Written by ForexBrokers.com
Is TD Ameritrade better than AvaTrade? In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 39 of the best forex brokers, TD Ameritrade FX is considered low-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 99 out of 99. AvaTrade is considered low-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 93 out of 99. Learn more about Trust Score.
| Overall Rating | TD Ameritrade | AvaTrade | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | |||
| Commissions & Fees | |||
| Offering of Investments | |||
| Platform & Tools | |||
| Mobile Trading | |||
| Research | |||
| Education | |||
| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | 99 |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | TD Ameritrade Review | AvaTrade Review | IG Review |
| Regulation | TD Ameritrade | AvaTrade | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | 99 |
| Year Founded | 1955 | 2006 | 1974 |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Bank | Yes | No | Yes |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 4 | 7 |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 0 | 3 | 2 |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Authorised in European Union | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| About Regulation | A “Yes” for any individual regulator indicates that the broker has at least one brand or entity that is licensed and/or authorized by that regulator within its group/organizational structure. Learn more about Trust Score. | A “Yes” for any individual regulator indicates that the broker has at least one brand or entity that is licensed and/or authorized by that regulator within its group/organizational structure. Learn more about Trust Score. |
| Tier-1 Licenses (High Trust) | TD Ameritrade | AvaTrade | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASIC Authorised (Australia) | No | Yes | Yes |
| IIROC Authorised (Canada) | No | Yes | No |
| SFC Authorised (Hong Kong) | Yes | No | No |
| CBI Authorised (Ireland) | No | Yes | No |
| FSA Authorised (Japan) | No | Yes | Yes |
| MAS Authorised (Singapore) | Yes | No | Yes |
| FINMA Authorised (Switzerland) | No | No | Yes |
| FCA Authorised (U.K.) | Yes | No | Yes |
| CFTC Registered (USA) | Yes | No | Yes |
| FMA Authorised (New Zealand) | No | No | Yes |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Average Trust) | TD Ameritrade | AvaTrade | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBRC Authorised (China) | No | No | No |
| CySEC Authorised (Cyprus) | No | Yes | No |
| SEBI Authorised (India) | No | No | No |
| ISA Authorised (Israel) | No | Yes | No |
| CBR Authorised (Russia) | No | No | No |
| FSCA Authorised (South Africa) | No | Yes | Yes |
| SEC Authorised (Thailand) | No | No | No |
| DFSA / Central Bank Authorised (UAE) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Tier-3 Licenses (Low Trust) | TD Ameritrade | AvaTrade | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCB Authorised (Bahamas) | No | No | No |
| IFSC Authorised (Belize) | No | No | No |
| CIMA Authorised (Cayman Islands) | No | No | No |
| BMA Authorised (Bermuda) | No | No | Yes |
| FSC Authorised (British Virgin Islands) | No | Yes | No |
| FSC Authorised (Mauritius) | No | No | No |
| VFSC Authorised (Vanuatu) | No | No | No |
| Investments | TD Ameritrade | AvaTrade | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 0 | 1260 | 19537 |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 73 | 55 | 100 |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | Yes | No | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | Yes |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | No |
| Cryptocurrency (CFD) | No | 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). | 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 | TD Ameritrade | AvaTrade | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 1.25 pips (September 2022) | 0.91 (Aug 2020) | 0.86 (September 2022) |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 1.25 pips (September 2022) | 0.61 (Aug 2020) | 0.5957 (September 2022) |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | No | Yes | Yes |
| Execution: Agency Broker | Yes | No | Yes |
| Execution: Market Maker | No | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | TD Ameritrade | AvaTrade | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Initial Deposit | $0 | $100 | £250.00 |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | No | Yes | No |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | TD Ameritrade | AvaTrade | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | No | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | No | Yes | Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | No | Yes | No |
| cTrader | No | No | No |
| DupliTrade | No | Yes | No |
| ZuluTrade | No | Yes | No |
| Trading Tools | TD Ameritrade | AvaTrade | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 564 | 6 | 14 |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 360 | 90 | 33 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 23 | 13 | 20 |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | TD Ameritrade | AvaTrade | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Android App | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 360 | 73 | 33 |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | Yes | No | Yes |
| Forex Calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Research | TD Ameritrade | AvaTrade | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Autochartist | No | No | Yes |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | No | Yes | No |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | No | Yes | Yes |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Education | TD Ameritrade | AvaTrade | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has Education - Forex or CFDs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Major Forex Pairs | TD Ameritrade | AvaTrade | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Review | TD Ameritrade Review | AvaTrade Review | IG Review |
| Overall | TD Ameritrade | AvaTrade | IG |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overall Rating | |||
| Commissions & Fees | |||
| Offering of Investments | |||
| Platform & Tools | |||
| Mobile Trading | |||
| Research | |||
| Education | |||
| Trust Score | 99 | 93 | 99 |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | TD Ameritrade Review | AvaTrade Review | IG Review |
Comparing forex brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2022 annual forex broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 39 forex and CFD brokerages to find the best forex broker. Let's compare TD Ameritrade vs AvaTrade.
Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spreads data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough annual assessment, IG offers better pricing overall for traders.
At ForexBrokers.com, we track where each forex and CFD broker is regulated across over 23 international regulator databases. Here's our findings. Both TD Ameritrade and AvaTrade hold 4 global Tier-1 licenses. AvaTrade holds 3 global Tier-2 licenses, while TD Ameritrade holds 0. In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 50 brokers, TD Ameritrade earned a higher Trust Score than AvaTrade.
To compare the trading platforms of both TD Ameritrade and AvaTrade, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, IG offers a better experience. With research, IG offers superior market research. Finally, we found IG to provide better mobile trading apps.
For forex and CFDs traders, copy trading and MetaTrader are both popular platform options. Neither broker offers Meta Trader.Copy trading is not offered by either broker.
TD Ameritrade provides traders 73 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to AvaTrade's 55 available pairs. Forex pairs aside, AvaTrade offers traders access to 1260 CFDs while TD Ameritrade has 0 available CFDs, a difference of 1260.
TD Ameritrade FX is publicly-traded, does operate a bank, and is authorised by five tier-1 regulators (high trust), zero tier-2 regulators (average trust), and zero tier-3 regulators (low trust). TD Ameritrade FX is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC), Securities Futures Commission (SFC), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), and the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC).
AvaTrade is not publicly-traded and does not operate a bank. AvaTrade is authorised by four tier-1 regulators (high trust), four tier-2 regulators (average trust), and one tier-3 regulator (low trust). AvaTrade is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC), Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) and the Japanese Financial Services Authority (JFSA), and via Friedberg Direct, with the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC).
TD Ameritrade’s thinkorswim platform offers over 70 tradeable currency pairs alongside a plethora of impressive tools, research, and education. For traders in the U.S., TD Ameritrade provides the ultimate trading technology experience.
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 a Best in Class rating for Beginners for 2022.
Overall winner: IG
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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