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.
CMC Markets and AvaTrade are both established online brokers, but CMC Markets stands out on trust and regulation. Founded in 1989, CMC Markets is publicly traded, is not a bank, and holds 6 Tier-1 licenses and 1 Tier-2 license, giving it a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 99 out of 99. Under ForexBrokers.com’s rating scale, that places CMC Markets in the highly trusted category.
AvaTrade, founded in 2006, is not publicly traded and is also not a bank. It holds 4 Tier-1 licenses and 4 Tier-2 licenses, with a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 96 out of 99, which also puts it in the highly trusted range. While both brokers score well, CMC Markets has the stronger regulatory profile and a higher trust rating overall.
| 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 | 4 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 0 | 1 |
When comparing commissions and fees, CMC Markets comes out ahead of AvaTrade for most traders. CMC’s standard account has an average EUR/USD spread of 1.3 pips, which is higher than its advertised minimum, but its pricing is still seen as more consistent than many rivals. Traders who want lower costs can opt into FX Active, where the EUR/USD average drops to 0.65 pips plus commission, working out to about 1.15 pips all-in. CMC Markets is rated 5 stars and ranked #4 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees.
AvaTrade’s pricing is simple and fairly close to the market average, with spreads just under 1 pip on its standard account, or 0.9 pips as of June 2024. That is a little higher than the entry-level pricing offered by CMC Markets and some other low-cost brokers. For professional traders who qualify, AvaTrade’s Professional account is more competitive at 0.6 pips, which puts it in a stronger position for more active users. AvaTrade is rated 4.5 stars and ranked #14 out of 36 brokers for commissions and fees.
Overall, CMC Markets is the better choice if your main goal is lower trading costs and more ways to reduce fees, especially through its active trader pricing. AvaTrade is still a solid option for traders who want straightforward spreads, but it does not match CMC Markets on fees and pricing value.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0 | $100 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 1.3 | 0.93 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 1.15 | 0.61 |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | 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.
When it comes to range of investments, CMC Markets gives traders a much wider selection than AvaTrade. CMC Markets offers 21,710 tradeable symbols and 303 forex pairs, while AvaTrade provides 1,260 symbols and 53 forex pairs. Both brokers support forex trading as either a CFD or spot contract, and both also offer cryptocurrency CFDs, but neither lets clients buy actual cryptocurrency.
CMC Markets also stands out for access to exchange traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, so clients can buy real shares such as Apple or Vodafone. AvaTrade does not offer these exchange traded securities, but it does provide copy trading, which CMC Markets does not. Overall, CMC Markets is rated 5 stars for Range of Investments and ranks #9 out of 36 brokers, compared with AvaTrade’s 4 stars and #27 ranking.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 21710 | 1260 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 303 | 53 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No |
| Copy Trading | No | 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 and AvaTrade both give traders a wide range of platform choices, including a free demo account, a proprietary platform, web-based access, and Windows desktop downloads. Each broker also supports MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, and both let users place trades straight from a chart. In the Trading Platforms and Tools category, CMC Markets stands out with a 5-star rating and a #6 ranking out of 36 brokers, while AvaTrade holds a strong 4.5-star rating and ranks #13.
The key difference is copy trading, which AvaTrade offers but CMC Markets does not. That makes AvaTrade a better fit for beginners who want to follow other traders, while CMC Markets may appeal more to active traders who want a top-rated platform experience without copy trading. Based on overall platform quality, CMC Markets has the edge, but AvaTrade still offers a solid mix of tools and social trading features.
| 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 | No | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 65 | 80 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
CMC Markets and AvaTrade both offer mobile trading apps for iPhone and Android, along with stock and forex price alerts, trendline drawing tools, and watchlist syncing between the app and online account. That means traders can move between devices and keep their lists updated without extra work. Both apps cover the essentials well, making either option a solid choice for trading on the go.
Where they differ is in charting depth and app performance. AvaTrade offers more technical studies in its mobile app, with 73 compared with CMC Markets’ 30, while CMC Markets has an edge in usability features like auto-saving chart drawings. CMC Markets also scores higher overall, earning 5 stars for Mobile Trading Apps and ranking #5 out of 36 brokers, compared with AvaTrade’s 4.5 stars and #13 ranking. For traders who want a higher-rated mobile experience, CMC Markets has the advantage, while AvaTrade stands out for its larger set of charting tools.
| 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 | 30 | 73 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
When it comes to market research, CMC Markets has the edge over AvaTrade. CMC Markets offers daily market commentary, forex news from top sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, Autochartist tools, sentiment data, and an economic calendar. AvaTrade also provides forex news, sentiment data, and an economic calendar, but it does not include daily market commentary or Autochartist. Instead, AvaTrade stands out with Trading Central research tools, which CMC Markets does not offer.
Overall, CMC Markets is rated higher for research, with 5 stars and a #6 ranking out of 36 brokers from ForexBrokers.com, compared with AvaTrade’s 4 stars and #29 ranking. Neither broker offers TipRanks or Acuity Trading tools, so the main differences are the extra commentary and Autochartist access at CMC Markets versus Trading Central at AvaTrade.
| 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.
CMC Markets and AvaTrade both give beginners plenty of learning tools, including forex and CFD education with more than 10 related pieces, monthly client webinars, and at least 10 beginner and 10 advanced trading videos. That means either broker can help new traders build basic knowledge and keep learning as their skills grow. CMC Markets stands out for earning a 5-star Education rating, while AvaTrade is close behind with 4 stars.
When it comes to third-party recognition, AvaTrade ranks higher for Education at #2 out of 36 brokers, compared with CMC Markets at #10. So, if you are a beginner looking for a broker with a wide range of lessons, webinars, and videos, both are strong choices, but AvaTrade has the edge in ranking while CMC Markets scores higher in star rating.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
|
AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | 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 21,710 tradeable instruments and 303 forex pairs, the largest currency lineup in the industry.
| Feature |
CMC Markets
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AvaTrade
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 99 | 96 |
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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 | 96 | |
| 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 | 96 | |
| 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 | 4 | |
| 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) | Yes | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA 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) | 21710 | 1260 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 303 | 53 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | Yes | No | |
| Copy Trading | No | 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) - Spread-only account | 1.3 | 0.93 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 1.15 | 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 (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Trading Platforms | CMC Markets | AvaTrade | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | No | 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) | 65 | 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 | 30 | 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 | Yes | 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 | 96 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | CMC Markets Review | AvaTrade Review |
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