Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of CMC Markets 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.
When considering online brokers, CMC Markets and AvaTrade both present compelling options, although they have notable differences in their regulatory backgrounds and company structures. CMC Markets was established in 1989 and is publicly traded, highlighting its long-standing presence and transparency in the market. Meanwhile, AvaTrade, founded in 2006, remains privately held. Neither company operates as a bank, but both are well-regulated with multiple licenses to ensure customer protection and service reliability.
In terms of regulatory strength, CMC Markets and AvaTrade are both considered highly trusted, evidenced by their ForexBrokers.com Trust Scores of 99 and 94, respectively. CMC Markets holds six Tier-1 licenses, which are top-tier and indicate a high level of trust. AvaTrade boasts four Tier-1 licenses, and both companies also hold additional Tier-2 licenses, further emphasizing their commitment to regulation and client safety. These distinctions make them both appealing choices for traders seeking secure online trading platforms.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2006 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 4 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
CMC Markets is the stronger pick on pricing for most traders. It holds a 5-star Commissions and Fees rating and ranks #4 out of 63 brokers, and it won our 2025 Annual Award for Commissions and Fees. AvaTrade earns 4.5 stars and ranks #14 out of 63. In practice, CMC Markets’ typical EUR/USD spread was 0.61 pips (August 2023), while AvaTrade’s standard account averaged about 0.9 pips (June 2024), making CMC generally cheaper on common forex pairs.
CMC Markets also offers FX Active, a commission-based plan at $2.50 per side with minimum spreads of 0 pips, delivering a 0.5-pip all-in cost on EUR/USD (and five other pairs) using August 2023 data. For example, NZD/USD is about 1.5 pips on CMC’s standard account but drops to 0.5 pips all-in with FX Active. Active traders can further reduce costs via the Price Plus Scheme, which awards Trading Points by volume (e.g., 2 points per standard lot); reaching Tier 4 (20% spread discount) would require 1,250 standard lots in a month.
AvaTrade’s pricing sits close to the industry average at roughly 0.9 pips on EUR/USD, which is a bit higher than CMC’s entry-level pricing. If you qualify as a professional client, AvaTrade’s Professional account narrows spreads to about 0.6 pips, offering a meaningful discount for high-experience traders. Still, for many retail traders comparing everyday spreads, CMC Markets often comes out ahead on overall trading costs.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $100 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | 0.93 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | 0.61 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
For investors focused on choice, CMC Markets offers a much wider range of investments than AvaTrade. CMC lists 12,029 tradeable symbols and 141 forex pairs, compared with AvaTrade’s 1,260 symbols and 53 forex pairs. Both brokers support forex trading as CFDs or spot, and both offer copy trading, making it easy to mirror strategies from other traders.
CMC Markets also lets clients buy exchange-traded stocks on U.S. and international exchanges (think Apple on NASDAQ or Vodafone in London), while AvaTrade does not offer exchange-traded shares and instead focuses on CFDs. Neither broker sells actual cryptocurrency, but both provide cryptocurrency CFDs. Reflecting this breadth, ForexBrokers.com rates CMC Markets 5 stars for Range of Investments and ranks it 9th out of 63 brokers, while AvaTrade earns 4 stars and ranks 26th.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 12029 | 1260 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 141 | 53 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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.
CMC Markets vs AvaTrade: both brokers check the key boxes for trading platforms and tools. Each offers a free demo account for paper trading, a proprietary platform, Windows desktop and web-based platforms, copy trading, and support for MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5). You can place trades directly from charts with either broker. The number of built-in technical indicators for charting and the number of watchlist columns are not specified in the data provided.
In independent testing by ForexBrokers.com, CMC Markets earns 5 stars and ranks #6 out of 63 brokers for Trading Platforms and Tools, while AvaTrade earns 4.5 stars and ranks #13. If you want the higher-rated platform experience, CMC Markets has the edge. If you’re focused on platform choice and features like copy trading alongside MT4 and MT5 access, both CMC Markets and AvaTrade are well equipped.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 73 | 80 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
Both CMC Markets and AvaTrade offer full-featured mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android. Each app supports price alerts and synced watchlists, so changes on mobile carry over to your web account. For charting, both let you draw trendlines, but they differ in indicators: CMC Markets includes 29 technical studies, while AvaTrade packs in 73, which can appeal to indicator-heavy traders.
Workflow details set them apart. CMC Markets auto-saves your chart drawings, while AvaTrade does not. In independent testing, CMC Markets earned 5 stars and was ranked #5 out of 63 brokers for Mobile Trading Apps by ForexBrokers.com; AvaTrade scored 4.5 stars and ranked #13. If you want a large library of indicators, AvaTrade stands out. If you value auto-saved annotations and a higher-rated mobile experience, CMC Markets is the better fit.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 73 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
Comparing market research at CMC Markets vs AvaTrade: CMC Markets includes daily market commentary, while AvaTrade does not. Both brokers stream forex news from top-tier sources (e.g., Bloomberg, Reuters, Dow Jones), offer an economic calendar, and provide a sentiment tool showing long/short positioning. For analysis add‑ons, CMC Markets features Autochartist but not Trading Central; AvaTrade offers Trading Central but not Autochartist. Neither broker includes TipRanks or Acuity Trading research.
In independent ratings, CMC Markets earns 5 stars for Research and ranks #6 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while AvaTrade scores 4 stars and ranks #28. Pick CMC Markets if you value daily commentary and Autochartist signals; choose AvaTrade if you prefer Trading Central analysis alongside headline news, sentiment, and an economic calendar.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | Yes | No |
| Trading Central | No | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Comparing CMC Markets vs. AvaTrade for beginner education, both brokers deliver plenty of forex and CFD learning materials, including at least 10 beginner videos and at least 10 advanced videos to grow with you. New traders will find structured lessons, how‑to content, and strategy explainers in easy-to-follow formats. A key difference is live learning: AvaTrade runs ongoing client webinars (at least monthly), while CMC Markets does not offer regular webinars.
On scores, CMC Markets earns 5 stars for Education and ranks #10 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com. AvaTrade earns 4 stars but ranks higher at #2 out of 63. If live, scheduled webinars matter to you, AvaTrade is the better fit. If you prefer high-rated, on-demand videos you can watch anytime, CMC Markets stands out. Either way, beginners get a deep library to start with and room to advance.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | No | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Brokers for Beginners.
After testing 63 of the best forex brokers, our research and account testing finds that CMC Markets is better than AvaTrade. CMC Markets finished with an overall rank of #5, while AvaTrade finished with an overall rank of #15.
CMC Markets is well-trusted across the globe, and delivers a terrific trading experience thanks to its excellent pricing and selection of over 12,000 tradeable instruments.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
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AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 94 |
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CMC Markets vs AvaTrade: both online brokers do not allow buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies, but both offer cryptocurrency CFD trading.
CMC Markets vs AvaTrade: for deposits and withdrawals, CMC Markets supports ACH/SEPA, PayPal, and bank wire transfers (but not Skrill), while AvaTrade supports PayPal, Skrill, and bank wires (but not ACH/SEPA); Visa/Mastercard availability was not specified for either.
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 | CMC Markets | AvaTrade | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 94 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | AvaTrade Review |
| Broker Screenshots | CMC Markets | AvaTrade | |
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| Regulation | CMC Markets | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 94 | |
| Year Founded | 1989 | 2006 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 6 | 4 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 1 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 1 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | CMC Markets | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | CMC Markets | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | CMC Markets | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 12029 | 1260 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 141 | 53 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Underlying) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFDs) | 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 | CMC Markets | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 1.3 | 0.93 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.65 | 0.61 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | CMC Markets | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $100 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | CMC Markets | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | CMC Markets | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 73 | 80 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | CMC Markets | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 29 | 73 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | CMC Markets | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | Yes | No | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | Yes | No | |
| Trading Central | No | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | CMC Markets | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | No | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | CMC Markets | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | AvaTrade Review |
| Overall | CMC Markets | AvaTrade | |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 94 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | AvaTrade Review |
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