Broker to Trading

Both of these brokers offer social and copy trading. eToro provides social and copy trading tools on its online trading platform. AvaTrade has social and copy trading via AvaSocial.

As an MT4 broker, AvaTrade allows automated trading strategies (called Expert Advisors - EAs - on MT4). AvaTrade additionally offers MetaTrader 5 (MT5), the successor to MT5.

Copy trading lets the trades of other tradersto be copied in the trader's account. EAs are trading robots which execute strategies on behalf of the trader. Social trading lets the trader inform their own trading decisions with the ideas of other traders.

Both brokers support the trader who makes their own analysis and executes their own trades, with a range of charting tools. eToro has a user friendly trading platform, thus it can be seen as supporting a spectrum of trading, from the trader who makes their own analysis and decisions to those who inform their trading with the ideas of others to those who let other traders make the trading decisions for them.

AvaTrade though can also be seen as supporting a range of trading styles, including the trader who makes their own trading decisions. It also offers a user friendly web trader. AvaTrade offers AutoChartist which provides trading ideas using pattern recognition and which is integrated into MT4 (though it has a higher minimum deposit to use it). With trading robots, the trader lets automated trading strategies execute their trades. However the trader can chose which strategies to run and can even build them, in MQL4. Traders who use copy trading have a range of ways to choose traders to copy.

eToro offers real Stocks, Cryptos and ETFs to buy to own as well as CFD trading. Additionally eToro offers a staking service (to earn rewards from Cryptos, T&Cs apply) and its eToro Money crypto wallet (where Cryptos can be exchanged). eToro also offers real Stocks to buy with 0% commission.

AvaTrade is regulated by the CBI in Ireland, the ASIC in Australia, the FSCA in South Africa, the FSA and the FFAJ in Japan and the FSC in the British Virgin Islands.

eToro is regulated by the FCA in the United Kingdom, the CySEC in Cyprus, the ASIC in Australia and the FSAS in the Seychelles.

Quick comparison

Both brokers support social and copy trading. eToro has a web trader and apps, while AvaTrade offers a web trader, MT4, MT5, AvaOptions and apps.

Minimum deposit and key account features

The minimum deposit for AvaTrade is $/€/£100. The minimum deposit for eToro is $50.

AvaTrade provides an Economic Calendar on its web site and Trading Central (which provides analysis). Additionally AvaTrade offers AvaSocial which supports social and copy trading. AvaTrade allows the use of EA trading robots.
eToro is a Social Trading Platform and Network which supports trading, social trading as well as auto trading by copying other traders (or being copied) and provides products based on this network. eToro offers the eToro Club, which is a tiered program with additional features depending on account equity (which can include personalised service and event invitations), starting at $5000 (Silver) and going up to Diamond ($250,000). The minimum trade size is 0.01 lots.

Markets

AvaTrade offers spread betting (in the UK), in Forex, Metals, Indices and Energy, with 35+ available.
AvaTrade offers CFD trading in Forex, Metals, Indices, Energy, Cryptocurrencies, Stocks, ETFs, Bonds, Soft Commodities and Options, with 1000+ available.
eToro offers Forex, Metals, Indices, Energy, Cryptocurrencies, Stocks, ETFs, Bonds and Soft Commodities, with 2000+ available.

AvaTrade provides 50+ Forex pairs, eToro provides 45+ Forex pairs.

Cryptocurrency CFDs

• AvaTrade offers Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash, Stellar, EOS, Dash, NEO, IOTA, Chainlink, Uniswap, and Bitcoin Gold CFDs.
• eToro offers Bitcoin, Ethereum, Litecoin, Ripple, Bitcoin Cash, Stellar, EOS, Dash, NEO, IOTA, Chainlink, Uniswap, BNB, Solana, LUNA, Cardano, Dogecoin, Avalanche, Polkadot, Shiba, Polygon, Cronos, TRON, Cosmos, ApeCoin, Algorand, Ethereum Classic, Hedera Hashgraph, Filecoin, Decentraland, The Sandbox, Theta, Fantom, Tezos, Axie Infinity, AAVE, Zcash, The Graph, Maker, Quant, Chiliz, Gala, Curve, Enjin, Loopring, Curve, Basic Attention Token, Kyber Network, Compound, Ox, Synthetix, Yearn.finance, Ankr, Bancor, 1inch, Storj, SushiSwap, Ethereum Name Service, REN, dYdX, Fetch.ai and Balancer (the trader owns the cryptocurrency when buying them at FCA and CySEC regulated eToro). There is a flat 1% fee for all Cryptos, on top of the Bid/Ask spread. eToro additionally offers a Wallet which supports 120+ Cryptocurrencies and allows the trader to move unleveraged long positions in real Cryptocurrencies to the Wallet from the platform.

Spreads and leverage

• AvaTrade offers Forex spreads from 0.9 without a commission charge, while eToro offers Forex spreads from 1 without a commission charge.

Maximum leverage for AvaTrade (CBI regulated) is . Maximum leverage for eToro (FCA or CySEC regulated) is .

Online trading platforms

AvaTrade offers a web trader, MT4, MT5 and AvaOptions as well as apps. eToro provides a web trader and apps.

Why AvaTrade or eToro ?

Traders who make their own trading decisions and execute their own trades can use either broker. Traders who wish to use social trading tools to inform their own trading and to use copy trading, allowing the trades of other traders to be executed in their own account can also use either broker. Traders who want to avail of trading automation with online trading robots, could consider AvaTrade as it offer MT4 and MT5 and allows EAs. Traders who want to trade real Stocks, ETFs and Cryptos may do so at eToro. In the UK, AvaTrade also lets traders spread bet a range of markets on MT4 (similar to CFD trading, when spread betting the trader does not own the market).

Comparison summary

• Both brokers offer CFD trading
• At eToro, real Stocks, ETFs and Cryptos can be bought
• In the UK, Avatrade offers MT4 spread betting
• eToro provides a trading platform with social and copy trading tools
• AvaTrade offers MT4 and MT5, and has social and copy trading via AvaSocial
• eToro has Crypto staking and offers a Crypto Wallet
• AvaTrade allows Expert Advisors (EAs) trading robots