Is E*TRADE available in the UK and EU? Alternatives for 2026

E*TRADE, a major US online broker, once had a presence in the UK and Europe.

However, as of today, E*TRADE is not available in Europe and the UK.

If you’re a UK or European resident looking for similar platforms, this guide will help you understand E*TRADE’s status and explore the best alternatives for your trading needs.

Why isn’t E*TRADE in the UK and Europe?

E*TRADE shifted its focus back to its core US market and gradually closed its European operations. Investors resident in Europe or the UK cannot open an E*TRADE account.

At the time of E*TRADE’s withdrawal from Europe, concerns about the euro zone’s sovereign debt crisis and the global economy reduced trading activity by UK investors and those in other parts of Europe. Since it already represented a small fraction of E*TRADE’s total trades and revenues, the company’s decision to cease operations in those regions wasn’t difficult.

Three things have kept it away since:

• EU product rules: Most US-listed ETFs do not publish the Key Information Document (KID) that EU and UK rules require, so a US broker serving EU residents would have to block a large part of its own catalogue.
• Tax reporting friction: FATCA (the US Foreign Account Tax Compliance Act) and CRS (the OECD Common Reporting Standard) add due-diligence and reporting layers that make low-margin international retail clients unattractive.
• Strategic focus: Since Morgan Stanley completed its takeover in October 2020, every product launch (no-fee index funds, the revamped Power E*TRADE platform, crypto trading) has targeted US clients. There is no sign of a return to Europe.

Who can still open an E*TRADE account?

In practice, only US residents. The platform is now branded E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley and account opening requires a US Social Security number (SSN) and a US address.

One exception is worth knowing about: if you opened an E*TRADE account while living in the United States and later moved to Europe, you can generally keep it. You will need to update your address, keep your tax paperwork current, and expect some features (margin, certain options levels) to be switched off once your profile shows a non-US residence. Contact E*TRADE directly to confirm what applies to your account.

But don’t despair. We believe you are well-served by many existing European alternatives, and this article will help you find the right one.

If you’re seeking low-fee platforms or robust trading features like E*TRADE offers, consider these options:

Looking for other alternatives to E*TRADE?

Check our BrokerMatch tool to find the best match for you, and explore other tools such as our Broker Comparison, Reviews, Bonuses, and Best Brokers for earning interest.

E*TRADE alternatives compared

E*TRADE alternatives reviewed

eToro has been a leader in the global fintech revolution. It is the world’s leading social trading network, with more than 4 million funded accounts and an array of innovative trading and investment tools. The company has been listed on Nasdaq since May 2025 under the ticker ETOR, which brings the reporting obligations of a listed company. You can trade by yourself, follow other traders, discuss ideas, and even mimic successful trading strategies.

The online platform is intuitive, allowing one to navigate the PC or mobile app smoothly. It offers many different financial instruments to trade, such as CFDs, ETFs, stocks, commodities and forex. eToro provides 0% commission on real ETFs (other fees apply), while real stocks carry a $1 or $2 commission per trade. The spreads on CFDs may vary according to each financial product, so keep that in mind before placing an order.

The account opening process is pretty easy and fast. You only need a couple of minutes to sign up and follow the identification procedure. Moreover, if you are not yet comfortable with investing, eToro provides a demo account with $100,000 in virtual funds.

eToro is regulated by top-tier authorities, including the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) in the UK and the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) in the EU.

UK clients can hold a GBP account and EU clients a EUR account, which avoids conversion fees on deposits and makes withdrawals free. Withdrawals from a USD account cost $5 (minimum $30), and a conversion fee applies whenever you buy assets in a different currency from your account. eToro charges no inactivity fee. Remember also that if you leverage your positions, you’re trading CFDs and not real stocks or ETFs, so you will incur spreads and overnight fees.

If you are interested, please read our eToro review.

Founded in 1978, listed on Nasdaq (ticker: IBKR) and part of the S&P 500 since August 2025, Interactive Brokers is a global online broker with more than 5.5 million client accounts. It has come through major financial crises, showing resilience and a rigorous risk management process.

Interactive Brokers offers an advanced investment platform that includes a wide range of products (stocks, options, mutual funds, ETFs, cryptocurrencies, futures, bonds, and currencies) from 170 markets in 40 countries, solid trade execution (Smart routing), and a set of technical and fundamental tools to help you in your investment decisions.

Beginners and intermediate investors have educational tools to explore, but the learning curve will be steep. That’s why we mainly endorse it to more advanced traders. UK residents open their account with Interactive Brokers (U.K.) Limited, regulated by the FCA, and EU residents with Interactive Brokers Ireland Limited, regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland (CBI).

On the downside, Interactive Brokers’ fee structure is quite complex, the registration process is lengthy, and the broker doesn’t offer commission-free trading. However, with currency conversion at 0.002% (minimum $2), no minimum deposit and the stock lending program, Interactive Brokers’ clients still get significant savings compared to most brokers.

Interactive Brokers also offers IBKR GlobalTrader, a modern mobile trading app to trade stocks, options, and ETFs, ideal for beginner investors. Some of the features of IBKR GlobalTrader include automatic currency conversions, fractional shares, a demo account, and more.

Want to know more about Interactive Brokers? Check our Interactive Brokers review.

Founded in 2016, Capital.com is a global CFD trading platform that has quickly grown thanks to its commission-free model and user-friendly technology. It offers access to more than 5,500 markets, including CFDs on forex, stocks, indices and commodities. Plus, it provides spread betting and 1X CFDs, which means CFD trading without leverage.

They offer their in-house web and mobile app (packed with tools such as AI-driven insights and risk management features), and you can also invest through the TradingView, MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5) platforms, where you can create automated investment strategies. A free demo account is available to practice before investing real money.

Capital.com doesn’t charge any commission on your trades. However, they charge a fee based on the spread (the difference between the buy and sell prices). Spreads are dynamic and change with underlying market conditions. Apart from spreads, the broker also charges a fee on guaranteed stop-loss orders, overnight funding (only applicable when you use leverage) and a 0.7% currency conversion mark-up on trades in other currencies.

On the downside, as with many CFD-only brokers, it might not be suitable for investors seeking traditional investment products like ETFs, bonds, long-term retirement accounts, or direct ownership of physical assets rather than derivatives. That is a real difference from E*TRADE, which is a stock broker rather than a CFD platform, so treat this as an alternative only if leveraged trading is what you are after.

In terms of regulation, Capital.com is regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), under registration number 793714. It holds clients’ funds in segregated bank accounts and provides negative-balance protection for retail clients.

Additionally, clients are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS), which provides up to £85,000 in compensation if something goes wrong with the company.

Webull was founded in the US in 2017 and launched in the UK in 2023. It now has more than 28 million registered users worldwide. New UK accounts get 90 days of commission-free trading on London Stock Exchange (LSE) stocks and three months without contract fees on US options (up to 100 contracts).

As a UK user, you also have access to a demo account where you can buy and sell as you would with real money. US stocks are commission-free, although small US regulatory fees apply (for example, a Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) fee on sales). The main cost is currency conversion: 0.50% on the Go account and 0.35% on the Meridian account when you convert pounds into dollars. US options cost $0.50 per contract after the introductory period, plus regulatory and clearing fees.

The offering of fractional shares is also crucial since most US stocks trade at high market values per share. Webull UK also offers a Stocks and Shares ISA and a GBP cash savings product. Still, the product range is narrower than at Interactive Brokers, so check that the instruments and account types you need are covered before you commit.

Finally, Webull UK is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA, firm reference number 961286). Eligible investments are protected by the Financial Services Compensation Scheme (FSCS) up to £85,000.

If you want a complete analysis of Webull UK, please read our review.

All in all, it is a solid E*TRADE alternative for beginners looking for low commissions, a good mobile app, and access to US shares.

Founded in 2004, XTB is a major player in the brokerage industry with extensive worldwide experience, regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) and other relevant regulatory bodies, and listed on the Warsaw Stock Exchange. It serves more than 2.9 million clients and offers over 11,700 instruments.

You can invest through xStation 5 and xStation Mobile in different investment products, such as stocks, ETFs, and CFDs on stocks, forex, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies (this product offering may vary slightly from country to country). It offers 0% commission on real stocks and ETFs up to €100,000 of monthly turnover. Above that, a 0.2% commission applies (minimum €10), and a 0.5% fee applies to currency conversion. The product offering varies by country.

Opening an account and transferring money is a quick and hassle-free process. For beginners, it presents a demo account where you can trade as if it were real money, and you get access to educational tools. For intermediate and advanced investors, you will find plenty of technical and fundamental tools to help you better assess your investment decisions.

On the downside, you will face an inactivity fee of €10 a month if you have not traded for a year and have not deposited in the last 90 days, and spreads on cryptocurrency CFDs are wider than on major forex pairs. XTB is not available in the United States and Australia.

Want to know more about XTB? Check our XTB review.

Founded in 2008 (with retail services since 2013), DEGIRO is a low-cost brokerage firm that has become very popular due to its low rates. With more than 3 million investors, it is only available to EU residents (it left the UK in 2021). DEGIRO is known for its do-it-yourself philosophy, in the sense that you have everything at your disposal to start investing on your own. It offers a wide range of financial assets to trade, including stocks, ETFs, bonds, options, futures contracts, warrants, investment funds, and some leveraged products (not quite the same as CFDs, more info here).

For instance, you can trade the Core Selection ETFs for free (a €1 handling fee, plus external costs, still applies) with no minimum amount required. The web trading platform is basic, but it is efficient and straightforward to use. In a matter of minutes, you get used to it. The same applies to its mobile app. On the downside, there is an absence of any significant fundamental research, a connectivity fee of up to €2.50 a year applies per exchange outside your home market, and pricing alerts are missing.

Regarding security, DEGIRO is the Dutch branch of flatexDEGIRO Bank SE, a German bank supervised by BaFin. In the unlikely event that the segregated assets cannot be returned to clients, DEGIRO falls under the German Investor Compensation Scheme, which compensates any losses from non-returned assets up to 90%, with a maximum of €20,000, so do bear this in mind if you are planning to invest much larger volumes. Furthermore, any money deposited in a DEGIRO Cash Account with flatexDEGIRO Bank SE is guaranteed up to €100,000 under the German Deposit Guarantee Scheme.

Still have doubts? Go through our DEGIRO review.

Which broker should I use?

Ask yourself: what are my needs as an investor? Are low commissions my priority, or a robust online platform? Does a range of products matter to me, or am I just looking for a particular financial instrument?

One distinction is worth making before you choose. E*TRADE is a stock broker, so if you want the closest equivalent, look at the brokers here that give you real ownership of shares and ETFs rather than CFDs on them.

We believe most brokers cover the basics that let you start investing, but you should prioritise the importance you give to each factor.

We hope we made a valuable contribution to your investment journey. Remember that investing requires prior research and a focus on building a diversified portfolio to spread your risk and ultimately ensure that your money is put to good use.

The best online broker in your specific case will depend on your profile, preferences, and objectives. Explore the websites mentioned above and decide for yourself.

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