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AvaTrade vs XM: Comparison and Analysis

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

AvaTrade is better than XM for CFD trading by a small margin, because it has a lower EUR/USD cost (9.00 USD per lot against 10.00 USD) and a proprietary trading platform. XM, on the other hand, allows high-frequency trading strategies and API access, with execution in 66 ms and faster withdrawals (1 day against 10 days). 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), while XM is regulated by CySEC, the DFSA, the CMA (Kenya) and the FSCA, with an offshore company regulated by the FSC (Belize). 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. XM asks for 5.00 USD at all of its companies. All of AvaTrade's companies offer crypto CFDs, as do XM's South African and offshore companies. AvaTrade offers 1,250 tradable symbols, against 1,400 at XM, and both brokers offer a demo account.

Best overall

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.

XM

CFDCFD XM 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 XM offers forex trading: currency pairs such as EUR/USD, traded with leverage. Forex is rated together with CFDs, on the CFD/FX side.
XM review ›
79CFD/FXOverall score XM scores 79/100 for CFD/FX trading. The overall score is calculated from the data in this comparison across 12 areas.
Open Account

75.12% 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 XM are best suited to, based on what each one actually offers in .
1 / 12

AvaTrade is better than XM for professional traders, high-volume traders and crypto traders. Both are a good fit for scalpers, swing traders and news traders.

Best for
Overall score AvaTrade 85 Best XM 79 -6
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 XM.
2 / 12

AvaTrade and XM are both regulated by top-tier authorities, AvaTrade by CBI Ireland, ASIC (Australia) and the CIRO (Canada) and XM by CySEC.

Regulation
Section score AvaTrade 100 Best XM 90 -10
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 XM have in place to protect your money in .
3 / 12

Both AvaTrade and XM offer segregated client funds and an investor compensation scheme.

Safety
Section score AvaTrade 78 XM 78
Company info
Is it publicly traded i
Is it a bank i
Year founded i 2006 2009
Parent company i Ava Trade Ltd Trading Point Holdings
CEO i Dáire Ferguson Tasos Anastasiou
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 N/A
Brand power
Number of customers worldwide i 9,000,000 20,000,000
Annual revenue i USD 1,000,000,000
Monthly website search traffic i

Costs

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

AvaTrade is better than XM for costs, as AvaTrade is cheaper on EUR/USD, at 9 USD per lot (against XM's 10 USD), has tighter S&P 500 CFD spreads, at 0.5 points (against XM's 0.6 points), and offers volume discounts, which XM does not. Neither AvaTrade nor XM charges account maintenance fees or deposit fees.

Costs
Section score AvaTrade 66 Best XM 57 -9
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
1.1 pips
EUR/USD average raw spread i
0.2 pips
EUR/USD average fixed spread i
EUR/USD total cost per lot i USD 9 USD 10
S&P 500 fees (CFD) i 0.5 points 0.6 points
Gold fees (CFD) i 0.34 points 0.3 points
Bitcoin fees (CFD) i
US stocks fees (CFD) i Free Free
Fees on stocks
Stock fee type i Spread Spread
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
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 XM in , and of how many instruments each one gives access to.
5 / 12

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

Available markets
Section score AvaTrade 100 Best XM 75 -25
Total tradable symbols i 1,250 1,400
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, 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 XM make available to their clients in .
6 / 12

AvaTrade is better than XM for platforms, because AvaTrade offers a proprietary platform, social trading and ZuluTrade, which XM does not. AvaTrade and XM both offer MetaTrader 5 and MetaTrader 4.

Platform
Section score AvaTrade 92 Best XM 63 -29
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 XM in , and of what each one lets you do from your phone.
7 / 12

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

Mobile
Section score AvaTrade 100 Best XM 86 -14
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 XM allow on their platforms in .
8 / 12

There is little between AvaTrade and XM on trading features, as both offer negative balance protection and trailing stops. XM has a slight edge, as it offers tier-1 liquidity providers and API access.

Trading features
Section score AvaTrade 84 -3 XM 87
Trade execution
Broker type i Agency Agency
Average execution time i 66 ms
Slippage occurrence i
Requotes occurrence i 0%
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 Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd (CySEC). At XM's other companies: 400:1 (Kenya), 30:1 (the UAE), 1000:1 (other accepted countries, South Africa).
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 Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd (CySEC). At XM's other companies: 400:1 (Kenya), 20:1 (the UAE), 1000:1 (other accepted countries, South Africa).
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 Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd (CySEC). At XM's other companies: 400:1 (Kenya), 20:1 (the UAE), 500:1 (other accepted countries, South Africa).
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 Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd (CySEC). At XM's other companies: 250:1 (Kenya, other accepted countries, South Africa), 10:1 (the UAE).
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 Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd (CySEC). At XM's other companies: 400:1 (Kenya), 20:1 (the UAE), 1000:1 (other accepted countries, South Africa).
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 Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd (CySEC). At XM's other companies: 400:1 (Kenya, other accepted countries, South Africa), 10:1 (the UAE).
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 Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd (CySEC). At XM's other companies: 20:1 (Kenya, other accepted countries, South Africa), 5:1 (the UAE).
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 Trading Point of Financial Instruments Ltd (CySEC). At XM's other companies: 2:1 (the UAE), 1000:1 (other accepted countries, South Africa).
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 XM in , and of who each one is meant for.
9 / 12

AvaTrade is better than XM for account types, given that AvaTrade offers a professional traders account, a copy trading account and an unlimited demo account, which XM does not. Both AvaTrade and XM offer a demo account and a corporate account.

Account types
Section score AvaTrade 72 Best XM 64 -8
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 XM in .
10 / 12

XM is better than AvaTrade for account opening, given that XM requires a lower minimum deposit, at 5 USD (against AvaTrade's 100 USD), offers 10 account base currencies (against AvaTrade's 6), and supports e-wallets, which AvaTrade does not. AvaTrade and XM both offer credit cards and debit cards.

Account opening
Section score AvaTrade 72 -18 XM 90 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 5
Minimum withdrawal i USD 0 USD 5
Wire transfers i
Credit cards i
Debit cards i
eWallets i 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, CHF, EUR, GBP, HUF, PLN, RUB, SGD, USD, ZAR
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 XM in , in how it can be reached and how fast it answers.
11 / 12

XM is better than AvaTrade for customer care, given that XM offers a dedicated account manager, which AvaTrade does not. Both AvaTrade and XM offer phone support and live chat.

Customer care
Section score AvaTrade 67 -11 XM 78 Best
Number of languages supported i 22 20
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, Czech, German, Greek, English, French, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, 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, Czech, German, Greek, English, French, Hindi, Hungarian, Indonesian, Italian, Korean, Malay, Polish, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, 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 XM provide to their clients in .
12 / 12

XM is better than AvaTrade for learning, since XM offers traders' sentiment, which AvaTrade does not. Both AvaTrade and XM offer education for advanced traders and webinars.

Learning
Section score AvaTrade 83 -5 XM 88 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.
XM
Open Account 75.12% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.
Our verdict

AvaTrade vs XM: 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.
XM

CFD/FX Choose XM if you want a forex broker for high-frequency trading strategies with a small minimum deposit.

Open Account 75.12% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading CFDs with this provider.

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