In the ever-evolving world of forex and CFD trading, two brokers stand out in 2025: AvaTrade and FOREX.com. Both are industry leaders offering global access, diverse instruments, and strong regulatory protection. But for traders focused on spreads, platform options, execution quality, and tools — the question remains: AvaTrade vs FOREX.com — who’s better?
This in-depth review breaks down everything you need to know across 10 key categories to help you make the right trading decision.
Broker Review Contents
🛡 Regulation & Safety
AvaTrade:
- Regulated by:
- Central Bank of Ireland
- ASIC (Australia)
- FSCA (South Africa)
- FSA (Japan)
- ADGM (UAE)
- Long history since 2006 with strong global licenses
- Negative balance protection included
FOREX.com:
- Regulated by:
- CFTC/NFA (USA)
- FCA (UK)
- ASIC (Australia)
- CySEC (Europe)
- Owned by StoneX Group, publicly traded on NASDAQ
- Heavily monitored U.S. broker with added transparency
👉 Winner: FOREX.com
Although both are well-regulated, FOREX.com’s U.S. presence and publicly listed ownership offer deeper credibility.
🌍 Tradable Instruments
| Asset Class | AvaTrade | FOREX.com |
|---|---|---|
| Forex | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Indices | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Commodities | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Stocks (CFDs) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Cryptocurrencies | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Bonds | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| ETFs | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Vanilla Options | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
👉 Winner: AvaTrade
AvaTrade wins on ETF and options trading, offering more diversity for long-term investors and hedgers.
💰 Spreads & Pricing
| Instrument | AvaTrade Avg Spread | FOREX.com Avg |
|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | 0.9 pips | 1.0 pips |
| Gold | 0.3 | 0.15 |
| S&P 500 | 0.7 | 0.6 |
| Bitcoin | 110 | 90 |
- AvaTrade offers tighter EUR/USD spreads
- FOREX.com delivers better pricing on gold and crypto
👉 Winner: Tie
AvaTrade wins for major FX pairs; FOREX.com wins for metals and digital assets.
👥 Account Types & Accessibility
| Feature | AvaTrade | FOREX.com |
|---|---|---|
| Standard Account | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Islamic Account | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Commission Account | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Demo Account | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Professional Account | ✅ Yes (EU) | ✅ Yes |
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $100 |
👉 Winner: FOREX.com
Supports both spread-based and commission-based accounts, giving more flexibility to high-frequency traders.
💻 Trading Platforms
| Platform Support | AvaTrade | FOREX.com |
|---|---|---|
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| AvaTradeGO (App) | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Trading Central Tools | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Proprietary WebTrader | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
👉 Winner: AvaTrade
Both offer MT4 and MT5, but AvaTrade provides an exclusive mobile app (AvaTradeGO) and seamless mobile UX with copy trading.
📈 Execution & Trading Technology
AvaTrade:
- Fixed & floating spread models
- Supports DupliTrade and ZuluTrade for copy trading
- Does not offer DMA or ECN execution
FOREX.com:
- Offers DMA accounts for direct market access
- Institutional-grade liquidity and order matching
- Ideal for scalping and algo traders
👉 Winner: FOREX.com
Better for advanced traders, scalpers, and those needing raw execution.
💳 Deposit & Withdrawal Options
| Method | AvaTrade | FOREX.com |
|---|---|---|
| Bank Transfer | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Credit/Debit | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| PayPal | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Skrill/Neteller | ✅ Yes | ❌ No |
| Crypto | ❌ No | ❌ No |
👉 Winner: AvaTrade
Supports Skrill and Neteller in addition to PayPal and cards — wider payment flexibility.
🧠 Trading Tools & Education
| Feature | AvaTrade | FOREX.com |
|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Analysis | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| Trading Central Tools | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
| VPS Hosting | ❌ No | ✅ Yes |
| Copy Trading | ✅ Yes (Zulu/Dupli) | ❌ No |
| Educational Hub | ✅ Yes | ✅ Yes |
👉 Winner: AvaTrade
Wins on social trading and beginner-friendly tools. FOREX.com wins for VPS and algo traders.
🧾 Scorecard Summary
| Category | AvaTrade | FOREX.com |
|---|---|---|
| Regulation | 8/10 | 10/10 |
| Market Access | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Spreads & Pricing | 7/10 | 8/10 |
| Account Flexibility | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| Platforms | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Execution Speed | 6/10 | 9/10 |
| Deposit Options | 9/10 | 7/10 |
| Trading Tools | 9/10 | 8/10 |
| Total Score | 64/80 | 67/80 |
🏁AvaTrade or FOREX.com?
Both brokers are well-regulated, globally accessible, and beginner-friendly, but they cater to different audiences:
- Choose AvaTrade if you want ETF/options trading, copy trading, and wider deposit options.
- Choose FOREX.com if you’re an advanced trader needing DMA execution, tight spreads, and U.S. regulatory protection.
