eToro vs FlowBank 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.

FlowBank operates a regulated Swiss bank, and is authorised by one Tier-1 regulator (high trust): the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA).

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.

As a relative newcomer to the Swiss online brokerage scene, FlowBank already has a lot to offer its customers. FlowBank clients benefit from the advantages that come with holding a Swiss bank account, and its brokerage services provide access to more advertised symbols than any online broker that we’ve reviewed thus far.

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

FlowBank 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 FlowBank provides Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) and Bank Wire (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 FlowBank holds 1. Both eToro and FlowBank hold 0 global Tier-2 licenses.

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 (90) earned a higher Trust Score than FlowBank (80).

To compare the trading platforms of both eToro and FlowBank, 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 FlowBank:

• 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. FlowBank offers MetaTrader 4 (MT4), while eToro does not. Forex traders also appreciate the ability to engage in social copy trading. eToro and FlowBank both offer copy trading.

eToro and FlowBank offer traders the same number of currency pairs, 52. If you are interested in trading CFDs, FlowBank offers traders access to 408600 CFDs, while eToro offers access to 3479 CFDs; so FlowBank offers 405121 more CFDs than eToro.

We found in our testing that FlowBank offers a more diverse selection of investment options than eToro, 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.