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eToro Review for Swiss investors in 2025

Baptiste Wicht | Updated: |

(Disclosure: Some of the links below may be affiliate links)

eToro is a popular trading platform in Europe. It brands itself as a social trading platform, and it indeed has features that allow investors to copy what other investors are doing.

This article focuses on whether eToro is any good for Swiss investors. Should you use eToro as your broker to invest in the stock market? We will find out.

About eToro
Custody Fees 0% per year
Inactivity Fees 0 CHF
Buy Swiss ETF Not possible
Buy American Stock 0
Currency Exchange Fee 0.5%
Languages English
Mobile Application Yes
Web Application Yes
Custodian Bank Unclear
Established 2007
Headquarters Israel

eToro

eToro started in 2007 in Israel. Initially, one could only invest in commodities, forex, and indices. They added support for stocks only in 2013, at the same time as Contracts for Differences (CFDs), and finally added support for crypto in 2014.

In 2010, they started their CopyTrading feature at the base of their social trading platform. This feature allows a user to copy the trades of another investor automatically.

eToro is a popular platform with about 25 million users. However, they only have about 2 million funded accounts.

Features

2/5

eToro allows you to trade many different instruments:

  • Stocks
  • ETFs
  • Commodities
  • CFDs
  • Forex
  • Cryptocurrencies

So, they already have more instruments that people need.

It is important to note that they do not give you access to the entire stock market. eToro offers a selection of stocks and ETFs from the stock market. And they are also relatively limited in the stock exchanges they offer access to. For instance, they do not provide access to the Swiss Stock Exchange (SWX).

With eToro, you can trade directly from the web interface or using the mobile application.

It is essential to know that eToro accounts only hold USD. You can deposit money in other currencies, for instance, with a bank transfer or Paypal. However, this money will be directly converted by eToro to USD. And this conversion will cost at least 0.50%. So, if you deposit CHF on this platform, you will instantly lose 0.50% of your money. And this will be the same for withdrawals. The lack of support for CHF is a major limitation of eToro for Swiss investors.

In the United Kingdom, you also have access to eToro Money Account, where you can transfer money directly in GBP and have it converted for free. So, in the future, more countries may benefit from conversion-free deposits. However, currently, this is not available in Switzerland.

There are also a few limitations for stocks. First, you cannot transfer your stocks out of eToro. So, if you want to move your stocks o another broker, you must sell your positions and transfer the money. You also do not get any voting rights on the stocks you own. Finally, on several stock exchanges like the Milan Stock Exchange, all stock transactions are executed as CFDs. I think these limitations are a little concerning.

As far as social trading goes, they offer two main features:

  • CopyTrading: Directly copy the trades of top traders. You can explore the leading traders and find the most interesting for your needs.
  • Copy Portfolios: Follow existing portfolios and invest automatically like them.

It is important to note that both of these features encourage active trading. By portfolio, they do not mean a passive portfolio like the three-fund portfolio but rather an actively managed portfolio. The reason is simple: their business model makes them want their users to make more trades.

Overall, eToro has many features, but it targets active investors. It has enough features for passive investors, but the platform is not the best.

eToro Fees

3.5/5

We also look at the fees of eToro. Fees are essential when you are choosing a broker.

We have already discussed the currency conversion fee when you deposit or withdraw money that is not USD. There is also a 5 USD withdrawal fee.

Investing in stocks is simple: there are no fees. Yes, eToro offers commission-free investing in stocks and ETFs, which is a big advantage over other services.

You may wonder how they make money. They make money on the conversion fees we saw before and the spread. They also have fees for other products, such as crypto-currencies. And they finally make a lot of money with CFDs.

For cryptocurrencies, the fees are relatively high. For instance, you pay 0.75% for Bitcoin and 1.90% for Ethereum.

Overall, eToro’s fees are pretty great for passive investors. However, if you happen to be in Switzerland, their prices are really bad since you cannot transfer money for free to their platform.

You have to be careful that commission-free brokers often have disadvantages.

Is eToro technically secure?

3/5

Overall, eToro seems technically secure. It offers high-end encryption, and users can opt in for two-factor authentication.

In 2020, eToro’s data was leaked, resulting in about 60’000 accounts being sold on the dark web. Whether the leak was caused by an attack on eToro itself or a direct attack on eToro users has not been confirmed, but this is concerning.

Remember that the weakest link in any security is always the user. Most users are not serious about online security.

Overall, I think that eToro is secure. But the data leak is still concerning.

What if eToro bankrupt?

2.5/5

One important thing to consider is what would happen if eToro were bankrupt.

If you buy shares without leverage, eToro purchases the underlying assets in your name. They are then put in an omnibus account, which is an account with many people inside. And they are in your name.

Theoretically, if eToro went bust, another financial institution would give back the shares to the owners. This process could take a long time, but it would eventually be completed with everybody back with their shares.

In the case of leveraged positions or advanced positions like CFDs, this is much riskier. You are unlikely to get anything back since eToro will not buy the underlying assets.

In Europe, eToro is regulated by the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC). This entity has an investor protection scheme that could reimburse up to 20’000 EUR in case you cannot get back your shares.

It is a little concerning that the reputation of the regulation entity (CySEC) is quite bad. There have been a few cases where they did not act against fraudulent firms. I do not know in what measures this is true. , But this is still concerning that eToro is regulated by such an entity.

What is also concerning is that you cannot transfer shares from eToro. For me, this is a bad sign of what would happen if eToro was to go bankrupt. And you also get no voting rights and cannot register the shares in your name (Direct Registration System).

I am not confident that people would get their shares back in case of bankruptcy. It seems likely that many people would lose their shares.

eToro reputation

4/5

We must look at the reputation of eToro now.

My main source of information, in that matter, is Trustpilot. I know it is imperfect, with sometimes fake reviews and not always representative. But I still believe it is a good proxy for reputation. So, we can look at the eToro profile on Trustpilot.

They got a 4.2 out of 5 stars average. 52% of the reviews rate eToro as excellent. On the other hand, 28% of the reviews rate it as Bad. So, there are some mixed experience returns.

Among the positive reviews, we can see these subjects come back a lot:

  • The platform is straightforward to use
  • The support team is very helpful
  • Good for trading stocks

On the negative side, we can see a few things come several times:

  • Difficult and expensive to withdraw money
  • Some people got their accounts closed
  • High spreads

I am generally not too worried about the accounts being closed because that comes back for most services, and it is usually people who do not follow (or even know) the rules. And there are not that many. The other two points are valid, but this information is available on the website.

So, overall, users seem to be content with eToro.

Alternatives

There are many interesting alternatives to eToro.

The best similar alternative to eToro is DEGIRO. DEGIRO handles CHF correctly and has low fees as well. They also do not focus on social trading and are a more solid broker than eToro. I am much more confident about the security of shares on DEGIRO than on eToro. For more details, you can read my comparison of DEGIRO and eToro.

The second alternative I would mention is Interactive Brokers (the broker I am currently using). It is a broker from the United States. It is much cheaper than eToro (and DEGIRO) and can receive CHF directly. I am also confident about the security of my shares on IB.

Finally, if you prefer Swiss brokers, we should mention Swissquote. Swissquote, like any Swiss broker, will be more expensive than eToro. But Swissquote is also much more trustworthy! You can read my review of Swissquote for more information.

Overall, I feel like there are many better alternatives for Swiss investors. And your money would be safer with these alternatives rather than with eToro. If you want more details, you can read about the best brokers for Swiss investors.

FAQ

Can you deposit CHF in your eToro account?

Yes, but that CHF will be converted to USD, with a 0.50% fee!

Can you withdraw money for free from eToro?

No, withdrawals cost 5 USD.

What is eToro good for?

eToro is good if you have USD to deposit and only plan to use USD. It is also good if you fancy social trading.

What is eToro not good for?

eToro is not good for Swiss investors since they do not support depositing Swiss francs for free. It is also not good for passive investing since it encourages social trading and active trading. Finally, eToro is not great if you want maximum security for your shares.

eToro Summary

2.5/5
eToro

eToro is a popular broker from Israel, with several millions users.

Product Brand: eToro

Editor's Rating:
2.5

Pros

  • Commission-free trading of stocks
  • Access to cryptocurrencies

Cons

  • Not confident that shares would survive eToro bankruptcy
  • Cannot transfer shares out of the broker
  • Not possible to deposit CHF for free in the account
  • withdrawals are not free
  • Encourages active trading
  • Encourages CFD trading
  • High fees on cryptocurrencies
  • Expensive currency conversion
  • Inactivity fee

Conclusion

I do not think eToro is a good broker for Swiss investors. The simple fact that you cannot deposit Swiss Francs for free on the platform is enough not to recommend it.

Also, I am not very confident about the security of the shares on this platform. It appears to be technically secure. But there are many concerning things, like the fact that you cannot transfer shares out of the broker, that make me think that people will have a hard time getting back their shares in case of bankruptcy.

Finally, I see social trading as a disadvantage. eToro makes it too easy to follow people blindly. There are some good investors, but I do not think they can beat the market long-term. And it is essential to note that eToro was created after the last long bear market. So, it will be interesting to see what happens if we get another bear market lasting over a few months.

And I have to remind people that CFDs are extremely risky. On average, 68% of people are losing money with CFDs.

So, overall, I would not recommend this service. If you are looking for a good broker, you can read about the best brokers for a Swiss investor.

What do you think about eToro? Do you have any experience with them?

Recommended reading

Photo of Baptiste Wicht
Baptiste Wicht started The Poor Swiss in 2017. He realized that he was falling into the trap of lifestyle inflation. He decided to cut his expenses and increase his income. Since 2019, he has been saving more than 50% of his income every year. He made it a goal to reach Financial Independence and help Swiss people with their finances.
Discover Swiss Financial Secrets That Maximize Your Money!

Learn easy ways to optimize your finances and save thousands in Switzerland with our exclusive e-book. Learn about the most cost-effective financial services tailored for savvy residents and expats!

Get Your FREE Swiss Money-Saving Guide

10 thoughts on “eToro Review for Swiss investors in 2025”

  1. Hi,

    I would like what crypto broker, for trading, and living in Switzerland do you recommande. I know that you have some support by Swissquote, but I would like to know more alternatives to trading daily.

  2. eToro seems a good platform to play with cryptocurrencies, without getting tangled in all the technicalities of wallets and what’s not, what do you think? Any cheaper alternative for that?

    1. I don’t know, I am not that much into crypto.

      For crypto, I would only trust a platform that let me withdraw easily to a hardware wallet. So I think technicalities are important.

  3. Hello,

    Concerning social trading, do you think you can be considered as a professional trader by the Swiss taxes if you practice this, with small volumes?
    Are you aware of this?

    Thank you

    1. Hi Clément,

      Yes, I think this can get you considered as a professional trader. If you follow an active trader and copy his/her trades, you will yourself have tons of trades and that could qualify you as a professional trader. I would not do that myself.
      Of course, if we are talking about very small amounts of money and very small capital gains, this is unlikely.

  4. Etoro also makes money from payment-for-order-flow (PFOF). This means that when you place a bid, the info first goes to companies that pay to see that data before it goes to the exchange. This allows these companies to front-run you and shave pennies off of every offer.

    Etoro is even worse than RobinHood, RobinHood at least lets you transfer out your shares.

    I think your review gives Etoro too much credit. Etoro is focussed on active trading. We in the FIRE community should loathe every entity that actively promotes active trading.

    1. Hi,

      Interesting, I did not know they doing that. Thanks for sharing.

      I mentioned that they are not a good broker for Swiss investors and that I am not confident about their security. I don’t think I am giving them much credit, no?

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