By comparing brokers AvaTrade and Markets.com, we will cover various aspects of each broker so that you can decide which might be the best one for you. We encourage you to think about the specific features that you need in a broker while looking through our broker comparison. Different traders have different requirements, so ultimately the best broker for you will depend on your trading aims, your experience, and what sort of trading activities you are interested in.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 71% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. 80.4% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider. You should consider whether you understand how CFDs work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
AvaTrade offers commission-free trading, with the broker’s profits taken from the spreads. The spreads are competitive, showing an average of around 0.9 pips on the EURUSD during peak trading hours. There is also an inactivity fee of $50, charged quarterly once an account has been dormant for 12 months, along with an annual admin fee of $100. There are overnight swap fees charged, depending on the instrument being traded.
Markets.com does not charge a commission on transactions, and again the spreads are competitive. Current spreads for each platform can be found on the website. The inactivity fee is $10 a month. This is charged if your account is dormant for more than 90 days. There is also an overnight swap fee and a currency conversion fee.
Both AvaTrade and Markets.com are reputable, regulated brokers offering a range of products. At AvaTrade, you can trade more than 1,250 instruments in total, and there is CFD trading available on forex, stocks, commodities, cryptocurrencies and indices. AvaTrade has more than 50 forex pairs on offer, along with a wide range of cryptocurrencies such as Bitcoin, Ethereum, Dash, Ripple and Litecoin.
Markets.com also offers CFD trading on a wide range of instruments, including forex, shares, commodities, indices, ETFs and bonds, offering a total of more than 3,000 instruments. You can also trade major cryptocurrencies here. Markets.com offers spread betting, which is particularly popular in the UK, where it can provide tax advantages over other kinds of trading and investing.
Both brokers offer a good user experience. The account opening process at AvaTrade is particularly quick and easy, and the broker offers trading via MT4, MT5, WebTrader, and its proprietary platform AvaTradeGO. Mobile apps are available for trading on the go, and you can get started here with a minimum deposit of just $/£/€100, depending on your region.
The AvaTrade website and mobile apps are very intuitive and easy to navigate. There is a choice of platforms, but no doubt MT4 and MT5 traders will stick with what they know. Don’t forget that you can try out the AvaTrade proprietary platform with the demo account. There are also options for automated and social trading.
At Markets.com, account opening is also simple and fast, and again there is a risk-free demo account, so you can try out the platform before you commit. This broker also offers MT4 and MT5 trading, with the option to access the platform from any device. The Markets.com mobile trading app for iOS and Android is very user-friendly, allowing for the execution of trades with a single tap and enabling users to easily manage their positions from their mobile devices.
The Markets.com website is well-designed and easy to navigate, with all information clearly displayed, including the markets and trading platforms available, along with access to educational resources and customer support. One possible drawback we found is that there is a limited number of payment options at Markets.com.
AvaTrade is an award-winning brokerage that is fully regulated by various authorities in the different jurisdictions in which it operates, including CySEC in Cyprus, ASIC in Australia, and the FSCA in South Africa. Furthermore, the firm’s regulatory framework covers other parts of the world where it has a presence, including the Middle East (Abu Dhabi) and the British Virgin Islands.
Markets.com is also an award-winning and well-respected broker, and is operated by Finalto Trading Ltd, which is a regulated investment services firm authorised by the FCA.
When you sign up at AvaTrade, you can choose to explore the platform for free, without depositing any money, through a demo account. A demo account can be a great way to find your way around a new platform and practice your trading strategies, risk-free, using virtual money. To register for a demo account, you will only need to provide some basic information such as your email and phone number. The AvaTrade demo account offers a trading experience that is very similar to real-life trading, and can be used with any of the platforms offered to live traders.
Markets.com also offers a demo account, and again you will need to make an account, but only with your basic contact information. Alternatively, you can sign up via another account such as Google or Facebook. Like the AvaTrade account, the Markets.com demo account offers trading conditions that are very similar to real-life trading.
We do, however, urge caution when trading with demo accounts. They can be very useful as a way to learn about how a platform works and practice placing trades, but few of us trade the same way with risk-free virtual money as we do in real life, which can lead to different results. It is also difficult for a demo account to mimic the potential slippage that can happen when dealing with live markets, so keep this in mind when practicing trading via a demo account.
When it comes to AvaTrade vs Markets.com, the two brokers offer similar assets, platforms and features, and even a similar minimum deposit. Markets.com has a wider range of instruments, but this is, of course, only relevant if you want to trade those specific markets. Both offer trading via CFDs, and both offer cryptocurrencies, though AvaTrade has more crypto assets available. AvaTrade also offers good social and automated options, if you are interested in these types of trading.