Interactive Brokers versus AvaTrade

The choice of trading platforms at AvaTrade is outstanding. It consists of the proprietary WebTrader, the mobile app AvaTradeGO, Ava Option, MT4, and MT5. Social trading is available via Ava Social, ZuluTrade, and DupliTrade. The Trading Central upgrades MT4/MT5, where trades can run algorithmic strategies or use the embedded copy trading feature. Passive income seekers benefit from the partnership program with $250M+ in payouts.

Interactive Brokers presents a suite of cutting-edge proprietary solutions developed for advanced traders, including algorithmic trading and support for third-party developers. Investor’s Marketplace offers 1,500+ services, and passive investors can benefit from Interactive Advisors available from $100.

We have conducted an in-depth review of AvaTrade and Interactive Brokers to determine which one presents the better overall choice and which traders will benefit the most at either broker.

• Features and Platforms
• Available Markets
• Typical Spreads and Fees
• Security and Trust
• Interactive Brokers versus AvaTrade- Verdict

Headquarters	Ireland	United States
Regulators	ASIC, BVI, Central Bank of Ireland, FFAJ, FSCA, KNF, MiFID	N/A
Tier 1 Regulator(s)?
Owned by Public Company?
Year Established	2006	1978
Execution Type(s)	Market Maker	ECN/STP, No Dealing Desk
Minimum Deposit	$100	$0
Negative Balance Protection
Trading Platform(s)	Other, MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, Proprietary platform, Web-based+	Proprietary platform
Average Trading Cost EUR/USD	0.9 pips	0.2 pips ($2.00)
Average Trading Cost GBP/USD	1.5 pips	0.4 pips ($4.00)
Average Trading Cost WTI Crude Oil	$0.03	$0.01
Average Trading Cost Gold	$0.29	$0.17
Retail Loss Rate	77.82%	N/A
Minimum Raw Spreads	Not applicable	N/A
Minimum Standard Spreads	0.9 pips	N/A
Minimum Commission for Forex	Commission-free	$1.00 - $2.00
Islamic Account
Signals
US Persons Accepted?
Managed Accounts
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Features and Platforms

MT4
MT5
MT4/MT5 Add-Ons
cTrader
Proprietary Platform
Automated Trading
Social/Copy Trading
DOM?
Guaranteed Stop Loss
Scalping
Hedging
One-Click Trading
OCO Orders
Interest on Margin
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Noteworthy:

SharpTrader, the successfully spun out AvaTrade academy, and the IBKR Campus remain two of the highest-quality educational services industry-wide for beginner traders. They also get high-quality market research at Interactive Brokers.

Available Markets

Currency Pairs
Cryptocurrencies
Commodities
Crude Oil
Gold
Metals
Equity Indices
Stocks (non-CFDs)
Bonds
ETFs
Options
Futures
Synthetics
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Most traders will find the balanced asset selection at AvaTrade more than enough to execute strategies and achieve cross-asset diversification. AvaTrade supplements its standard Forex selection with Forex options. As a prime brokerage Interactive Brokers maintains 135 markets across 33 countries in 23 currencies, resulting in excellent sector exposure for demanding clients.

Typical Spreads and Fees

Average Trading Cost EUR/USD	0.9 pips	0.2 pips ($2.00)
Average Trading Cost GBP/USD	1.5 pips	0.4 pips ($4.00)
Average Trading Cost WTI Crude Oil	$0.03	$0.01
Average Trading Cost Gold	$0.29	$0.17
Average Trading Cost Bitcoin	$39	$0.25
Minimum Raw Spreads	Not applicable	N/A
Minimum Standard Spreads	0.9 pips	N/A
Minimum Commission for Forex	Commission-free	$1.00 - $2.00
Deposit Fee		N/A
Withdrawal Fee
Inactivity Fee	$50 quarterly after 3 months	N/A
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Forex traders at Interactive Brokers get a notable cost advantage with minimum fees of $3 versus $9 at AvaTrade, making it the better choice for scalpers and high-frequency traders. Equity trading at AvaTrade remains commission-free and costs 0.05% per trade at Interactive Brokers, the lowest cost commission-based competitors.

Security and Trust

Country of the Regulator	United Arab Emirates, Australia, Ireland, Israel, Japan, British Virgin Islands, South Africa	United Kingdom, United States
Name of the Regulator	ASIC, BVI, Central Bank of Ireland, FFAJ, FSCA, KNF, MiFID	N/A
Regulatory License Number	C53877, SIBA/L/13/1049, 406684, 45984, 1662, 190018, 514666577	36418, 8-47257, 208159
Regulatory Tier	N/A	1, 1
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AvaTrade and Interactive Brokers both segregate client deposits and offer negative balance protection. AvaTrade is a trusted broker, but trading conditions depend on the regulatory jurisdiction. Interactive Brokers, a NASDAQ-listed company and S&P 400 constituent, is 81.5% privately held with $6 billion in excess regulatory capital.

AvaTrade vs Interactive Brokers – Verdict

Interactive Brokers

Pros	Cons
Cutting-edge proprietary trading platforms with support for algorithmic trading	Limited deposit and withdrawal options
Industry-leading asset selection and trading costs
Superior trading tools consisting of 1,500+ services
Low-cost passive investments from as little as $100

AvaTrade

Pros	Cons
High-quality educational offering via SharpTrader	Higher trading costs typical of commission-free brokers
Excellent choice of trading platforms catering to various trading needs
Broad asset selection and cross-asset diversification opportunities
Well-regulated and trusted broker with oversight from a central bank

Given the ultra-competitive costs at Interactive Brokers, Forex scalpers, high frequency, and algorithmic traders, and those with demanding asset requirements get a good trading environment there. The overall product and services portfolio may overwhelm many retail traders, but AvaTrade covers all their needs and so typically remains a better choice for them. The support for social trading, and user-friendly mobile app, stand out among the features millennial and GenZ traders favor.

You might also be interested in reviewing the below broker comparisons:

• Avatrade vs CM Trading
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• Avatrade vs SquardFinancial
• InteractiveBrokers vs Oanda
• InteractiveBrokers vs TradeStation
• InteractiveBrokers vs QuesTrade

Read full AvaTrade Review

Read full Interactive Brokers Review