How Does IG Crypto Compare to eToro?
- expertise:
- CFD Trading, Forex, Derivatives, Risk Management
- credentials:
- Chartered ACII (2018) · Trading since 2012
- tested:
- 40+ forex & CFD platforms with live accounts
- expertise:
- Platform Testing, Cryptocurrency, Retail Investing
- credentials:
- Active investor since 2013 · 11+ years experience
- tested:
- 50+ platforms · 200+ guides authored
How We Test
Real accounts. Real money. Real trades. No demo accounts or press releases.
What we measure:
- Spreads vs advertised rates
- Execution speed and slippage
- Hidden fees (overnight, withdrawal, conversion)
- Actual withdrawal times
Scoring:
Fees (25%) · Platform (20%) · Assets (15%) · Mobile (15%) · Tools (10%) · Support (10%) · Regulation (5%)
Regulatory checks:
FCA Register verification · FSCS protection
Testing team:
Adam Woodhead (investing since 2013), Thomas Drury (Chartered ACII, 2018), Dom Farnell (investing since 2013) — 50+ platforms with funded accounts
Quarterly reviews · Corrections: in**@*******************co.uk
Disclaimer
Not financial advice. Educational content only. We're not FCA authorised. Consult a qualified advisor before investing.
Capital at risk. Investments can fall. Past performance doesn't guarantee future results.
CFD warning. 67-84% of retail accounts lose money trading CFDs. High risk due to leverage.
Contact: in**@*******************co.uk
Quick Answer: IG or eToro for Crypto?
I have had accounts with both for years, and the honest answer is they are not really going after the same person. IG is by far the cheaper option on Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana: 0% commission plus a 0.07% external fee, so 70 pence on a £1,000 buy, against roughly £10 on eToro where the cost is built into the spread. But I have never met someone who chose eToro because of the price. People use it for CopyTrader, to follow what other investors are doing in real time, for the social feed, and for the convenience of having shares and crypto in the same app. These are genuinely different platforms. If cheap matters most, IG is the answer. If the social and copy-trading side is what draws you, that is a product IG simply does not have.
May 2026 Offer
Spread bets and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 68% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how spread bets and CFDs work, and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Start With Cost, Because It Is Not Close
On the coins most people actually buy, IG is dramatically cheaper. IG charges no commission on Bitcoin, Ethereum and Solana, leaving only a 0.07% external exchange fee. eToro calls its crypto commission-free too, but the cost is in the spread, roughly 1% built into the price when you buy. Same coin, very different bill.
Where eToro’s costs add up
The buy spread is only the start. eToro charges the spread again on the way out, applies a 2% fee if you transfer coins to an external wallet, and takes a flat 5 dollar fee on withdrawals. None of these is hidden, but together they make eToro a more expensive home for crypto than IG, especially if you move coins around. On the £1,000 Bitcoin example, IG’s 70 pence against eToro’s roughly £10 spread is the difference that compounds every time you trade.
What eToro Is Actually Selling
It is not the price, and it has never been the price. eToro built its reputation on something IG has no version of, and that is what keeps people paying a wider spread.
CopyTrader: the thing IG cannot replicate
I spent a few months with CopyTrader a couple of years ago. You pick a real investor with a public track record, set an amount, and your account mirrors their moves automatically, crypto included. The quality of who you copy varies wildly, but the concept is genuinely useful if you want to learn by watching someone who actually knows what they are doing. IG is a serious, professional platform. It has no social layer, no feed, no copying anyone. It is just not what it is built for.
Everything in one account
eToro also carries a wide range of coins and lets you hold real shares and ETFs in the same account without commission, so your crypto and stock portfolio sit together in a single feed. That convenience has a price, literally, but for someone who wants everything in one place and likes the social side, that is a coherent reason to be there.
The Reason I Keep My Bitcoin on IG
Cost is the obvious answer, but there is a practical one that matters as much: I already use IG. My crypto sits in the same account as my spread bets and indices, and I do not have to manage a separate login, a separate transfer, or a separate tax record for it. IG is FCA-regulated and cryptoasset-registered, so the coins are held with a serious broker I have used for over a decade. For someone already inside IG’s ecosystem, paying 70 pence on a £1,000 Bitcoin buy without opening a separate exchange account is genuinely hard to argue with.
Do You Actually Own Your Crypto on Each?
Yes on both, with a difference in how you move it. Both IG and eToro offer spot crypto, so you own the coins rather than trading a derivative, and neither lets UK retail clients use leverage on crypto, which the regulator banned in 2021.
Getting your coins off the platform
eToro lets you move supported coins to its own wallet app, but charges a 2% fee to transfer to an external wallet. IG supports transfers on a smaller set of tokens. If self-custody matters to you, check that the specific coin you want is transferable on either before you buy, because the lists differ and that detail catches people out.
Two Different Platforms for Two Different People
If the price is what you care about, there is no real debate: 70 pence against roughly £10 on the same £1,000 Bitcoin buy. IG wins that comparison and it is not close. The more honest question is whether price is actually what you care about, and for a lot of eToro users, the answer is no. They are there for CopyTrader, for the social feed, for having their crypto and shares in one account they can check in ten seconds. That is a reasonable choice, as long as you know you are paying for it.
Where it gets interesting is if you already use IG for trading. In that case, buying Bitcoin there at near-zero cost is almost a no-brainer, because you are not opening a new account or adding a new platform to your life. eToro only makes more sense than IG if the social or copy-trading features are genuinely something you will use.
My Take
For simply buying and holding the major coins, I would use IG: paying 70 pence rather than roughly £10 on a £1,000 Bitcoin buy is the kind of difference that adds up, and you are dealing with a serious regulated broker. eToro earns its place for a different person, the one who wants to copy other traders, follow a community and keep crypto and shares together, and is happy to pay for that.
If the cheap, no-frills route is what you are after, you can see IG’s current crypto pricing here, and for the full detail on its fees read whether IG really offers 0% on Bitcoin.
Discuss IG vs eToro for Crypto
Used both for crypto? Tell us whether the cost or the social side mattered more to you. Our community earns Equity for helpful contributions.
Discussion 0 comments
Be the first to start discussing this topic! Log in or create an account to share your thoughts.
Log In Create AccountFAQs
References
- IG: Buy and sell crypto (UK)
- The Investors Centre: Does IG really offer 0% fees on Bitcoin?
- The Investors Centre: eToro fees explained
No comments yet. Be the first to start discussing this topic!