Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of AvaTrade vs HFM, 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.
AvaTrade and HFM are both private online brokers that are not listed on a stock exchange and are not banks. AvaTrade was founded in 2006, while HFM was founded in 2010. Based on ForexBrokers.com trust ratings, AvaTrade scores 96 out of 99, placing it in the highly trusted range, while HFM scores 85 out of 99, which falls in the trusted range.
In terms of regulation, AvaTrade holds 4 Tier-1 licenses and 4 Tier-2 licenses, giving it a wider set of top-level approvals than HFM. HFM holds 2 Tier-1 licenses and 3 Tier-2 licenses. For traders comparing broker safety and oversight, AvaTrade has the stronger regulatory profile and the higher Trust Score.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2006 | 2010 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 4 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
AvaTrade offers commissions and fees that are close to the industry average, with spreads at just under 1 pip on its standard account (0.9 pips as of June 2024). That is a bit higher than the entry-level pricing from some rivals like CMC Markets and Tickmill, but it is still competitive overall. For eligible professional traders, AvaTrade’s Professional account can be even cheaper, with spreads around 0.6 pips, which is similar to FP Markets. AvaTrade earns 4.5 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees and ranks #14 out of 36 brokers.
HFM’s trading costs are a little higher than the industry average. Its standard accounts typically show spreads of about 1.2 pips, though HFM does not provide a clear time frame for that figure, so the real average could be worse. The Zero account brings the effective spread down to about 0.7 pips after commission, but this is also not presented as an average spread. HFM is rated 4 out of 5 stars for commissions and fees and is ranked #30 out of 36 brokers.
In simple terms, AvaTrade comes out ahead of HFM on price for most traders. Both brokers can be reasonably affordable depending on the account type, but AvaTrade has the better overall commissions-and-fees score, a higher star rating, and a stronger ranking.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 0.93 | 1.8 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 0.61 | 1.1 |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
AvaTrade and HFM both give traders access to forex as CFDs or spot contracts, and both also support copy trading and cryptocurrency CFDs. Neither broker lets you buy actual cryptocurrencies or invest directly in exchange-traded shares on U.S. or international stock exchanges. On paper, they look fairly similar in the main asset types they cover, especially for traders focused on forex, CFDs, and social trading.
The biggest difference is choice. AvaTrade offers 1,260 tradeable symbols and 53 forex pairs, while HFM lists 344 tradeable symbols and 38 forex pairs. That wider range gives AvaTrade the edge for investors who want more instruments to choose from. Still, both brokers are rated 4 out of 5 stars for range of investments, with AvaTrade ranked #27 out of 36 brokers and HFM ranked #30 by ForexBrokers.com in this category.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1260 | 344 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 53 | 38 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | 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.
AvaTrade and HFM both give traders a wide choice of platform options, including free demo accounts, their own in-house platforms, web-based access, Windows desktop downloads, copy trading, and support for both MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. Each broker also lets users trade directly from charts, which can make placing trades faster and more convenient for active traders.
Where they begin to differ is in overall ratings and rankings. AvaTrade scores 4.5 out of 5 for Trading Platforms and Tools and ranks #13 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while HFM scores 4 out of 5 and ranks #36 out of 36. Based on this comparison, both brokers offer many of the same platform features, but AvaTrade has the stronger showing overall for trading platforms and tools.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| 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) | 80 | 38 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
AvaTrade and HFM both make it easy to trade on the go, with iPhone and Android apps, price alerts, and the ability to draw trendlines on charts. Both apps cover the basics well, but AvaTrade gives mobile traders more to work with thanks to watchlist syncing between the app and online account, which HFM does not offer. AvaTrade also stands out for charting depth, with 73 technical studies compared with just 5 at HFM.
In overall mobile trading app quality, AvaTrade has the edge. It is rated 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #13 out of 36 brokers at ForexBrokers.com, while HFM scores 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #35. HFM does have one useful advantage: it auto-saves chart drawings in the app, while AvaTrade does not. Even so, AvaTrade offers the more complete mobile trading experience for most users.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 73 | 5 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
AvaTrade and HFM both give traders access to forex news from major sources like Bloomberg and Reuters, a sentiment tool, and an economic calendar that tracks upcoming global events. Both are also rated 4 out of 5 stars for research. The main difference is in the extra tools each one offers: AvaTrade includes Trading Central research, while HFM does not.
HFM has the edge for overall market research because it offers daily market commentary, Autochartist, and Acuity Trading tools such as Signal Centre, while AvaTrade does not. AvaTrade, on the other hand, lacks daily commentary and Autochartist. This gap is reflected in ForexBrokers.com’s rankings, where HFM is placed #18 out of 36 brokers for research, ahead of AvaTrade at #30.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | No | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | Yes |
| Trading Central | Yes | No |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
When it comes to beginner-friendly learning tools, both AvaTrade and HFM give new traders a lot to work with. Each broker offers forex and CFD education, monthly client webinars, and at least 10 beginner videos as well as 10 advanced videos, so both platforms provide a solid range of material for different skill levels. On top of that, both are rated 4 out of 5 stars for Education, which suggests that each broker takes trader learning seriously.
The biggest difference is in outside rankings. AvaTrade is placed #2 out of 36 brokers for Education by ForexBrokers.com, while HFM is ranked #31. That gap makes AvaTrade the stronger choice overall for beginners who want easier access to learning content and a more highly rated education section, even though HFM still offers many of the same basic learning features.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 AvaTrade is better than HFM. AvaTrade finished with an overall rank of #15, while HFM finished with an overall rank of #27.
AvaTrade is a trusted global brand best known for offering an extensive selection of trading platforms for forex and CFD traders, along with strong educational resources and copy trading support.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
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HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 96 | 85 |
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AvaTrade vs HFM: neither broker allows you to buy actual (delivered) cryptocurrency, but both support trading cryptocurrency CFDs.
AvaTrade vs HFM deposit and withdrawal comparison: both brokers support Skrill and bank wire transfers and do not offer ACH or SEPA, but only AvaTrade supports PayPal, while Visa/Mastercard availability is 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 | AvaTrade | HFM | |
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| Trust Score | 96 | 85 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | AvaTrade Review | HFM Review |
| Broker Screenshots | AvaTrade | HFM | |
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| Regulation | AvaTrade | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 96 | 85 | |
| 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 | 2 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 4 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | AvaTrade | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (FSA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | No | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| 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 | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or CMA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | AvaTrade | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1260 | 344 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 53 | 38 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | No | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | 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 | AvaTrade | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Spread-only account | 0.93 | 1.8 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Raw spread account | 0.61 | 1.1 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | AvaTrade | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $0 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | No | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | AvaTrade | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | AvaTrade | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 80 | 38 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | AvaTrade | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 73 | 5 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | AvaTrade | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | No | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central | Yes | No | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | AvaTrade | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | AvaTrade | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | AvaTrade Review | HFM Review |
| Overall | AvaTrade | HFM | |
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| Trust Score | 96 | 85 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | AvaTrade Review | HFM Review |
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