Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of CMC Markets vs eToro, 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.
CMC Markets (founded in 1989) and eToro (founded in 2007) are well-known online brokers. Both are publicly traded companies and neither is a bank. In terms of regulation, CMC Markets holds 6 Tier-1 licenses—considered highly trusted by ForexBrokers.com—plus 1 Tier-2 license. eToro holds 4 Tier-1 licenses and 1 Tier-2 license.
ForexBrokers.com’s Trust Score rates brokers on a 0–99 scale: 90–99 highly trusted, 80–89 trusted, 70–79 average risk, 60–69 high risk, and below 59 not trusted. CMC Markets earns a 99/99 Trust Score, while eToro scores 97/99—placing both firms in the highly trusted category.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2007 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 4 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
CMC Markets comes out ahead of eToro on commissions and fees, earning a 5-star rating and a #4 ranking out of 36 brokers for this category. It stands out for its low-cost pricing, with average EUR/USD spreads of 0.61 pips and an active trader program called Price Plus Scheme that can lower trading costs for frequent users. CMC also offers FX Active, a commission-based plan with $2.50 per side and minimum spreads of zero pips, which can bring the all-in EUR/USD cost down to 0.5 pips.
eToro, by comparison, receives 4 stars and ranks #22 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees. It typically shows a 1 pip spread on EUR/USD, which is a bit higher than the industry average, so it is usually not the best choice for traders focused mainly on low spreads. Instead, many people use eToro for its social copy trading features rather than for bargain pricing.
In simple terms, CMC Markets is the better pick if keeping trading costs low is your top priority, while eToro is stronger for users who value its copy trading platform more than tight spreads. Both brokers offer VIP-style account benefits, but CMC Markets has the clearer edge on pricing overall.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $50-$10,000 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | 1 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | 1 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | Yes |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When comparing CMC Markets vs eToro for range of investments, both online brokers give traders access to a wide mix of markets. Each one offers forex trading, exchange traded securities on U.S. and international exchanges, copy trading, and cryptocurrency CFDs. They both also earned 5 stars for Range of Investments, showing that each platform gives users plenty of choice across popular asset classes.
CMC Markets has the edge on sheer variety, with 12,029 tradeable symbols and 141 forex pairs, compared with eToro’s 7,441 symbols and 65 forex pairs. CMC Markets also ranks slightly higher for Range of Investments at #9 out of 36 brokers, while eToro ranks #10. One key difference is that eToro lets clients buy actual cryptocurrency, while CMC Markets does not, making eToro the better pick for those who want direct crypto ownership.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 12029 | 7441 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 141 | 65 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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.
CMC Markets and eToro both give traders a free demo account, a web-based platform, a proprietary platform, copy trading, and the ability to place trades directly from charts. Both brokers also support simulated trading, which makes it easier for beginners to practice before using real money. In this category, CMC Markets stands out with a Windows desktop app plus access to MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, giving active traders more platform choices than eToro.
For trading platforms and tools, CMC Markets is rated 5 out of 5 stars and ranks #6 out of 36 brokers on ForexBrokers.com, while eToro earns 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #8. That edge suggests CMC Markets offers a slightly stronger overall setup for traders who want more advanced software and charting options, while eToro remains a good choice for users who prefer simple web trading and copy trading.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 73 | 106 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
CMC Markets and eToro both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, along with stock and forex price alerts, watchlist syncing, and the ability to draw trendlines on charts. This means traders can monitor markets, manage watchlists, and place basic chart markings from either app with ease. Both platforms make it simple to stay connected to an online account while on the go, which is useful for active traders who want access from their phone or tablet.
When it comes to charting and overall mobile experience, CMC Markets has a slight edge in some areas. Its app includes 29 technical studies, while eToro offers 104, giving eToro more chart indicators to choose from. However, CMC Markets automatically saves chart drawings in the mobile app, while eToro does not. That difference helps explain why CMC Markets is rated 5 stars and ranked #5 out of 36 brokers for mobile trading apps, compared with eToro’s 4.5 stars and #10 ranking.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 104 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
CMC Markets and eToro both give traders daily market commentary, forex news from major sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, a sentiment tool showing long and short positions, and an economic calendar with key global events. This means both brokers make it easy to follow market moves and keep up with news that may affect trading decisions.
When it comes to extra research features, CMC Markets has an edge with Autochartist tools, while eToro stands out for offering TipRanks research. Neither broker offers Trading Central or Acuity Trading tools. Overall, CMC Markets scores higher for research, with a 5-star rating and a #6 rank out of 36 brokers, compared with eToro’s 4.5-star rating and #12 rank.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central | No | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | Yes |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to beginner-friendly learning, both CMC Markets and eToro give new traders plenty to work with. Each broker offers at least 10 beginner videos and at least 10 advanced videos, and both also provide a solid range of forex and CFD education with 10 or more learning pieces focused on those topics. CMC Markets stands out for its strong education rating of 5 stars, while eToro is close behind at 4.5 stars.
The main difference is in live learning support and overall education ranking. eToro offers online educational webinars at least once a month, while CMC Markets does not. Even so, CMC Markets still ranks well for education at #10 out of 36 brokers, while eToro places higher at #3. For beginners who want the widest mix of learning tools and regular webinars, eToro has the edge, but CMC Markets remains a very strong choice for structured education.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | No | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that CMC Markets is better than eToro. CMC Markets finished with an overall rank of #5, while eToro finished with an overall rank of #9.
CMC Markets is well-trusted across the globe, and delivers a terrific trading experience thanks to its excellent pricing and selection of over 12,000 tradeable instruments.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
eToro
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 97 |
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CMC Markets vs eToro: both brokers support cryptocurrency CFDs, but only eToro lets you buy and hold actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies, while CMC Markets limits crypto access to CFDs.
CMC Markets and eToro both support ACH/SEPA transfers, PayPal, and bank wire deposits and withdrawals, but only eToro also supports Skrill.
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 | CMC Markets | eToro | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 97 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | eToro Review |
| Broker Screenshots | CMC Markets | eToro | |
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| Regulation | CMC Markets | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 97 | |
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2007 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 4 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | CMC Markets | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | CMC Markets | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | No | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | CMC Markets | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 12029 | 7441 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 141 | 65 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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 | CMC Markets | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | 1 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | 1 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | Yes | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | CMC Markets | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $50-$10,000 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | CMC Markets | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | CMC Markets | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 73 | 106 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | CMC Markets | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 104 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | No |
| Research | CMC Markets | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | No | No | |
| TipRanks | No | Yes | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | CMC Markets | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | No | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | CMC Markets | eToro | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | eToro Review |
| Overall | CMC Markets | eToro | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 97 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | eToro Review |
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