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, established in 2006, and HFM, founded in 2010, are both reputable online brokers known for their strong regulatory compliance. Neither company is publicly traded nor operates as a bank, yet each maintains significant regulatory credentials. AvaTrade holds four Tier-1 licenses, illustrating its high standard of trust and safety according to ForexBrokers.com. In comparison, HFM holds two Tier-1 licenses, still reflecting a commendable level of confidence in its operations.
In terms of Tier-2 licenses, both AvaTrade and HFM are on equal footing, each holding three licenses. This consistency contributes to their reliability. AvaTrade boasts a ForexBrokers.com Trust Score of 94 out of 99, placing it in the highly trusted category. Meanwhile, HFM has a Trust Score of 86, indicating that it is also trustworthy but slightly less so compared to AvaTrade. These scores help prospective clients gauge the level of security and trust they can expect from each broker.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2006 | 2010 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 2 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
AvaTrade and HFM differ meaningfully on commissions and fees. AvaTrade’s typical spread sits near the industry average at about 0.9 pips (June 2024), while HFM’s stated typical spread for its Standard account is 1.2 pips, which is slightly above average and not tied to a time range. As a result, AvaTrade generally looks cheaper than HFM on standard, spread-only pricing. For this category, AvaTrade is rated 4.5/5 stars and ranked #13 out of 63 brokers by ForexBrokers.com, while HFM is rated 4/5 stars and ranked #32 out of 63.
AvaTrade’s spreads of 0.9 pips are a touch higher than the lowest entry-level pricing seen at CMC Markets and Tickmill, yet they remain competitive. If you qualify as a professional trader, AvaTrade’s Professional account can bring spreads down to around 0.6 pips, comparable to FP Markets.
HFM’s trading costs are slightly above the industry average on its Standard account, with the company citing a 1.2-pip typical spread (no date range provided). HFM’s Zero account can be sharper for active traders: after adding commission, the effective spread can be about 0.7 pips, though this figure is not presented as an average. Overall, HFM earns 4/5 stars and ranks #32 for commissions and fees, versus AvaTrade’s stronger 4.5/5 stars and #13 ranking.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $0 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.93 | 1.2 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.61 | 0.7 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | 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 vs HFM: both brokers support forex trading via CFDs or spot contracts, but their product lineups differ. AvaTrade lists about 1,260 tradeable symbols, giving it a wider overall catalog than HFM’s roughly 500. If your focus is currency trading, HFM offers more forex pairs (about 102) compared with AvaTrade’s 53, which may appeal to traders seeking niche or cross pairs.
Neither broker lets you buy exchange-traded stocks on U.S. or international exchanges, and both do not offer actual (delivered) crypto. However, each supports cryptocurrency CFDs and copy trading. For Range of Investments, both earn 4 stars on ForexBrokers.com, with AvaTrade ranked #33 out of 63 brokers and HFM close behind at #37.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
HFM
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1260 | 500 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 53 | 102 |
| 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.
Choosing between AvaTrade and HFM for trading platforms and tools? Both brokers check the key boxes: free demo (paper) accounts, proprietary platforms alongside MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), copy trading, and the ability to place trades straight from charts. You can trade in a web browser or use a Windows desktop platform with either broker, so getting started and staying flexible is easy.
Where they differ is in overall platform and tool quality. Based on ForexBrokers.com’s research, AvaTrade earns 4.5 stars and ranks #13 out of 63 brokers for Trading Platforms and Tools, while HFM scores 4 stars and ranks #43. If platform experience is a top priority, AvaTrade has the edge; if you simply want the core features with MT4/MT5 support, HFM remains a solid pick.
| 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 | 15 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
AvaTrade and HFM both offer iPhone and Android trading apps with stock and forex price alerts, so you can monitor markets from anywhere. A key difference is watchlists: AvaTrade syncs watchlist symbols between the mobile app and your web account, while HFM’s watchlists do not sync.
For charting, AvaTrade supplies 73 technical studies versus 30 on HFM, and both apps let you draw trendlines. HFM auto-saves chart drawings; AvaTrade does not. According to ForexBrokers.com, AvaTrade’s mobile trading apps are rated 4.5 out of 5 stars and rank 13th out of 63 brokers, while HFM is rated 4 stars and ranks 40th. Traders who want more built-in studies and synced watchlists may prefer AvaTrade, whereas HFM can appeal to those who like having their chart drawings saved automatically.
| 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 | 30 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
AvaTrade vs HFM for market research: If you want daily market commentary, HFM delivers it while AvaTrade does not. Both brokers publish forex news from top-tier sources such as Bloomberg, Reuters, or Dow Jones. Their toolkits differ: HFM includes Autochartist for pattern and setup ideas, while AvaTrade offers Trading Central. Each broker provides a sentiment tool that shows the ratio of long vs. short positions and an easy-to-use economic calendar. Neither broker integrates TipRanks or Acuity Trading.
In testing by ForexBrokers.com, both earned 4 out of 5 stars for Research, but HFM ranked higher (#20 of 63) than AvaTrade (#35 of 63). Pick HFM if daily commentary and Autochartist are priorities; pick AvaTrade if you prefer Trading Central along with sentiment data and a comprehensive news feed. Either way, you get credible news coverage, sentiment insights, and an economic calendar.
| 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 | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
Comparing AvaTrade vs HFM for beginner education, both brokers check the key boxes. Each offers forex and CFD education with well over 10 learning pieces, runs ongoing client webinars at least monthly, and provides 10+ beginner videos along with 10+ advanced videos for when you’re ready to level up. If you’re starting from scratch, both give you a clear, step‑by‑step path through videos, articles, and webinars.
The main difference shows up in independent rankings. While both earn 4 out of 5 stars for Education, ForexBrokers.com ranks AvaTrade #2 out of 63 brokers for this category, compared with HFM at #37. In short, beginners will find strong educational depth at either broker, but AvaTrade’s learning experience is rated much higher overall, making it a smart pick if education quality is your top priority.
| 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 #13, while HFM finished with an overall rank of #30.
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
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HFM
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| Overall Rating |
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| Trust Score | 94 | 86 |
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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 | 94 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | AvaTrade Review | HFM Review |
| Broker Screenshots | AvaTrade | HFM | |
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| Regulation | AvaTrade | HFM | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 94 | 86 | |
| 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 | 3 | 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 | ||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA 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 | 500 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 53 | 102 | |
| 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) - Standard account | 0.93 | 1.2 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.61 | 0.7 | |
| 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 | 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 | 15 | |
| 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 Watchlist [DELETED] | |||
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 73 | 30 | |
| 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 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD [DELETED] | |||
| USD/JPY [DELETED] | |||
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF [DELETED] | |||
| USD/CAD [DELETED] | |||
| NZD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| AUD/USD [DELETED] | |||
| Review | AvaTrade Review | HFM Review |
| Overall | AvaTrade | HFM | |
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| Trust Score | 94 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | AvaTrade Review | HFM Review |
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