If you are looking to trade shares, you may be comparing different investment platforms, including eToro and Hargreaves Lansdown*. In this article we provide an overview of both of those options, highlighting the strengths and weaknesses of each to help make your decision easier to make.
eToro vs Hargreaves Lansdown - which is better?
| eToro | Hargreaves Lansdown | |
| Services | Trading in shares, ETFs, commodities, currencies, CFDs and cryptocurrencies
CopyTrader CopyPortfolios Virtual portfolios Fractional shares eToro Academy |
Buy and sell funds, shares and ETFs
HL Select funds Wealth Shortlist Master Portfolios Foreign currency exchange Multi Index Funds |
| Products | eToro ISA powered by Moneyfarm
eToro CFD trading account eToro Money account |
Active Savings
Cash ISA Fund and share account ISA, GIA (General Investment Account), Lifetime ISA, Junior ISA, SIPP, Junior SIPP |
| Minimum investment | $50 minimum initial deposit, then $10 beyond your first deposit. | £1 for a fund and share account
£100 for an ISA or SIPP (or a regular £25 per month) |
| Fees | Buying and selling - free
Currency conversion fee - starting from 0.75% (No charge if depositing via the eToro money account) Inactivity fee - $10 USD per month after an inactivity period of 1 year Withdrawal fee - $5 USD per withdrawal (minimum $30 for a USD account, no minimums for GBP and EUR accounts) |
Up to £250,000 - 0.35% per annum charge
Between £250,000-£1m - 0.25% per annum charge Between £1m-£2m - 0.10% per annum charge Over £2m - 0% per annum charge Additional underlying fund charges Reduced fees of 0.25% for Lifetime ISA (capped at £45 per year) No charge for Junior ISAs Account charge for holding shares, ETFs, investment trusts and bonds in a fund and share account, ISA or SIPP - 0.35% capped at £150 per year Dealing charges for shares, ETFs, investment trusts and bonds (based on deals completed in previous month): 0-20 deals - £6.95 20+ deals - £3.95 A dealing charge of £1.95 for funds was introduced on 1st March 2026 |
| Customer reviews (Trustpilot) | 4.2/5.0 | 4.4/5.0 |
eToro vs Hargreaves Lansdown - services
Hargreaves Lansdown is a more traditional investment platform than eToro and, as such, has a wide range of services, including its own range of multi-asset funds, model portfolios, fund recommendations and a wealth of tools and research. eToro, meanwhile, is generally aimed at a more dynamic audience, who are looking to actively trade in different asset types, rather than adopting a "buy and hold" approach.
If you are looking to buy and sell shares, both eToro and Hargreaves Lansdown can cater for your needs, with both allowing you to trade in shares and ETFs. A key difference is that you can't invest directly in cryptocurrencies such as bitcoin with Hargreaves Lansdown, while eToro allows you to buy several different cryptocurrencies.
eToro vs Hargreaves Lansdown - products
Unlike Hargreaves Lansdown, which has a full range of wrappers, including Lifetime ISAs and Junior SIPPs, eToro only offers a general investment account as well as an ISA (which is powered by Moneyfarm). This means there's some scope for tax-free investing with both platforms, although Hargreaves Lansdown comes with more choice.
eToro vs Hargreaves Lansdown - minimum investment
eToro has a minimum initial deposit of $50, after which the minimum deposit is $10. Hargreaves Lansdown allows you to open a fund and share account - the nearest equivalent to eToro's trading account - with just £1. Meanwhile, Hargreaves Lansdown requires £100 (or £25 monthly investment) to open an ISA or SIPP.
eToro vs Hargreaves Lansdown - fees
eToro markets itself as a low-cost way to trade, with no commission on buying or selling. It does, however, charge a currency conversion fee (starting from 0.75%) for every deposit in a different currency from the one the account is held in. There is also a $5 withdrawal fee if you want to take some or all of your money out. For Hargreaves Lansdown, meanwhile, there is a £6.95 dealing charge, although this reduces to £3.95 if you place more than 20 trades in the previous month. In March 2026, Hargreaves Lansdown introduced a £1.95 fee for thos wishing to buy and sell funds.
eToro vs Hargreaves Lansdown - customer reviews
Both eToro and Hargreaves Lansdown ranked highly with customers, with eToro scoring 4.2 out of 5 and Hargreaves Lansdown scoring 4.4 out of 5.0, according to independent customer review site Trustpilot. Of its 30,000+ reviews, eToro was rated as "Great" by 66% of respondents, while Hargreaves Lansdown received a "Great" rating and an overall score of 4.4 out of 5.0 from 65% of its 20,000+ reviewers. The positive reviews mainly centred on customer service for Hargreaves Lansdown and low cost and efficiency for eToro.
Summary: eToro vs Hargreaves Lansdown
The choice between eToro and Hargreaves Lansdown* is largely down to how you are planning to invest your money. If you are looking for a specific trading account with access to more esoteric asset classes, including cryptocurrencies, eToro may be a better option, particularly because of the low fees associated with it. However, if you are more interested in using a more traditional platform, particularly one that offers a wide range of tax-efficient products, Hargreaves Lansdown is probably more suitable.
For more in depth analysis of each platform, read our eToro review and Hargreaves Lansdown review.
When investing, your capital is at risk and you may get back less than invested. Past performance doesn’t guarantee future results.
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