AvaTrade is a multi-asset spread betting broker with low fixed spreads across its 50+ currency pairs. I’ve tested the broker’s services to see how they perform during typical market conditions to help you decide if AvaTrade is for you.
AvaTrade Summary
AvaTrade has many great features, including a decent range of markets, a choice of MetaTrader platforms, and an excellent collection of educational resources with AvaAcademy.
However, I think the broker’s fixed spreads are its best feature, starting from 0.90 pips on EUR/USD, making the broker competitive against variable spread brokers. If you day trade and want to avoid spread spiking during the day, AvaTrade would be my top recommendation for stable trading costs.
76% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.
AvaTrade offers a spread-only pricing model without commissions for its spread betting account. Interestingly, it’s the only spread betting provider offering fixed spreads on currency pairs.
During my tests, I found you can spread bet on EUR/USD at 0.90 pips with AvaTrade, which are competitive spreads compared to the rest of the industry, which averages at 0.99 pips. Most brokers average around one pip on EUR/USD; however, this can vary depending on the volatility, making it more expensive (or less).
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Spread Bet Spreads
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|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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0.90 | 1.20 | 1.60 | 1.50 | 1.80 |
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0.80 | 1.10 | 1.40 | 1.00 | 1.40 |
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0.90 | 1.20 | 1.40 | 1.10 | 1.80 |
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1.00 | 1.10 | 1.50 | 1.20 | 1.50 |
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0.85 | 1.40 | 1.40 | 0.82 | 1.77 |
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1.10 | 1.30 | 1.60 | 1.20 | 1.60 |
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1.20 | 1.30 | 1.30 | 1.20 | 1.70 |
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1.00 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.00 | 1.80 |
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1.00 | 1.30 | 1.60 | 1.30 | 1.50 |
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1.30 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.50 |
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0.90 | 1.40 | 1.40 | 1.30 | 2.20 |
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1.10 | 1.50 | 1.40 | 1.40 | 1.70 |
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1.20 | 1.50 | 1.50 | 1.40 | 1.80 |
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1.90 | 1.20 | 2.00 | 1.00 | 1.70 |
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1.40 | 1.70 | 1.60 | 1.40 | 1.80 |
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1.40 | 1.40 | 1.70 | 1.90 | 1.70 |
Avg. spreads are taken from each broker's website and updated monthly. Last update on 20/09/2024
AvaTrade’s fixed spreads on currency pairs stay at 0.90 pips throughout the major trading sessions (London and New York), so your costs will be the same. These spreads can be attractive if you day trade and find that you get charged too much for entering trades when markets are more volatile.
| AvaTrade Average Spread | Average Industry Spread | |
|---|---|---|
| EUR/USD | 0.9 | 1.12 |
| AUD/USD | 1.5 | 1.26 |
| EUR/GBP | 1.2 | 1.35 |
| GBP/USD | 1.6 | 1.53 |
| USD/JPY | 1.4 | 1.26 |
| AUD/JPY | 2.0 | 1.86 |
| EUR/JPY | 1.7 | 1.85 |
| USD/CAD | 1.8 | 1.69 |
| USD/SGD | 3.0 | 2.81 |
To help calculate how spreads impact trading fees, use the fee calculator I created to compare AvaTrade with their main competitors.
Calculate Your Cost To Spread Bet
Total Cost of Spread Bet
Total Cost of Spread Bet
Total Cost of Spread Bet
Total Cost of Spread Bet
Their fees for trading shares are slightly higher than average, with the charges applied to shares shown below.
| Share Category | AvaTrade Spread | Industry Average |
|---|---|---|
| UK Shares | 5pt | 5.19pt |
| US Shares | 0.13% | 0.16% |
| Geman Shares | 0.20% | 0.15% |
| Hong Kong Shares | 0.25% | 0.20% |
| Australian Shares | 0.20% | 0.17% |
Verdict on AvaTrade’ Spreads
Considering that AvaTrade offers fixed spreads on its currency pairs, I was surprised to find them to be so competitive against the rest of the industry. I think AvaTrade is a contender for low-cost spread betting with these fixed spreads, as they can average your costs lower over time if you trade around market announcements.
AvaTrade offers the MetaTrader 4 and MT5 platforms for spread betting, both solid choices that provide a range of trading tools to fit different trading styles, from algorithmic to scalping.
I found that MetaTrader 4 is the main spread betting platform for AvaTrade. It offers over 30 technical indicators, such as moving averages, Stochastic RSI, and Keltner Bands, along with drawing tools such as Fibonacci retracements and trendlines, which are the basics of technical analysis.
One standout feature of MT4 is the ability to automate spread bets using Expert Advisors (EAs), which is rare for a spread betting broker to offer. With an EA, you can program it to look for opportunities, execute the bet, and manage the risk, which is why MT4 is still a popular platform.
I think AvaTrade made the right choice in offering MT4 for spread betting, as it’s a versatile platform suitable for both new and experienced bettors. However, one downside is that MT4 cannot support share dealing, so if you need to bet on stocks, the MT5 is the better option.
MetaTrader 5 is an upgraded version of MT4, offering similar capabilities (like automated trading) but more advanced trading tools and the ability to deal with shares. It has 34+ technical indicators, including the Ichimoku Kinko Hyo and Zig Zag, slightly more than MT4.
I found that MT5 also offered new features, like the native economic calendar, which can be overlaid on your charts to see upcoming economic announcements. If you are more technical-minded, the depth of market tool allows you to gauge market liquidity to find hidden support and resistance levels based on the order books. Both are valuable additions to the platform that add better technical and trade management facilities MT4 misses.
I believe the MT5 platform is better suited for more advanced traders because it offers a true multi-asset trading platform experience.
You can access your AvaTrade spread betting account on the go by downloading the MT4 and MT5 mobile apps on iOS or Android. While the apps have identical features, they are more limited compared to the desktop versions, such as no trade automation or custom indicators.
I found the apps useful for managing my bets and executing new ones. The best feature for me is that you can set up price alerts to receive push notifications. These notifications let me react to any alerts if I was away from my trading desk.
One downside I found is that your chart setups do not sync between the mobile and desktop platforms, so the MT4/MT5 apps are best used for managing trades on the go rather than for in-depth analysis.
While using AvaTrade with my live account, I noticed no hiccups with my orders, which were executed immediately. I didn’t experience any slippage or requotes, which is something I expect to avoid from a top FCA-regulated broker.
AvaTrade is a market maker broker, so you place your bets directly with AvaTrade instead of other market participants, which is why the execution speeds felt fast.
Verdict On AvaTrade Trading Platforms
I’m a fan of brokers who choose tried and tested trading platforms for spread betting, like MetaTrader 4 and MT5, which is why I rate AvaTrade highly for this category. Both platforms offer a good range of technical analysis tools you can use out of the box while allowing you to automate your strategies.
Yes, AvaTrade is safe and is a large forex broker with over 400,000 clients, and the FCA allows it to provide financial services to UK traders. The broker is regulated in multiple jurisdictions, which is why I gave it a trust score of 77.
AvaTrade is headquartered in Dublin and regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland, meaning you will be signing up through its European company, Ava Trade EU. Under ESMA and MIFID, AvaTrade can offer financial services like spread betting to UK customers as they are within the European Economic Area.
It may appear odd not to be regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Still, AvaTrade offers protections like Negative Balance Protection for all retail bettors, so you’ll never lose more than you deposit. This protection is excellent, especially during volatile markets that may liquidate your positions. Knowing you won’t owe more than you’ve funded can give you peace of mind should you hit a bad run spread betting.
What also reinforces the broker’s trustworthiness is that it is regulated by other regulators, all with strict frameworks. Adhering to multiple frameworks shows that AvaTrade’s operations are solid enough to support its clients. AvaTrade is regulated by the following regulators:
Since its launch in 2006, AvaTrade has had over 400,000 traders, making it a popular broker in the UK. Plus, having such a large client base reinforces the broker’s reputation, as it would be difficult to maintain a high number if the services were poor.
Part of my testing includes seeing how other customers find the broker, and using TrustPilot is a solid indicator of the broker’s reputation. Impressively, AvaTrade scores a 4.6/5 “Excellent” rating on Trustpilot, based on 2,530 UK reviews. With a rating this high from the broker’s clients, I’d say it affirms my trading experience using the broker.
Verdict On AvaTrade Trustworthiness
AvaTrade is a trustworthy broker with some of the best financial regulators behind it, plus it has an excellent reputation with its clients, which is impressive. Not being directly regulated by the FCA may be a sticking point, but the fact that it permits the broker to offer its services is good enough for me.
AvaTrade has no deposit fees, and you can fund your trading account using a debit card, bank transfer, Neteller, or Skrill.
I found that AvaTrade has a minimum deposit of £100 across all its deposit options. I think this is a sensible starting amount, as it’s low enough for smaller budgets to get started but still ensures you have sufficient capital to place meaningful trades.
By default, your base currency for the spread betting account is GBP, which makes sense considering that spread betting is only available in the UK. However, if you live outside the UK and receive income in another currency, you can still open a spread betting account with the broker using USD or EUR. This flexibility is great for UK citizens who want to spread bet in their local currency.
AvaTrade offers a decent range of payment methods, including debit cards, bank transfers, or e-wallets like Skrill and Neteller, making it easy to fund your account.
During my review, I found that depositing with a debit card is instant, allowing me to trade my funds immediately, while e-wallets take just a few minutes to process the funds. The wire transfer option is the slowest, taking up to 5 business days. Importantly, AvaTrade doesn’t charge any deposit fees when using a debit card, which is a plus.
Requesting a withdrawal from your AvaTrade account is done online through your spread betting account. The funds will be returned using the same method for depositing, so if you deposit with a bank transfer, the funds will be returned to your bank.
The withdrawal times vary depending on the method:
| Method | Withdrawal Time |
|---|---|
| Debit Cards/Credit Cards | Up to 5 business days |
| e-Wallets | Up to 3 business days |
| Wire transfers | Up to 10 business days |
Opening an account with AvaTrade is an online process with helpful instructions guiding you through each step, which I thought made the application easier to complete. The questions asked during the process are box-standard, asking for your details, employment/financial details, and experience trading. After submitting, you just wait for the application to be approved, which can take a couple of hours in my case.
Verdict On AvaTrade Funding
AvaTrade offers some of the best options for funding its spread betting account with a low minimum £100 deposit. I found the deposit and withdrawal processes fast, and the fact that there are no fees when depositing or withdrawing is a bonus.
AvaTrade offers a modest range of 150+ financial instruments, from stocks to forex trading, each benefiting from the broker’s low spreads and trading conditions.
I found AvaTrade offered a decent selection of 55 currency markets, covering the majors (EUR/USD, AUD/USD), minors, and a select few exotic pairs. It may not have the most markets, but you have fixed spreads on all major forex pairs, which is a solid payoff.
AvaTrade offers 27 commodity markets to spread bet, with access to 9 energy markets, eight metals (silver and gold), and 10 soft commodities like wheat and coffee.
With AvaTrade, I found you can spread bet on 33 indices, including NASDAQ, Dow Jones and FTSE 100. Interestingly, you can also bet on other basket indices like the dollar index, which allows you to hedge or speculate on the strengthening or weakening of the USD.
I found that AvaTrade offers 50+ shares, which isn’t the largest choice among the brokers I’ve tested. You can spread bet on popular shares like Apple, Google, and Facebook without paying commissions or currency conversion fees, making share spread betting a cost-effective approach compared to traditional investing.
Verdict On AvaTrade Trading Products
If you like to focus on the major financial markets, its range will suit you. However, I’m surprised that a broker of this size and popularity offers a limited selection of 150 markets while also lacking options like ETFs, which have become popular in recent years.
AvaTrade’s primary support channel is Live Chat, which operates 24/5 and allows easy access to customer support throughout the trading week. I found the support agents to be friendly and knowledgeable, providing accurate answers to my questions without requiring extensive back-and-forth.
One feature I particularly liked was the WhatsApp service, which enables you to receive support directly through the app. This service is convenient for traders who prefer to communicate via mobile devices or want to have a record of their conversations easily accessible on their phones.
In addition to Live Chat and WhatsApp, AvaTrade offers phone support, which I like to see brokers offer. Speaking with someone directly can be invaluable when dealing with complex issues or questions, allowing more detailed explanations and a more personalised support experience.
For less urgent matters, you can email customer service. While response times may be slower than Live Chat or phone support, email is still a reliable option for assistance.
AvaTrade also provides a Knowledge Base where you can search for answers to common questions. This self-service method is handy for basic inquiries and can save you time by quickly finding the information you need without waiting to be connected with customer support.
Verdict On AvaTrade Customer Service
I like that AvaTrade offers multiple channels to get your support, such as Live Chat, WhatsApp, telephone, email, and a self-service knowledge base. Being 24/5 support and having access to immediate assistance during trading hours is crucial, and AvaTrade delivers on this front.
Trading Central
Trading Central is a market research provider that offers technical and fundamental analysis to help validate betting ideas. It uses chart patterns as signals, which go in-depth with analysis commentary and show the charts, helping you decide whether the signal is valid.
You can also sign up for the newsletter, which delivers regular market updates and trading opportunities straight to your inbox before the London market opens. I found this newsletter helpful as it digested all the overnight trading news while providing a daily market outlook and some markets to watch for the day.
AvaTrade Educational Centre
I was impressed by the resources available in the AvaTrade Educational Centre. With over 250 tutorials covering topics for beginners to learning about central banks, AvaTrade goes above and beyond to provide value and help you become a better trader.
However, the content is mostly text—and image-based, which some may find difficult to digest and not the most user-friendly way to learn these days. If you prefer more engaging learning materials, I recommend checking out the AvaAcademy instead.
AvaAcademy
The AvaAcademy offers a more interactive learning experience than the Educational Centre. With 18 online courses and over 150 lessons covering various markets, technical analysis, spread betting strategies, and risk management, I found the content comprehensive. I liked the inclusion of multiple-choice quizzes, which help reinforce the lessons, while the video format makes learning more engaging.
AvaTrade Demo Account
AvaTrade’s demo account is a great way to practice spread betting risk-free. With £10,000 in virtual funds and a 60-day duration, you have plenty of time to familiarise yourself with the MetaTrader 4 or MetaTrader 5 platforms. I think it’s a valuable tool if you are new to spread betting to gain confidence before transitioning to real money trading. The demo account also allows experienced traders to test new strategies without risking their capital.
Verdict On AvaTrade Research and Education
I don’t think I’ve seen many brokers invest so much into their education as AvaTrade has, offering an excellent set of online trading courses through AvaAcademy. You also can’t go wrong with Trading Central for a market research provider as they provide top-class analysis throughout the day, making it a great companion for day trading.
Overall, I think AvaTrade is a top spread betting broker that has done an excellent job providing decent trading conditions. Fixed spreads are rare, so being competitive makes AvaTrade an attractive option if you want to average your trading costs without costing too much.
As for offering MetaTrader 4 and 5, AvaTrade gives you the best tools to analyse the spread betting markets while offering the opportunity to automate your spread bets, which is unavailable with most other brokers.
I think the broker rounds off its trading services nicely with a decent choice of 200+ markets, low minimum deposits, and an excellent catalogue of 18+ online trading courses.
Open a demo accountVisit AvaTrade
76% of retail investor accounts lose money when trading spread bets and CFDs with this provider.
Yes, AvaTrade has fixed spreads only in its forex markets. Fixed spreads mean the broker doesn’t widen (or narrow) the spread relative to the current market’s liquidity/volatility, keeping the costs the same throughout the trading day. Other markets have an “over market” spread, adding AvaTrade’s spread on top of the market’s spread, which can vary throughout the day.
No, you cannot spread bet options with AvaTrade. Even though the broker provides options trading through AvaOptions, this is for its CFD trading account, which is not eligible for spread betting.
Yes, spread betting is safe and is a regulated activity overseen by the Financial Conduct Authority, which ensures your broker offers protective measures for derivatives (like spread betting and CFDs). These protections include protecting client funds and Negative Balance Protection, which forces your broker to exit all your losing bets to prevent you from owing the broker money.
Spread betting is not taxed in the UK as it is exempt from tax laws, meaning you do not pay capital gains tax or stamp duty when you speculate using spread betting.
Yes, AvaTrade is good for beginners as the broker offers fixed spreads on its currencies, keeping your trading costs simple and limited during volatile trading periods. Additionally, the broker supports a decent range of educational materials like AvaAcademy, which goes in-depth to teach you how to spread bet. View our full list of beginner spread betting brokers.
AvaTrade offers MetaTrader 4 and MetaTrader 5, two of the best customisable trading platforms, for its spread betting markets. The broker also offers AvaTrade GO, AvaTrade Web Trader, AvaSocial, and AvaOptions for its CFD markets.
No, you cannot spread bet cryptocurrencies as a UK trader. Crypto markets like Bitcoin are restricted for retail traders by the Financial Conduct Authority. If you are an elective professional, then you can spread bet cryptocurrencies; otherwise, you need to choose from the other spread bet markets available for retail UK traders.
No, copy trading is unavailable to spread bet with the Avatrade platform, even though the CFD broker offers this service and social trading features. Copy trading functionality requires using alternative account types like CFD to take advantage of the trading strategies from Duplitrade and ZuluTrade.
Ask an Expert
How reliable is AvaTrade’s customer support?
AvaTrade’s customer support is generally reliable, offering assistance via phone, email, and live chat.
How does AvaTrade’s platform perform for spread betting?
AvaTrade’s platform performs well for spread betting, offering a good balance of functionality and ease of use.
Can I use AvaTrade’s platform on mobile devices?
Yes, AvaTrade has a mobile app available for iOS and Android for traders to manage their accounts on the go.