AvaTrade Review

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AvaTrade was founded in 2006 as AvaFX, before rebranding into its current name to reflect the shift to multi-asset trading as its product range expanded into markets beyond forex. Today, the AvaTrade brand has offices in 11 countries and provides multiple trading platforms for web, desktop, and mobile devices, offering spot forex and forex options and CFDs on multiple asset classes, including cryptocurrencies.

With its headquarters in Ireland, AVA Trade EU Ltd is regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland and has passports throughout the EU under MiFID regulation. For Australian residents, Ava Capital Markets Australia Pty Ltd is regulated by the Australian Securities and Investment Commission (ASIC). In Japan, Ava Trade Japan K.K. is licensed and regulated by the Japanese Financial Services Authority (JFSA) and the Financial Futures Association of Japan (FFAJ).  

In addition to its entities regulated in major regulatory hubs, AvaTrade also has entities regulated in the British Virgin Islands (BVI) by the Financial Services Commission (FSC) and by the Financial Services Board (FSB) in South Africa.

Trust Score

Trading with a forex broker traders can trust is crucial to success. Unfortunately, forex fraud and scams are common in the industry.

Here at ForexBrokers.com, we maintain the largest independent regulatory database available on the web. Using 28 different variables, we have created a proprietary 1-100 score (the higher the better) of overall trustworthiness, which we call the Trust Score. Here is our trust summary of AvaTrade .

Offering of Investments

The following table summarizes the different investment products available to AvaTrade clients.

Commissions & Fees

The trading costs at AvaTrade depend on the pricing method chosen. Two pricing methods are available: fixed spreads and floating (variable) spreads.

In the fixed spread model, the EUR/USD lists a 1.9 pip fixed spread, whereas the variable pricing offers typical floating spreads of 0.7 pips (median value derived from spreads during trading hours – 7:00-18:00 GMT – over prior quarter). Compared to our 2017 review, the broker’s spreads have improved in both the floating and fixed spread offerings. For price-sensitive trading strategies, variable pricing available in AvaTrade’s floating spread offering is the obvious choice.

AvaTrade also offers AvaSelect, which is comparable to an active trader program – with tailored trading terms  – for those who deposit over 100,000 (EUR, GBP, or AUD equivalent) or who trade 100 million in volume (1000 standard lots) per quarter.

Overall, AvaTrader’s spreads are not its most competitive feature, as the average spreads on its variable pricing are higher than those of its top competitors. 

Customer Service

For our 2018 Forex Review, 129 customer service phone tests were conducted over three months. The data collected is institutional grade. On average, three questions were asked for each test. To score each test, the tests were divided into three separate groups and scores were given for the time taken to connect with each support representative and the ability of each representative to professionally (and thoroughly) answer each question. A Net Promoter Score was also given for the overall experience.

Results:

• Average Connection Time: >5 minute
• Average Net Promoter Score: 2.33 / 10
• Average Professionalism Score: 5.2 / 10
• Overall Score: 2.2 / 10
• Ranking: 40^th (43 brokers)

Research

AvaTrade combines in-house research tools and resources with content from third parties. On SharpTrader, users can find daily and weekly technical and fundamental analysis articles published daily from a team of analysts, along with integrated tools from external providers.

For finding trading opportunities, AvaTrade offers several social copy-trading platforms, including ZuluTrade, and platforms from Tradency, in addition to the Signals market on MT4.

Overall, AvaTrader has a good balance of research solutions across multiple channels, helping to round out its offering in this category.

AvaTrade also launched the Dupli Trade platform for its MT4 offering, expanding the range of automated trading solutions it offers for social copy-trading.

AvaTrade also offers AutoChartist – a popular set of pattern-recognition tools for technical and fundamental analysis for live account holders who deposit at least $500. The broker has two economic calendars, one powered by Investing.com and one from Trading View. Overall, AvaTrader has a good balance of research solutions across multiple channels, helping to round out its offering in this category.

Platforms & Tools

AvaTrade offers multiple third-party trading platforms such as AvaTraderAct, ZuluTrade, DupliTrade MirrorTrader, and RoboX by Tradency, as well as the popular MetaTrader 4 (MT4) web and desktop platform from MetaQuotes Software Corporation. The ZuluTrade and Tradency platforms are primarily for social copy trading; to learn more read our guide to social copy trading. To learn more about MT4 see our guide to MetaTrader.

A major change for the broker in 2017 was the shift away from the AvaTraderAct desktop which is no longer front-and-center alongside the broker’s main list of platforms, leaving just the web version available. However, it is worth noting that the process of logging into the WebTrader version too was not straight forward as demo accounts default to MT4, making the firm primarily an MT4-broker, although multiple social-copy trading platforms help elevate its offering.

The web version was very easy to use, and the user experience was enhanced by some points such as opening a chart by default when clicking on the relevant currency pair in the dealing rates (Overview) section, and the charts (powered by TradingView) have 57 indicators and almost twice as many drawing tools.

Chart prices can also be compressed vertically by scrolling in the web version, a feature that was missing in the desktop version of AvaTraderAct. With similar order dialogue, and a cleaner interface, the web version is the clear winner between the two.

Meanwhile, more demanding traders who need the automated trading and custom indicators features may opt for MT4 as their primary choice.

Mobile Trading

AvaTrade offers multiple third-party trading platforms for mobile, including the AvaTradeAct mobile app developed by ActTrader Technologies Inc, and the popular MetaTrader 4 (MT4) mobile app from MetaQuotes Software Corporation, as well as the AvaTradeGO mobile app that syncs with MT4.

To read more about MT4 mobile, see our guide to MetaTrader. For this review, I focused on using the AvaTradeAct mobile app for Android. First impressions upon logging in were that the app is nicely designed with a clean interface and smooth user experience.

Managing open positions, accessing charts, and placing orders was easy. News headline streaming is also available within the app, but not much else in terms of research content.

Overall, the AvaTraderAct mobile app has a nice design with the minimum industry standard in terms of core functionality. Adding a watch list to the mobile app would be a welcome feature, along with integrating research tools such as an economic calendar or pattern-recognition screeners.

Other Notes

In the UK and Ireland, AvaTrade also offers spread betting, which carries certain tax efficiencies for UK residents, compared to CFDs.AvaTrade also expanded its range of cryptocurrencies, although some are not yet available in all of its platforms.

It turns out that Ava Trade’s cryptocurrency CFD offering has a few strong points including weekend trading, higher limits on the maximum position sizes that can be established, and low margin requirements.

Final Thoughts

AvaTrade offers traders multiple platforms through its regulated brands, providing clients with a wide range of options for using trading tools across a good range of markets, including spot forex on 59 currency pairs and 37 currency pairs for forex options trading.

In addition to forex, AvaTrade provides access to CFDs on popular cryptocurrencies, indices, single-stock securities (shares), ETFs, bonds, and hard and soft commodities, including metals. These comprise 231 tradable products.

A reduction in the firm’s trading costs have helped AvaTrade’s value proposition when it comes to available spreads and pricing. The broker provides a good range of research tools and platforms for social copy trading. Meanwhile, traders who meet deposit or volume requirements for Ava Select can access tailored trading terms.

Methodology

For our 2018 Forex Broker Review we assessed, rated, and ranked 43 international forex brokers. Each FX broker was graded on 140 variables. Learn more.

Forex Risk Disclaimer

"There is a very high degree of risk involved in trading securities. With respect to margin-based foreign exchange trading, off-exchange derivatives, and cryptocurrencies, there is considerable exposure to risk, including but not limited to, leverage, creditworthiness, limited regulatory protection and market volatility that may substantially affect the price, or liquidity of a currency or related instrument. It should not be assumed that the methods, techniques, or indicators presented in these products will be profitable, or that they will not result in losses."Learn more.

Reviewed by Steven Hatzakis Steven Hatzakis is the Global Director of Research for ForexBrokers.com. Steven previously served as an Editor for Finance Magnates, where he authored over 1,000 published articles about the online finance industry. Steven is an active fintech and crypto industry researcher and advises blockchain companies at the board level. Over the past 19 years, Steven has held numerous positions within the international forex markets, from writing to consulting to serving as a registered commodity futures representative.