AvaTrade is a multiple award-winning forex broker that has some of the most competitive trading conditions that I have seen from any online broker, including tight spreads, rapid trade execution speeds, thousands of tradeable instruments with plenty of forex currency pairs (50+ majors / exotics), stocks and even 24/7 cryptocurrency trading. You can choose from a variety of account types and funding methods with no deposit or withdrawal fees. The AvaTrade platform is very user-friendly with plenty of trading tools and educational materials to help you along your trading journey. Around the clock support is also available whilst you can start trading online with the broker form as little as $100. Alternatively, free demo accounts are available if you wish to practice your trading strategies before making an investment. These factors amongst many others make AvaTrade by far one of the best forex brokers in my humble opinion.
AvaTrade have won multiple awards over the years including best European broker, best trading experience, best dealing room and best broker. They are well known for delivering a safe, secure and user-friendly trading environment on your desktop or mobile device, with powerful yet intuitive trading platforms and trading apps that can cater to traders with different types of trading strategies. Whether you are a scalper, swing trader or long-term investor, AvaTrade has a range of options for everyone, with flexible leverage that can vary depending on your geo location and 1:400 maximum available.
AvaTrade provide expert advisors for automated trading, or you can use your own on their platforms. They also have industry leading copy trading platforms where you can copy trades and get signals from other forex traders.
AvaTrade have a comprehensive range of educational resources including detailed trading guides, tutorial videos, market research and analysis, trading strategies and much more. This shows that they care about their clients and want to make sure they are making informed trading decisions based on knowledge.
The AvaTrade support team is also excellent and on hand to rapidly answer all of your questions 24 hours a day in 15 different languages. This is important as I have found some brokers to always have their chat offline and even take days to respond to basic email queries. This is not the case with AvaTrade who are always quick to respond and answer all of my questions.
AvaTrade have regulatory licenses across an impressive 5 continents with a wide global office presence. Trading with a regulated broker can help to give traders the peace of mind that they are using a transparent and honest broker that can be trusted and has client’s best interests at the forefront of their operations.
Markets
At AvaTrade, they offer CFDs. A CFD (contract for difference) is a popular financial derivative product that allows investors to trade the price changes of different financial assets without needing to actually physically own the underlying asset. A CFD contract is basically an agreement to pay the difference between the opening and closing prices of an underlying asset. As an investor, you will earn profits if your prediction on the price direction movement is right (the broker will pay you the difference); and you will incur losses if your prediction on the price direction movement is wrong (you will pay the broker the difference).
CFD trading is, in essence, speculating on the price changes of an underlying asset. If you believe the prices of an asset will rise, you will buy the asset or simply go long; if you believe the prices of the underlying asset will fall, you will sell the asset or simply go short. The profits or losses you incur will depend on the difference between the opening and closing prices, as well as the size of the trade position.
AvaTrade have a huge selection of CFDs covering a range of financial markets. Whatever your interests, there is likely to be something for everyone to trade. AvaTrade offer the following CFD trading instruments:
FX Currency Pairs
Trade the exchange rates of major, minor and exotic currency pairs from all around the world.
Stocks
Stocks (also known as shares) are units of ownership of companies. Stocks are traditionally bought and sold on stock exchanges, but when traded as CFDs, you can go long or go short, and you do not need to own the underlying shares.
Commodities
Commodities are important goods in international trade. The various types of commodity futures available for trading in financial markets include metals, energies, agriculture, as well as livestock, and more.
Indices
Indices are weighted statistical measures that track the performance of a selected basket of stocks. The stocks can be related by industry, market sector, stock exchange, or even country.
ETFs
ETFs (exchange traded funds) are a type of investment fund, similar to mutual funds, but are traded on stock exchanges. ETFs hold assets such as stocks, bonds, and commodities.
Cryptocurrencies
Cryptocurrencies are a form of digital money. They have quickly evolved to become digital stores of value and represent a new and exciting financial asset class.
Bonds
Bonds are units of debt issued by governments and corporations. They are securitised and are publicly traded.
Platforms
AvaTrade have a superb selection of trading platforms, including the industry standard MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5 platforms that are used by millions of forex traders all over the world. They also have their very own proprietary platforms, AvaTrade Web Trader, AvaTrade GO and AvaOptions.
In addition to these advanced trading platforms that enable you to trade thousands of financial instruments across various markets, you can also access ZuluTrade and DupliTrade via AvaTrade for social trading with plenty of forex signals to copy.
MetaTrader 4 (MT4) Platform
MetaTrader 4 is a platform for trading Forex, analysing financial markets and using Expert Advisors. Mobile trading, Trading Signals and the Market are the integral parts of MetaTrader 4 that enhance your Forex trading experience.
Millions of traders with a wide range of needs choose MetaTrader 4 to trade in the market. The platform offers ample of opportunities to traders of all skill levels: advanced technical analysis, flexible trading system, algorithmic trading and Expert Advisors, as well as mobile trading applications.
Signals and Market additional services extend MetaTrader 4 frontiers. The Signals service allows you to copy trades of other traders, while the Market provides you with various Expert Advisors and Technical indicators that you can buy.
The MT4 platform is available to trade via desktop, laptop, tablet or phone through the provided app. This way you can keep up to date with your trading activity on the go.
MT4 Mobile App
The MetaTrader 4 mobile applications allow trading on financial markets via iOS and Android powered smartphones and tablets. The functionality offered on the mobile versions includes interactive quote charts, full set of trading orders and the most popular analytical tools, very similar to the desktop version. You can monitor your account status, track the history of trades, as well as buy and sell financial instruments in a single click. The mobile applications also provide additional features such as convenient chat with other traders and push notifications.
MetaTrader 5 (MT5) Platform
MT5 is a powerful platform for Forex and Exchange markets, with convenient and functional trading. It offers superior tools for comprehensive price analysis, use of algorithmic trading applications (trading robots, Expert Advisor) and copy trading.
The MetaTrader 5 multi-asset platform supports the hedging method, which allows opening multiple positions of the same financial instrument, of opposite or same direction. This feature is widely used in Forex trading.
MetaTrader 5 delivers a powerful trading system with the Market Depth and a system of separate accounting of orders and trades. It supports both order accounting systems: the traditional netting system and the hedging option system. Four order execution modes are available to meet various trading objectives: Instant, Request, Market and Exchange execution. The platform supports all types of trade orders, including market, pending and stop orders, as well as trailing stop.
With such a diversity of order types and available execution modes, traders can use any trading strategy for successful work on the financial markets.
The platform represents the all-in-one concept and offers impressive analytical tools. It allows opening up to 100 charts of currency and stock quotes at a time. The 21 timeframes available enable comprehensive detailed analysis of all minor price movements. More than 80 technical indicators and analytical tools, including graphic objects, provide detailed analysis of quote dynamics.
Furthermore, analytical resources of the terminal are not limited to the built-in tools. Traders are welcome to choose between thousands of free of charge indicators from the Code Base, purchase or rent applications from the Market of more than 2500 ready-made algorithmic applications, as well as to order custom indicators from professional programmers through the Freelance service. With the high performance of the MQL5 programming language, you can create your own indicator with your own unique characteristics. All these features enhance the analytical capacity of your platform and your ability to achieve the most detailed and accurate technical analysis of quotes.
Fundamental analysis is another tool that can be used to forecast the price dynamics of financial instruments. The aim of fundamental analysis is the constant monitoring of various open-source economic and industrial indicators. Original fundamental data is available straight from MetaTrader 5.
News reports from international news agencies are broadcast directly into the platform, providing you with the essential financial information. The economic calendar features the main macroeconomic indicators of different countries, allowing traders to analyse their impact on various financial instruments.
Stay tuned and make more weighted trading decisions from the benefit of having access to financial news and economic calendar straight from your platform!
No time for manual trading or analysing the markets? That’s not a problem: subscribe to a signal of a successful trader, and MetaTrader 5 will automatically reproduce all his trades on your account. Choose from hundreds of free and paid signals available for demo or live accounts with the preferred risk level and profitability. Subscribe to the selected signal provider in just a few clicks, and your platform will trade automatically for you. You may choose to monitor trading results or completely rely on the signal behaviour.
With the MetaTrader 5 copy trading option you no longer need to trade by yourself. Instead, you can let your platform trade for you.
One of the most impressing features of your MetaTrader 5 is Algorithmic Trading. This feature implies automated trading using specialized applications — trading robots (Expert Advisors). The robots operate without the participation of the trader — they can analyse quotes and perform trading operations following an underlying algorithm.
Thousands of trading robots and technical indicators are available in the built-in Market of Trading Apps. Every product has a free trial version which you can test before deciding to pay for the full application version. All purchased applications are ready for immediate use. The Market is open 24/7, supports all popular payment methods, and ensures protection of all transactions.
Choose, test, and purchase from thousands of the best trading robots and indicators available in the Market.
With the Virtual Hosting, MetaTrader 5 can operate even when the computer is turned off. Virtualize your platform in a few clicks and run it on a remote server (Forex VPS). Trades of your robots and signal subscriptions will be executed at any time with minimum delay!
MT5 Mobile Trading App
Full-fledged financial market trading can be enjoyed without even a desktop computer. The only thing you need to do is to install the mobile version of MetaTrader 5 for Android or iOS on your smartphone or tablet. Mobile applications support the full set of trading function, provide extensive analytical capabilities through the use of technical indicators and graphical objects, as well as allow you to monitor account status, view your trading history and more.
MT5 WebTrader
The MetaTrader 5 Web Platform is a perfect solution whenever the installation of a desktop terminal or the use of a mobile version is not possible. It allows trading on the Forex and exchange markets from any browser and operating system (Windows, Mac, Linux). Analyse financial markets, place orders — in other words, access the rich functionality of MetaTrader 5 on the web. You only need to have an Internet connection.
AvaTrade WebTrader
From its easy-to-use interface and modern design, this platform is simple to use and is suitable for both beginners and advanced traders. No need to download or install anything!
This platform is perfect for people who want a simple user experience, with all the critical functionality directly from a web browser. You can access a wide selection of studies and indicators and get timeframes up to a month. Be sure to use Trading Central, which comes fully integrated into the platform, for technical insight and instant pattern recognition. No installation required and it’s available on any computer on any browser.
Buy and sell assets in seconds, and make educated decisions based on live market sentiment. Get accurate data on what AvaTrade’s community are buying or selling in real time and stay on top of the market without having to spend time on conducting your own technical or fundamental analysis.
WebTrader gives you amazing features like AvaProtect™, a risk reduction tool which allows you to protect your trades from losing. Also set market and pending orders, take profit and stop loss, the option to partially close your positions, view trading history and charts. Open, close and edit individual and aggregate positions at the click of a mouse.
The WebTrader is an innovative online trading platform that is designed especially for traders looking for a simple and uncluttered interface. With its easy to use dashboard and modern design, online trading has never been so simple. There’s no need to download or install anything, and you can access WebTrader from any computer connected to the internet and trade from anywhere in the world. See in real time what AvaTrade clients are trading at that very moment, get push notifications on everything that’s moving the markets and just trade! Minimum hassle, maximum results! Take your future into your own hands and experience one of the most user-friendly trading platforms on the market.
AvaTradeGO
AvaTradeGO offers innovative technology at your fingertips This mobile trading platform was voted no. 1 Best Forex Trading App by the Global forex Awards. Enjoy a smooth trading experience with a sophisticated dashboard, complete with a set of intuitive management tools, clear charts, zoom for details, and many more helpful features unique to this app.
Connect to global trading markets with live feeds and social trends, and reduce your risk with AvaProtect™ – the brokers unique protection technology. Choose the AvaProtect feature on the app, or from WebTrader, when executing your trade and experience total peace of mind during the protected period.
See your trades at a glance, create your own watch lists, and view live prices and charts. Choose from over 1,000 instruments to trade, including the world’s leading forex currency pairs, Commodities, Stocks, Cryptocurrencies and more, all in the palm of your hand.
Watch markets develop in real time with the unique market trends feature, a quick way to monitor social trends from the AvaTrade vibrant traders’ community. Its technological capabilities help you gain access to key financial information for clear analysis on what matters today.
To help you make better and accurate decisions all your trading instruments are connected to show you insights, what other traders buy & sell, trading behaviour, and visuals with up-to-date info.
AvaOptions
AvaOptions provides impressive options trading at competitive prices. The AvaOptions trading app features 13 option strategies, including spot, call, call spread, call ratio, put, put spread, put ratio, straddle, straddle, butterfly, condo, risk reversal, and seagull option strategies. Everything is managed from your mobile device, whether it’s an iPad or an iPhone. Traders have access to any strike, and any expiration date up to 1 year. There are live streaming trades available 24/5, with multibank liquidity provided. The option strategies can be applied to dozens of currency pairs, and commodities like silver and gold as well. Trade sizes will vary from 10,000 to 10 million.
Intuitive and interactive trading screens make options trading clear, allowing new options traders to really understand the benefits and risks of options trading.
Tools
Along with top class trading platforms that already come packed with a plethora of advanced trading tools, AvaTrade provides clients with a range of additional trading tools which can be a great help when carrying out daily trading activities such as market analysis, placing and managing traders in as efficient a manner as possible. These tools include an economic calendar, technical analysis, fundamental analysis and important market updates.
Guardian Angel
AvaTrade’s free Guardian trading support system acts as a risk management tool for MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5. It delivers instant feedback on your actions, so you can refine your decision-making process and polish your trading skills, as well as create your own trading style. The powerful MetaTrader add-on will help to cut through the noise and focus on the information crucial to your trading success.
Guardian Angel is unique to each trader, i.e. it does not generate the same feedback to all users. Each trader designs their own Guardian Angel, suited for their requirements. The tool will only give feedback the trader wants and needs, based on their pre-defined preferences and settings.
While trading on MetaTrader, the Guardian Angel tool acts as a second pair of eyes. Although you should not rely on it solely, you can use Guardian angel and let it accompany you in your trades.
The Guardian Angel tool is useful for new traders and experienced ones alike, providing an external and objective review on their trades. This feedback can contribute to the trader in current and future trades, as learning for mistakes is an integral part of trading.
AvaTrade view trading as a process; as beginners take their first steps, they should constantly improve their trading abilities. Even when getting to experienced traders’ level – there is always room for growth. AvaTrade see that potential and believe that traders deserve the best tools the market has to offer. Guardian Angel is a prominent tool in that process, and therefore they provide it at the highest level possible.
DupliTrade
DupliTrade is an MT4 compatible platform, which allows traders to automatically follow more experienced traders’ signals and strategies in-real time. Its user-friendly interface makes it easy to build and manage a trading portfolio while gaining valuable insights on successful trading strategies.
You can open your DupliTrade account and receive the signals directly to your AvaTrade account to maximise your trading opportunities. DupliTrade allows you to improve and expand your trading activity by following some of the best traders in the market.
DupliTrade displays a list of the selected strategy providers, representing different trading methods and styles, giving you the possibility to build and enhance your portfolio. Whether you’re a novice trader or just too busy to dedicate time to analysing the markets, an AvaTrade DupliTrade account offers numerous advantages. Enter the markets from day one and continue trading even when you are not online.
Just always remember, there can be no guarantee on just how well trading signals will perform and past performance should not be taken as an indication of future results. Trading is risky and you should understand all of the risks involved and never trade more than you can afford to lose.
ZuluTrade
One of the most popular auto trading platforms used today, ZuluTrade converts the recommendations of experienced traders and automatically executes the trades in your AvaTrade account. Select which programme or experts are best for your goals and investor profile.
You’ will get access to over 10,000 traders to potentially follow, and the powerful ZuluTrade search feature lets you narrow that number down based on a large variety of conditions. For example, you could specify that you need traders with a minimum of 1 year with the service who have a maximum drawdown of 30%, and who trade their own money too. And since you can follow more than one trader you could use the service to set up your own diversified mutual fund of traders that you’re following.
ZuluTrade is considered to be one of the best copy trading services available. Over the years they’ve continued making improvements to the platform, keeping them in front of the competition in many ways. You can automate many of the features, take advantage of the huge ZuluTrade community for new ideas, create scripts for trading bots, choose from over 10,000 live traders to follow, trade on cryptocurrencies, and protect your account against erratic trades, plus much more. Plus, you can link ZuluTrade to a demo MetaTrader 4 account, allowing you to test the features and trader performance before risking any real money.
The key is to be able to find traders on the platform to follow who have a solid strategy and consistent results. With over 10,000 traders to choose from there are definitely some who could wipe your account out because they have little to no risk management strategy. However, there may also be some very good traders, and if you are able to narrow down your options to the best traders to follow you will may be interested in this service.
AvaSocial
Use the AvaSocial app to learn from successful traders, before making your move. Connect with your peers and automate your trades. Easily discover the most successful traders and qualified mentors, ask them questions 1-on-1 or in a group chat, then copy their trades with a tap.
Enjoy your own transparent network of like-minded traders, chat with friends and receive direct access to market opportunities all while staying one step ahead of the herd. Receive continuous real-time updates about your friends and experienced traders on your newsfeed, see what they’re doing, then comment, share, like a trade or simply copy trading signals.
New traders can gain exposure to the markets at the click of a button. Shorten the curve by following experienced traders who can provide valuable insight. Experienced traders can save time by getting a clear view of the market, without having to perform daily research. Broaden your horizon by gaining exposure to assets you don’t normally trade. Automate your trades and step away from your terminal; feeling confident in the strategies you are following.
AvaProtect
AvaTrade introduces a new standard in risk reduction with AvaProtect, an innovative risk tool. This unique risk management feature allows you to protect a specific trade against losses of up to one million dollars over a chosen time frame, all of this is in exchange for a modest hedging cost paid at the time of purchase.
AvaProtect was developed as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to client success and satisfaction and is available exclusively on AvaTrade’s platforms: the AvaTradeGO App that can be downloaded on Google Play and App Store and WebTrader, which requires no download or instillation whatsoever.
Unlike a standard position, where things can go south when the market turns against you, protected trades are safe from any adverse movement during the chosen period. In other words, AvaTrade will reimburse you for losing trades at the end of the protected period, direct into your account!
AvaProtect risk coverage reimburses any losses that incur during the time of protection, including: stop out, manual closure of a trade, or unrealised losses of an open trade at the time of coverage expiry. Any trades still open at the expiry of the protection will remain open, but the negative floating at time of expiry will be reimbursed directly to your account, excluding the hedging cost. If a protected trade is closed manually or by stop out, the coverage will end at that point. Any reimbursed losses will be credited in form of liquid cash, with no withdrawal restrictions whatsoever.
Trading Central
Since 1999 Trading Central has been providing its services to the financial community, and over that time it has honed its offerings to be some of the best available. As a third-party source of analysis and information Trading Central is unsurpassed and well-known to be reliable. In fact, because of the quality of the data it provides it has been added as a certified member of three Independent Research Providers associations: Investorside Research, Euro IRP and Asia IRP. Trading Central is also a Registered Investment Adviser with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, and the Hong Kong Securities and Futures Commission. Few third-party sources are considered to be as reliable as Trading Central.
Thanks to the partnership that’s been forged between AvaTrade and Trading Central, the brokers traders pay absolutely nothing for this valuable service. In fact, it isn’t even possible to get the Trading Central data as an individual investor since the service only works with professional trading desks and brokers. But AvaTrade believe that it is well worth the cost to offer this service to their clients. Think of it as a gift from AvaTrade to you. Plus, it’s a gift that will keep giving for as long as you trade with them.
The Featured Ideas tool from Trading Central gives traders’ suggestions for potential intraday trades. Featured Trades provides up to 10 trading ideas along with a detailed explanation of why the trade was featured. The individual trader can customize their own entry and exit points using the combination of Trading Central’s award-winning technical analysis and the customizable settings available from Trading Central. The rich feature set included with the tool will also help traders learn more about technical analysis and how patterns can develop on charts in response to the price moves of assets.
Economic Calendar
The AvaTrade global Economic Calendar comprises routine financial events which affect the financial markets. Skilled traders anticipate these events and plan their trades in accordance. Each of these events can create changes in different instruments’ value, usually on a smaller scale. Any reliance you place on the Economic Calendar is strictly at your own risk as the broker cannot make any representation or warranties of its completeness or accuracy.
Trading Position Calculator
As a trader, knowing how to manage your risk is crucial. When trading in volatile markets, it is important to consider the potential profits, losses and costs to trading. AvaTrade’s Trading Calculator will provide you with all of these risks of your next trade before you execute it. The calculation outcome will allow you decide if or when to open and or your position, the margin requirement, the spread, swaps and other essential info.
To be completely honest you do not need a trading calculator. If you can compute all your open positions and the proper trading levels by hand then you are free to do this at any time. However, the trading calculator is a tool that can save you a significant amount of time as it calculates margins, profit and loss, swap values, and pip values instantly. The time saved by using this calculator can be put to far better use in analysing your next trade.
While the trading calculator does not give you an objective measure of risk, it can calculate a number of data points that will let you know what your risk in each trade is. For example, you can use the trading calculator to determine your position sizing and your risk/reward ratio for any trade. Both of these pieces of information are very helpful in determining how much risk you are taking on with a specific trade. You can also calculate the value of each pip in your trade, which is critically important to know your potential profits and losses.
Education
As a leading broker, AvaTrade offers a large selection of educational materials, webinars, account managers to guide you and other services that will help you grasp a better knowledge of the market, hopefully allowing you to have an enjoyable online trading experience. They have more educational resources than the majority of forex brokers that I have reviewed over the years. Some of the information that they provide for free, could easily be packaged up and sold as a trading course in itself.
AvaTrade is good for beginners as they provide step by step educational guides to get you started with forex trading whilst also offering free demo accounts so that you can practice trading with an AvaTrade demo account. Once you are familiar and happy with AvaTrade, you can then open a real trading account easily and quickly with a minimum deposit suitable to most forex traders of just $100.
They even provide free eBooks and video tutorials giving you plenty of forex trading knowledge all in one place and at no extra cost. You will find detailed and easy to follow trading guides and videos that cover a wide variety of topics such as technical analysis, fundamental analysis, market sentiment and much more.
SharpTrader
The SharpTrader Academy was established over a decade ago to provide the best education possible for people who wish to take responsibility for their financial assets. AvaTrade have compiled the best possible educational materials to provide a solid base for your financial success and understanding.
In each section, you will find videos, demonstrations, articles, additional resources and exams to gauge your performance – a wealth of information and guidance to take you where you need to be: navigating financial markets safely and with knowledge.
Conclusion
AvaTrade are hands down one of my favourite forex brokers and there is a reason they have been around so long and had some huge sponsorship deals along with winning multiple awards for their industry leading brokerage products and services. That aside, the trading conditions I have found to be extremely competitive for retail forex traders with plenty of liquidity that can help to ensure fast trade execution speeds with minimal slippage. Not to mention the low spreads, commission free trading and excellent customer support. In addition to this, clients get access to social trading, copy trading signals, a range of powerful trading tools for market analysis such as Trading Central and plenty of educational resources in the AvaTrade academy. Visit the AvaTrade official website to see all of the great benefits they provide to clients and get your free forex demo account to start trading with one of the best forex brokers out there!
AvaTrade
Pros
- Excellent trading conditions
- Quick deposits and withdrawals
- Social trading platforms
- Market research and analysis tools
- 24/7 support
Cons
- Cannot accept USA traders
- Minimum $100 deposit
Self-confessed Forex Geek spending my days researching and testing everything forex related. I have many years of experience in the forex industry having reviewed thousands of forex robots, brokers, strategies, courses and more. I share my knowledge with you for free to help you learn more about the crazy world of forex trading! Read more about me.
