Millennial and GenZ traders who prefer social trading from a user-friendly mobile app will find eToro an ideal broker. Services like the proprietary CopyTrader and CopyPortfolios serve the active trading community of 25M+ well, and passive investors get in-house managed thematic investment portfolios. Beginner traders get quality services like the eToro Academy, eToro plus, and The Bull Club.
CMC Markets provides traders with a cutting-edge proprietary web-based trading platform, including an automated pattern recognition scanner, a price projection box, and detailed trade analytics. Algorithmic traders get the MT4 trading platform, the leader in this category. Quality education and research are also available.
We have conducted an in-depth review of eToro and CMC Markets to determine which one presents the better overall choice and which traders will benefit the most at either broker.
- Features and Platforms
- Available Markets
- Typical Spreads and Fees
- Security and Trust
- eToro vs. CMC Markets - Verdict
 |  | |
Headquarters | Israel | United Kingdom |
Regulators | ASIC, CySEC, FCA, FSA | FCA |
Tier 1 Regulator(s)? | ||
Owned by Public Company? | ||
Year Established | 2007 | 1989 |
Execution Type(s) | Market Maker | Market Maker |
Minimum Deposit | $50 - $10,000 | N/A |
Negative Balance Protection | N/A | |
Trading Platform(s) | Proprietary platform | MetaTrader 4, Proprietary platform, Web-based |
Average Trading Cost EUR/USD | N/A | 0.6 pips ($6.00) |
Average Trading Cost GBP/USD | 2.2 pips | 0.9 pips ($9.00) |
Average Trading Cost WTI Crude Oil | $0.05 | $0.03 |
Average Trading Cost Gold | $0.45 | $0.34 |
Retail Loss Rate | 74% | N/A |
Minimum Raw Spreads | 0.8 pips | N/A |
Minimum Standard Spreads | 1.3 pips | N/A |
Minimum Commission for Forex | $0.00 | N/A |
Islamic Account | ||
Signals | ||
US Persons Accepted? | ||
Managed Accounts | ||
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Features and Platforms
| | |
MT4 | ||
MT5 | ||
MT4/MT5 Add-Ons | N/A | |
cTrader | ||
Proprietary Platform | ||
Automated Trading | ||
Social/Copy Trading | N/A | |
DOM? | ||
Guaranteed Stop Loss | ||
Scalping | ||
Hedging | ||
One-Click Trading | ||
OCO Orders | ||
Interest on Margin | ||
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Noteworthy:
eToro continues to expand further into cryptocurrencies with a newly announced NFT fund. CMC Markets shines with its fast order execution and deep liquidity.
Available Markets
| | |
Currency Pairs | ||
Cryptocurrencies | ||
Commodities | ||
Crude Oil | ||
Gold | ||
Metals | ||
Equity Indices | ||
Stocks (non-CFDs) | ||
Bonds | ||
ETFs | ||
Options | N/A | |
Futures | ||
Synthetics | ||
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2,000+ CFDs, direct share dealing, and in-house managed thematic investment portfolios ensure traders with eToro have sufficient market exposure. CMC Markets counters with 11,500+ assets, including an offering of 330+ currency pairs, making it a leader in this sector. Passive investors get ETFs at both brokers, eToro has more cryptocurrencies, but CMC Markets features crypto indices.
Typical Spreads and Fees
| | |
Average Trading Cost EUR/USD | N/A | 0.6 pips ($6.00) |
Average Trading Cost GBP/USD | 2.2 pips | 0.9 pips ($9.00) |
Average Trading Cost WTI Crude Oil | $0.05 | $0.03 |
Average Trading Cost Gold | $0.45 | $0.34 |
Average Trading Cost Bitcoin | $574 | $75.00 |
Minimum Raw Spreads | 0.8 pips | N/A |
Minimum Standard Spreads | 1.3 pips | N/A |
Minimum Commission for Forex | $0.00 | N/A |
Deposit Fee | N/A | |
Withdrawal Fee | N/A | |
Inactivity Fee | $10 monthly after 12 monthd | N/A |
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Forex traders at eToro face trading costs starting at $10 per lot versus $7 at CMC Markets. eToro offers commission-free direct share investments but levies a 0.09% commission on CFDs. CMC Markets charges 0.10% but maintains a volume-based rebate program, creating a notable cost advantage for high-volume traders.
Security and Trust
| | |
Country of the Regulator | Australia, Cyprus, Seychelles, United Kingdom | United Arab Emirates, Australia, Canada, Germany, New Zealand, Singapore, United Kingdom |
Name of the Regulator | ASIC, CySEC, FCA, FSA | FCA |
Regulatory License Number | 491139, 109/10, 583263, SD076 | 173730, 170627,154814, 238054, 41187, 101320, F002740, Undisclosed but confirmed |
Regulatory Tier | N/A | 1, 1, 1, 1, 1, 2, 2 |
| Visit Website Your investment value may change. Capital is at risk. | Visit Website |
Both brokers segregate client deposits from corporate funds and offer negative balance protection. An investor compensation fund exists for selected subsidiaries. eToro also has a $1,000,000 third-party insurance program underwritten by Lloyd's of London, while CMC Markets is a publicly listed company and FTSE250 constituent. The security and trust environments at both brokers are excellent.
eToro vs CMC Markets – Verdict
eToro
| Pros | Cons |
| Copy-trading with a community numbering almost 25 million traders | Higher minimum deposit requirement but within a reasonable range |
| User-friendly web-based trading platform and mobile app | Absence of MT4 and no algorithmic trading |
| Quality educational offering for beginner traders via videos | |
| Balanced asset selection with a focus on equity CFDs and ETFs |
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CMC Markets
| Pros | Cons |
| Cutting-edge proprietary trading platform for manual traders | Low leverage for retail traders |
| Excellent asset selection and leading Forex broker with 330+ currency pairs | Limited deposit and withdrawal methods |
| In-depth educational platform for beginner traders and quality research | |
| A publicly listed company with a clean track record and decades of experience |
CMC Markets offers a well-balanced asset selection, outstanding order execution, and supports algorithmic trading. Since eToro serves its core trader base of millennial and GenZ traders who prefer casual, mobile social trading better, it takes an overall lead over CMC Markets as a broker.
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