eToro Vs TD Ameritrade

Home » Broker Guides » eToro Vs TD Ameritrade

Ready to navigate the exciting world of online trading? These days, online trading platforms have skyrocketed in popularity, offering investors and traders an impressive range of features, tools, and services to conquer the financial markets. But here’s the catch: not all platforms are created equal, making the task of finding your perfect match a bit of a challenge. Don’t worry, though! In this article, we’re here to guide you as we compare two of the widely used online trading platforms: eToro and TD Ameritrade. We will look at their backgrounds, pros and cons, and how they differ in terms of regulation, trading platform, pricing and fees, leverage, asset selection, social trading, minimum deposit, and withdrawal and deposit methods. By the end of this article, you should have a better idea of which platform suits you better: eToro or TD Ameritrade.

Overview of eToro

eToro

eToro is a global online trading platform that was founded in 2007 in Israel. It has since expanded to over 100 countries and has more than 30 million users worldwide. eToro offers access to more than 3,000 assets across various markets, including stocks, ETFs, cryptocurrencies, commodities, currencies, indices, and more.

eToro is also known for its innovative social trading features, such as CopyTrader™ and CopyPortfolios™, which allow users to follow and copy the moves of other investors or invest in thematic portfolios curated by experts. Additionally, eToro offers thematic portfolios curated by industry experts, further broadening investment possibilities for users.

eToro’s commitment to regulatory compliance is demonstrated by its adherence to the oversight of various authoritative bodies worldwide. These include the Cyprus Securities Exchange Commission (CySEC), the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the United Kingdom, the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC), and the Financial Services Authority Seychelles (FSA).

Pros of eToro

• Zero commission on stocks and ETFs
• Fractional shares available
• Wide range of assets to trade
• Innovative social trading features
• User-friendly and intuitive platform

Cons of eToro

• High spreads on some assets
• Withdrawal fee of $5
• Limited customization and analysis tools
• No direct customer support phone line
• Not available for US residents

eToro is a leading social trading platform offering flexible methods of investing in a wide range of assets and copying other traders. The eToro platform is very intuitive with a vast collection of analytical tools and convenient funding options.

77% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

TradeTrade

Overview of TD Ameritrade

TD Ameritrade

TD Ameritrade is a US-based online trading platform that was founded in 1975. It caters to investors and traders who demand advanced trading technology, tools, and services. TD Ameritrade offers commission-free trading on stocks, ETFs, options, and futures contracts on indices, gold, crude oil, bonds, and many other markets.

TD Ameritrade also provides access to cryptocurrency trading through its subsidiary TD Ameritrade Crypto. TD Ameritrade has a proprietary computer language called thinkScript®, which allows users to create their own indicators and trading strategies using English-like statements.

TD Ameritrade also has a powerful market-scanning tool called thinkorswim, which ranks up to 1,000 symbols in real time based on customizable criteria. TD Ameritrade is regulated by the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) in the US. It is also a member of the National Futures Association (NFA) and the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA).

Pros of TD Ameritrade

• Commission-free trading on stocks, ETFs, options, and futures
• Low fees on cryptocurrency trading
• Advanced trading technology and tools
• Back-testing and automation features
• Extensive educational resources

Cons of TD Ameritrade

• High minimum deposit of $2,000 for margin accounts
• Platform fees for some services
• Complex pricing structure for options and futures
• Steep learning curve for beginners
• Limited social trading features

TD Ameritrade is one of the best brokers in the USA with a fantastic range of investment products, powerful platforms, high quality tools and an abundance of educational resources to help you make informed decisions.

All investments involve risk, including loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results.

TradeTrade

Comparison between eToro and TD Ameritrade

In this section, we will compare eToro and TD Ameritrade based on their features:

Regulation

Both eToro and TD Ameritrade are regulated in three Tier-1 jurisdictions, which means they have a high level of trustworthiness and investor protection. However, eToro is also regulated in one Tier-4 jurisdiction (Cyprus), which has a lower standard of regulation than the other jurisdictions. eToro has licenses or registrations from the FCA, CySEC, ASIC, and various US states. TD Ameritrade has licenses or registrations from the SEC, FINRA, SIPC, NFA, CFTC, SFC, and MAS.

Trading Platform

eToro offers a user-friendly and intuitive web-based platform that supports social trading, copy trading, and crypto trading. Users can also access the platform through a mobile app for iOS and Android devices. TD Ameritrade provides multiple platforms for different levels of traders, including the web-based Trade Architect, the desktop-based thinkorswim, and the mobile app TD Ameritrade Mobile. All platforms offer advanced charting, research, and analysis tools.

Pricing and Fees

Both eToro and TD Ameritrade offer commission-free trading on stocks and ETFs, which is a great advantage for investors who want to save on costs. eToro charges high spreads on some assets, which can eat into your profits. It also charges a withdrawal fee of $5 and an inactivity fee of $10 per month after 12 months of no activity. TD Ameritrade charges low fees on cryptocurrency trading, but it has complex pricing structures for options and futures, which depend on the contract size, the number of contracts, and the exchange fees. It also charges platform fees for some services, such as thinkorswim® (from $0 to $25 per month depending on the asset class).

Broker Type

eToro is a market maker broker, which means it executes trades internally and acts as a counterparty to its clients. This may create a conflict of interest and affect the quality of execution. TD Ameritrade is an agency broker, which means it routes trades to third-party liquidity providers and does not trade against its clients. This may result in better execution quality and lower slippage.

Leverage

eToro offers leverage up to 1:30 for forex trading, 1:10 for commodities trading, 1:5 for stocks and ETFs trading, and 1:2 for crypto trading. However, leverage is restricted to 1:30 for EU clients due to regulatory limitations. TD Ameritrade offers leverage up to 1:50 for forex trading, 2:1 for stocks and ETFs trading, 4:1 for day trading, and 7:1 for futures trading.

Asset Selection

Both eToro and TD Ameritrade offer a wide range of assets to trade across various markets. However, they have different strengths and weaknesses in terms of asset selection. eToro has more than 3,000 assets available, including stocks from 17 markets, over 60 cryptocurrencies, hundreds of ETFs, dozens of commodities and currencies, and several indices. TD Ameritrade has fewer assets available, but it has more options and futures contracts on indices, gold, crude oil, bonds, and many other markets. It also has access to cryptocurrency trading through its subsidiary TD Ameritrade Crypto.

Social Trading

eToro is a pioneer in social trading, which allows users to interact with other traders, share ideas, follow market trends, and copy the trades of successful investors. Users can also join various clubs and programs to access exclusive benefits and rewards. TD Ameritrade does not offer social trading features on its platforms.

Minimum Deposit

Another difference between eToro and TD Ameritrade is their minimum deposit requirements. eToro has a low minimum deposit of $200 for most countries (except for some regions where it is higher), which makes it accessible for beginners or small investors. TD Ameritrade has no minimum deposit requirement for opening an account. Clients can fund their accounts with various payment methods, such as wire transfers, checks, ACH transfers, etc. However, some account types may have higher initial funding requirements, such as margin accounts ($2,000) or futures accounts ($25,000).

Withdrawal and Deposit Methods

Both eToro and TD Ameritrade offer various withdrawal and deposit methods for their users. eToro supports withdrawal and deposit methods such as credit/debit cards, credit/debit cards, bank transfers, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, and more. However, it charges a withdrawal fee of $5 regardless of the amount or method used. It also has a minimum withdrawal amount of $30. TD Ameritrade supports withdrawal and deposit methods such as bank transfers, checks, ACH transfers, wire transfers, and more. However, it does not support credit/debit cards or online payment services like PayPal.

Which Should You Choose: eToro or TD Ameritrade?

The decision between eToro and TD Ameritrade depends on your personal preferences, goals, and needs as a trader or investor. However, here are some general guidelines that can help you make an informed decision: If you are a beginner or casual trader seeking access to a variety of assets with simple clicks or taps, zero commission on stocks and ETFs trading, social trading features, and a low minimum deposit requirement, eToro may be the preferred choice for you. eToro offers a user-friendly interface that simplifies trading execution and provides a wide range of assets to trade. Additionally, it incorporates social trading features, allowing you to follow and replicate the trades of successful traders.

On the other hand, if you are an advanced or professional trader looking to access the US market with commission-free trading on stocks, ETFs, options, and futures, leverage sophisticated trading technology and tools, back-test and automate your trading strategies, and have access to low fees on cryptocurrency trading, TD Ameritrade might be a better fit. TD Ameritrade caters to advanced traders by offering a robust trading platform with advanced charting tools, customizable indicators, and automated trading capabilities. It also provides access to a wide range of financial instruments, including options and futures.

Conclusion

In this article, we have compared two of the most well-known and widely used online trading platforms: eToro and TD Ameritrade. We have looked at their backgrounds, pros, and cons, and how they differ in terms of regulation, trading platform, pricing and fees, leverage, asset selection, social trading, minimum deposit, and withdrawal and deposit methods. We have also provided some general guidelines on which platform suits you better depending on your preferences, goals, and needs. However, the final choice is yours to make based on your own research and due diligence. We hope this article has been helpful and informative for you. Happy trading!

Relevant Articles