Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of FOREX.com vs AvaTrade, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. Between 51% and 89% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
FOREX.com and AvaTrade are prominent online brokers known for their credibility and regulatory compliance. Founded in 1999, FOREX.com is publicly traded and holds a prestigious position with a perfect Trust Score rating of 99 out of 99 by ForexBrokers.com, implying it is highly trusted. It boasts 7 Tier-1 licenses, a testament to its exceptional regulatory adherence, and also holds 1 Tier-2 license. In comparison, AvaTrade, established in 2006, is not publicly traded but still enjoys a commendable Trust Score of 94. It is regulated with 4 Tier-1 licenses and 3 Tier-2 licenses, reinforcing its strong standing in the trading community.
While neither FOREX.com nor AvaTrade operate as banks, their solid regulatory frameworks ensure a secure trading environment for users. With a variety of licenses from top-tier authorities, both brokers offer reassurance, with FOREX.com having a slight edge in terms of public trading status and regulatory licenses. Whether you are looking for the gold standard in trust and regulation with FOREX.com or seeking a slightly different yet still trustworthy option with AvaTrade, both brokers provide reliable platforms for traders worldwide.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2006 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 4 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
When comparing the commissions and fees of FOREX.com and AvaTrade, each platform offers distinct advantages and trade-offs for traders. FOREX.com provides several account types, including a Standard account and the newly-introduced RAW Spread account. While their spreads for U.S. clients average at 1.4 pips on EUR/USD using a Standard account, their RAW Spread account offers more competitive spreads, starting at 0.13 pips for EUR/USD. However, the RAW Spread account adds a commission of $7 per standard lot, resulting in an effective spread of about 0.83 pips. Despite slightly higher all-in costs for U.S. customers who trade under $50 million monthly, FOREX.com receives a 4.5-star rating for its commission and fee structure and ranks #13 out of 62 brokers in its category.
In contrast, AvaTrade's commissions and fees are closely aligned with industry averages, offering spreads of 0.9 pips as of June 2024. Professional traders who meet specific criteria can access even more competitive spreads on AvaTrade’s Professional account, which stands at 0.6 pips. While AvaTrade's regular spreads are slightly higher than some entry-level options at CMC Markets and Tickmill, it maintains a balanced offering suitable for a broad range of traders. Like FOREX.com, AvaTrade also boasts a 4.5-star rating for its fee structure and ranks slightly higher at #12 among 62 brokers assessed by ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $100 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.4 | 0.93 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.9 | 0.61 |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When comparing FOREX.com and AvaTrade for their range of investments, both brokers offer forex trading as either CFDs or spot contracts. FOREX.com shines with a vast selection of 5,500 tradeable symbols and 91 forex pairs, significantly surpassing AvaTrade's offer of 1,260 symbols and 53 forex pairs. However, neither broker provides access to exchange traded securities on U.S. or international exchanges, and both enable clients to trade cryptocurrency derivatives rather than actual delivery of the cryptocurrency.
In terms of additional features, AvaTrade stands out by offering copy trading, a service that FOREX.com does not provide. Despite this, FOREX.com receives a higher rating of 5 stars for its range of investments compared to AvaTrade's 4-star rating. Accordingly, FOREX.com ranks 7th out of 62 brokers in the Range of Investments category by ForexBrokers.com, while AvaTrade holds the 32nd position. This suggests that while AvaTrade offers some distinctive services, FOREX.com is generally considered more favorable for clients seeking an extensive range of trading options.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 1260 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 91 | 53 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
FOREX.com and AvaTrade offer a range of trading platforms and tools that cater to different trading needs. Both brokers provide free virtual demo accounts, which allow traders to practice and refine their strategies without financial risk. Each has developed an in-house platform for a more tailored trading experience, and both offer downloadable trading software for Windows and convenient web-based platforms. While both brokers support popular platforms like MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, AvaTrade goes a step further with copy trading capabilities through DupliTrade and ZuluTrade, features that FOREX.com does not provide.
When it comes to trading tools, FOREX.com provides a more extensive selection with 239 drawing tools for charting compared to AvaTrade's 13. This is complemented by the capability to trade directly from stock charts, which both brokers offer. For constructing watchlists, FOREX.com provides 20 customizable columns while AvaTrade offers 7. Rated 5 stars for its trading platforms and tools, FOREX.com is ranked seventh out of 62 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, reflecting its comprehensive offering. AvaTrade, while highly rated at 4.5 stars, ranks thirteenth, illustrating its competitive but slightly less extensive platform options.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| DupliTrade | No | Yes |
| ZuluTrade | No | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 88 | 80 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 239 | 13 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 20 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Both FOREX.com and AvaTrade offer comprehensive mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android users, catering to traders who rely on mobile devices for accessing the market. Both apps come equipped with essential features like stock and forex price alerts, and watchlist symbol syncing, allowing updates to sync across mobile and online platforms seamlessly. This ensures a smooth trading experience whether you're on your phone or desktop. Although AvaTrade offers 73 technical studies, FOREX.com provides a slight edge with 88 studies, aiding traders in making more informed decisions. Both apps allow users to draw trendlines and view multiple time frames, but it's worth noting that only FOREX.com's app autosaves chart drawings.
In terms of user ratings and reviews, FOREX.com's mobile trading app stands out with a 5-star rating, a notch above AvaTrade's 4.5-star rating. This distinction carries over to their rankings by ForexBrokers.com, where FOREX.com claims the #3 spot out of 62 brokers for mobile trading apps, compared to AvaTrade's #13 placement. Another point of commonality between the two apps is the ability to create watchlists with real-time quotes, keeping traders updated with crucial market movements. Overall, while both platforms offer solid mobile trading experiences, FOREX.com appears to have a slight advantage in terms of features and user satisfaction.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 88 | 73 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing FOREX.com and AvaTrade for market research, both brokers offer similar comprehensive features, but there are a few notable distinctions. FOREX.com provides daily market commentary, which can be a valuable resource for traders looking to stay updated on daily activities and market conditions. In contrast, AvaTrade does not offer this feature. Both platforms deliver forex news sourced from prestigious outlets like Bloomberg and Reuters, underscoring their commitment to providing reliable data to their users. Additionally, both FOREX.com and AvaTrade include technical analysis options from Trading Central, and offer sentiment-based trading tools that show the ratio of long or short positions across various trading instruments.
Despite their similarities, the brokers differ in terms of their research ratings and rankings. FOREX.com receives a slightly higher research rating of 4.5 stars, compared to AvaTrade's 4 stars. This difference is reflected in their rankings by ForexBrokers.com; FOREX.com is positioned at #9 out of 62 brokers, while AvaTrade holds the #34 spot. Both platforms feature an economic calendar, ensuring traders can track important global news and events. However, neither broker offers research tools from Autochartist, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading, indicating potential areas for research tool expansion to enhance their offerings further.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to educational resources for beginners, both FOREX.com and AvaTrade offer a wealth of materials to help newcomers understand forex and CFDs trading. They both provide more than 10 educational pieces, including articles, videos, and archived webinars that focus on these topics. Keeping education accessible and fresh, each platform hosts online client webinars monthly and maintains a searchable archive for users to revisit past sessions. Additionally, both brokers cater to novices and experienced traders alike with at least 10 beginner-focused and 10 advanced educational videos.
FOREX.com and AvaTrade both boast an investor dictionary containing over 50 investing terms, helping to demystify the jargon for less experienced traders. While FOREX.com scores slightly higher with a 4.5-star rating for education as opposed to AvaTrade's 4 stars, AvaTrade is ranked higher in the Education category by ForexBrokers.com, coming in second place out of 62 brokers compared to FOREX.com's fourth place. This makes both platforms strong contenders when choosing an online broker based on educational offerings for beginners.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
|
AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 62 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that FOREX.com is better than AvaTrade. FOREX.com finished with an overall rank of #5, while AvaTrade finished with an overall rank of #13.
FOREX.com is a trusted brand that delivers an excellent trading experience for forex and CFDs traders across the globe. It offers a wide range of markets and provides an impressive suite of proprietary platforms – alongside limited access to MetaTrader.
| Feature |
FOREX.com
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AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 94 |
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Both FOREX.com and AvaTrade provide the option to trade cryptocurrency derivatives, but neither offers the capability to purchase actual delivered cryptocurrencies.
When comparing online brokers FOREX.com and AvaTrade: FOREX.com supports ACH/SEPA transfers and PayPal, but not Skrill, while AvaTrade supports PayPal and Skrill, yet not ACH/SEPA transfers; both brokers accept Visa/Mastercard and bank wires for deposit and withdrawal transactions.
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | FOREX.com | AvaTrade | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 94 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FOREX.com Review | AvaTrade Review |
| Broker Screenshots | FOREX.com | AvaTrade | |
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| Regulation | FOREX.com | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 94 | |
| Year Founded | 1999 | 2006 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 7 | 4 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 1 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | FOREX.com | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | Yes | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | FOREX.com | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | FOREX.com | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 5500 | 1260 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 91 | 53 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (Derivative) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | FOREX.com | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.4 | 0.93 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.9 | 0.61 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | No | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | FOREX.com | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | FOREX.com | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | No | Yes | |
| ZuluTrade | No | Yes |
| Trading Tools | FOREX.com | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 20 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 88 | 80 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 239 | 13 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | FOREX.com | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 88 | 73 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | FOREX.com | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | FOREX.com | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | FOREX.com | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | FOREX.com Review | AvaTrade Review |
| Overall | FOREX.com | AvaTrade | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 94 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | FOREX.com Review | AvaTrade Review |
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