Founded in 2007, eToro has risen sharply in rankings as an investment platform, offering trading in over 5,000 global shares and funds, placing it among the top 10 investment platforms worldwide. Its popularity has grown due to its simplicity and social trading feature. So, what’s the need for eToro alternatives?
eToro offers a simple, intuitive interface that is easy to navigate, and for beginner investors, its copy trading features remove the guesswork. Also, for the serious retail investor accounts, it works fine. However, someone looking for advanced features, an order system, sharp charting tools, and backtesting tools often looks for eToro alternatives.
This article shows you the best eToro alternatives and helps you find the one that fits your investment strategy and needs.
Key Takeaways
- Change is the best eToro alternative for European investors in 2026, offering a fully EU-regulated, multi-asset platform with low fees, advanced tools, and seamless access to both crypto and traditional markets.
- Other platforms like Trading 212, Interactive Brokers, and XTB may suit specific investing styles, depending on whether you prioritise stocks, CFDs, or broader market access.
Where eToro Falls Short for Traders
Despite a massive user base of over 40 million registered users globally, eToro has several pain points that are pushing European investors to explore other options.
Social Trading Focused
There is a platform complexity with eToro that revolves around its major strength. eToro was built around social trading and a news feed, which adds noise for users who simply want to buy crypto or open a retail CFD position without distraction.
For experienced investors who want advanced trading tools and value a clean, focused experience, this is a genuine drawback.
High Trading Fees
While eToro offers free withdrawals for EUR and GBP, the platform's heavy reliance on USD base accounts means European investors often face hidden currency conversion fees on deposits and trades. Furthermore, eToro's minimum deposit of $50 is higher than that of many competitors, creating a barrier for those who want to start small and build gradually.
Regulatory Restrictions
Since MiFID II and MiCA introduced stricter requirements, certain eToro features available globally are restricted for EU users, including some leverage levels and crypto offerings. European investors, especially experienced investors, deserve a platform designed with EU compliance at its core, not retrofitted around it.
What To Look For When Choosing Etoro Alternatives
When seeking alternatives, there are many factors to consider to ensure the best investment experience. You should check and compare these main categories that best bring out the differences between platforms:
Security and Regulations
Security is the most important factor when evaluating a platform. The platform must be regulated by recognised financial authorities operating under strict frameworks like MiCA. Also, it must offer second-layer security features, such as cold storage, two-factor authentication (2FA), and transparent proof of reserves to verify solvency.
A platform’s history of security breaches or hacks also influences trust and risk assessment.
Trading fees
There is a wide variety of fees that may be charged by online platforms, along with a wide range of fee levels, making this a major consideration at the point of entry when choosing the correct broker. This will go a long way in affecting your returns and experience.
Product offerings
Most users want to invest in a specific product; thus, knowing whether it is possible to trade crypto, stocks, or other leveraged products on retail CFD accounts and futures is crucial when looking for an alternative to eToro.
Customer Support
Always choose alternatives with the fastest customer support response times and known for the fastest compliance checks. In your investment journey, you might have many questions, and a quick resolution would be helpful in crucial times.
Top eToro Alternatives For European Investors
With those key factors in mind, here are some alternative investment platforms to eToro that offer advanced trading features, transparent pricing and strict regulations and security.
1. Change
Change is one of the strongest eToro alternatives for investors across the EU who want a single, regulated app for both crypto and traditional markets. Currently based in Amsterdam, the company has roots dating back to 2010 in CFDs and has been active in crypto since 2016, giving it a verified track record that few newer competitors can rival.
Since its launch, the sophisticated trading platform has attracted a significant user base of long-term investors thanks to its advanced trading features and strict security and regulatory measures.
- Product offerings: Change offers 500+ tradable assets in cryptocurrencies, stocks, forex, commodities and leveraged products like trading CFDs. The platform allows trading with as little as €10 and offers up to 30× leverage on major forex pairs and specific CFDs, strictly in line with European regulations.
For investment purposes, Change offers advanced tools like Recurring Buy, which automates your crypto purchases on a set schedule. Besides investments, you can also earn with passive income features like crypto staking, which offers up to 6% annually on your crypto holdings.
- Security and regulation: User safety is a topmost priority for Change. The platform has enabled advanced security features, including strict KYC, biometric passwords and passcodes for the Change app, and 2FA to keep the account secure.
On top of this, the team continuously monitors transactions and assesses risks in real time to prevent fraudulent activities. However, if something goes wrong, such as theft or hacking, the company has a $100 million insurance policy. Also, the trading platform is fully compliant with all applicable regulations in Estonia and across the EU.
- Trading fees: Change offers a competitive fee structure in the European market. Buying and selling Bitcoin is commission-free, while there is a flat 0.1% trading fee for altcoins. The highlight is that the platform has no hidden fees, offering transparent pricing, allowing you to review all fees.
Deposits are completely commission-free, while withdrawals cost very minimal fees. The platform does not charge a traditional annual management fee or deposit fees, making it highly cost-effective for investors actively building their portfolios. - Customer support: Change provides real human support for crypto, a standout offering that has become increasingly rare among heavily automated competitors. For any other update or change, there are specific departments.
Pros and Cons
2. Trading 212
Founded back in 2004 in Bulgaria by Ivan Ashminov and Borislav Nedialkov, Trading 212 is one of the leading investment platforms in Europe. It is best known for its commission-free trading platform in stocks, ETFs and other investment options and is a strong alternative to eToro.
While relatively low compared to dedicated crypto trading platforms, it has integrated digital currency features in recent years.
- Product offerings: Trading 212 is known for stock trading, but it is new to crypto. The platform features automated investing through Pies (a feature that automatically creates a diversified portfolio for users).
Cryptocurrencies are available as retail CFD accounts; however, spot trading is not allowed. - Security and regulations: The platform is generally considered safe and is supervised by top-tier authorities such as the UK's FCA and Germany's BaFin. The company has segregated the clients' funds from company assets, ensuring they cannot be used to pay creditors in the event of insolvency.
- Trading fees: There are no trading commissions and no custody fees for stocks held in an Invest/ISA account. Among the key platform fees are a 0.15% fx conversion fee on all foreign-currency assets traded and a 0.7% fee on card deposits over £2,000. Although CFD accounts do not charge platform fees, they charge spreads and overnight interest.
- Customer support: Trading 212 does not offer a general customer service phone number. You can access customer service through several official channels, primarily within their app or via their website's support portal.
Pros and Cons
3. Interactive Brokers (IBKR)
Interactive Brokers' operation in Europe dates back to 1993, when they started brokerage for public retail and institutional clients. Currently, the central hub is in Ireland, serving residents across the European Economic Area (EEA) and Switzerland.
The platform is known for its experience and is cost-effective for serious European investors. However, some describe the platform as highly complex compared to newer, advanced platforms.
- Product offerings: Interactive Brokers is known for its broad range of traditional assets, including stocks, ETFs, bonds, mutual funds and forex. Users can trade global leveraged products like futures, options, and CFDs for stocks, indices, and commodities. It also offers a Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) in the UK.
However, for crypto traders, Interactive Brokers may not be the most efficient choice, as it offers only 11 leading crypto assets, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum. - Security and regulation: The platform maintains a strict regulatory oversight with daily asset segregation and multi-layered account protection. It is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK and the US-Custodied Assets (SIPC) for certain international products.
- Trading fees: Interactive Brokers has a complex platform fee structure, which can be hard for investors to understand. Most European stocks and ETFs, you can choose between Tiered pricing, which starts at €1.25 plus third-party trading fees or fixed pricing starting at €3.00 flat. Users get one free withdrawal per calendar month, with any subsequent withdrawals incurring a €1 charge for SEPA and an €8 charge for bank wires.
- Customer support: IBKR has multiple support call numbers worldwide, and you can also reach them via live chat and a secure message centre.
Pros and Cons
4. XTB
XTB is a native European investment platform founded in 2002 in Poland.
The company rapidly expanded, opening offices in many countries and maintaining a strong presence across Europe and worldwide, offering a range of investment options.
- Product offerings: XTB offers a comprehensive multi-asset platform featuring 9,300+ securities from the EU and the US, and 2,600+ leveraged CFDs on forex, indices, commodities, and crypto.
- Security and regulation: The platform has won user trust with high security in Europe, primarily due to its oversight by top-tier regulators in the EU. XTB has faced regulatory fines in the past, such as a €2.2 million fine by the Polish KNF in 2018 for "asymmetric slippage" practices in CFD trading between 2014 and 2016.
- Trading fees: XTB offers a commission-free trading platform on real stocks and ETFs for monthly volumes up to €100,000, though a 0.5% fx conversion fee applies when trading assets outside your account's base currency.
- Customer support: The company is perceived as excellent in customer support, offering localised assistance in over 10 languages via phone, live chat and email.
Pros and Cons
Conclusion
The right eToro alternative depends on what you actually need. If you're looking for a multi-asset, high-security, and advanced trading platform, Change is the strongest option. However, if you are purely a stock investor, a dedicated exchange like Interactive Brokers might be sufficient.
However, the most important point is that any platform handling your money should be licensed by an EU financial authority. Choose a platform that aligns with your strategy while ensuring your funds are protected under strict European regulations.
Frequently Asked Questions
1. What is the best eToro alternative in Europe in 2026?
Change is the best eToro alternative in Europe for its multi-asset offering, low fees, and strong EU regulation.
2. Does eToro allow free fractional share trading?
Yes, eToro allows fractional share trading.
3. What features should you consider in an eToro alternative for investment options?
Security, fees, product range, and customer support are key features to consider when evaluating an eToro alternative.
4. Are there cheaper alternatives to eToro in Europe?
Change, Trading 212, and XTB are cheaper alternatives to eToro, offering commission-free stock and ETF trading.
5. Is Interactive Investor a good alternative to eToro?
Yes, Interactive Brokers is a powerful alternative for European investors; however, its complex fee structure and advanced interface make it better suited for highly experienced professionals rather than everyday investors.
