AvaTrade vs eToro 2026: Copy Trading & Fees Tested

Quick Take

The award split at a glance, then the full head-to-head below.

AvaTrade wins the overall head-to-head at 8.7 against 7.8, decided on trading cost, platform choice and regulatory breadth. Its Standard account averaged 0.9 pips on EUR/USD spread-only in my testing against eToro at 1.0 pip, and it runs MT4, MT5 and AvaOptions where eToro is proprietary only.

eToro answers on the product it built its name on: a 32 million user CopyTrader network and commission-free real stock and ETF investing across 6,000 instruments. Read the full AvaTrade review and the full eToro review for the per-account detail behind these numbers.

Side-by-Side at a Glance

Both brokers cover the UK, EU and Australia, but they split sharply beyond that. AvaTrade reaches Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Southeast Asia through its onshore licences, while eToro concentrates on the UK, EU, Australia, the Gulf and Latin America.

UK, Europe and Australia

AvaTrade UK Ireland Germany Australia

eToro UK Germany France Australia

Canada, Japan and the Gulf

AvaTrade Canada Japan UAE Saudi Arabia

eToro UAE Kuwaitno Canada, Japan or Saudi Arabia

Southeast Asia

AvaTrade Singapore Thailand Indonesia Philippines

eToroNot available across Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia or Vietnam

Safety & Regulation: AvaTrade vs eToro

Both brokers are safe and multi-regulated with clean recent records. AvaTrade scores 9.2 on safety against eToro at 9.0, mainly on the number of onshore entities it holds.

AvaTrade carries nine licences total; eToro holds four, with parent eToro Group Nasdaq-listed since 2025, which adds public-company transparency. AvaTrade’s only enforcement mark is a 2018 CONSOB fine of 175,000 euros for a marketing disclosure, paid, with no action since across any of the nine entities. The split is where your account sits: eToro holds the UK FCA licence with FSCS protection up to £85,000 for eligible retail clients, while AvaTrade adds a CIRO entity for Canada with CIPF cover up to CAD 1 million and a Japan FSA licence.

Fees & Spreads: AvaTrade vs eToro

This is where the answer depends on what you trade. I recorded EUR/USD spreads across 18 trading days on each broker’s retail account.

For forex and CFDs, AvaTrade is cheaper. Its spread-only Standard account averaged 0.9 pips on EUR/USD at zero commission, and it charges nothing to withdraw. eToro’s 1.0 pip spread is close on the pair itself, but it adds a $5 flat fee on every withdrawal and a 1 percent fee to buy or sell crypto. eToro also applies a $10 monthly inactivity fee after 12 months without a login.

For long-term investing, eToro flips the result. It offers commission-free real stock and ETF ownership, where you hold the underlying share, while AvaTrade trades stock CFDs that carry overnight financing on held positions.

Platforms & Execution: AvaTrade vs eToro

The two take opposite paths. AvaTrade runs the full MetaTrader stack plus its own tools; eToro is proprietary only.

AvaTrade offers MT4 and MT5 with full expert-advisor support, alongside the beginner-friendly AvaTradeGO app and AvaOptions, one of the few retail vanilla-options desks. MT5 execution measured near 110 ms from a Dublin server in my testing. eToro runs a single proprietary WebTrader and mobile app with no MetaTrader support, which keeps it simple but rules out EAs and custom indicators.

Account Types: AvaTrade vs eToro

AvaTrade runs one main retail account with an Islamic overlay; eToro keeps a single account that mixes real assets and CFDs.

AvaTrade is the only one of the two with a retail options desk, useful for hedging. eToro wins on instrument breadth and real share ownership, with 6,000 assets and commission-free stocks and ETFs.

Deposits & Withdrawals: AvaTrade vs eToro

AvaTrade is the clearer winner on both speed and cost, verified across my test cycles.

I ran five withdrawals at AvaTrade; all settled via Skrill in 4 to 8 hours at zero broker fee, and SEPA euro transfers cleared in one business day. eToro’s six cycles all settled inside their stated windows, but every one carried a $5 flat fee regardless of withdrawal size or method.

Customer Support: AvaTrade vs eToro

Both run multilingual desks, but the response speed gap is wide.

AvaTrade live chat answered in 2 minutes 10 seconds on average across six contacts, with its Arabic desk replying just as fast for Gulf clients. eToro chat took 8 to 12 minutes across my eight contacts, and its Arabic and Spanish queues ran 12 to 15 minutes.

Research and Education: AvaTrade vs eToro

AvaTrade’s AvaAcademy includes a structured 24-week trading school and a Sharia Ribh finance course for Islamic accounts. eToro answers with a social feed streaming live trader commentary and a virtual portfolio that runs on the same interface as the live account, the most hands-on beginner environment of the two.

Mobile App: AvaTrade vs eToro

AvaTradeGO rates above the forex broker median with its clean order entry and AvaProtect risk tool, which lets a trader pay a fee to protect a specific position against loss for a defined window. eToro’s app is the simpler multi-asset hub, holding real stocks, ETFs, crypto and CopyTrader in one view.

Pros & Cons: AvaTrade vs eToro

AvaTrade: where it wins

• Standard account averaged 0.9 pips on EUR/USD spread-only at zero commission
• Nine regulators including CIRO Canada with CIPF cover up to CAD 1 million
• MT4, MT5 and the AvaOptions desk with expert-advisor support
• Skrill withdrawals settled in 4 to 8 hours at zero fee across 5 cycles
• Accepts Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Southeast Asia

• Higher $100 minimum deposit than eToro's $50
• Trades stock CFDs rather than real shares
• No single social network at eToro's scale

eToro: where it wins

• CopyTrader network of 32 million users with one-click portfolio mirroring
• Commission-free real stock and ETF ownership across 6,000 instruments
• $50 minimum deposit and the simplest single-app interface
• FCA regulated with FSCS up to £85,000 and Nasdaq-listed parent
• Clean multi-asset mobile app with real shares and crypto in one view

• 1.0 pip forex spread plus a $5 flat withdrawal fee on every payout
• No MT4, MT5 or expert-advisor support, and a 12-month inactivity fee

Who Should Pick Which

Bottom Line: AvaTrade vs eToro

AvaTrade wins the head-to-head overall at 8.7 against 7.8. It averaged 0.9 pips on EUR/USD spread-only against eToro’s 1.0 pip, runs MT4, MT5 and AvaOptions where eToro is proprietary only, and reaches Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia and Southeast Asia that eToro does not.

eToro is the better broker for a specific trader: anyone who wants the largest social copy-trading network, commission-free real stock and ETF ownership, or the simplest first account in the UK, EU or Australia.

• Pick AvaTrade if you want cheaper forex spreads, MetaTrader and the widest country access
• Pick eToro if you want the 32 million user CopyTrader network and real commission-free shares
• Based in Canada, Japan, Saudi Arabia or Southeast Asia? AvaTrade is usually the only pick of the two
• New and copy-focused in the UK, EU or Australia? eToro is the simpler start

Top pick overall

AvaTrade

Best for cheaper forex spreads, MetaTrader and wide country access.

• Standard EUR/USD averaged 0.9 pips, spread-only
• Skrill withdrawals confirmed in 4 to 8 hr across 5 cycles
• 9 regulators including CIRO Canada and Japan FSA

Visit AvaTrade

71% of retail CFD accounts lose money.How we earn →

Best for copy trading and stocks

eToro

Best for social copy trading and commission-free real stock investing.

• CopyTrader network of 32 million users, one-click mirroring
• Commission-free real stocks and ETFs across 6,000 assets
• FCA regulated with FSCS up to £85,000, Nasdaq-listed

Visit eToro

76% of retail CFD accounts lose money.How we earn →

For the full per-account detail, read our AvaTrade review and our eToro review. Both were tested against the same testing methodology, and you can check is eToro good for beginners for the beginner-focused breakdown.