Written by ForexBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of AvaTrade vs Plus500, 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 Plus500 are both well-established online brokers, founded in 2006 and 2008, respectively. While both companies offer trading services, they differ in their business structure, as Plus500 is a publicly traded company, whereas AvaTrade is privately held. Both brokers are not banks, ensuring that their focus remains entirely on providing trading services. AvaTrade holds four highly trusted Tier-1 licenses while Plus500 surpasses it with six, reflecting a higher level of regulatory approval. Both brokers maintain equal footing with three trusted Tier-2 licenses each.
In terms of trustworthiness, ForexBrokers.com provides AvaTrade with a Trust Score of 94 out of 99, signifying a highly trusted broker status. Plus500, however, achieves a near-perfect Trust Score of 99, denoting an exceptional level of trust. These scores indicate that both brokers are highly reliable; however, Plus500 edges out AvaTrade concerning overall credibility and regulatory recognition in the financial market.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Year Founded | 2006 | 2008 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | Yes |
| Bank | No | No |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 6 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 3 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 0 |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
Comparing AvaTrade vs Plus500 on commissions and fees: AvaTrade’s typical EUR/USD spread was about 0.9 pips as of June 2024, which is near the industry average (though a bit higher than some entry-level accounts at rivals like CMC Markets and Tickmill). Plus500’s EUR/USD spread averaged 1.5 pips in April 2024—higher than the industry average and behind leaders for active trader pricing such as IG or Saxo.
For professionals, AvaTrade offers a Professional account with spreads around 0.6 pips (comparable to FP Markets), helping cut costs for high-volume traders. Plus500 doesn’t discount pricing for retail clients, but if you’re approved as a Professional client, it provides cash rebates that function like an active trader program.
Ratings and rankings: AvaTrade is rated 4.5/5 stars for commissions and fees and ranks #13 out of 63 brokers at ForexBrokers.com. Plus500 is rated 4.0/5 stars and ranks #24 out of 63. In short, AvaTrade generally delivers lower spreads—especially for professionals—while Plus500 may appeal if you qualify for its Professional rebates.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | €50 |
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.93 | 1.3 |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.61 | 1.3 |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Low Spread Forex Brokers.
AvaTrade vs Plus500: both brokers support forex trading (CFD/spot) and offer crypto via CFDs, but neither lets you buy actual cryptocurrency. Plus500 stands out for breadth with about 5,500 tradeable symbols and 65 forex pairs, while AvaTrade lists roughly 1,260 symbols and 53 forex pairs. A key difference is access to real shares: Plus500 lets clients buy exchange-traded securities on both U.S. and international exchanges, whereas AvaTrade does not. For social features, AvaTrade offers copy trading; Plus500 does not.
For Range of Investments, AvaTrade is rated 4 out of 5 stars and ranks #33 out of 63 brokers on ForexBrokers.com. Plus500 earns 4.5 out of 5 stars and ranks #22 out of 63. In short, choose Plus500 if you want the widest symbol list and the ability to buy real stocks across U.S. and global markets, and choose AvaTrade if copy trading is important alongside a broad CFD and forex selection.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1260 | 5500 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 53 | 65 |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | Yes |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| 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). Non-CFD share trading at Plus500 is only available through the Plus500 Invest account. |
Dive deeper: Best Copy Trading Platforms.
AvaTrade and Plus500 both offer free demo accounts for paper trading and their own proprietary trading platforms with browser-based access. If you want a downloadable Windows desktop platform, AvaTrade provides one, while Plus500 does not. Both brokers support web trading, but only AvaTrade offers copy trading.
For traders who want MetaTrader, AvaTrade supports MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), whereas Plus500 is not compatible with either. AvaTrade also lets you place orders directly from price charts; Plus500 doesn’t. Both platforms include standard charting indicators and watchlists. According to ForexBrokers.com, each broker earns 4.5 stars for Trading Platforms and Tools, with AvaTrade ranked #13 out of 63 and Plus500 close behind at #14—making AvaTrade the stronger choice for MT4/MT5, copy trading, and desktop needs, and Plus500 a solid pick for browser-based trading with a free demo.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes |
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 80 | 115 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best MetaTrader 4 Brokers, Best MetaTrader 5 Brokers.
AvaTrade and Plus500 both deliver full-featured mobile trading across iPhone and Android. Each app supports price alerts and watchlist syncing, so symbols you track on mobile match your online account and changes carry over. That makes it simple to monitor markets and get notified on the go.
For charting, both apps let you draw trendlines, but neither auto-saves drawings. AvaTrade includes 73 technical studies, while Plus500 offers 115, giving Plus500 the edge on indicator count. In independent testing, both earned 4.5 stars for Mobile Trading Apps. Ranked by ForexBrokers.com out of 63 brokers, AvaTrade placed #13 and Plus500 placed #14—so AvaTrade is slightly higher overall, while Plus500 stands out for more built-in studies.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Price Alerts | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlists - Syncing | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 73 | 115 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | No |
Dive deeper: Best Forex Trading Apps.
AvaTrade and Plus500 both cover the basics for market research with Trading Central tools, a sentiment gauge showing long/short ratios, and an economic calendar. The key differences: Plus500 provides daily market commentary, while AvaTrade delivers forex news from top-tier sources like Bloomberg, Reuters, and Dow Jones. Neither broker includes Autochartist, TipRanks, or Acuity Trading tools.
If you want in-platform commentary and quick takeaways, Plus500 may fit better. If timely, professional news flow matters more, AvaTrade is the stronger pick. Both earn 4 stars for Research, yet Plus500 ranks higher overall (#19 of 63) compared with AvaTrade (#35 of 63) according to ForexBrokers.com.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | No | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No |
| Autochartist | No | No |
| Trading Central | Yes | Yes |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes |
| TipRanks | No | No |
| Acuity Trading | No | No |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
Dive deeper: Best Brokers for Forex Research.
AvaTrade and Plus500 both cater to beginner traders with clear, accessible education. Each broker hosts monthly client webinars and provides at least 10 beginner-friendly video lessons, plus 10 or more advanced videos for when you’re ready to go deeper. If you like learning through live sessions and step-by-step videos that cover forex and CFD topics, both platforms make it simple to get started.
While their Education ratings are the same at 4.0 stars, their standings differ: out of 63 brokers, AvaTrade ranks #2 for Education, whereas Plus500 ranks #31. In short, both offer helpful webinars and videos for beginners, but AvaTrade is recognized more highly overall for its training experience.
| Feature |
AvaTrade
|
Plus500
|
|---|---|---|
| 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 Plus500. AvaTrade finished with an overall rank of #13, while Plus500 finished with an overall rank of #14.
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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Plus500
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| Trust Score | 94 | 99 |
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AvaTrade vs Plus500: neither broker supports buying actual (delivered) cryptocurrencies, but both offer cryptocurrency CFD trading.
In an AvaTrade vs Plus500 comparison for deposits and withdrawals, both brokers support PayPal, Skrill, and bank wire transfers, neither offers ACH or SEPA, and Visa/Mastercard availability is not specified.
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 | Plus500 | |
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| Trust Score | 94 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | AvaTrade Review | Plus500 Review |
| Broker Screenshots | AvaTrade | Plus500 | |
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| Regulation | AvaTrade | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 94 | 99 | |
| Year Founded | 2006 | 2008 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | Yes | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 6 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 3 | 3 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 0 | |
| Tier-4 Licenses | 1 | 2 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (Highly Trusted) | AvaTrade | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Australia (ASIC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Canada (CIRO Authorised) | Yes | No | |
| Hong Kong (SFC Authorised) | No | No | |
| Japan (SFC Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| Singapore (MAS Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Switzerland (FINMA Authorised) | |||
| United Kingdom (U.K.) (FCA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| USA (CFTC Authorized) | No | No | |
| New Zealand (FMA Authorised) | No | Yes | |
| Regulated in one or more EU or EEA countries (MiFID). | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Trusted) | AvaTrade | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya (CMA Authorised) | |||
| Israel (ISA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| South Africa (FSCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| UAE (DFSA, FSRA, or SCA Authorised) | Yes | Yes | |
| India (SEBI Authorised) | No | No | |
| Jordan (JSC Authorised) |
| Investments | AvaTrade | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1260 | 5500 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 53 | 65 | |
| U.S. Stocks (Shares) | No | Yes | |
| Global Stocks (Non-U.S. Shares) | No | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| 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). Non-CFD share trading at Plus500 is only available through the Plus500 Invest account. |
| Cost | AvaTrade | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average spread (EUR/USD) - Standard account | 0.93 | 1.3 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.61 | 1.3 | |
| Inactivity Fee | Yes | Yes | |
| Order execution: Agency | No | No | |
| Order execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | AvaTrade | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | €50 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Non-wire bank transfer | No | No |
| Trading Platforms | AvaTrade | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | No | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Copy Trading | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | No | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | No | |
| cTrader | No | No |
| Trading Tools | AvaTrade | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Price Alerts | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 80 | 115 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | No | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | AvaTrade | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | 73 | 115 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Trendlines Autosave | No | No | |
| Mobile Research - Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Research | AvaTrade | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary (Articles) | No | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | No | |
| Autochartist | No | No | |
| Trading Central | Yes | Yes | |
| TipRanks | No | No | |
| Client sentiment data | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes |
| Education | AvaTrade | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | AvaTrade | Plus500 | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | Plus500 Review |
| Overall | AvaTrade | Plus500 | |
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| Trust Score | 94 | 99 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | AvaTrade Review | Plus500 Review |
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