AvaTrade Review
AvaTrade takes $100 to open an account. EUR/USD spreads start at 0.9 pips — a from-minimum, not a typical rate — and AvaTrade publishes no commission schedule. A $50 fee applies after 3 idle months. Crucially, AvaTrade publishes no country-to-entity mapping, and its site-wide copyright names the BVI entity, which its own table marks No Compensation Scheme.
Trustpilot 4.8/5 · 13,369 reviews
AvaTrade App · MT4 · MT5
1,250+ assets on MetaTrader 5
EU retail leverage 30:1
AvaTrade at a Glance: Key Facts and Figures
Who Is AvaTrade and Who Owns It?
AvaTrade is an FX and CFD group. Its EU arm, AVA Trade EU Ltd, is Dublin-based and licensed by the Central Bank of Ireland (C53877). AvaTrade’s own site-wide copyright runs from 2007, not 2006.
- Separate legal entities regulated in Ireland, the BVI, Australia, South Africa, Japan, the UAE, Kenya, Cyprus, Israel and Colombia
- 1,250+ assets — a figure AvaTrade states for MetaTrader 5 specifically
- Copy trading through DupliTrade and ZuluTrade
Why it matters: AvaTrade publishes no mapping of country to entity. Its own pages also give three different entity counts (8, 10 and 11). You cannot tell from its website which company would hold your money — and the entity named in its site-wide copyright is the BVI one. Checked 16 Sep 2026.
AvaTrade Trustpilot Score and Trader Reputation
4.8 / 5 on Trustpilot from 13,369 reviews, read 16 September 2026. Trustpilot is a third party, not AvaTrade and not us.
- Score and review count move daily — check the profile yourself before you judge it
- AvaTrade’s own site claims more than 100 industry awards but names no award, no awarding body and no year
Why it matters: A Trustpilot score measures service satisfaction. It is not a measure of regulatory protection, and it says nothing about which AvaTrade entity holds your funds.
AvaTrade Client Categories: Retail, Professional, Islamic and MAM
AvaTrade publishes these account categories:
- Retail — the standard account
- Professional — MT5 only, and the only route to 400:1
- Islamic — swap-free, replaced by daily administration fees
- MAM — multi-account manager
- Demo — 60 days, $10,000 virtual funds
Why it matters: AvaTrade publishes no minimum deposit, spread or commission figure per account type — only the categories. Any per-type pricing table you see elsewhere is not sourced from AvaTrade.
Is AvaTrade Regulated? Licences and Licence Numbers
AvaTrade is a group of separate licensed companies. These are the entities and licence numbers AvaTrade publishes on its own regulation pages (checked 16 Sep 2026):
| Entity | Regulator | Licence no. | Investor compensation |
|---|---|---|---|
| AVA Trade EU Ltd | Central Bank of Ireland | C53877 | Yes — ICCL |
| Ava Trade Markets Ltd | BVI FSC | SIBA/L/13/1049 | No compensation scheme |
| Ava Capital Markets Australia Pty Ltd | ASIC | 406684 | Not published |
| Ava Capital Markets Pty | FSCA (South Africa) | 45984 | Not published |
| Ava Trade Japan K.K. | JFSA / FFAJ | 1662 / 1574 | Not published |
| Ava Trade Middle East Ltd | ADGM FSRA | 190018 | Not published |
| Ava Trade Kenya Limited | Capital Markets Authority | 262 | Not published |
| DT Direct Investment Hub Ltd | CySEC | 347/17 | Not published |
| ATrade Ltd | Israel Securities Authority | 514666577 | Not published |
| Ava Trade Markets Ltd | SFC Colombia | Res. 0261 of 2024 | Not published |
- No FCA licence. AvaTrade is not authorised by the UK FCA and the United Kingdom is on its own restricted-countries list.
- Negative balance protection is published for the Irish entity only. AvaTrade publishes nothing on it for any other entity.
- Client money is stated to be segregated, but globally — not broken down by entity.
- The ICCL pays 90% of the amount lost, capped at €20,000 per investor (source: the scheme operator; AvaTrade publishes no amount).
The gap that matters: AvaTrade publishes no country-to-entity mapping anywhere — not on its regulation pages, not in its legal-documentation library, not in its help centre. Its lists name a jurisdiction of regulation, never a jurisdiction of clients. Meanwhile its site-wide copyright names Ava Trade Markets Ltd, the BVI entity that AvaTrade’s own comparison table marks No Compensation Scheme and not subject to European client protections. Ask support, in writing, which entity your account will sit under before you fund it.
How We Rated AvaTrade
Our rating: 4.6 / 5
We rated AvaTrade against what AvaTrade itself publishes: the entity list and licence numbers on its own regulation pages, its fees and charges schedule, its deposits and withdrawals page, its account and platform pages, and its help-centre articles. Every figure on this page was read on 16 September 2026. Unless a line is labelled as third-party, the numbers come from AvaTrade’s own pages; the Trustpilot score is third-party and is dated at the point of use. Where AvaTrade publishes no figure we say so rather than estimate one, which is why several rows on this page read as not published. The scoring itself follows our published rating methodology.
AvaTrade Platforms, Markets and Trading Tools
AvaTrade App and WebTrader
Proprietary platforms:
- AvaTrade App — the mobile app, renamed from AvaTradeGO
- WebTrader — browser-based
- AvaSocial — community app
- AvaProtect risk-protection feature
Why it matters: AvaProtect lets you hedge a position for a set period, but AvaTrade publishes no price for it — only that the premium is based on the expected volatility of the underlying position. You cannot cost it before you open an account.
Does AvaTrade Support MT4 and MT5?
Full MetaTrader support:
- EAs, indicators & algos
- Desktop, web & mobile
- Advanced charting
AvaOptions and Copy Trading (DupliTrade, ZuluTrade)
Beyond standard CFDs:
- AvaOptions — trade FX options
- Copy trading via DupliTrade & ZuluTrade
- AvaSocial community app
Why it matters: Native FX options plus multiple copy-trading integrations give AvaTrade unusual strategy breadth.
What Can You Trade at AvaTrade?
Asset classes AvaTrade lists:
- Forex — over 50 currency pairs
- Stocks, indices and ETFs
- Commodities, bonds and futures
- Options and crypto CFDs
Read the 1,250+ figure carefully: AvaTrade states +1,250 assets for MetaTrader 5 specifically. Its own MT5 page says only hundreds of instruments, and it publishes no total for AvaTrade as a whole.
AvaTrade Account Types Compared
Standard Account
The core retail account.
- Minimum deposit: $100 / €100 / £100 / AUD$100 — 100 units of your base currency
- Base currencies: USD, EUR, GBP, AUD. GBP is restricted to UK clients and AUD to Australian clients
- EUR/USD from 0.9 pips — a from-minimum, not a typical rate
- All platforms and the full instrument range
Note: AvaTrade does not state whether its spreads are fixed or floating. Its own help article on the question answers only all spreads are over market, while its conditions page calls its figures typical spreads that may widen. Treat any fixed-spread claim as unsourced.
Islamic (Swap-Free) Account
Sharia-compliant, swap-free — but not free.
- Swaps are replaced by daily administration fees on all forex products. AvaTrade publishes no amount
- Islamic accounts carry an increased spread on FX pairs. Amount not published
- Positions held open more than 5 days are charged swaps anyway
- ZAR, TRY, RUB and MXN pairs cannot be traded while Islamic status is active
- MT4 crypto trading is not available on Islamic accounts
- Account must be fully verified and already funded. Applications take 1–2 business days
Why it matters: Swap-free does not mean cost-free here, and AvaTrade publishes neither the administration fee nor the spread increase. You cannot compare it on cost before opening an account.
AvaTrade Demo Account: How to Open One
Practice with virtual funds before risking real money.
- $10,000 of virtual money
- 60-day duration, extendable if you contact Customer Services before it expires
- Live prices, and every platform can be tested
Correcting a contradiction: AvaTrade’s marketing page advertises an unlimited demo account. Its own help centre states a 60-day duration, after which you must open a new one. Plan for 60 days.
AvaOptions Account
For options strategies.
- Trade FX options
- Combine options with spot positions
- Built-in strategy tools
Note: AvaOptions is a platform rather than a separately priced account tier. AvaTrade publishes no minimum deposit, spread or commission specific to it.
AvaTrade Pros and Cons
Pros
- Licensed entities in Ireland (CBI C53877), Australia (ASIC 406684), South Africa (FSCA 45984), Japan (JFSA 1662) and more
- Trustpilot 4.8/5 from 13,369 reviews (third party, read 16 Sep 2026)
- AvaTrade App, MT4, MT5, WebTrader and AvaSocial
- AvaOptions plus DupliTrade and ZuluTrade copy trading
- Low $100 minimum deposit in USD, EUR, GBP or AUD
- Card and e-wallet withdrawals in 24–48 hours
- EU entity carries ICCL investor compensation and negative balance protection
Cons
- No country-to-entity mapping published — you cannot tell which company will hold your money
- The site-wide copyright names the BVI entity, which AvaTrade’s own table marks No Compensation Scheme
- Only a from-minimum 0.9-pip EUR/USD spread is published — no typical spread table, no commission schedule, no swap rates
- $50 inactivity fee after 3 idle months, then $100 more at 12 months
- EU retail leverage capped at 30:1; 400:1 needs AVA Professional status and MT5
- Demo runs 60 days, not unlimited
- No FCA licence; USA, UK, New Zealand, Russia and others not accepted
Bottom line: Platform choice and a low entry cost are genuine strengths. The weakness is disclosure: AvaTrade publishes very little of what a trade actually costs, and none of which entity you are contracting with.
AvaTrade Fees and Spreads: What You Actually Pay
AvaTrade states it is compensated through the buy/sell spread. It publishes a single headline spread and almost nothing else. Everything below is from AvaTrade’s own pages, checked 16 Sep 2026.
| Item | AvaTrade |
|---|---|
| Minimum deposit | $100 / €100 / £100 / AUD$100 — same for card, wire and e-wallet |
| Base currencies | USD, EUR, GBP, AUD (GBP UK-only, AUD Australia-only) |
| EUR/USD spread | from 0.9 pips — a from-minimum, no account type attached |
| Commission | No commission schedule published |
| Retail leverage, EU | 30:1 major FX · 20:1 non-major FX, gold, major indices · 10:1 other commodities · 5:1 shares · 2:1 crypto |
| 400:1 leverage | AVA Professional clients only, MT5 accounts only. No retail cap published for non-EU entities |
| Overnight / swap | Charged. Rates not published |
| Inactivity fee | $50 / €50 / £50 after 3 consecutive idle months, and every idle period after that |
| Administration fee | $100 / €100 / £100 after 12 consecutive idle months |
| AvaProtect | Priced on the expected volatility of the position. No price published |
AvaTrade Minimum Deposit and How to Fund an Account
The AvaTrade minimum deposit is 100 units of your account base currency — $100, €100, £100 or AUD$100. AvaTrade states the same 100 threshold for cards, wire transfer and e-wallets, and publishes no entity-specific minimum. It separately recommends a starting balance of 1,000 to 2,000 base currency, which is a recommendation and not a requirement.
- Base currencies: USD, EUR, GBP and AUD. The GBP account is restricted to UK clients and the AUD account to Australian clients.
- Credit and debit cards: open to all clients except Canada. Deposits are instant, or up to 1 business day on a first deposit.
- Bank wire transfer: open to all clients. Up to 7 business days.
- E-payments (Skrill, Neteller, WebMoney): credited within 24 hours, and not available to EU or Australian clients.
Before you fund: AvaTrade publishes no deposit fee, no withdrawal fee and no minimum withdrawal amount on either its deposits and withdrawals page or its fees and charges page. Under its AML rules you must withdraw up to 100% of a card deposit back to that card before another method can be used. All figures read 16 Sep 2026.
AvaTrade Deposit and Withdrawal Times
| Method | Deposit time | Withdrawal time |
|---|---|---|
| Credit / debit card | Instant (up to 1 business day for a first deposit) | 24–48 hours |
| E-payments (Skrill, Neteller, WebMoney) | Within 24 hours | 24–48 hours |
| Wire transfer | Up to 7 business days | Up to 10 business days |
E-payments are not available to EU or Australian clients. Cards are unavailable in Canada. Under AML rules you must withdraw up to 100% of a card deposit back to that card before using another method.
What AvaTrade does not publish: deposit fees, withdrawal fees, the minimum withdrawal amount, currency-conversion charges, typical spreads on GBP/USD, USD/JPY, gold or indices, swap rates, the Islamic administration fee, and any per-account-type pricing. We have left those out rather than guess. Its spread table does not render to a logged-out visitor, so the only spread it publishes publicly is the 0.9-pip from-minimum on EUR/USD.
AvaTrade vs Pepperstone vs IC Markets
How does AvaTrade compare with two low-cost ECN rivals?
| Metric | AvaTrade | Pepperstone | IC Markets |
|---|---|---|---|
| Founded | Copyright runs from 2007 | 2010 | 2007 |
| Regulation | Ireland CBI C53877, ASIC 406684, FSCA 45984, JFSA 1662, BVI and others | ASIC, FCA | ASIC, CySEC |
| Pricing | Spread-based, EUR/USD from 0.9 pips; no commission schedule published | Raw + commission | Raw + commission |
| Copy/options | Yes + AvaOptions | Copy only | Copy only |
| Trustpilot | 4.8/5 from 13,369 reviews (16 Sep 2026) | 4.5/5 | 4.5/5 |
Only the AvaTrade column was re-verified against primary sources on 16 Sep 2026. The Pepperstone and IC Markets figures are carried over from an earlier edit and are not dated.
Verdict: Pepperstone and IC Markets publish a raw spread plus a commission, so their cost can be calculated before you deposit. AvaTrade publishes only a from-minimum spread, so its cost cannot. Choose AvaTrade for platform breadth, options and copy trading; choose the other two if you need to know what a round turn costs in advance.
Our Verdict: Who Should Use AvaTrade?
AVA Trade EU Ltd is AvaTrade's Dublin entity, licensed by the Central Bank of Ireland (C53877). AvaTrade's own site-wide copyright runs from 2007, not 2006. Separate group companies are regulated in the BVI, Australia (ASIC 406684), South Africa (FSCA 45984), Japan (JFSA 1662 / FFAJ 1574) and elsewhere — but AvaTrade publishes no mapping of country to entity, so its website never tells you which company you would actually contract with. It pairs the AvaTrade App with MT4, MT5, WebTrader, AvaOptions and copy trading; the 1,250+ asset figure it quotes is for MetaTrader 5 specifically.
On cost, AvaTrade publishes a from-minimum EUR/USD spread of 0.9 pips and no commission schedule at all, so a round-turn cost cannot be worked out before you deposit. It does not accept clients from the USA, the UK, New Zealand, Russia and a number of other countries, and it holds no FCA licence. Its Trustpilot score is 4.8/5 from 13,369 reviews (third party, read 16 Sep 2026). Only the Irish entity carries investor compensation — ICCL, 90% of the loss capped at €20,000 — and published negative balance protection; AvaTrade's own comparison table marks the BVI entity, the one named in its site-wide copyright, as having No Compensation Scheme.
Who it suits: traders who want MT4, MT5, FX options and copy trading from one login, and who will open an account in the EU where the Irish entity and its compensation scheme apply. Who should look elsewhere: anyone who needs to know the cost of a trade before funding, and anyone outside the EU who wants a written answer on which entity holds their money before depositing.
Restricted Countries: Who AvaTrade Will Not Accept
From AvaTrade's own help-centre list of countries it does not accept clients from (checked 16 Sep 2026):
AvaTrade's full list also names New Zealand, Russia, Belarus, Lebanon, Yemen, India, Iraq, Algeria, Afghanistan, Libya, Somalia, Sudan, South Sudan, Myanmar, the Palestinian territory, Cuba, Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. AvaTrade holds no FCA licence, which is consistent with the UK being on this list. Because it publishes no country-to-entity mapping, get written confirmation of which entity would hold your funds before you deposit.
Video Reviews from Independent Traders
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Our rating: 5 / 5. Ultra-low raw spreads, ASIC/CySEC regulated.
Pick if: you want the lowest cost for active trading.
Read our full IC Markets review
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XM
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AvaTrade FAQs