Getting started with eToro
Considering taking your first steps in investing but unsure if eToro is the right choice for beginners like you? Curious about trading costs at eToro or how user-friendly its platform is?
Don't worry, we've gathered all the essential details to help you make the right decision. The good news is that eToro is in fact perfect for beginners.
Together with my brokerage analyst colleagues, I have thoroughly tested the services of eToro by opening a real-money account. Here's what you need to know about eToro:
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A broker is good for beginners if it has low fees and an easy-to-use platform.
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eToro has a user-friendly mobile platform.
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eToro has low fees overall and a minimum deposit of $100.
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Account opening at eToro takes 1 day as per our assessment.
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eToro is a legit and trusted broker.
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Browse our toplist of the best brokers for beginners for some great alternatives.
eToro securities trading offered by eToro USA Securities Inc, member of FINRA & SIPC. Investing involves risk.
eToro is a CFD broker
Just a quick heads up: eToro focuses mainly on CFDs. Usually we don’t recommend CFD products for beginners because they can be quite risky.
On the other hand, eToro provides real stock / cash equities / underlying stocks besides CFDs. When you invest into real stocks, you can buy the actual shares of a company instead of a CFD contract for the stock.
If you’d like to stick with CFDs, you might want to take a look at our article on CFD trading tips.
How to determine if a broker is good for beginners?
There are many factors to consider when evaluating a broker's services, possibly too many to list. However, in general, beginner-friendly brokers should have:
- an excellent web and mobile trading platform
- low fees
- an easy account opening process
- low minimum deposit
- great educational tools
- good customer service
Let’s explore how eToro compares to its peers when it comes to platforms, fees, account opening and education tools. We're rating each category on a scale from 1.0 to 5.0, where 1.0 is the lowest and 5.0 is the highest.
Web platform score
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4.4 stars | 4.4 stars | 4.4 stars |
---|---|---|---|
Mobile platform score
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4.9 stars | 4.9 stars | 4.4 stars |
Fees
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Low | Low | Low |
Account opening score
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5.0 stars | 5.0 stars | 5.0 stars |
Deposit and withdrawal score
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4.2 stars | 4.6 stars | 4.4 stars |
Education score
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5.0 stars | 4.0 stars | 5.0 stars |
Customer service score
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2.3 stars | 3.8 stars | 4.5 stars |
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eToro securities trading offered by eToro USA Securities Inc, member of FINRA & SIPC. Investing involves risk.
Do eToro's platforms cater to beginners, and is assistance provided?
Navigating the complexities of trading can be challenging. Easy-to-use interfaces and comprehensive learning materials can simplify these complexities, especially for new investors like you. So, choose a broker known for its user-friendly platform and robust educational resources.
Web user-friendliness
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Great | Great | Great |
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Web two-step authentication
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Yes | Yes | No |
Mobile user-friendliness
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Great | Great | Great |
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2-step authentication
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Yes | Yes | No |
Biometric authentication
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Yes | Yes | Yes |
Educational resources, such as demo accounts and platform tutorial videos, can really help you get the hang of trading platforms and make smarter investment choices. eToro's educational resources have the following advantages: Demo account. Trading platform tutorial. Educational videos. However, they also have some disadvantages which could be improved: Overall quality could be better.
Similarly, effective customer support is also vital as it ensures that you receive timely assistance with account issues, trading problems, and general inquiries.
eToro's customer support is not that great. At eToro, customer support can be reached via live chat and email.
What are the fees like at eToro and is there a minimum deposit?
Transaction costs at a brokerage, including commissions and spreads, can eat into investment returns, especially for active traders. Choosing a broker with low fees is crucial as it allows more of your money to stay invested and grow, enhancing overall profitability.
Think of broker fees like admission to an amusement park. Just as you pay to enter and enjoy rides, you have to pay flat fees or commission-based charges to access trading services. Like different amusements parks offering various experiences and prices, brokers offer varied fee structures tailored to specific types of traders or investment strategies. Ultimately, like weighing park costs against fun, investors consider broker fees relative to trading benefits.
What about deposit requirements? At eToro, the required minimum deposit is $100. This means that you have to put at least $100 in your broker account to be able to start trading.
Is that more than you're willing to commit at this point? See if you can start trading with less at other brokers.
Broker | Minimum deposit | Bank transfer |
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eToro | $100 | |
Trading 212 | $1 | |
XTB | $0 |
So what if you made a deposit but decide later that you want to switch brokers and invest your money elsewhere? No worries - you can always opt out and withdraw your funds.
eToro securities trading offered by eToro USA Securities Inc, member of FINRA & SIPC. Investing involves risk.
How is the account opening experience at eToro?
Account opening at eToro is fully online, meaning you can do it from the comfort of your chair. In fact, you don't even need a chair: you can simply do it on the go on your mobile phone.
Opening a brokerage account is always free of charge, but the time it takes differs from broker to broker. At some brokers, it's as quick as signing up for a new Gmail account. At others, it might take a couple of days as they run a background check on your data. At eToro, it usually takes 1 day to have your account up and running.
Is eToro legit?
We hear more and more stories each day about clients who lost their money to scammers through unregulated services. BrokerChooser only features brokers that have top-tier financial regulators. As such, eToro is a legit and trusted broker.
Top-tier regulators are regulatory or self-regulatory authorities that apply, oversee and enforce the strictest requirements and standards to ensure that brokers supervised by them do not engage in fraudulent activities. Oversight by a top-tier regulator is a good indicator that the broker adheres to the highest regulatory standards and practices. eToro is regulated by FCA in the UK, SEC in the US, and ASIC in Australia.
If eToro is not the right broker for you, go ahead and check out our top picks for Best Brokers for Beginners in 2025 for some alternatives.
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eToro securities trading offered by eToro USA Securities Inc, member of FINRA & SIPC. Investing involves risk.
Risk disclaimer
eToro is a multi-asset platform which offers both investing in stocks and cryptoassets, as well as trading CFDs.
Disclaimer: 51% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
This communication is intended for information and educational purposes only and should not be considered investment advice or investment recommendation. Past performance is not an indication of future results.
Copy Trading does not amount to investment advice. The value of your investments may go up or down. Your capital is at risk.
eToro USA LCC does not offer CFDs, only real Crypto assets available.
Cryptoasset investing is highly volatile and unregulated in some EU countries. No consumer protection. Tax on profits may apply.
Don't invest unless you're prepared to lose all the money you invest. This is a high-risk investment and you should not expect to be protected if something goes wrong. Take 2 minutes to learn more!
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.
This material has been translated, and its content may not be suitable for every recipient. Additionally, certain products may be restricted in your region.
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