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AvaTrade vs IC Markets: Comparison and Analysis

Written by Filippo Ucchino Fact-Checked by Luca Puddu Publication Date Last Updated
Our verdict · CFD/FX trading

AvaTrade and IC Markets are two great brokers for scalping, automated trading and crypto trading. However, IC Markets is the better choice if you are looking for a lower EUR/USD cost (7.80 USD per lot against 9.00 USD), cTrader, TradingView and more tradable symbols (2,850 against 1,250), while AvaTrade is better because it has a proprietary trading platform. IC Markets allows high-frequency trading strategies and API access, with execution in 66 ms and faster withdrawals (1 day against 10 days). IC Markets is regulated by CySEC and ASIC, with an offshore company regulated by the FSA (Seychelles), while AvaTrade is regulated by the CBI (Ireland), ASIC, the JFSA and the ADGM FSRA, with an offshore company regulated by the FSC (British Virgin Islands). IC Markets asks for 224.00 USD at its European company, 200.00 USD at its Australian company and no minimum deposit at its offshore company. AvaTrade asks for 100.00 USD at its European, UAE and offshore companies, 70.00 USD at its Australian company and no minimum deposit at its Japanese company. Both brokers offer crypto CFDs at all of their companies and a demo account with no expiry.

AvaTrade

CFDCFD AvaTrade offers CFD trading: leveraged contracts that follow the price of an asset without owning it. Switch the comparison to CFD/FX to rate it on that. FXFX AvaTrade offers forex trading: currency pairs such as EUR/USD, traded with leverage. Forex is rated together with CFDs, on the CFD/FX side.
AvaTrade review ›
85CFD/FXOverall score AvaTrade scores 85/100 for CFD/FX trading. The overall score is calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas.
Open Account

76% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

IC Markets

CFDCFD IC Markets offers CFD trading: leveraged contracts that follow the price of an asset without owning it. Switch the comparison to CFD/FX to rate it on that. FXFX IC Markets offers forex trading: currency pairs such as EUR/USD, traded with leverage. Forex is rated together with CFDs, on the CFD/FX side.
IC Markets review ›
87CFD/FXOverall score IC Markets scores 87/100 for CFD/FX trading. The overall score is calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas.
Open Account

72.52% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

Best for

What we compare A comparison of the kinds of traders AvaTrade and IC Markets are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in .
1 / 12

AvaTrade is better than IC Markets for high-volume traders, futures traders and options traders. Both are a good fit for professional traders, scalpers and swing traders.

Best for
Overall score AvaTrade 85 -2 IC Markets 87
Day trading i
Long-term investing i
Professional traders i
High-volume traders i
Scalpers i
Swing traders i
News traders i
Algo traders i
Stock traders i
Crypto traders i
Futures traders i
Options traders i

Regulation

What we compare A comparison between the financial authorities that supervise AvaTrade and the ones that supervise IC Markets.
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AvaTrade and IC Markets are both regulated by top-tier authorities, AvaTrade by CBI Ireland, ASIC (Australia) and the CIRO (Canada) and IC Markets by CySEC and ASIC (Australia).

Regulation
Section score AvaTrade 100 IC Markets 100
Tier-1 regulators
ESMA (European Union) i CBI (Ireland) CySEC (Cyprus)
FCA (United Kingdom) i
ASIC (Australia) i
CFTC (United States) i
NFA (United States) i
SEC (United States) i
CIRO (Canada) i
MAS (Singapore) i
SFC (Hong Kong) i
JFSA (Japan) i
FINMA (Switzerland) i
Tier-2 regulators
FMA (New Zealand) i
CBR (Russia) i
FSCA (South Africa) i
DFSA (Dubai) i
CSRC (China) i
ISA (Israel) i
LFSA (Malaysia) i
JSC (Jordan) i
CMA (Kenya) i
Tier-3 regulators
FSA (Seychelles) i
MMA (Maldives) i
SCB (Bahamas) i
FSC (Mauritius) i
VFSC (Vanuatu) i
FSC (Belize) i
CIMA (Cayman Islands) i
SV FSA (Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) i
FSRC (St. Kitts & Nevis) i
BMA (Bermuda) i
BVI FSC (British Virgin Islands) i
EDR (External Dispute Resolution) i

Safety

What we compare A comparison of the tools and services that AvaTrade and IC Markets have in place to protect your money in .
3 / 12

AvaTrade and IC Markets both offer segregated client funds and an investor compensation scheme.

Safety
Section score AvaTrade 78 IC Markets 78
Company info
Is it publicly traded i
Is it a bank i
Year founded i 2006 2007
Parent company i Ava Trade Ltd International Capital Markets Pty Ltd
CEO i Dáire Ferguson Andrew Budzinski
Money safety
Segregated client funds i
Two-factor authentication i
Investor compensation scheme i
Additional money insurance i
Partner bank i National Westminster Bank, J.P. Morgan SE Eurobank
Brand power
Number of customers worldwide i 9,000,000
Annual revenue i
Monthly website search traffic i 2.2M monthly visits

Costs

What we compare A comparison of what it costs to trade with AvaTrade and with IC Markets in , both on each trade and on holding the account.
4 / 12

AvaTrade and IC Markets are equally good for costs, since AvaTrade does not charge forex commissions (against IC Markets' 7 USD per lot), and does not charge US stock CFD fees (against IC Markets' 0.02 USD). On the other hand, IC Markets is cheaper on EUR/USD, at 7.8 USD per lot (against AvaTrade's 9 USD), and has tighter S&P 500 CFD spreads, at 0.36 points (against AvaTrade's 0.5 points). Neither AvaTrade nor IC Markets charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.

Costs
Section score AvaTrade 66 IC Markets 65 -1
Broker fees
Deposit fees i
Withdrawal fees i
Overnight fees i
Inactivity fees i
Currency conversion fees i
Discounts on volume i
Real time market data fee i
Dividend withholding i
Account opening fees i
Account maintenance fee i
Portfolio management fee i
Fees on CFDs
Forex commission per lot i Free USD 7
EUR/USD average standard spread i
0.9 pips
0.8 pips
EUR/USD average raw spread i
0.06 pips
EUR/USD average fixed spread i
EUR/USD total cost per lot i USD 9 USD 7.8
S&P 500 fees (CFD) i 0.5 points 0.36 points
Gold fees (CFD) i 0.34 points 0.08 points
Bitcoin fees (CFD) i USD 6.46
US stocks fees (CFD) i Free USD 0.02
Fees on stocks
Stock fee type i Spread Commission, Percentage
US stocks fees (real) i
ETF fees (real) i
Management costs i
Connection costs i
Fees on futures
Futures fees per contract i USD 1.75 Free
Platform fees i
Fees on options
Options fees per contract i Free
Event fees i
Fees on savings plans
IRA opening fee i
IRA maintenance fee i
401k opening fee i
401k maintenance fee i

Available markets

What we compare A comparison of the markets and products you can trade with AvaTrade and with IC Markets in , and of how many instruments each one gives access to.
5 / 12

AvaTrade is better than IC Markets for available markets, given that AvaTrade offers futures on commodities, crypto, forex and indices, which IC Markets does not, and offers options on forex, which IC Markets does not. Both AvaTrade and IC Markets offer CFDs on commodities, crypto, ETFs, forex, indices and stocks.

Available markets
Section score AvaTrade 100 Best IC Markets 75 -25
Total tradable symbols i 1,250 2,850
Currency pairs i
Indices i
Commodities i
Stocks i
ETF i
Cryptocurrencies i
Bonds i
Interest rates i
Portfolios i
CFDs i Commodities, Crypto, ETF, Forex, Indices, Stocks Commodities, Crypto, ETF, Forex, Indices, Stocks
Futures i Commodities, Crypto, Forex, Indices
Options i Forex
Assets you can own i

Platform

What we compare A comparison of the trading platforms that AvaTrade and IC Markets make available to their clients in .
6 / 12

AvaTrade and IC Markets are equally good for platforms, since AvaTrade offers a proprietary platform while IC Markets offers cTrader and TradingView. Both AvaTrade and IC Markets offer MetaTrader 5 and MetaTrader 4.

Platform
Section score AvaTrade 92 IC Markets 89 -3
Proprietary platform i
MetaTrader 4 i
MetaTrader 5 i
cTrader i
Social trading platform i
Copy trading platform i
ZuluTrade i
TradingView i
Duplitrade i
Mirror Trader i
NinjaTrader i
AutoChartist i
Real time pricing i
5 digit pricing i
One-click trading i

Mobile

What we compare A comparison of the mobile apps of AvaTrade and IC Markets in , and of what each one lets you do from your phone.
7 / 12

AvaTrade is better than IC Markets for mobile trading, as AvaTrade offers a social trading app and a copy trading app, which IC Markets does not. Both AvaTrade and IC Markets offer a proprietary mobile app and the MetaTrader 5 app.

Mobile
Section score AvaTrade 100 Best IC Markets 93 -7
Proprietary app i
Social trading app i
Copy trading app i
MetaTrader 4 app i
MetaTrader 5 app i
cTrader app i
Mobile trading signals i
Mobile alerts i
Mobile charting tools i
Mobile drawing tools i
Mobile watchlist i
Smartwatch app i

Trading features

What we compare A comparison of the trading tools and strategies that AvaTrade and IC Markets allow on their platforms in .
8 / 12

IC Markets is better than AvaTrade for trading features, because IC Markets offers tier-1 liquidity providers and API access, which AvaTrade does not, and allows for high-frequency trading. AvaTrade and IC Markets both offer negative balance protection and trailing stops.

Trading features
Section score AvaTrade 84 -9 IC Markets 93 Best
Trade execution
Broker type i Agency NDD
Average execution time i 66 ms
Slippage occurrence i
Requotes occurrence i
Tier-1 liquidity providers i
PFOF i
Leverage
Major FX pairs leverage i 30:1About this value. This is the major fx pairs leverage at AVA Trade EU Ltd (CBI). At AvaTrade's other companies: 30:1 (Australia, the UAE), 25:1 (Japan), 400:1 (other accepted countries). 30:1About this value. This is the major fx pairs leverage at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). At IC Markets' other companies: 30:1 (Australia), 5000:1 (other accepted countries).
Minor/Exotic FX pairs leverage i 20:1About this value. This is the minor/exotic fx pairs leverage at AVA Trade EU Ltd (CBI). At AvaTrade's other companies: 20:1 (Australia, the UAE), 25:1 (Japan), 400:1 (other accepted countries). 20:1About this value. This is the minor/exotic fx pairs leverage at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). At IC Markets' other companies: 20:1 (Australia), 5000:1 (other accepted countries).
Major indices leverage i 20:1About this value. This is the major indices leverage at AVA Trade EU Ltd (CBI). At AvaTrade's other companies: 20:1 (Australia, the UAE), 200:1 (other accepted countries). 20:1About this value. This is the major indices leverage at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). At IC Markets' other companies: 20:1 (Australia), 200:1 (other accepted countries).
Minor indices leverage i 10:1About this value. This is the minor indices leverage at AVA Trade EU Ltd (CBI). At AvaTrade's other companies: 10:1 (Australia, the UAE), 100:1 (other accepted countries). 10:1About this value. This is the minor indices leverage at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). At IC Markets' other companies: 10:1 (Australia), 200:1 (other accepted countries).
Gold leverage i 20:1About this value. This is the gold leverage at AVA Trade EU Ltd (CBI). At AvaTrade's other companies: 20:1 (Australia, the UAE), 200:1 (other accepted countries). 20:1About this value. This is the gold leverage at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). At IC Markets' other companies: 20:1 (Australia), 2000:1 (other accepted countries).
Commodities leverage i 10:1About this value. This is the commodities leverage at AVA Trade EU Ltd (CBI). At AvaTrade's other companies: 10:1 (Australia, the UAE), 200:1 (other accepted countries). 10:1About this value. This is the commodities leverage at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). At IC Markets' other companies: 10:1 (Australia), 1000:1 (other accepted countries).
Equities leverage i 5:1About this value. This is the equities leverage at AVA Trade EU Ltd (CBI). At AvaTrade's other companies: 5:1 (Australia, the UAE), 10:1 (other accepted countries). 5:1About this value. This is the equities leverage at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). At IC Markets' other companies: 5:1 (Australia), 20:1 (other accepted countries).
Cryptocurrency leverage i 2:1About this value. This is the cryptocurrency leverage at AVA Trade EU Ltd (CBI). At AvaTrade's other companies: 2:1 (Australia, the UAE), 100:1 (other accepted countries). 2:1About this value. This is the cryptocurrency leverage at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). At IC Markets' other companies: 2:1 (Australia), 500:1 (other accepted countries).
Risk management
Stop losses i
Take profits i
Limit orders i
Trailing stop i
Margin call i
OCO orders i
Guaranteed stop loss i
Negative balance protection i
Minimum trade size (FX) i 0.01 lots 0.01 lots
Minimum trade size (stocks) i USD 0 USD 0
Fractional stocks i
Trading compliance
Scalping strategies allowed i
Hedging strategies allowed i
Automated trading strategy allowed i
EAs use allowed i
HFT strategy allowed i
VPS use allowed i
API use allowed i
Price scraping allowed i
FIFO rule applies i

Account types

What we compare A comparison of the kinds of account you can open at AvaTrade and at IC Markets in , and of who each one is meant for.
9 / 12

IC Markets is better than AvaTrade for account types, since IC Markets offers a managed account, an ECN account and a raw spread account, which AvaTrade does not. Both AvaTrade and IC Markets offer a demo account and a professional traders account.

Account types
Section score AvaTrade 72 -7 IC Markets 79 Best
Demo account i
Unlimited demo account i
Standard account i
Micro account i
Cent account i
Nano account i
Raw spread account i
ECN account i
Swap-free account i
Islamic account i
Professional traders account i
Fixed spread account i
Spread betting account i
Copy trading account i
Corporate account i
Managed account i
Stock investing account i
Margin investing account i
Savings account i
Retirement account i

Account opening

What we compare A comparison of what it takes to open and fund an account with AvaTrade and with IC Markets in .
10 / 12

IC Markets is better than AvaTrade for account opening, as IC Markets offers 10 account base currencies (against AvaTrade's 6), supports e-wallets, which AvaTrade does not, and pays out withdrawals faster, within 1 day (against AvaTrade's 10 days). However, the minimum deposit is lower at AvaTrade, at 100 USD (against IC Markets' 224 USD).

Account opening
Section score AvaTrade 72 -13 IC Markets 85 Best
Minimum deposit i USD 100About this value. This is the minimum deposit at AVA Trade EU Ltd (CBI). At AvaTrade's other companies: USD 70 (Australia), USD 0 (Japan), USD 100 (other accepted countries, the UAE). USD 224About this value. This is the minimum deposit at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). At IC Markets' other companies: USD 200 (Australia), USD 0 (other accepted countries).
Minimum withdrawal i USD 0 USD 0
Wire transfers i
Credit cards i
Debit cards i
eWallets i PayPal, Neteller, Skrill
Local payment methods i
Account base currencies i AUD, EUR, GBP, JPY, USD, ZARAbout this value. This is the account base currencies at AVA Trade EU Ltd (CBI). It is different at AvaTrade's companies in Australia. AUD, CAD, CHF, EUR, GBP, HKD, JPY, NZD, SGD, USDAbout this value. This is the account base currencies at IC Markets (EU) Ltd (CySEC). It is different at IC Markets' companies in Australia.
Deposit waiting time i Instant Instant
Withdrawal waiting time i up to 10 business days up to 1 business days
Bonus program i

Customer care

What we compare A comparison of the customer support of AvaTrade and IC Markets in , in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.
11 / 12

IC Markets is better than AvaTrade for customer care, because IC Markets offers a dedicated account manager and priority support, which AvaTrade does not. Both AvaTrade and IC Markets offer phone support and live chat.

Customer care
Section score AvaTrade 67 -20 IC Markets 87 Best
Number of languages supported i 22 17
Website languages i Afrikaans, Arabic, German, English, Finnish, French, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Mongolian, Malay, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Urdu, Chinese Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, German, English, French, Croatian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese
Website available in English i
Customer support languages i Afrikaans, Arabic, German, English, Finnish, French, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Mongolian, Malay, Dutch, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Swedish, Thai, Turkish, Urdu, Chinese Arabic, Bulgarian, Czech, German, English, French, Croatian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Thai, Vietnamese, Chinese
Customer support in English i
Call back request i
Email support i
Phone support i
Live chat i
Priority customer support i
Dedicated account manager i
Cash sweep i
Stock lending i
Distributes proceeds i
Tax withholding agent i
Tax assistance i

Learning

What we compare A comparison of the educational material that AvaTrade and IC Markets provide to their clients in .
12 / 12

IC Markets is better than AvaTrade for learning, as IC Markets offers professional reports and traders' sentiment, which AvaTrade does not. AvaTrade and IC Markets both offer education for advanced traders and webinars.

Learning
Section score AvaTrade 83 -17 IC Markets 100 Best
Education
Education center i
Education for beginners i
Education for advanced traders i
Webinars i
Tutorials i
Glossary i
Research
Economic calendar i
Traders' sentiment i
Daily market commentary i
Daily trading ideas i
News via social media i
Professional reports i
Watchlist i
AvaTrade
Open Account 76% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
IC Markets
Open Account 72.52% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Our verdict

AvaTrade vs IC Markets: which one should you choose?

AvaTrade

CFD/FX Choose AvaTrade if you want a CFD and forex broker with a proprietary trading platform.

Open Account 76% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
IC Markets

CFD/FX Choose IC Markets if you want an online CFD broker with low trading costs, cTrader and TradingView.

Open Account 72.52% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

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