eToro vs Plus500 2026: Fees & Safety Tested

Quick Take

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

Read the full eToro review and the full Plus500 review for the per-account detail behind these numbers.

Side-by-Side at a Glance

Here is the top-line snapshot, then a per-metric grid with the winner of each row.

Metric	eToro	Plus500	Winner
📊 EUR/USD spread	1.0 pips	0.6 pips	Plus500
💰 Min deposit	$50	$100	eToro
⚡ Withdrawal fee	$5 flat	None	Plus500
🏛️ Safety score	9.0	9.4	Plus500
📈 Instruments	6,000+	2,800	eToro
💬 Live chat response	8 to 12 min	2 min 20 sec	Plus500
🤝 Copy trading	CopyTrader (32M)	None	eToro
📱 Mobile app (iOS)	4.4 stars	4.5 stars	Plus500
US CFD clients	No	No	Equal
🏆 Overall	7.8	8.7	Plus500

Both brokers accept clients across the UK, Europe, the Gulf and Australia, but they lean different ways. eToro is strongest across Europe and the wider Gulf.

Plus500 adds a much deeper Asia-Pacific and Africa footprint on top. Here is where each one takes clients, region by region.

Europe & UK

eToro UK Germany Spain

Plus500 UK Germany France

MENA & Gulf

eToro UAE Kuwait Qatar

Plus500 UAE Saudi Arabia Egypt

Asia-Pacific & Africa

eToro Australia

Plus500 Australia Singapore South Africa

Safety & Regulation: eToro vs Plus500

Both brokers are safe, publicly listed and multi-regulated with no material enforcement on file. Plus500 scores 9.4 on safety against eToro at 9.0, mostly because it runs twice as many onshore entities.

• eToro: FCA licence 583263, verified active 2026, plus CySEC, ASIC and a Nasdaq listing (ETOR) since 2025.
• Plus500: FCA licence 509909, verified active 2026, plus a FTSE 250 London listing (PLUS) since 2013.

The meaningful split is breadth of onshore cover. eToro routes UAE and Swiss clients to its CySEC entity because it holds no local Dubai or Singapore licence. Plus500 runs a DFSA entity inside the Dubai DIFC and a MAS licence in Singapore, so Gulf and Singaporean clients sit under a local regulator rather than a passported one.

Both listings add a real transparency layer. Plus500 has published audited FTSE 250 accounts since 2013, the longer public record.

eToro joined it on Nasdaq in 2025 with SEC EDGAR filings now public. For the full entity breakdown see Plus500’s regulation, and check is eToro safe for the eToro entity detail.

Here is the licence detail regulator by regulator, so you can check which entity your account would sit under before you fund it.

eToro was founded in 2007 and Plus500 in 2008. The takeaway is simple: fund the entity, not the brand.

A UK retail trader is covered at both. A UAE onshore client gets DFSA cover only at Plus500.

Check your onboarding entity before you deposit.

Fees & Spreads: eToro vs Plus500

This is where Plus500 pulls ahead on forex. I recorded EUR/USD spreads at 5-minute intervals across 14 trading days on each broker.

Plus500 at roughly $7 per lot is about a third cheaper than eToro on forex, and its spread stays consistent across regulated entities. eToro’s EUR/USD widens to 1.5 to 1.8 pips overnight, pushing the real cost higher for anyone holding through rollover.

The picture flips on equities. eToro is commission-free on real stocks and ETFs on long positions, while Plus500 wraps shares as CFDs. Both add ongoing fees a headline spread hides.

The $5 eToro withdrawal fee and the 1.5% conversion are the two quiet costs that catch small accounts. Plus500’s inactivity fee bites sooner at 3 months, but it is usually waived on first request to support.

Platforms & Execution: eToro vs Plus500

Neither broker runs MetaTrader. Both replaced it with a proprietary platform, so the split is about which one you would rather live in.

eToro is built around a social feed with CopyTrader at the centre, plus a TradingView-powered ProCharts layer for analysis. It is the better home for a beginner or a copy trader. Plus500’s WebTrader is the cleaner trading ticket, with guaranteed stop-loss, a risk-management panel and a +Insights sentiment tool, and it executed nearly three times faster in my testing.

Neither offers MT4, MT5, cTrader or automated EA support. For algo and scalping workflows, both are the wrong choice and a MetaTrader broker fits better.

Account Types: eToro vs Plus500

eToro opens lower and adds real equity investing; Plus500 keeps a single simple CFD tier. Both include an Islamic swap-free overlay without expiry.

eToro’s $50 EU entry with commission-free real shares is the friendlier start for a long-term investor. Plus500’s single $100 CFD tier is simpler, and its Plus500 Invest product adds real shares plus a UK ISA wrapper, but only in the UK and EU.

The 6,000 versus 2,800 headline hides where the range sits. eToro stacks its count on real single-name equities and ETFs. Plus500 is CFD-only, deep in shares and indices, thin on crypto.

If you want real share and ETF ownership, eToro’s 5,800 equity instruments are the reason to pick it. If you trade indices and forex as CFDs, Plus500’s tighter cost matters more than the raw count.

Deposits & Withdrawals: eToro vs Plus500

Plus500 is the clear winner on payout cost, verified across my test cycles at each broker.

I ran 4 withdrawals at Plus500; all settled fee-free, with Singapore FAST clearing in about 4 hours. eToro settled all 6 of my test cycles inside the stated windows, but every one carried the $5 fee, and non-USD funding added a 1.5% conversion on both legs.

Here is the funding picture method by method.

eToro adds PayPal, Trustly and a UK debit card that spends the trading balance directly. Plus500 adds Apple Pay and Google Pay but takes no crypto. Neither offers crypto withdrawals as a payout rail.

Customer Support: eToro vs Plus500

Both run multi-language desks, but Plus500 answered far faster and covers weekends.

Plus500 live chat runs around the clock and answered in 2 minutes 20 seconds on average across 5 test contacts. It is chat-only, with no phone line. eToro’s chat closes at weekends and averaged 8 to 12 minutes, slower on the Arabic and Spanish desks, but it offers a phone line for Club-tier clients above $5,000 and covers 22 languages.

eToro’s advantage is language breadth and a phone option for larger balances. For raw speed and weekend cover, Plus500 wins.

Pros & Cons: eToro vs Plus500

eToro: where it wins

• CopyTrader mirrors a 32M-user network with a published track record per investor
• Commission-free real stock and ETF ownership across 5,800 equity instruments
• $50 EU entry deposit, half the Plus500 $100 floor
• Nasdaq-listed parent (ETOR) plus FSCS cover up to £85,000 on the UK entity
• Support in 22 languages with a phone line for Club-tier balances

• EUR/USD averaged 1.0 pip, above Plus500's 0.6 pip
• $5 flat withdrawal fee on every payout plus 1.5% non-USD conversion

Plus500: where it wins

• EUR/USD averaged 0.6 pips spread-only with $0 commission
• No broker-side withdrawal fee on any method or amount
• FTSE 250 LSE listing since 2013 plus eight regulated entities
• Live chat answered in 2 min 20 sec, 24/7
• Onshore DFSA Dubai and MAS Singapore licences eToro does not hold

• No copy-trading product and CFD-only outside Plus500 Invest
• $100 entry deposit and inactivity fee bites after just 3 months

Who Should Pick Which

Match your trader profile to the broker that fits it. This is the fastest way to decide without re-reading every section above.

Bottom Line: eToro vs Plus500

Plus500 wins the head-to-head overall at 8.7 against 7.8. It averaged 0.6 pips on EUR/USD versus eToro’s 1.0 pip, charges no withdrawal fee where eToro adds $5 per payout, and scores 9.4 on safety as an LSE-listed FTSE 250 company with eight regulated entities.

eToro is the better broker for a specific trader: the copy trader or beginner stock investor who wants CopyTrader, real share ownership and a $50 start while they learn.

• Pick Plus500 if you want the tightest forex cost, fee-free withdrawals and the widest onshore regulation
• Pick eToro if you want copy trading, real stocks and ETFs and a $50 entry deposit
• Brand new and want to copy experienced investors? Start with eToro
• Cost-focused CFD trader withdrawing often? Go with Plus500

Top pick overall

Plus500

Best for cost-focused CFD traders who want tight spreads and fee-free withdrawals.

• EUR/USD averaged 0.6 pips, zero commission
• No broker-side withdrawal fee on any method
• Regulated: FCA, CySEC, ASIC, DFSA plus LSE listing

Visit Plus500

74% of retail CFD accounts lose money.How we earn →

Best for copy trading

eToro

Best for copy traders and beginners wanting real stocks, ETFs and a $50 start.

• CopyTrader mirrors a 32M-user network
• 6,000+ instruments incl. real stocks and ETFs, $50 start
• Regulated: FCA, CySEC, ASIC plus Nasdaq listing

Visit eToro

51% of retail investor accounts lose money.How we earn →

For the full per-account detail, read our eToro review and our Plus500 review. Both were tested against the same testing methodology, and you can check is Plus500 safe or is eToro good for beginners for the deeper detail.