AvaTrade vs Markets.com
Compare AvaTrade and Markets.com across account entities, regulation, editorial scores, user ratings, costs, platforms and markets. Review the entity, regulation, costs and account terms that would apply before opening an account.
Comparison data checked 26 August 2026
Comparison summary
Start with the major differences, then review the detailed sections below. A higher score or lower displayed cost does not establish suitability for every trader.
| Field | AvaTrade | Markets.com |
|---|---|---|
| Comparison summary | ||
| Editorial score | 9.2 / 10 | 9.0 / 10 |
| User rating | No user ratings yet | No user ratings yet |
| Regulatory status | Regulated | Regulated |
| Relevant entity | Ava Trade Markets Ltd | Safecap Investments Limited |
| Minimum deposit | $100 | $100 |
| Typical spread | 0.9 pips for EUR/USD | 0.6 pips for EUR/USD |
| Platforms | MetaTrader 4MetaTrader 5Proprietary platform | MetaTrader 4MetaTrader 5Proprietary platform |
| Markets | 1,250+ instruments across 7 categories | 2,000+ instruments across 7 categories |
| Maximum leverage | 1:30 | 1:30 |
| Complaint cases | 0 published cases | 0 published cases |
| Regulation and account entities | ||
| Country account entity | Ava Trade Markets Ltd | Safecap Investments Limited |
| Regulatory status | Regulated | Regulated |
| Regulator | Central Bank of Ireland | Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission |
| Licence type | Tier 1 financial-services licence | Tier 1 financial-services licence |
| Licence number | C53877 | 092/08 |
| Record status | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Jurisdiction | Ireland | Cyprus |
| Client-money rules | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Negative balance protection | Available | Available |
| Compensation arrangement | Potentially eligible | Potentially eligible |
| Complaint route | Not confirmed | Authority or dispute route |
| Official warnings | 0 active or relevant notices | 0 active or relevant notices |
| Last verified | Not confirmed | 26 August 2026 |
| Editorial scores and user ratings | ||
| Overall editorial score | 9.2 / 10 | 9.0 / 10 |
| Regulation and safety | 9.8 / 10 | 9.4 / 10 |
| Trading costs | 8.9 / 10 | 8.8 / 10 |
| Platforms and tools | 9.3 / 10 | 9.1 / 10 |
| Markets and products | 9.1 / 10 | 9.2 / 10 |
| Accounts and accessibility | 9.3 / 10 | 9.1 / 10 |
| Deposits and withdrawals | 8.9 / 10 | 8.8 / 10 |
| Support and education | 9.1 / 10 | 8.8 / 10 |
| Transparency and history | 9.1 / 10 | 9.2 / 10 |
| User rating | No user ratings yet | No user ratings yet |
| Eligible ratings | 0 | 0 |
| Verified experiences | 0 | 0 |
| Editorial review updated | Not confirmed | 26 August 2026 |
| Trading costs | ||
| Account used | Retail | Retail |
| Instrument | EUR/USD | EUR/USD |
| Spread type | Typical | Typical |
| Spread | 0.9 pips | 0.6 pips |
| Commission | $0 | $0 |
| Estimated round-turn cost | 0.9 pips under the broker's published assumptions | 0.6 pips under the broker's published assumptions |
| Overnight financing long | Both: overnight funding applies; Islamic/swap-free accounts available | Both: overnight swaps charged/credited |
| Overnight financing short | Both: overnight funding applies; Islamic/swap-free accounts available | Both: overnight swaps charged/credited |
| Currency conversion | Currency conversion spread/markup applies where account and instrument currencies differ | 0.6% |
| Deposit fee | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Withdrawal fee | Not confirmed | None; minimum withdrawal requirements apply |
| Inactivity fee | $50 after 3 consecutive months inactivity; $100 administration fee after 12 months where permitted | $10/month after 3 months inactivity |
| Data checked | Not confirmed | 26 August 2026 |
| Accounts and accessibility | ||
| Relevant account entity | Ava Trade Markets Ltd | Safecap Investments Limited |
| Account types | RetailProfessionalOptionsSpread BettingIslamicDemo | RetailProfessionalIslamicDemo |
| Minimum deposit | $100 | $100 |
| Base currencies | USDEURGBPAUD | USDEURGBP |
| Demo account | Available | Available |
| Islamic or swap-free | Available | Available |
| Professional account | Eligibility applies | Eligibility applies |
| Cent account | Not available | Not available |
| Raw-spread account | Not available | Not available |
| Application time | Typically a few minutes | Typically a few minutes; document verification up to 24 business hours |
| Country availability | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Client classifications | RetailProfessional | RetailProfessional |
| Trading platforms and tools | ||
| Desktop platforms | MetaTrader 4MetaTrader 5Proprietary platform | MetaTrader 4MetaTrader 5Proprietary platform |
| Web platform | Available | Available |
| Mobile apps | Both proprietary and third-party | Both proprietary and third-party |
| MetaTrader 4 | Available | Available |
| MetaTrader 5 | Available | Available |
| cTrader | Not available | Not available |
| TradingView | Not available | Not available |
| Proprietary platform | Yes, WebTrader, AvaTrade App and AvaOptions | Yes |
| Automated trading | Supported | Supported |
| Copy trading | Not available | Not available |
| API access | Yes | Not available |
| VPS | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| One-click trading | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Advanced order types | Market, limit, stop, stop-loss, take-profit, trailing stop | Market, limit, stop, stop-loss, take-profit, guaranteed stop-loss |
| Markets and instruments | ||
| Forex | Available | Available |
| Metals | Not listed | Not listed |
| Indices | Available | Available |
| Commodities | Available | Available |
| Share CFDs | Available | Available |
| Cryptocurrency CFDs | Available | Available |
| ETFs | Available | Available |
| Bonds | Available | Available |
| Futures | Not listed | Not listed |
| Options | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Total | 1,250+ reported instruments | 2,000+ reported instruments |
| Availability note | Varies by platform, account and entity | Varies by platform, account and entity |
| Trading conditions | ||
| Maximum leverage | 1:30 for Ava Trade Markets Ltd | 1:30 for Safecap Investments Limited |
| Margin-call level | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Stop-out level | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Minimum trade size | 0.01 lots | 0.01 lots |
| Maximum trade size | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Scalping | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Hedging | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Expert advisers | Allowed | Allowed |
| News trading | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Guaranteed stops | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Negative balance protection | Available | Available |
| Execution model | Market maker | Market maker |
| Trading hours | Varies by instrument | Varies by instrument |
| Deposits and withdrawals | ||
| Deposit methods | Visa, Mastercard, bank wire, Skrill, Neteller and regional e-payment methods | Visa, Mastercard, bank wire, Skrill, Neteller, Zotapay and regional methods |
| Withdrawal methods | Original funding method, bank wire and supported e-payment methods | Visa/Mastercard, bank wire, Skrill, Neteller and applicable original funding method |
| Minimum deposit | $100 | $100 |
| Minimum withdrawal | $100 | $5 Skrill/Neteller; $10 cards; $100 wire transfer |
| Deposit processing | Cards/e-wallets generally instant; bank wire typically several business days | Instant for cards/e-wallets; bank wire typically 1-3 business days |
| Withdrawal processing | AvaTrade processing within 24 business hours; arrival depends on payment method | Typically 2-7 business days depending on method |
| Broker deposit fee | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Broker withdrawal fee | Not confirmed | None; minimum withdrawal requirements apply |
| Third-party fees | May apply | May apply |
| Local payment methods | Skrill; Neteller and various country-specific e-payment solutions | Zotapay and region-specific payment methods |
| Name matching | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Verification before withdrawal | May be required | May be required |
| Funding data checked | Not confirmed | 26 August 2026 |
| Support, research and education | ||
| Support channels | Live chat, email, phone | Live chat, email, phone |
| Support hours | Monday-Friday, 05:00-21:00 GMT for English support | 24/5 |
| Weekend support | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Supported languages | 15+ languages | Multilingual |
| Local number | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Account manager | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Market analysis | Extensive: daily market analysis, Trading Central, trading signals, technical and fundamental analysis | Extensive: market news, analyst recommendations, sentiment, technical analysis and fundamental data |
| Economic calendar | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Trading signals | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Webinars | Available | Available |
| Courses and guides | Extensive: AvaAcademy, courses, articles, videos, tutorials, ebooks and live webinars | Extensive: educational articles, webinars, trading guides, platform tutorials and glossary |
| Beginner education | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Support score | 9.2 / 10 | 8.8 / 10 |
| User reviews and complaints | ||
| User rating | No user ratings yet | No user ratings yet |
| Eligible ratings | 0 | 0 |
| Published reviews | 0 | 0 |
| Verified experiences | 0 | 0 |
| Published complaints | 0 | 0 |
| Open complaints | 0 | 0 |
| Broker responses | 0 | 0 |
| Response rate | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Resolved cases | 0 | 0 |
| Common review topics | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Common complaint topics | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Company and transparency | ||
| Brand | AvaTrade | Markets.com |
| Established | 2006 | 2008 |
| Headquarters | Dublin, Ireland | Nicosia, Cyprus |
| Parent company | AvaTrade Group | Finalto Group |
| Legal entities | 1 recorded entity | 1 recorded entity |
| Publicly listed | No | No |
| Bank ownership | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Financial reporting | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Client count | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Reported trading volume | Not confirmed | Not confirmed |
| Website | avatrade.com | markets.com |
| Profile updated | Not confirmed | 26 August 2026 |
Category leader: highest or lowest qualifying value under the displayed criterion. A missing value is not treated as better or worse than a reported value.
Which broker may suit which trader?
Use conditional, evidence-based summaries rather than naming one overall winner.
- Markets.com has the lower displayed estimated cost under the selected EUR/USD, Retail and intraday assumptions.
- AvaTrade has the higher regulation-and-safety editorial score, although the applicable protection still depends on the account entity.
- The available comparable data does not establish a material difference for the remaining use cases.
Confirm the legal entity, regulator, full pricing schedule and account agreement before opening or funding an account.