| eature | eToro | IC Markets |
|---|---|---|
| Founded | 2007 | 2007 |
| Headquarters | Tel Aviv, Israel | Sydney, Australia |
| Regulation | FCA (UK), CySEC (Cyprus), ASIC (Australia), SEC (USA for some products) | ASIC (Australia), CySEC (Cyprus), FSA (Seychelles) |
| Platform Type | Proprietary platform (web & mobile) | MetaTrader 4 (MT4), MetaTrader 5 (MT5), cTrader |
| Trading Instruments | Stocks, ETFs, Cryptocurrencies, Indices, Commodities, Forex, CopyPortfolios | Forex, Commodities, Indices, Stocks, Bonds, Cryptocurrencies, Futures |
| Social Trading | Yes, built-in copy trading and social feed | No direct social trading, supports copy trading via Myfxbook and cTrader Copy |
| Account Types | Single retail account, Demo account, Islamic account | Standard, Raw Spread, Islamic, Demo account |
| Minimum Deposit | $200 (varies by region) | $200 (Standard and Raw Spread) |
| Spreads | Fixed and variable spreads, spreads starting from 1 pip on major pairs | Raw spreads from 0.0 pips (plus commission) or standard spreads (from 1.0 pip) |
| Commissions | No commission on most trades, spread-based fees for CFDs | Commission of $3.50 per lot (for Raw Spread accounts) |
| Leverage | Up to 30:1 for retail clients (higher for professional clients) | Up to 500:1 (depending on region and regulation) |
| Deposit Methods | Credit/Debit cards, PayPal, Bank Transfers, Skrill, Neteller | Credit/Debit cards, Bank Transfers, Skrill, Neteller, PayPal (in some regions) |
| Withdrawal Fees | $5 fee for withdrawals | No withdrawal fees for most methods |
| Platform Features | CopyTrader (copy successful traders), newsfeed, customizable watchlists | Advanced charting tools, automated trading via Expert Advisors (EAs), multiple order types |
| Mobile App | Yes (iOS and Android) | Yes (iOS and Android) |
| Customer Support | 24/5 via live chat, email, phone | 24/7 via live chat, email, phone |
| Educational Resources | Beginner tutorials, webinars, blog content | Webinars, in-depth tutorials, guides, trading calculators |
| Market Access Hours | 24/5 for Forex and CFD trading | 24/5 for Forex and CFD trading |
| Cryptocurrency Trading | Yes (through CFD and direct crypto purchases) | Yes (CFD only, not direct purchases) |
| Copy Trading Fee | No additional cost to copy trades, normal trading spreads apply | No direct built-in social/copy trading fees, but uses third-party integrations |
| User-Friendliness | Highly intuitive platform, social interface | Advanced platforms, best for experienced traders |
| Algo/Automated Trading | Limited (via API for advanced users) | Yes, supports full automation via MT4/MT5 EAs |
| Demo Account | Yes, free demo account available | Yes, free demo account available |
| Risk Management Tools | Stop Loss, Take Profit, Trailing Stop, Price Alerts | Stop Loss, Take Profit, Trailing Stop, Price Alerts |
| Research Tools | Market analysis, sentiment tools, news | Economic calendar, technical analysis tools, Autochartist |
| Regulated Regions | Europe, Australia, USA (limited products), UK | Europe, Australia, Asia, Africa |
| Order Execution Type | Market execution | ECN (Electronic Communication Network) execution |
| Slippage Control | Moderate control with default slippage settings | Minimal slippage due to ECN execution, fast speeds |
| Hedging Capability | No | Yes |
| Scalping | Not allowed | Allowed |
| Micro Lot Trading | Yes (0.01 lots) | Yes (0.01 lots) |
| Currency Pairs Offered | 49+ pairs | 60+ pairs |
| Number of Stocks | 3000+ global stocks | 2000+ global stocks |
| Indices Available | 20+ indices | 20+ indices |
| Commodities Available | 30+ (Gold, Oil, Natural Gas, etc.) | 20+ (including precious metals, energy, agriculture) |
| CFD Trading | Yes (across all asset types) | Yes (across all asset types) |
| Direct Stock Ownership | Yes (for some US and European stocks) | No (stocks via CFDs only) |
| Execution Speed | ~100ms | ~40-50ms (depending on server location) |
| Number of Cryptocurrencies | 70+ | 15+ (depending on availability) |
| Spread Type | Fixed for some assets, floating for others | Floating (Raw Spread or Standard Spread) |
| Overnight Fees/Swap | Yes (applied on leveraged positions) | Yes (competitive swap rates for overnight positions) |
| Islamic (Swap-free) Account | Yes | Yes |
| Corporate Account Options | No | Yes (available for institutions and businesses) |
| Rebate/Referral Program | Yes (referral bonuses for friends) | Yes (rebate programs for high-volume traders) |
| Server Locations | Europe, US, Asia | London, New York, Asia (Equinix data centers) |
| Multi-Currency Accounts | No (account base currency USD only for most regions) | Yes (USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, etc.) |
| Partnership Options | Affiliate programs, IB programs | White Label solutions, Affiliates, IB programs |
| News Feeds Integration | Proprietary social news feed, economic calendar | Economic calendar, external news feed integrations |
| Risk Disclosure Tools | Risk score on profile, margin call alerts | Margin call notifications, leverage adjustment options |
| Historical Data Access | Limited for some assets | Full access to historical data in MT4/MT5 |
| Server Downtime Rate | Low (mostly during maintenance windows) | Extremely low (due to ECN infrastructure) |
| API Trading | Limited API support for advanced users | Full API support for MT4/MT5 and cTrader |
| Market Depth | No | Yes (on cTrader and MT5 for detailed price levels) |
| Latency Reduction Tools | No VPS (Virtual Private Server) provided by default | Free VPS for eligible high-volume traders |
| Order Types Available | Market order, Limit order, Stop Loss, Take Profit | Market order, Limit order, Stop Loss, Trailing Stop, Pending orders |
| Backtesting Features | Limited backtesting (manual through charts) | Full backtesting support via MetaTrader and cTrader |
| Multi-Device Synchronization | Yes (platform syncs across web, mobile, and tablet) | Yes (via cloud sync for cTrader, desktop to mobile for MetaTrader) |
| Community Features | Yes (social network, comment sections, rankings) | No built-in community features |
| User Interface Customization | Limited customization | Full customization of indicators, layouts, and dashboards |
| Security of Funds | Segregated client funds, two-factor authentication (2FA) | Segregated client funds, two-factor authentication (2FA) |
| Bonus or Promotions | No bonuses due to regulatory constraints | Bonuses may be available in offshore jurisdictions |
| Fractional Shares | Yes (for stocks and ETFs) | No (only full shares in CFDs) |
| Direct Market Access (DMA) | No (Market Maker model) | Yes (for some account types) |
| Charting Tools | Basic to intermediate (30+ indicators, customizable timeframes) | Advanced (80+ indicators, customizable scripts, multi-chart view) |
| One-Click Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Depth of Market (DOM) | No | Yes (via cTrader and MT5 for institutional-level data) |
| Custom Indicators | No (limited built-in tools only) | Yes (via MT4/MT5 and cTrader custom indicators) |
| Third-Party Tool Integration | No direct integration (proprietary platform) | Yes (via MetaTrader plugins, cTrader API, Myfxbook, ZuluTrade) |
| Portfolio Diversification | Yes (with CopyPortfolios and diversified ETF options) | Yes (across multiple assets, but requires manual allocation) |
| Economic Calendar | Yes (built-in with key market events) | Yes (detailed calendar with customizable filters) |
| Alerts and Notifications | Push notifications, price alerts, updates on followed traders | Price alerts, push notifications, order execution confirmations |
| News Providers | In-house analysis, financial news integration | Reuters, third-party news plugins |
| Stop-Out Level (Margin Closeout) | 50% (varies by region) | 50% for Standard account, 40% for Raw Spread account |
| Server Latency | Medium (~100ms for market orders) | Low (~40-50ms for ECN orders) |
| VPS (Virtual Private Server) | No VPS support by default | Free VPS for high-volume traders or subscription option |
| Payment Processing Time | Deposits: Instant for most methods, Withdrawals: 1-3 business days | Deposits: Instant for most methods, Withdrawals: 1-2 business days |
| Maximum Trade Size | Varies by asset and margin settings | 50 standard lots per trade (depending on instrument) |
| Copy Trading Portfolio Limit | 100 traders/portfolios simultaneously | Not applicable |
| Order Modifications | Allowed (Stop Loss, Take Profit adjustments in real-time) | Allowed (with high precision for pending orders) |
| Over-the-Weekend Positions | Yes (with overnight fees applied) | Yes (with swap rates applied) |
| Swap-Free Islamic Accounts | Yes (for Muslim traders) | Yes (swap-free accounts available upon request) |
| Account Funding Currencies | USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, more (depending on region) | USD, EUR, GBP, AUD, SGD, JPY, more |
| Crypto Wallet | Yes (through eToro Money wallet) | No (only CFD trading on cryptocurrencies) |
| Trading Robots/Expert Advisors (EAs) | No (manual trading or API access only) | Yes (supports EAs on MT4/MT5 for automated trading) |
| Sentiment Tools | Yes (shows % of traders buying vs selling an asset) | No built-in sentiment analysis |
| Commission-Free Investing | Yes (for non-leveraged stock positions) | No (commissions apply on CFDs, especially Raw Spread accounts) |
| Regulated Regions | EU, UK, USA (via limited services), Australia, Middle East | Australia, EU, Africa, Asia |
| IPO Access | No (no direct IPO participation) | No (limited to trading public listings via CFDs) |
| Staking or Dividends | Yes (dividends for real stock holdings, staking for some cryptos) | No (dividends reflected as CFD adjustments) |
| Asset Ownership | Yes (for unleveraged real stocks and cryptos) | No (all assets are traded as derivatives) |
| Leverage Adjustment | Yes (depending on regulation and asset) | Yes (can manually adjust leverage) |
| PAMM/MAM Account Options | No | Yes (Professional Asset Manager and Multi-Account Modules) |
| Institutional Services | No (focused on retail and small-scale traders) | Yes (offers liquidity solutions and custom platforms for institutions) |
| Stock Lending | No (does not lend out client securities) | No (since IC Markets offers CFDs, not actual stocks) |
| Mobile Platform Features | Full platform access (trading, copying, news, alerts) | Full MT4/MT5 and cTrader features on mobile |
| Dark Mode Interface | Yes (for web and mobile platforms) | Yes (for MT4, MT5, and cTrader) |
| Multiple Account Types | No (single retail account for most users) | Yes (Standard, Raw Spread, Islamic, Corporate) |
| Negative Balance Protection | Yes (for EU/UK/Australian clients) | Yes (for most regulated clients, but check jurisdiction) |
| Withdrawal Limit | No daily limit (subject to verification and method) | No daily limit (but bank processes may apply) |
| Price Re-quotes | No (market orders are filled at best available price) | No (ECN execution avoids re-quotes) |
eToro is ideal for beginners with social and copy trading, while IC Markets caters to advanced traders with ECN execution, low spreads, and automation support.