Features
eToro is a social trading platform providing access to various products and services, including copy trading, allowing investors to mimic successful eToro traders' trades. There is also crypto staking services, an in-built social media platform and a virtual trading platform where users can make paper trades up to $100K to practise strategies without risking their funds.
CommSec only offers access to trade Australian and US Markets, and does not provide crypto investing or staking services. Their platform is tailored more toward high net worth and institutional investors looking to get large fills on orders. We recommend their platform for investors looking to buy small-cap Australian stocks.
Winner: eToro is the better platform because it offers Australian users more markets and features like copy trading services.
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Pricing
eToro charges zero trading fees to buy or sell any asset on the platform, except crypto trades, which incur a 1% fee. There are zero deposit fees and only a small $5 withdrawal fee when you transfer AUD to your bank account.
CommSec charges a fixed fee of $29.95 for trades under $10,000 AUD. For trades above that value, they take a fixed 0.52% fee.
Winner: eToro is much cheaper as it doesn’t charge fees to trade stocks, unlike CommSec.
AUD Deposit Methods
eToro supports over 20 payment methods but only seven support Australian dollars. Aussies can deposit AUD to the exchange via POLi, Bank Transfer, Credit Card, Debit Card, Skrill, Neteller and PayPal.
CommSec only accepts bank transfers from Commonwealth Bank.
Winner: eToro provides access to several payment methods, including popular Aussie ones like POLi.
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Supported Assets
eToro is the largest multi-asset brokerage platform in the world and supports six asset classes. Australian investors can invest in over 3000 digital assets on eToro, such as 70 cryptocurrencies, 50 fiat currency pairs, 15 indices, 264 ETFs, 32 commodities, and 3000+ stocks.
CommSec only offers access to over 1000 stocks on Australian and US markets like the NASDAQ and NYSE.
Winner: eToro supports significantly more assets and types of financial instruments than CommSec.
Security
eToro is regulated in over 100 countries, including Australia and operates in accordance with the AUSTRAC & ASIC. Its clients’ funds are kept in secure tier-1 banks, and their information is guarded under SSL encryption. The exchange has been operating since 2007 and has never experienced a cyber attack or had its security breached.
CommSec is also highly secure and is registered with AUSTRAC and licensed by ASIC.
Winner: eToro is considered one of the world's most secure and trustworthy exchanges in the world and has earned that title as it has never been hacked in 15+ years.
Customer Service
eToro customer service team can be contacted via Live Support, email (support@etoro.com), telephone, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube & Facebook. The eToro exchange has an impressive rating of 4.3 stars from 20K reviews on Trustpilot, with most reviews commenting on the responsive and helpful customer support team.
CommSec also offers support via email and phone but it is not 24/7 and is only available in working hours. Additionally, CommSec doesn’t have any ratings on Trustpilot, and Commonwealth Bank has a low rating of 1.8 stars.
Winner: eToro is rated much higher on Trustpilot compared to CommSec and it offers more customer service contact methods.
Conclusion
To wrap up, eToro provides a more versatile trading experience for retail investors looking to engage in different markets. It offers the broadest range of assets, making it the best multi-asset brokerage available for Australian investors and traders. The fees are also cheaper and it supports more AUD deposit methods. To learn more about the exchange, visit our detailed eToro Review.
