Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as CFD/FX brokers: leveraged trading on forex, indices, commodities and crypto. Scores, winners and data below compare these brokers as stock brokers: real shares and ETFs you own outright.
Charles Schwab
Not regulated in your country Charles Schwab does not accept residents in Australia because it is not regulated by ASIC.
When you invest, your capital is at risk.
eToro
Regulated in your country eToro is allowed by ASIC to onboard clients residing in Australia.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.
Best for
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders Charles Schwab and eToro are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in Australia.Charles Schwab is better than eToro for day traders, futures traders and options traders, while eToro is better for high-volume traders and CFD stock traders. Long-term investors, swing traders and news traders can choose either Charles Schwab or eToro.
| Overall score | Charles Schwab not offered 86 | eToro 81 83 -3 |
|---|---|---|
| Day trading i | ||
| Long-term investing i | ||
| Professional traders i | ||
| High-volume traders i | ||
| Scalpers i | ||
| Swing traders i | ||
| News traders i | ||
| Algo traders i | ||
| Stock traders i | ||
| Crypto traders i | ||
| Futures traders i | ||
| Options traders i |
Regulation
What we compare A comparison between the financial authorities that supervise Charles Schwab and the ones that supervise eToro.Only eToro is regulated in Australia, by ASIC. Charles Schwab holds no licence in Australia and is regulated by the SEC (United States) and the CFTC (United States).
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 100 | eToro 100 100 |
|---|---|---|
| Tier-1 regulators | ||
| ESMA (European Union) i | ||
| FCA (United Kingdom) i | ||
| ASIC (Australia) i | ||
| CFTC (United States) i | ||
| NFA (United States) i | ||
| SEC (United States) i | ||
| CIRO (Canada) i | ||
| MAS (Singapore) i | ||
| SFC (Hong Kong) i | ||
| JFSA (Japan) i | ||
| FINMA (Switzerland) i | ||
| Tier-2 regulators | ||
| FMA (New Zealand) i | ||
| CBR (Russia) i | ||
| FSCA (South Africa) i | ||
| DFSA (Dubai) i | ||
| CSRC (China) i | ||
| ISA (Israel) i | ||
| LFSA (Malaysia) i | ||
| JSC (Jordan) i | ||
| CMA (Kenya) i | ||
| Tier-3 regulators | ||
| FSA (Seychelles) i | ||
| MMA (Maldives) i | ||
| SCB (Bahamas) i | ||
| FSC (Mauritius) i | ||
| VFSC (Vanuatu) i | ||
| FSC (Belize) i | ||
| CIMA (Cayman Islands) i | ||
| SV FSA (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) i | ||
| FSRC (St. Kitts & Nevis) i | ||
| BMA (Bermuda) i | ||
| BVI FSC (British Virgin Islands) i | ||
| EDR (External Dispute Resolution) i | ||
Safety
What we compare A comparison of the tools and services that Charles Schwab and eToro have in place to protect your money in Australia.Charles Schwab and eToro both offer segregated client funds and additional money insurance. Charles Schwab also offers an investor compensation scheme.
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 95 Best | eToro 81 81 -14 |
|---|---|---|
| Company info | ||
| Is it publicly traded i | ||
| Is it a bank i | ||
| Year founded i | 1971 | 2007 |
| Parent company i | The Charles Schwab Corporation | eToro Group Ltd |
| CEO i | Rick Wurster | Yoni Assia |
| Money safety | ||
| Segregated client funds i | ||
| Two-factor authentication i | ||
| Investor compensation scheme i | ||
| Additional money insurance i | ||
| Partner bank i | Charles Schwab Bank | Australian Settlements Limited |
| Brand power | ||
| Number of customers worldwide i | 4,280,000 | |
| Annual revenue i | US$1,340,000,000 | |
| Monthly website search traffic i | 87.9M monthly visits | 13.2M monthly visits |
Costs
What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with Charles Schwab and with eToro in Australia, both on each trade and on holding the account.Charles Schwab does not offer CFD/FX, being a stockbroker, so eToro and Charles Schwab cannot be compared for CFD/FX costs.
Charles Schwab is better than eToro for real stock costs, since Charles Schwab does not charge US stock fees (against eToro's US$4), and does not charge withdrawal fees or currency conversion fees, unlike eToro. Neither Charles Schwab nor eToro charges inactivity fees or account maintenance fees.
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 95 Best | eToro 55 76 -19 |
|---|---|---|
| Broker fees | ||
| Deposit fees i | ||
| Withdrawal fees i | ||
| Overnight fees i | ||
| Inactivity fees i | ||
| Currency conversion fees i | ||
| Discounts on volume i | ||
| Real time market data fee i | ||
| Dividend withholding i | ||
| Account opening fees i | ||
| Account maintenance fee i | ||
| Portfolio management fee i | ||
| Fees on CFDs | ||
| Forex commission per lot i | ||
| EUR/USD average standard spread i | ||
| EUR/USD average raw spread i | ||
| EUR/USD average fixed spread i | ||
| EUR/USD total cost per lot i | US$11.2 | |
| S&P 500 fees (CFD) i | 1.08 points | |
| Gold fees (CFD) i | 0.88 points | |
| Bitcoin fees (CFD) i | US$1,585.8 | |
| US stocks fees (CFD) i | ||
| Fees on stocks | ||
| Stock fee type i | Commission | Commission |
| US stocks fees (real) i | Free | US$4 |
| ETF fees (real) i | Free | |
| Management costs i | ||
| Connection costs i | ||
| Fees on futures | ||
| Futures fees per contract i | US$2.25 | |
| Platform fees i | ||
| Fees on options | ||
| Options fees per contract i | US$0.65 | |
| Event fees i | ||
| Fees on savings plans | ||
| IRA opening fee i | ||
| IRA maintenance fee i | ||
| 401k opening fee i | ||
| 401k maintenance fee i | ||
Available markets
What we compare A comparison of the markets and products you can trade with Charles Schwab and with eToro in Australia, and of how many instruments each one gives access to.eToro and Charles Schwab cannot be set side by side for CFD/FX markets, as Charles Schwab is a stockbroker and does not offer CFD/FX, unlike eToro.
Charles Schwab is better than eToro for real stock markets, as Charles Schwab lets you own bonds and funds outright, which eToro does not, offers futures on commodities and indices, which eToro does not, and offers options on commodities and stocks, which eToro does not. Both Charles Schwab and eToro let you own crypto, ETFs and stocks outright.
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 100 Best | eToro 85 55 -45 |
|---|---|---|
| Total tradable symbols i | 1,100 | 7,000 |
| Currency pairs i | ||
| Indices i | ||
| Commodities i | ||
| Stocks i | ||
| ETF i | ||
| Cryptocurrencies i | ||
| Bonds i | ||
| Interest rates i | ||
| Portfolios i | ||
| CFDs i | Commodities, Crypto, ETF, Forex, Indices, Stocks | |
| Futures i | Commodities, Indices | |
| Options i | Commodities, Stocks | |
| Assets you can own i | Bonds, Crypto, ETF, Funds, Stocks | Crypto, ETF, Stocks |
Platform
What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that Charles Schwab and eToro make available to their clients in Australia.eToro and Charles Schwab cannot be set side by side for platforms, as Charles Schwab is a stockbroker and does not offer CFD/FX, unlike eToro.
eToro is better than Charles Schwab for platforms, because eToro offers social trading, copy trading and one-click trading, which Charles Schwab does not. Charles Schwab and eToro both offer a proprietary platform and real-time pricing.
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 68 -16 | eToro 84 84 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Proprietary platform i | ||
| MetaTrader 4 i | ||
| MetaTrader 5 i | ||
| cTrader i | ||
| Social trading platform i | ||
| Copy trading platform i | ||
| ZuluTrade i | ||
| TradingView i | ||
| Duplitrade i | ||
| Mirror Trader i | ||
| NinjaTrader i | ||
| AutoChartist i | ||
| Real time pricing i | ||
| 5 digit pricing i | ||
| One-click trading i |
Mobile
What we compare A comparison of the mobile apps of Charles Schwab and eToro in Australia, and of what each one lets you do from your phone.There is no like-for-like comparison for mobile trading, as Charles Schwab is a stockbroker and does not offer CFD/FX.
eToro is better than Charles Schwab for mobile trading, since eToro offers a social trading app and a copy trading app, which Charles Schwab does not. Both Charles Schwab and eToro offer a proprietary mobile app and mobile price alerts.
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 80 -7 | eToro 87 87 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Proprietary app i | ||
| Social trading app i | ||
| Copy trading app i | ||
| MetaTrader 4 app i | ||
| MetaTrader 5 app i | ||
| cTrader app i | ||
| Mobile trading signals i | ||
| Mobile alerts i | ||
| Mobile charting tools i | ||
| Mobile drawing tools i | ||
| Mobile watchlist i | ||
| Smartwatch app i |
Trading features
What we compare A comparison of the trading tools and strategies that Charles Schwab and eToro allow on their platforms in Australia.Charles Schwab does not offer CFD/FX, being a stockbroker, so eToro and Charles Schwab cannot be compared for CFD/FX trading features.
eToro is better than Charles Schwab for real stock trading features. Both Charles Schwab and eToro offer trailing stops and fractional shares.
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 70 -15 | eToro 68 85 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Trade execution | ||
| Broker type i | NDD | Agency |
| Average execution time i | ||
| Slippage occurrence i | ||
| Requotes occurrence i | ||
| Tier-1 liquidity providers i | ||
| PFOF i | ||
| Leverage | ||
| Major FX pairs leverage i | 0:1 | 30:1 |
| Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i | 0:1 | 20:1 |
| Major indices leverage i | 0:1 | 20:1 |
| Minor indices leverage i | 0:1 | 10:1 |
| Gold leverage i | 0:1 | 20:1 |
| Commodities leverage i | 0:1 | 10:1 |
| Equities leverage i | 0:1 | 5:1 |
| Cryptocurrency leverage i | 0:1 | 2:1 |
| Risk management | ||
| Stop losses i | ||
| Take profits i | ||
| Limit orders i | ||
| Trailing stop i | ||
| Margin call i | ||
| OCO orders i | ||
| Guaranteed stop loss i | ||
| Negative balance protection i | ||
| Minimum trade size (FX) i | 0.01 lots | |
| Minimum trade size (stocks) i | US$5 | US$10 |
| Fractional stocks i | ||
| Trading compliance | ||
| Scalping strategies allowed i | ||
| Hedging strategies allowed i | ||
| Automated trading strategy allowed i | ||
| EAs use allowed i | ||
| HFT strategy allowed i | ||
| VPS use allowed i | ||
| API use allowed i | ||
| Price scraping allowed i | ||
| FIFO rule applies i | ||
Account types
What we compare A comparison of the kinds of account you can open at Charles Schwab and at eToro in Australia, and of who each one is meant for.Charles Schwab does not offer CFD/FX, being a stockbroker, so eToro and Charles Schwab cannot be compared for CFD/FX account types.
Charles Schwab is better than eToro for real stock account types, because Charles Schwab offers a managed account and a margin investing account, which eToro does not. Charles Schwab and eToro both offer a stock investing account and a demo account.
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 83 Best | eToro 45 76 -7 |
|---|---|---|
| Demo account i | ||
| Unlimited demo account i | ||
| Standard account i | ||
| Micro account i | ||
| Cent account i | ||
| Nano account i | ||
| Raw spread account i | ||
| ECN account i | ||
| Swap-free account i | ||
| Islamic account i | ||
| Professional traders account i | ||
| Fixed spread account i | ||
| Spread betting account i | ||
| Copy trading account i | ||
| Corporate account i | ||
| Managed account i | ||
| Stock investing account i | ||
| Margin investing account i | ||
| Savings account i | ||
| Retirement account i |
Account opening
What we compare A comparison of what it takes to open and fund an account with Charles Schwab and with eToro in Australia.eToro and Charles Schwab cannot be compared for account opening, because eToro is a broker offering both CFDs and stocks while Charles Schwab is a stockbroker. Charles Schwab holds no licence in Australia.
eToro is better than Charles Schwab for account opening, because eToro offers 2 account base currencies (against Charles Schwab's 1), supports e-wallets, which Charles Schwab does not, and offers debit cards, which Charles Schwab does not. That said, Charles Schwab asks for no minimum deposit at all (against eToro's US$50). Charles Schwab holds no licence in Australia.
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 50 -19 | eToro 69 69 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Minimum deposit i | US$0 | US$50 |
| Minimum withdrawal i | US$0 | US$30 |
| Wire transfers i | ||
| Credit cards i | ||
| Debit cards i | ||
| eWallets i | PayPal, Neteller, Skrill | |
| Local payment methods i | ||
| Account base currencies i | USD | USD, AUD |
| Deposit waiting time i | Instant | |
| Withdrawal waiting time i | up to 7 business days | |
| Bonus program i |
Customer care
What we compare A comparison of the customer support of Charles Schwab and eToro in Australia, in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.Charles Schwab does not offer CFD/FX, being a stockbroker, so eToro and Charles Schwab cannot be compared for customer care.
eToro is better than Charles Schwab for customer care, because eToro has a website in 7 languages (against Charles Schwab's 2), and offers call-back requests, which Charles Schwab does not. Both Charles Schwab and eToro offer a dedicated account manager and phone support.
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 60 -18 | eToro 78 78 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Number of languages supported i | 2 | 7 |
| Website languages i | English, Chinese | Arabic, German, English, French, Italian, Spanish, Chinese |
| Website available in English i | ||
| Customer support languages i | English | English |
| Customer support in English i | ||
| Call back request i | ||
| Email support i | ||
| Phone support i | ||
| Live chat i | ||
| Priority customer support i | ||
| Dedicated account manager i | ||
| Cash sweep i | ||
| Stock lending i | ||
| Distributes proceeds i | ||
| Tax withholding agent i | ||
| Tax assistance i |
Learning
What we compare A comparison of the educational material that Charles Schwab and eToro provide to their clients in Australia.Charles Schwab does not offer CFD/FX, being a stockbroker, so eToro and Charles Schwab cannot be compared for learning.
eToro is better than Charles Schwab for learning, because eToro offers daily market commentary, which Charles Schwab does not. Both Charles Schwab and eToro offer education for advanced traders and webinars.
| Section score | Charles Schwab not offered 92 -4 | eToro 96 96 Best |
|---|---|---|
| Education | ||
| Education center i | ||
| Education for beginners i | ||
| Education for advanced traders i | ||
| Webinars i | ||
| Tutorials i | ||
| Glossary i | ||
| Research | ||
| Economic calendar i | ||
| Traders' sentiment i | ||
| Daily market commentary i | ||
| Daily trading ideas i | ||
| News via social media i | ||
| Professional reports i | ||
| Watchlist i | ||
Charles Schwab vs eToro: which one should you choose?
Charles Schwab
Stocks Choose Charles Schwab if you want a stockbroker with low trading costs and no minimum deposit and live in a country where it is licensed to operate.
Not licensed in Australia When you invest, your capital is at risk.
eToro
CFD/FX Choose eToro if you want an online CFD broker regulated in Australia by ASIC, with a wide choice of markets.
Stocks Choose eToro if you want a share dealing service regulated in Australia by ASIC, with copy and social trading.
Open Account CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage.Other popular comparisons
Below are other head-to-head comparisons that include Charles Schwab or eToro, each scored with the same data and method as this page.
