Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of eToro vs BDSwiss, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Both eToro and BDSwiss are reputed online brokerage firms, yet they differ significantly in terms of their regulatory status and trust ratings. eToro, established in 2007, holds a standout position with three Tier-1 licenses and one Tier-2 license, reflecting a high level of trust in the online trading world. This is reinforced by its impressive Trust Score of 93 out of 99 as rated by ForexBrokers.com, underscoring its reliability and safety in managing investments.
By contrast, BDSwiss, founded in 2012, holds only one Tier-1 license and lacks any Tier-2 licenses, leading to a more moderate Trust Score of 73 out of 99. While it is still considered to be of average risk, potential traders may find eToro's higher trust ratings and broader regulatory backing more reassuring. It's important to note that neither company is publicly traded nor operates as a bank, which is a common factor in the online brokerage industry.
| Feature |
eToro
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2007 | 2012 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 1 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
When it comes to comparing online brokers based on commissions and fees, eToro and BDSwiss offer distinct structures. eToro operates as a market-maker broker, with a typical variable spread of around 1 pip on the EUR/USD pair. While this spread is slightly above the industry average, many traders choose eToro for its unique social copy trading platform rather than its competitive spread. The platform also features a VIP club with varying levels of membership from Silver to Diamond, requiring balances between $5,000 and $250,000. Members of the eToro Club enjoy added benefits such as access to Trading Central, reduced withdrawal and deposit fees, and dedicated account managers.
On the other hand, BDSwiss provides good order execution statistics but has higher spreads compared to industry leaders. For instance, its Classic account offers a spread of 1.5 pips on the EUR/USD pair, which can be considered expensive. The Raw account at BDSwiss offers a more competitive spread of 0.3 pips, although it includes a $5 commission per side, resulting in a total effective spread of 1.3 pips. Meanwhile, the VIP account offers a spread of 1.2 pips. This diverse account range allows traders to select what best suits their trading needs in terms of fees and spreads.
In terms of ratings, eToro scores 4.5 out of 5 stars for its commissions and fees, ranking it #22 out of 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com. Conversely, BDSwiss earns a commendable 4-star rating, with a ranking of #29. These rankings reflect each broker's strengths in their respective fee structures and service offerings, helping traders make informed decisions based on their individual priorities.
| Feature |
eToro
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50-$10,000 | $10-$5000 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1 | 1.6 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | 1.3 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When comparing eToro and BDSwiss for the range of investments they offer, notable differences emerge. eToro provides a comprehensive array of 5,461 tradeable symbols, including access to 55 forex pairs and both U.S. and international exchange-traded securities. This gives traders the chance to invest directly in popular stocks like Apple and Vodafone. Beyond stocks and forex, eToro also supports copy trading, allowing users to emulate successful investors, and offers the ability to purchase both actual cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency derivatives. Thanks to this extensive investment variety, eToro earns a five-star rating and is ranked 10th for range of investments on ForexBrokers.com.
In contrast, BDSwiss supports a smaller selection of 1,081 tradeable symbols, featuring 53 forex pairs. Unlike eToro, BDSwiss does not provide access to U.S. or international exchange-traded securities, limiting the opportunity to purchase stocks such as Apple or Vodafone directly. However, BDSwiss does offer both forex and cryptocurrency trading as CFDs, alongside copy trading services. While missing some features present on eToro, BDSwiss still delivers a solid suite of investment options, reflected by its four-star rating and 34th place ranking in the range of investments category according to ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
eToro
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5461 | 1081 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 55 | 53 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | Yes | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
When it comes to choosing between eToro and BDSwiss for online trading, both platforms offer a solid array of features, but they cater to different trader needs. eToro excels with its exclusive in-house platform and extensive social trading options like copy trading. While eToro lacks a Windows-based desktop download platform, it compensates with an intuitive web-based interface, providing a user-friendly trading experience. It offers a generous 161 drawing tools for charting, surpassing BDSwiss's 15. eToro also provides a free virtual demo account for practice. Overall, eToro is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars for its trading platforms and ranks #8 among 62 brokers according to ForexBrokers.com.
On the other hand, BDSwiss stands out with its inclusion of both MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) platforms, which are popular among experienced traders. Additionally, BDSwiss supports a Windows-based desktop download, providing a more traditional trading setup. Like eToro, BDSwiss offers a proprietary platform and a virtual demo account. It allows trading directly from a stock chart and boasts 7 columns for watch lists, one more than eToro. Even though rated slightly lower at 4 stars and ranking at #24, BDSwiss appeals to traders who prefer the flexibility of MT4 and MT5 along with a comprehensive charting and customizable trading environment.
| Feature |
eToro
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | No | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 104 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 161 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | No | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 6 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
eToro and BDSwiss both offer iPhone and Android apps, catering to users who enjoy trading on the go. Both platforms support stock and forex price alerts, keeping traders informed about market movements. eToro takes a step further with its watchlist symbol syncing feature, allowing changes made on the app to reflect on their online account and vice versa. However, BDSwiss does not offer this syncing capability. When it comes to charting features, eToro provides an impressive 104 technical studies, while BDSwiss offers 30. For trendline enthusiasts, BDSwiss provides the ability to draw trendlines, a feature not available on eToro's app. Both apps support viewing charts in various time frames such as daily, weekly, or intraday.
For users who appreciate their trendline drawings being auto-saved, BDSwiss caters to this need, whereas eToro does not. Both mobile apps allow the creation of watchlists with real-time quotes, helping traders stay updated. eToro is rated 4.5 stars for its mobile trading app, slightly edging out BDSwiss, which has a 4-star rating. Within the competitive landscape of 62 brokers evaluated by ForexBrokers.com, eToro ranks at number 11, indicating a strong preference among traders, while BDSwiss is positioned at number 23. These distinctions highlight eToro's edge in features and user satisfaction, though BDSwiss excels in specific functionalities like trendline drawing and auto-saving on charts.
| Feature |
eToro
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | No | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | No | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When evaluating the market research tools available at eToro and BDSwiss, both platforms offer daily market commentary and an economic calendar that highlights global news events. However, there are distinct differences in their offerings. eToro stands out with its sentiment-based trading tool that offers insights into long or short positions on various instruments, a feature not available with BDSwiss. eToro also provides market research from TipRanks and tools from Trading Central, making it well-suited for traders who value these insights, whereas BDSwiss lacks TipRanks integration but still offers Trading Central tools.
When it comes to analysis tools, BDSwiss partners with Autochartist, providing traders with advanced technical analysis options that eToro does not offer. Despite this, eToro earns a higher research rating and ranking compared to BDSwiss. With a research rating of 4.5 out of five stars and a ranking of 13th out of 62 brokers, eToro surpasses BDSwiss, which holds a rating of four stars and ranks 23rd. These differences make eToro a top choice for research, providing comprehensive tools and insights to guide trading strategies effectively.
| Feature |
eToro
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | No |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | Yes | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Both eToro and BDSwiss offer extensive educational resources for beginners, covering key areas in forex and CFDs education. Each platform provides a wealth of content, including articles, videos, and webinars dedicated to these topics, ensuring that newcomers can develop a substantial understanding of trading. They also host regular online educational webinars at least once a month, with both platforms maintaining a searchable archive of recorded sessions, making it easy for beginners to revisit and learn at their own pace.
In addition to beginner content, both eToro and BDSwiss offer advanced educational videos tailored for more experienced traders. Their educational offerings are complemented by investor dictionaries containing over 50 investment terms each, helping users familiarize themselves with trading vocabulary. While both provide significant educational value, eToro edges ahead with a 4.5-star rating for education, ranking 5th among 62 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, whereas BDSwiss holds a 4-star rating and ranks 19th. These rankings reflect eToro's slightly stronger emphasis on educational content, making it a preferred choice for those prioritizing educational resources in their trading journey.
| Feature |
eToro
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that eToro is better than BDSwiss. eToro finished with an overall rank of #9, while BDSwiss finished with an overall rank of #36.
eToro is a winner for its easy-to-use copy-trading platform, where traders can copy the trades of experienced investors – or receive exclusive perks for sharing their own trading strategies.
| Feature |
eToro
|
BDSwiss
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 73 |
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eToro provides the flexibility to purchase both actual cryptocurrencies and cryptocurrency derivatives, while BDSwiss offers only the option to buy cryptocurrency derivatives, not the actual cryptocurrencies themselves.
When comparing eToro and BDSwiss for online trading, both platforms support ACH or SEPA transfers, Skrill, Visa, Mastercard, and bank wires for deposits and withdrawals, but only eToro offers the added convenience of PayPal.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | eToro | BDSwiss | |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | eToro Review | BDSwiss Review |
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| Regulation | eToro | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 93 | 73 | |
| Year Founded | 2007 | 2012 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 3 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | eToro | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | No | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | eToro | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | No | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | eToro | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5461 | 1081 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 55 | 53 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | Yes | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | eToro | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1 | 1.6 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | N/A | 1.3 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | No |
| Funding | eToro | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $50-$10,000 | $10-$5000 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | eToro | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | No | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | No | |
| ZuluTrade | No | No |
| Trading Tools | eToro | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 6 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 104 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 161 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | No | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | eToro | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 104 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | No | Yes |
| Research | eToro | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | No | No | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | Yes | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | eToro | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | eToro | BDSwiss | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | eToro Review | BDSwiss Review |
| Overall | eToro | BDSwiss | |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 73 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | eToro Review | BDSwiss Review |
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