Interactive Brokers vs AvaTrade Comparison
Comparing forex brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2022 annual forex broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 39 forex and CFD brokerages to find the best forex broker. Let's compare Interactive Brokers vs AvaTrade.
Can I trust Interactive Brokers?
Interactive Brokers has a trust score of 99, giving it a "Highly Trusted" trust label.
- "Highly Trusted" (90-99) - These brokers are considered the most trustworthy firms in the industry. Simply put, we would not hesitate to open and fund an account with a Highly Trusted broker
- "Trusted" (80-89) - These brokers are reliable and trustworthy. "Trusted" firms are a solid choice, and may simply hold fewer regulatory licences or feature different corporate structures than those brokers that have earned our top Trust Score rating.
- "Average Risk" (70-79) - Average Risk brokers are firms we generally consider to be safe, but that may warrant a closer inspection before you open and fund a live trading account. At the least, we always encourage traders to check the regulatory licenses for Average Risk firms to verify that they are regulated in their own country of residence.
- "High Risk" (60-69) - High-risk firms should be scrutinized and carefully reviewed before opening an account. These forex brokers are – in most cases – operating without credible regulatory licensing, and likely have a history of legal or financial issues. Before considering an account with a high-risk firm, we recommend checking our country guides for your country of residence to see if a more trusted broker is available.
- "Do Not Trust" (<59) - We do not recommend opening an account of any kind with a broker that earns a “Do Not Trust” rating.
Can I trust AvaTrade?
AvaTrade has a trust score of 93, giving it a "Highly Trusted" trust label. Here's what each trust score label means:
What tier-1 jurisdictions is each broker regulated in?
Tier-1 regulators go above and beyond by requiring additional capital requirements, checking in on brokers more frequently, and putting brokers through a tougher screening process. AvaTrade is ASIC Authorised (Australia), IIROC Authorised (Canada), CBI Authorised (Ireland) and FSA Authorised (Japan), while Interactive Brokers is ASIC Authorised (Australia), IIROC Authorised (Canada), SFC Authorised (Hong Kong), CBI Authorised (Ireland), FSA Authorised (Japan), MAS Authorised (Singapore), FINMA Authorised (Switzerland), FCA Authorised (U.K.) and CFTC Registered (USA). Both do not have FMA Authorised (New Zealand).
What tier-2 jurisdictions is each broker regulated in? What about tier-3?
Tier-2 and tier-3 licenses are still important in evaluating the overall trustworthiness of forex brokers. As far as tier-2 licenses go, AvaTrade is CySEC Authorised (Cyprus), ISA Authorised (Israel), FSCA Authorised (South Africa) and DFSA / Central Bank Authorised (UAE), while Interactive Brokers is NSE Authorised (India). Both do not have CBRC Authorised (China), CBR Authorised (Russia) and SEC Authorised (Thailand). When comparing tier-3 licenses AvaTrade is FSC Authorised (British Virgin Islands), while Interactive Brokers is none of these. Both do not have SCB Authorised (Bahamas), IFSC Authorised (Belize), BMA Authorised (Bermuda), CIMA Authorised (Cayman Islands), FSC Authorised (Mauritius) and VFSC Authorised (Vanuatu).
Which broker offers more trading platforms?
For trading platforms Interactive Brokers supports a Proprietary Platform and Desktop Platform (Windows), whereas AvaTrade supports a Proprietary Platform, Desktop Platform (Windows), DupliTrade and ZuluTrade. Both do not have cTrader.
Does Interactive Brokers offer MetaTrader? Does AvaTrade offer MetaTrader?
For MetaTrader AvaTrade provides MetaTrader 4 (MT4) and MetaTrader 5 (MT5), while Interactive Brokers provides neither of these. If MetaTrader is a must for you, read our guides on the best MT4 brokers or best MT5 brokers.
How do Interactive Brokers and AvaTrade differ in terms of minimum deposit? What about average spreads and funding options?
Interactive Brokers requires a minimum deposit of $0, while AvaTrade requires a minimum deposit of $100. From our testing we found Interactive Brokers offers spreads of 0.6 (From 09/25/21 - 10/02/21), while AvaTrade offers spreads of 0.91 (Aug 2020) . AvaTrade supports Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw), Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit), PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) and Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) for popular funding options, where Interactive Brokers supports Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw).
Which brokers offers more tradeable asset classes, Interactive Brokers or AvaTrade?
AvaTrade offers a more diverse selection of investment options than Interactive Brokers allowing you to trade Forex Trading, Trading - Forex or CFDs, Spread Betting, Social Trading / Copy Trading, Metals, Energies, Agriculturals and U.S. Stocks (CFD). Looking at total tradeable symbols, Interactive Brokers has 7400, compared to 1260 from AvaTrade.
Can I trade cryptocurrency with Interactive Brokers or AvaTrade?
Crypto trading is popular with forex traders. Most crypto assets are offered either as the underlying physical asset or as a CFD or other derivative — including spot forex contracts. In terms of trading physical cryptocurrency neither Interactive Brokers nor AvaTrade allow you to trade physical cryptocurrencies.
Who offers more research tools, Interactive Brokers or AvaTrade?
In terms of research and research tools AvaTrade gives traders the following tools: Daily Market Commentary, Stock Charts, Forex News (Top-Tier Sources), Trading Central (Recognia) and Social Trading / Copy Trading. In comparison Interactive Brokers has the tools listed here: Daily Market Commentary, Stock Charts, Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) and Trading Central (Recognia). Both do not have Autochartist.
