Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of AvaTrade vs IronFX, 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.
When comparing online brokers AvaTrade and IronFX, both firms are not publicly traded and do not operate as banks. AvaTrade, established in 2006, stands out with a higher ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 94, indicating a highly trusted service. This rating reflects its impressive regulatory standing, with AvaTrade holding 4 Tier-1 licenses and 3 Tier-2 licenses, which suggests strong regulatory compliance and reliability.
IronFX, founded in 2010, holds a Trust Score of 83, categorizing it as a trusted broker according to ForexBrokers.com. While it also maintains a strong regulatory position with 3 Tier-1 licenses, it does not hold any Tier-2 licenses. While both brokers are considered reliable, AvaTrade's higher number of licenses and superior Trust Score may offer additional peace of mind for traders prioritizing regulatory oversight.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2006 | 2010 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 3 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 0 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
When comparing the commissions and fees of AvaTrade and IronFX, AvaTrade offers a more competitive pricing structure. As of June 2024, AvaTrade's spreads are just under one pip at 0.9 pips, which aligns closely with the industry average. For traders who qualify as professional, AvaTrade provides even sharper pricing with spreads at 0.6 pips, making it comparable to other leading brokers like FP Markets. AvaTrade is highly rated, earning 4.5 stars for commissions and fees, and is ranked #12 out of 62 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, indicating a strong presence in the industry.
In contrast, IronFX presents room for improvement in its pricing structure, as their spreads are generally higher than the industry average. The typical spread for IronFX's Standard variable spread account is listed at 1.8 pips, but it's worth noting that the spreads can vary across account types. For example, their zero fixed-spread account starts at zero but includes an $18 per lot commission, with spreads widening to 3 pips overnight. IronFX is rated 4 stars for its commissions and fees and is ranked #47 out of 62 brokers, suggesting a less favorable standing compared to AvaTrade.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $50 |
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.93 | 1.2 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.61 | N/A |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
When it comes to the variety of investments available, AvaTrade and IronFX both offer a comprehensive suite of options designed for diverse trading strategies. AvaTrade provides access to 1,260 tradeable symbols, including 53 forex pairs, while IronFX offers 340 tradeable symbols, featuring a wider selection of 83 forex pairs. Both platforms enable forex trading through contracts for difference (CFDs) or spot contracts, catering to traders' different preferences.
Neither AvaTrade nor IronFX offers exchange-traded securities on U.S. or international exchanges, which means direct stock purchases, like those of Apple or Vodafone, are off the table. However, both brokers facilitate the purchase of cryptocurrency derivatives, enhancing their appeal to crypto enthusiasts. Additionally, copy trading is available on both platforms, allowing traders to mirror the strategies of seasoned investors. With a 4-star rating for its investment range, AvaTrade ranks 32nd out of 62 brokers in the category, while IronFX earns a 3.5-star rating and is positioned at 51st, highlighting AvaTrade’s broader spectrum of investment opportunities.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1260 | 340 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 53 | 83 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | 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.
AvaTrade and IronFX both provide traders with a wide range of trading platforms and tools to enhance their trading experience. AvaTrade shines with a proprietary platform developed in-house, while IronFX does not offer this feature. Both brokers give users access to widely-used platforms like MetaTrader 4. AvaTrade extends its edge with MetaTrader 5, a more advanced version not available through IronFX. If you are interested in social and copy trading, both brokers have options, but AvaTrade offers additional services like DupliTrade and ZuluTrade. A free virtual demo account is available on both platforms, which is ideal for beginners to practice without financial risk.
For those keen on desktop and web-based trading, AvaTrade and IronFX offer downloads for Windows and browser trading, catering to various preferences. AvaTrade scores slightly more favorably in charting tools, with 13 drawing tools compared to IronFX’s 15. Both offer users the ability to trade directly from a stock chart. When it comes to organizing watch lists, both support seven columns. AvaTrade achieves a higher rating of 4.5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools, ranked 13th out of 62 brokers by ForexBrokers.com. IronFX, however, trails with a 3.5-star rating and a ranking of 60, reflecting a disparity in platform satisfaction.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No |
| DupliTrade | Yes | No |
| ZuluTrade | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 80 | 30 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 13 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
When it comes to mobile trading on iPhone and Android devices, both AvaTrade and IronFX provide apps that support stock and forex price alerts. They also offer the essential ability to draw trendlines and view charts across multiple timeframes. AvaTrade stands out with its watchlist symbol syncing feature, which IronFX lacks, ensuring your watchlist stays updated across devices. Trading enthusiasts might appreciate the availability of 73 technical studies with AvaTrade, more than double what IronFX offers with just 30.
In terms of user ratings, AvaTrade shines with an impressive 4.5 out of 5 stars, whereas IronFX holds a 3.5-star rating. Rankings from ForexBrokers.com further highlight this difference, placing AvaTrade at 13th out of 62 brokers for mobile trading apps, while IronFX ranks significantly lower at 61st. Although IronFX boasts auto-saving features for chart drawings, trade-focused users may find more value in AvaTrade's comprehensive feature set and superior user feedback.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 73 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | No | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When comparing the market research features of online brokers AvaTrade and IronFX, there are distinct offerings that cater to different types of traders. IronFX provides daily market commentary, which can be a useful resource for traders looking for regular analysis of market trends. Both AvaTrade and IronFX offer forex news from reputable sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones, ensuring that traders have access to high-quality information. In terms of technical analysis, both brokers provide tools from Trading Central, but only AvaTrade offers a sentiment-based trading tool, which displays the ratio of long and short positions in various currency pairs.
Neither AvaTrade nor IronFX provides market research from TipRanks or tools from Acuity Trading such as Signal Centre. However, both brokers include an economic calendar that highlights global economic events, which is essential for traders considering the economic backdrop. Despite these similarities, AvaTrade and IronFX both earn a research rating of 4 stars, although IronFX slightly outranks AvaTrade, placing 28th compared to AvaTrade's 34th out of 62 brokers in the ForexBrokers.com research category. These rankings suggest a close competitive edge but highlight IronFX’s slight advantage in overall research ranking.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | No | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Signal Centre (Acuity Trading) | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
AvaTrade and IronFX both provide a range of educational resources for beginners interested in forex and CFDs. Both platforms meet the requirement of offering at least 10 educational pieces, including articles, videos, and archived webinars, focused on forex or CFDs. However, AvaTrade has an edge with its regular online educational webinars, providing at least one per month, while IronFX does not offer this service. Both brokers give their users access to a searchable archive of recorded webinars and provide a substantial collection of beginner educational videos.
When it comes to advanced educational videos, AvaTrade outshines IronFX by providing at least 10 options catering to experienced traders, a benefit not extended by IronFX. Both brokers possess investor dictionaries with more than 50 investing terms to help traders improve their knowledge base. Despite both having a 4-star rating for their educational offerings, AvaTrade holds a significantly higher rank at #2 compared to IronFX's #44 according to ForexBrokers.com, making AvaTrade a strong contender for those seeking comprehensive educational resources.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No |
| 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 AvaTrade is better than IronFX. AvaTrade finished with an overall rank of #13, while IronFX finished with an overall rank of #48.
AvaTrade is a trusted global brand best known for offering an extensive selection of trading platforms for forex and CFD traders, as well as exceptional educational content that helped it nab Best in Class honors for Beginners in the ForexBrokers.com 2025 Annual Awards.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
IronFX
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 94 | 83 |
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Both AvaTrade and IronFX do not provide the ability to purchase actual delivered cryptocurrencies, but they do offer the option to trade cryptocurrency derivatives.
While both AvaTrade and IronFX support Skrill, Visa or Mastercard, and bank wires for deposits and withdrawals, AvaTrade distinguishes itself by also offering PayPal, whereas neither broker provides ACH or SEPA transfer options.
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 | AvaTrade | IronFX | |
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| Trust Score | 94 | 83 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | AvaTrade Review |
| Broker Screenshots | AvaTrade | IronFX | |
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| Regulation | AvaTrade | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 94 | 83 | |
| Year Founded | 2006 | 2010 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 3 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 0 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | AvaTrade | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | AvaTrade | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | No | No | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| UAE (DFSA/Central Bank Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) | No | No |
| Investments | AvaTrade | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1260 | 340 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 53 | 83 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | 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 | AvaTrade | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.93 | 1.2 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.61 | N/A | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | No | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | AvaTrade | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $50 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| ACH or SEPA Transfers | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | AvaTrade | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No | |
| cTrader | No | No | |
| DupliTrade | Yes | No | |
| ZuluTrade | Yes | No |
| Trading Tools | AvaTrade | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 80 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 13 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | AvaTrade | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 73 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | AvaTrade | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | No | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | No | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | AvaTrade | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Forex or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | No | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | AvaTrade | IronFX | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | AvaTrade Review |
| Overall | AvaTrade | IronFX | |
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| Trust Score | 94 | 83 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | AvaTrade Review |
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