Share Trading comparison
easyMarkets vs eToro
easyMarkets and eToro both offer CFD and forex trading, but the biggest difference is that eToro also gives you real ASX and US shares with zero commission, while easyMarkets is purely a derivatives broker — no actual share ownership at all. If you want to buy and hold real stocks, eToro is the only option here. If you're after leveraged bets on currencies, commodities or indices, both can do the job, but they go about it very differently.
Choose
easyMarkets
if…
- ›You want to trade options — eToro doesn't offer them at all
- ›You want a desktop trading platform (eToro is web and mobile only)
- ›You want to deposit with as little as $25 and start trading CFDs immediately
- ›You want to trade after hours or overnight
- ›You want structured educational courses built into the platform
Choose
eToro
if…
- ›You want to buy real ASX and US shares with zero brokerage and no minimum trade size
- ›You want fractional shares on both ASX and US stocks
- ›You want to automatically dollar-cost average into a portfolio (eToro has proper auto-invest with multiple rules)
- ›You want access to 16 global markets including Europe and Hong Kong
- ›You want a tax statement and CGT report at EOFY — easyMarkets doesn't provide either
Where they differ
| Fact | easyMarkets | eToro |
|---|---|---|
| Share ownership model | CFDs only — no real shares | Custodial model with real ASX and US shares |
| Minimum deposit | $25 AUD | $50 AUD |
| Inactivity fee | $25 AUD | $10 AUD |
| Australian tax statement | Not provided | Provided |
| Options trading | Supported | Not supported |
Verdict
Choose easyMarkets for leveraged CFD and options trading; choose eToro for real zero-commission shares and automated investing.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | easyMarkets | eToro |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | — | custodian |
| Individual HIN | — | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | No |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | No | Yes |
| SMSF account | No | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | No | No |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | No | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| US shares supported | No | Yes |
| US ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| Other markets supported | United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, Portugal | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | Yes |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | Yes |
| Options trading | Yes | No |
| CFDs supported | Yes | Yes |
| Crypto trading | — | Yes |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | No | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | — | 0.75% |
| Holds USD account | Yes | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | No | No |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Corporate action fees | — | eToro passes through cash dividends from non-leveraged real positions (debit/credit to wallet). It does not facilitate participation in rights issues, share purchase plans (SPPs), DRPs or shareholder votes because shares are held in a managed investment scheme by the custodian, not in the user's name. No explicit fee, but corporate action access is materially restricted. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | — | $0 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | — | 0% |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | Zero commission applies to all non-leveraged (real) ASX share and ETF purchases. Leveraged / short positions are executed as CFDs and incur 0.15% open/close spread plus overnight financing. |
| US brokerage minimum | — | US$0 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 0% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | $25 | $10 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | easyMarkets Pty Ltd | eToro AUS Capital Limited |
| AFSL number | 246,566 | 491,139 |
| AUSTRAC registration | — | Yes |
| Year founded | 2,003 | 2,017 |
| Parent / ownership | Blue Capital Markets Ltd (private, Cyprus-headquartered easyMarkets group) | eToro Group Ltd (NASDAQ: ETOR) — listed 14 May 2025; originally founded in Israel by Yoni and Ronen Assia. eToro AUS Capital Limited is a wholly-owned Australian subsidiary. |
| Country of incorporation | AU | Australia |
| Public company status | private | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $25 | $50 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $0 | $50 |
| Deposit methods | Credit/Debit Card (Visa, Mastercard, Amex), Bank Wire Transfer, BPAY, Skrill, Neteller, POLi, Crypto (BTC, ETH, USDT) | Bank transfer, Debit card, Credit card, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, POLi, Online banking |
| Settlement period | — | T+2 ASX, T+1 US (settlement managed by the eToro Service custodian; user funds reflect immediately in eToro wallet) |
| Withdrawal time | 1 business day to process; 3-10 business days for funds to arrive depending on method | 1-2 business days for eToro processing; total 2-10 business days end-to-end depending on payment method (bank transfer longer than card) |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | No |
| Demo account | Yes | Yes |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | Yes |
| Free research reports | Yes | No |
| 2FA support | SMS + authenticator | SMS + authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, live chat | Live chat (Club members only), Email / web ticket, Help centre |
| Support hours (AU time) | 24/5 (Monday to Friday, around the clock during market hours) | — |
| Education content | structured courses | video + courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | No | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | No | — |
| CGT calculator / report | No | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | No | No |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | No | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | multiple |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | No |