At a glance
eToro and Horizon both let you copy other people's trading, and they part ways on where your money is and what you copy. eToro is the broker: you fund an eToro account and CopyTrader mirrors another eToro user's trades inside it. Horizon runs in the broker account you already have, and what you copy is a strategy with rules and a live track record rather than a person's clicks. Horizon also builds your own strategies from plain English, which eToro does not do.
Side by side
| Question | Horizon | eToro |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | HorizonAn investing platform. Copy strategies that creators are running live, or describe your own idea in plain English and run it through your own broker. | eToroA brokerage and social investing platform. CopyTrader mirrors another eToro user's trades in your eToro account. |
| How you build a strategy | HorizonDescribe the idea in plain English. Horizon turns it into rules you can read, edit and test. No code. | eToroYou do not build strategies. You pick an investor or a Smart Portfolio and allocate money to it. |
| Where strategies run | HorizonIn your own account at Binance, Bybit, Coinbase, Hyperliquid, Kraken, Robinhood, Webull, TradeStation, Tradier, E*TRADE, tastytrade and moomoo, or on Horizon Paper with simulated money. | eToroInside your eToro account. It does not trade an account you hold elsewhere. |
| Markets | HorizonUS stocks and ETFs through the stock brokers; crypto spot and derivatives through the exchanges. No forex or CFDs. | eToroStocks, ETFs, options and crypto for US users; CFDs in other regions. |
| Backtesting | HorizonEvery strategy is backtested on historical data before it runs, and you see the rules it tested. | eToroNo. You choose investors by their past performance on eToro. |
| Paper trading | HorizonYes. Horizon Paper runs any strategy with simulated money at real market prices. | eToroYes. Every account includes a virtual portfolio to practise with. |
| Copying other people's strategies | HorizonYes. Discover lists creators' strategies with live track records. Creators keep 80% of what subscribers pay. | eToroYes. Copied trades mirror the investor's in proportion, from a minimum amount, and you can pause or stop at any time. |
| Pricing model | HorizonDiscover is free. The Builder plan is a subscription, monthly or yearly, with a 14-day money-back guarantee. | eToroNo charge for copying. Stocks and ETFs trade without commission; crypto carries a per-trade commission. Current fees on etoro.com. |
| Holds your money? | HorizonNever. Funds stay with your broker. Horizon can place trades for a strategy but cannot withdraw money. | eToroYes. eToro is the broker holding your account. |
Choose Horizon if
- You want to keep your money at the broker you already use.
- You want to copy a strategy with rules you can read and a live track record, rather than a person.
- You want to build your own strategy from a plain-English description and backtest it.
- You trade crypto on an exchange such as Binance, Coinbase or Kraken.
Choose eToro if
- You want one account that is the broker, the social feed and the copy button.
- You want to copy a person's discretionary trading rather than a rule-based strategy.
- You are outside the US and want CFDs.
