not suitable for advanced traders using technical analysis

Who is eToro suitable for?

• Novice traders who wish to use the broker’s CopyTrader feature
• Investors who wish to trade, buy and hold cryptocurrencies
• Experienced traders who wish to monetise their investment skills by gaining followers

About eToro

After meticulous examination, we present to you a guide that digs into the world of investing and trading, and of course, provides all the necessary information on eToro.

eToro, a trailblazer in social trading and a brokerage company boasting offices in Cyprus, Israel, and the UK. Founded in 2007 by the Asiya brothers along with David Ring, it has since then solidified its reputation as a leader in its field forex trading, stocks and ETFs. It’s rapidly cementing its place as the go-to destination for social trading network.

eToro is a master of the global trading game, specifically, social trading. The innovative trading platform is designed to empower traders by allowing them to trade in real currencies, invest in cryptocurrencies, and dabble in various asset classes through contracts for difference.

We took the eToro platform for a spin and it passed with flying colors. It holds all the necessary licenses, including the all-important CySEC and FCA, to operate within the EU.

Social trading features

The true shining star of eToro network is its social trading feature, which allows traders to buy and sell assets with the guidance of their peers.

eToro takes it to the next level by allowing its users to communicate with one another directly on the platform through posts, comments, and likes, fostering a community where investors and traders can exchange ideas and strategies without ever having to leave the site.

With over 25 million registered users, eToro reigns supreme as the leader among all crypto exchanges, and platforms in the trading crypto world.

Trading Activities on the eToro Platform

Cryptocurrencies (CFDs)	76
Stocks	3000+
ETF	250+
Index	16
Forex	49
Total trading symbols	3300+

Crypto trading

eToro is one of the best places for trading cryptocurrency. The online crypto exchange platform offers more than 76 cryptocurrencies to invest and trade online, with new ones being added regularly.

Major tokens such as BTC, ETH, BNB, XRP, ADA, SOL, as well as popular meme tokens such as DOGE and SHIB are available.

eToro requires a minimum transaction of $10 to invest. For example, if BTC is traded at $1,000 and eToro users invest $10, this means they will own 0.01 BTC tokens. This is particularly suitable for investors who want to invest in cryptocurrencies and trade with a small initial capital.

Once the eToro application is completed, the tokens are automatically added to the user’s wallet. Moreover, when the eToro users wish to withdraw them, they can do so within seconds.

In addition, the trading platform offers a separate eToro wallet for cryptocurrencies, which we will introduce to you later in the article.

Stocks and ETFs

In recent years, ETFs (exchange-traded funds) have seen a surge in popularity among retail investors, and it’s no surprise why. They offer a convenient and uncomplicated way to invest in a diverse array of financial assets, including but not limited to, commodities, stocks, and even real estate.

ETF trading is preferable to trading mutual funds because they do not impose the same trading fees and expense ratios, while offering the ability to open and close positions several times a day, as is the case with stocks.

Our research on the crypto brokerages concluded that eToro offers ETFs. Popular ETFs offered by iShares, ETFs offered by Vanguard and over 250 others are available for CFD trading on the online platform.

With around 3,000 symbols to choose from, you’ll have access to a wide range of stocks to invest in. It’s important to note, however, that all shares on eToro markets are commission-free – which translates to zero added costs for you (other fees may apply).

As traders always on the lookout for new opportunities, we appreciated the convenient dashboard filters that aid in finding the best stocks. With the ability to search by sector type, we could hone in on specific industries. eToro also keeps you in the know by highlighting the stocks that have seen the most significant price changes in the last 24 hours.

All types of ETFs are available for investing, from the S&P 500 to dividend stocks, precious metals and more. The minimum size of an eToro ETF trade is only $10, regardless of its price. The broker does not charge commissions for trading ETF positions, which are therefore free.

Expanding exposure with indices

Indices are a smart way to gain exposure to the overall performance of the stock market, with the ability to adjust your investment strategy as you see fit through trading.

It’s not possible to invest directly in indices, but we could still benefit from their price movements by trading financial products that track their performance, such as contracts for difference (CFDs).

With eToro, trading indices was a breeze, giving us the opportunity to trade a diverse range of major stock indices.

Commodities

We noticed that trading commodities can be done in a variety of ways, but one of the simplest methods is through contracts for difference (CFDs).

CFDs are powerful financial tools that allow traders and investors to capitalize on price movements of a security without the need to own the underlying asset. It’s an easy and accessible way to trade commodities with eToro.

eToro Trading Platform: Pros and Cons

Mobile trading applications

eToro offered us a top-notch mobile trading experience. The platform prioritizes user-friendliness and provides a near-identical experience across both its web and mobile platforms, making it a favorite among multi-device traders. The mobile application offers a nice set of features and functionalities, offering a seamless and efficient trading experience on the go.

App overview: the eToro broker offers two mobile apps for trading: the eToro app and eToro Money for cryptocurrency and money transfers. Both apps are available on Google Play for Android and on Apple’s App Store for iOS devices.

Ease of use: Testing on Android, we found that the eToro mobile app retains the look and feel of the web version, including useful features such as dark and light mode themes and synchronised watchlists that help unify the platform experience across devices.

Charts: Like the rest of the mobile app, the charts are responsive and perfectly match the web platform experience, although there are only five indicators compared to 67 on the web. Drawing tools are missing from the app altogether and would be a welcome improvement to an otherwise well-designed and well-integrated mobile app.

Fees and commissions

Spreads at eToro

eToro utilizes a well-established spread methodology, which is the difference between the buy and sell prices of an asset. When it comes to this, eToro stands out as a highly competitive option among other crypto trading platforms. On the eToro platform, the spread for trading all cryptocurrencies is fixed at a competitive 1%. This makes it an attractive option for traders looking to trade in the cryptocurrency market.

General fees

• Deposit by card: no fees
• Purchase of BTC: 1% spread
• Transfer BTC to eToro wallet: 0.5%; minimum fee $1; maximum fee $50
• Withdrawal: $5
• Fee after 12 months of inactivity: $10 per month

Payment methods on eToro

eToro offers a variety of convenient deposit options, including popular e-wallets such as PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, and Webmoney. Keep in mind that in some cases, it may be required to make an initial deposit with a card before being able to use e-wallet options. Bank transfers are also an option, though they may take a week or more to process. In contrast, other deposit methods work instantly. Available deposit options include:

• Visa or Mastercard
• PayPal
• Skrill
• Neteller
• Webmoney

The main advantage is the availability of PayPal for depositing and withdrawing funds. This distinguishes eToro from most brokers, who mostly do not offer this payment option.

EToro Minimum Deposit

The minimum trading amount at eToro is $10 USD and the minimum deposit is $50 USD if made via debit card or link to a bank account. The broker offers the possibility to invest in fractional shares, which means that it is possible to invest in a fraction of a share with any amount above USD 10.

Withdrawal from eToro: times and fees

Withdrawal times for eToro depend on the payment method with which you withdraw the amount. According to the official etoro.com website, the approximate time for each payment method is different.

For debit and credit cards, the wait is 10 days. The maximum wait is the same for bank transfers. Withdrawals on e-wallets such as Paypal and Skrill take up to 2 days.

However, our experience shows that withdrawal times on eToro are usually much shorter. Especially in the case of Visa, MasterCard and e-wallets.

The withdrawal fee at eToro is fixed and amounts to $5.

How to open an eToro account?

{etoroCFDrisk}% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Sign up for an eToro account by entering your name and e-mail address, choosing a password and clicking on Create Account. You will receive an e-mail with a link to confirm your registration. Once you have clicked on the link, you can register using the username and password provided to access your account on the online platform. It is recommended to confirm the account within 14 days. All documents required to fully confirm your account are:

• Valid ID (passport, ID card, etc.)
• Valid proof of address (bank statement, utility bills)

Completing your eToro account profile

First, to remove the deposit limit, you will need to answer a few questions (this is standard procedure for all platforms and your personal information will be protected). Start by clicking on the ‘Complete Profile’ button and follow the procedure.

Deposit funds

The ‘Deposit Funds’ button will take you to a long list of payment methods available on the authorised platform. The bank transfer may take a few days, but the other methods work mostly instantly. Enter the amount you wish to deposit (the minimum is USD 50), then confirm the transaction value.

Buy Bitcoin CFD or other cryptocurrencies CFD

To buy Bitcoin – at the platform, go to “Trade Markets” and select the desired virtual currency, from the “Crypto” list. Then select BUY and enter the number of BTC units you wish to trade. Finally, you need to press the “Open Position” button.

After following the steps, you are now part of the blockchain revolution and can trade online. If you decide the time is right, you can close and reopen your trading position in the desired asset. On the online platform you can use a multiplier (leverage) of 2:1. So, for example, with a $600 position, you are effectively trading with $1,200. With this option, when the price increases, the potential profits are multiplied x2. But be very careful with this trading instrument, because when the price falls, your losses are multiplied by two.

How do I transfer cryptocurrencies to my wallet?

The eToro platform allowed us to easily transfer cryptocurrencies to an external wallet through the use of the eToro Money mobile app, available for both iOS and Android devices. The app uses the same login credentials as your eToro trading account, so you can easily access your trades. Once logged in, we could simply navigate to the “Edit Trade” window of the corresponding trade on the eToro platform and find the option to transfer your crypto to your external wallet, providing a secure and easy way to manage your digital assets.

* Unlike other platforms, eToro only allows to transfer cryptocurrencies in one direction. Any crypto assets you transferred from your wallet to the eToro platform cannot be transferred back. * We must wait 60 days to be able to transfer funds from our account to your wallet. Processing of a transfer request by eToro can take up to five business days.

Social trading eToro – what is it and can it be profitable?

When I used eToro, I discovered their unique Copy Trading tool, which allowed me to replicate the trades of successful investors. This was convenient for gaining insight from successfull traders, and I found it particularly helpful as a beginner looking to diversify my portfolio. By utilizing eToro’s Copy Trading, I easily tapped into the knowledge of accomplished traders and potentially benefited from their strategies.

Copy trading eToro: How does it work?

The successful traders on this platform publicly disclose their trading methods and cryptocurrency portfolio in advance, so that newcomer crypto traders can learn from them.

EToro’s Copy Trading service offers you the possibility to copy and trade stocks automatically based on the movements of other traders.

the ‘CopyTrader‘ function is available on the site, where you can see a list of traders and their annual profit history.

Select the investor you wish to copy and, with one click, you can automatically start mirroring their positions (with the possibility of setting a stop-loss level). This way you limit your potential losses.

The minimum amount to be copied per user is USD 200 and the maximum is USD 500,000. Up to 100 traders can be copied simultaneously. Users can access millions of trader portfolios, statistics and risk assessments even if they are not using CopyTrader.

Smart Portfolios

Smart Portfolios, previously CopyPortfolios, is an eToro feature offering a curated selection of crypto assets and traders for easy diversification. There are three types: Top Trader, Thematic Market, and Partner Portfolios. This allows for simpler, lower-risk crypto management by aligning with top traders’ strategies.

Demo Account

eToro offers its users with valuable opportunies to get started with a free virtual wallet of $100,000 to trade online. This eToro trading demo account allowed us to first test various strategies and become familiar with the trading platform without the risk of losing real money. And  we can also tap into eToro’s social aspect by reaching out to the community and engaging in conversations with top performers to gain insight and knowledge on different trading strategies. This demo account provides a great chance to learn, practice trading, and develop trading skills before start trading with real money.

eToro Club

eToro Club is popular investor program available to traders with a minimum balance of $5,000. on EToro’s platform. eToro club members have access to webinars, subscriptions, investment advice and more depending on their membership level.

I experienced eToro’s tiered Club membership program firsthand. When my account balance hit $5,000, I was automatically enrolled in Silver membership. I enjoyed having a dedicated account manager and receiving quarterly market analyst reports. As my balance grew, I unlocked more benefits like Diamond membership with a $250,000 balance, which gave me additional subscriptions and VIP access to eToro Diamond events. I found the membership perks easy to access within my account.

EToro Academy

The eToro platform allowed us to easily transfer cryptocurrencies to an external wallet through the use of the eToro Money mobile app, available for both iOS and Android devices. The app uses the same login credentials as your eToro trading account, so you can easily access your trades. Once logged in, we could simply navigate to the “Edit Trade” window of the corresponding trade on the eToro platform and find the option to transfer your crypto to your external wallet, providing a secure and easy way to manage your digital assets.

* Unlike other platforms, eToro only allows to transfer cryptocurrencies in one direction. Any crypto assets you transferred from your wallet to the eToro platform cannot be transferred back. * We must wait 60 days to be able to transfer funds from our account to your wallet. Processing of a transfer request by eToro can take up to five business days.

Is eToro good for beginners?

Yes, eToro is a great choice for beginners who are looking to get started with online trading. The platform is designed to be user-friendly and easy to navigate, with a balanced collection of useful tools and advanced trading features. eToro’s web platform and mobile app are both intuitive and straightforward, making it easy for beginners to start trading.It is important to note, however, that trading is not easy for beginners, and that one should always conduct enough analysis before deciding to copy the trading strategies of other investors. One should look beyond the absolute returns and consider factors such as the risk score, average number of trades made per week, average profit and loss, and holding time of a particular investor before copying their trades. eToro provides a lot of useful data in the platform, such as the trader’s statistics, performance and risk, portfolio management service, etc. So, beginners have all the necessary information to make informed decisions.

eToro eligible countries

You may have heard that eToro is banned in a number of countries. The company does not allow investors from a long list of countries to open trading accounts.

Some of the countries that cannot even register on the eToro website include Canada, Hong Kong, Iceland, Portugal and Turkey.

List of countries in which eToro operates:

Australia, Andorra, Angola, Austria, Argentina, Azerbaijan, Bangladesh, Bahrain, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Bulgaria, Ecuador, Egypt, Estonia, Germany, Guadeloupe, Gibraltar, Denmark, Dominican Republic, Georgia, Eritrea, India, Ireland, Italy, Spain, Vietnam, Chile, Colombia, Czech Republic, Finland, France, Hungary, Kazakhstan, Kuwait, Mexico, Monaco, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Oman, Poland, Romania, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Slovakia, Switzerland, Thailand.

EToro Customer Service

When it comes to customer service, both novice investors and traders alike look for prompt and useful assistance. The quality of a broker’s customer service can be gauged based on the variety of communication channels available and the relevance and helpfulness of their responses.

To give you a better idea as potential eToro customers, here is an overview of the key information you need to know as a trader:

In theory, the customer service offered by eToro is available in all 21 languages offered by the web and mobile trading platforms. We have only tested the customer service in English, as it is not yet available in other languages, but there are predictions that it will be.

eToro users can contact eToro’s customer service via a web-based ticketing system. When we tested it with some basic questions, we usually got answers within 48 hours. On the other hand, we have received feedback from users that eToro often takes up to 14 days to respond in more complex cases, which seems to us to be an extremely long time and low in service.

Live chat is currently only available to members. The lowest level of eToro Club membership is Silver, which can be achieved if you have more than $5,000 of equity in your account

Available customer support

You can contact eToro in the following ways:

• email

eToro does not offer 24/7 availability, so bear this in mind before asking for help with a question that requires an immediate response.

Quality of eToro’s customer service

We determine the quality of a broker’s customer service based on the speed of response (e.g. if they respond within a few minutes, it’s considered fast, but if they make you wait a long time, it’s considered poor) and the relevance of the response (e.g. whether they understand what you’re asking; whether they give a clear answer to your question or an ambiguous answer that requires further clarification).

Speed of response at eToro

eToro responds to emails within a short period of time, usually within a day.

Responsiveness at eToro

Via email, eToro provides all answers to questions, sending a detailed and clear summary.

EToro regulations and licenses

European Union License

eToro (Europe) Ltd. is regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) and holds a cross-border license from CySEC to offer its own brokerage services in the member states of the European Economic Area and beyond.

eToro (Europe) Ltd is registered with De Nederlandsche Bank N.V. (DNB) as a provider of cryptocurrency and trading services. DNB oversees eToro (Europe) Ltd’s compliance with the Prevention of Money Laundering and Terrorist Financing Act and the Sanctions Act of 1977.

UK licence

eToro (UK) Ltd. is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and holds a cross-border licence from the FCA to offer its services in the member states of the European Economic Area, for a detailed list of countries and licences.

US licence

eToro USA LLC is registered with FinCEN as a money services company.

eToro Review 2023: is it the right choice?

When it comes to cryptocurrency trading, the eToro platform is a game-changer. With its social trading capabilities, eToro allows investors to tap into the strategies of seasoned pros, giving them an edge in an otherwise volatile market. With a vast selection of over 70 cryptocurrencies to choose from, eToro gives investors more options than other online brokers do. And with the addition of equities and ETFs in 2022, eToro will become even more versatile, making it a go-to choice for those looking to expand their investment portfolio.

In short, eToro’s social and copy-trading functionality make it a top choice for forex traders looking for a cutting-edge, comprehensive platform that allows for easy and efficient investments.

The statistics and information that eToro provides for each trader are interesting, but we would prefer them to be more transparent in showing the balance and size of each user’s trades. For example, a profit of $10 could be considered a 100% return on capital of only $10.

eToro is suitable for three types of users:

• Experienced traders who want to monetise their skills and gain followers
• New traders who want to copy the trades of already successful traders
• Investors who want to hodl cryptocurrencies without having the technical knowledge to store their own in a hardware wallet.

What do you think of eToro? Now that you know the features, fees and specifications of eToro, you can use them to make the right choice for your needs. If you fit into one of these groups, the advice we can give you is that using eToro’s services might be a good idea.

** eToro is a multi-asset platform which offers both investing in stocks and cryptoassets, as well as trading CFDs.

Please note that CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 74% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.

Past performance is not an indication of future results. Trading history presented is less than 5 complete years and may not suffice as basis for investment decision.

Copy Trading does not amount to investment advice. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.

Cryptoasset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.

eToro USA LLC does not offer CFDs and makes no representation and assumes no liability as to the accuracy or completeness of the content of this publication, which has been prepared by our partner utilizing publicly available non-entity specific information about eToro.