Start with the cost model, because it shapes every trade
CFI and eToro work on a commission-free model, and Vantage is listed as a low-fee broker. That single difference changes how a cost adds up, so check it before you look at anything else. A commission-free model does not mean a cost-free account: the money usually comes out of the spread, the overnight financing, or the currency conversion.
On paper, eToro shows a stock trade fee of $0 and a management fee of 0%, plus an account fee of $0. CFI's account fee is not listed here, but its deposit and withdrawal charges are No deposit fees, and Vantage is no deposit or withdrawal fee with an account fee of $0 and an inactivity fee of $0. None of those extras is where the trade costs live, so treat them as housekeeping and look harder at spreads and overnight charges in the full CFI review, eToro review and Vantage review.
Check the account type the fee applies to
A fee without an account type attached tells you almost nothing, which is why the account matters as much as the number. eToro's account fee of $0 sits on its standard dealing account, while its portfolio products sit behind a different fee structure, and it also offers an ISA account. If you hold investments in a wrapper, the account type decides the tax treatment, so read the account list on the eToro review before you fund anything.
CFI's commission-free model and platform list point to trading accounts rather than investment wrappers, and the same is true of Vantage. The difference shows up in the platform each one gives you: CFI lists MT5, TradingView and CFI Multi Asset, Vantage lists MT4 and MT5, and eToro adds portfolio types covering etf, esg and cash. Compare the account against the instruments you actually want to hold, not the headline cost.
Compare the entry point, not just the headline
The minimum deposit is the first number most readers meet, and the spread across the market is wide. Across the brokers in our data, minimum deposits run €0 to €4,384.81. That is the whole span, from the cheapest entry to the most expensive, and it tells you the entry threshold is the least standardised thing on this list.
The examples sit in different places. eToro sets a minimum portfolio investment of $500, which is a portfolio route rather than a bare deposit. CFI's minimum deposit is $0, and Vantage's is $5. A low entry point is convenient, but it says nothing about the cost of trading once the money is in, so treat the deposit as an access question and the fee model as the cost question.
Where the real cost of trading sits
The recurring fees in these files are small, which is why the ranges matter more than the individual numbers. Account fees in our data run €0 to €87.70, and inactivity fees run €0 to €43.85. Stock trade fees run €0 to €17.54 across the brokers we hold, which shows that a small per-trade charge is normal and that a no-fee headline is not unusual.
The line item that still deserves attention is overnight financing on leveraged positions, and currency conversion if you hold money in more than one currency. Neither figure appears in this group of facts, so neither belongs in your shortlist maths until you have read it on the individual review pages. Vantage stands out for cost-conscious readers on the strength of its low-fee positioning, while the commission-free model at CFI and eToro spreads the cost into the spread and the overnight swap instead of the ticket.
Check who regulates the account and whose money it holds
Regulation is the part of the comparison a reader should not rush. CFI lists Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission and FCA, is regulated through the legal entity Credit Financier Invest (CFI) Ltd, and its Cyprus licence is 179/12. eToro lists Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) and SIPC, operates as eToro (Europe) Ltd, and holds MiCA CASP 213800GIFQMSV7HROS23 along with US cover as SIPC member 70212. Vantage carries no regulator or licence entry here, so that gap is a question to put to them directly before you deposit.
Client money protection is the next line. Both CFI and eToro show investor protection of EU ICS up to EUR 20,000 and EU ICS up to EUR 20,000 respectively, which is the European investor compensation arrangement. Note that this scheme compensates eligible claims up to a limit, and that US SIPC cover sits on a different footing from the European scheme, so confirm which entity holds your account before you rely on either.
Read the risk warning as part of the cost
Brokers publish a retail risk warning, and the numbers differ sharply. CFI's warning says 66% of retail client accounts lose money, and Vantage's sits at 74% to 89%. Across our data the warning ranges 40.3% to 88%. Read that spread as the real price of using leverage, and treat any broker quoting a much smaller figure as a marketing line rather than a fact.
Pair it with the account design. A commission-free model with a demo account and a mobile app, which is what CFI offers through demo account and mobile app, or the demo account, mobile app and copy trading at Vantage through demo account, mobile app and copy trading, all shape how quickly you can move. Speed of execution is a risk factor too, not just a convenience.
Who each broker suits
eToro is the beginner-facing option, listed as serving beginners, with fractional shares, crypto and copy trading among its features and support through a help centre. It suits a reader who wants a single app for shares, ETFs, crypto and CFDs, since its markets cover stocks, etfs and forex, and who will read the portfolio route carefully before committing.
CFI is the long-established one, founded 1998, with the widest platform list here and markets spanning stocks, etfs and forex. It suits a reader who wants a choice of desktop platforms alongside the mobile app. Vantage is the low-fee pick, offering metals alongside forex, cfds and stocks, which suits a reader focused on spreads and instruments. Age is worth noting too: CFI has operated since 1998 and eToro since 2007.
Put them side by side in the CFD brokers rankings, then read the shortlist in full. Wider comparisons across other providers sit in the XTB review, the Octa review, the LiteFinance review and the FXTM review, with Admirals and Fineco Bank alongside them. Decide first on the fee model that suits your trading pattern, then on protection and regulation, and leave the deposit threshold until last.