eToro vs HFM 2024

eToro is not publicly traded and does not operate a bank. eToro is authorised by three Tier-1 regulators (Highly Trusted), zero Tier-2 regulators (Trusted), zero Tier-3 regulators (Average Risk), and one Tier-4 regulator (High Risk). eToro is authorised by the following Tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Exchange Commission (ASIC), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and regulated in the European Union via the MiFID passporting system.

HotForex is not publicly traded and does not operate a bank. HotForex is authorised by two Tier-1 regulators (Highly Trusted), Three tier-2 regulators (Trusted), zero Tier-3 regulators (Average Risk), and one Tier-4 regulator (High Risk). HotForex is authorised by the following Tier-1 regulator: Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and regulated in the European Union via the MiFID passporting system.

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.

Alongside its enhanced MetaTrader offering and quality research, HFM (HF Markets), previously known as HotForex, offers a proprietary copy trading platform, HFcopy, a proprietary HF mobile app, and a decent selection of over 1,000 CFDs and 47 forex pairs. Still, trading costs at HFM are slightly above the industry average.

To open a trading account with eToro, you'll need to make an initial minimum deposit of $50-$10,000.

HFM requires a minimum deposit of $0 before you can open an account and start trading.

It's important to make sure that your forex broker accepts the funding options and deposit methods that work best for you. eToro offers Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit), Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw), PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw), Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) and Neteller (Deposit/Withdraw) for banking, whereas HFM provides Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit), Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw), Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) and Neteller (Deposit/Withdraw).

Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spread data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough, data-driven testing of each broker's commissions and fees, we found that eToro offers better pricing overall for traders.

Methodology: When testing each broker's commissions, fees, and pricing, we analyze multiple trade scenarios and award points based on the expansiveness (or inexpensiveness) of the broker's spreads. We then run multiple scenarios for different investor types, incorporating any miscellaneous fees, to determine an "all-in" cost per trade. Learn more about how we test.

At ForexBrokers.com, we track over 110 international regulatory agencies and sort them by tiers (Tier-1, Tier-2, Tier-3, Tier-4, and Tier-5) to help you choose well-regulated, highly trusted forex brokers. Learn more about our proprietary Trust Score rating system. Based on our research on the regulatory status of over 60 brokers, we've found that eToro holds 3 global Tier-1 licenses, while HFM holds 2. HFM holds 3 global Tier-2 licenses, while eToro holds 1.

After evaluating each broker based on their number of held licenses, years in business, and a range of other data-driven variables, we've determined that eToro (93) earned a higher Trust Score than HFM (86).

To compare the trading platforms of both eToro and HFM, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, eToro offers a better experience. With research, eToro offers superior market research. Finally, we found eToro to provide better mobile trading apps.

Here’s what trading platforms are available at eToro:

• Proprietary Platform - Yes
• Web Platform - Yes
• cTrader - No
• DupliTrade - No
• MT4 - No
• MT5 - No
• ZuluTrade - No
• TradingView - No

Here’s what trading platforms are available at HFM:

• Proprietary Platform - Yes
• Web Platform - Yes
• cTrader - No
• DupliTrade - No
• MT4 - Yes
• MT5 - Yes
• ZuluTrade - No
• TradingView - No

The MetaTrader trading platform suite is wildly popular among forex and CFD traders across the globe. HFM offers MetaTrader 4 (MT4), while eToro does not. Forex traders also appreciate the ability to engage in social copy trading. eToro and HFM both offer copy trading.

HFM provides traders 102 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to eToro's 55 available pairs. If you are interested in trading a full range of securities, eToro offers traders access to 5461 tradeable symbols, while HFM offers access to 500 tradeable symbols; so eToro offers 4961 more tradeable symbols than HFM.

We found in our testing that eToro offers a more diverse selection of investment options than HFM, allowing you to trade Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs), U.S. Stocks (CFD), Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD), Cryptocurrency (Physical), Cryptocurrency (Derivative) and Social Trading / Copy Trading. Neither have Spread Betting.