AvaTrade vs Plus500

This broker comparison pits two of the industry's most established brokers, AvaTrade and Plus500, against each other in a standoff to see which offers the best services. Both brokers advertise commission-free trading, catering to the same target market of new retail traders, featuring proprietary trading platforms. The former has executed its business strategy quietly. 71.0% of AvaTrade's retail traders operate at a loss. Plus500 is lacking research and education divisions but does have a very solid proprietary trading platform. At Plus500, 82% of retail CFD accounts lose money.

This broker comparison will focus on the following four aspects plus an ultimate verdict:

• Features and Platforms
• Available Markets
• Typical Spreads and Fees
• Security and Trust
• AvaTrade vs Plus500 Verdict

Feature	AvaTrade (visit site)	Plus500 (visit site)
Headquarter:	Ireland	Israel
Regulation:	Central Bank of Ireland, FSC, ASIC, FSCA, FSA	FCA, CySEC, ASIC, FSCA, FSA, MAS
Type of Broker:	Market Maker	Market Maker
U.S. Clients Allowed:
Minimum Deposit:	£100 or a currency equivalent	£100
Maximum Leverage:	1:30	EU - 1:30/ASIC - 1:30
Commissions / Spreads:	Spreads	Spreads
Account 1:	CFD	CFD
Account 2:	Spread Betting (the UK only)
Account 3:	Professional
Account 4:	Options Trading
Demo Account:
Islamic Account:
Segregated Account:
Managed Accounts:
Institutional Accounts:
Website Languages:	English 27+	English 31+
Support Hours:	24/5	24/7
E-mail Support:
SMS Support:
Chat:
Broker Offers:	See what AvaTrade offers	See what Plus500 offers 82% of retail CFD accounts lose money

Features and Platforms

AvaTrade

The most outstanding feature at AvaTrade is the selection of trading platforms to suit various trading styles. At the core are proprietary trading platforms WebTrader, AVA TradeGo, and AVAOptions, which is exclusively designed for option traders. The popular MT4 trading platform, together with the failed successor MT5, are equally available and enhanced with the Autochartist plugin. Social trading is supported through market-leader ZuluTrade and as an alternative, DupliTrade.

AVA Trade opted to offer its trading academy, Sharp Trader, as a separate service, but the website features additional educational content. The demo-account is restricted to just 21 days, below the industry standard of unlimited demos, but still ample time to see how things work. The AVAProtect offering is an insurance policy covering a predefined period against losses, where the fee increases with the requested time of protection.

Plus 500

Traders of Plus500 are offered the company's proprietary platform only, offered as a desktop version, webtrader, or mobile version. The background of the founding team is in technology, and the company tries to offer a solid technological offering. Still, in the face off between AvaTrade and Plus500 on the technological level, AvaTrade is the clear winner, since it offers much more to traders with varying needs than Plus500's singular, limited, proprietary trading platform.

When it comes to educational offerings, AvaTrade also beats Plus500 in this area. Failure to provide proper research and education divisions stands out, especially with new retail traders as the primary target group. Plus500 features isolated articles inspired by marketing and started to add video content, but proper education is unavailable.

A sub-par trading platform and the absence of essential auxiliary trading services create an uncompetitive trading environment.

Available Markets

AVA Trade provides traders with 250 core assets, and over 1,000, including more the 700 equity CFDs and options contracts. Sixteen commodity and eleven cryptocurrencies offer primary cross-asset diversification, while two bonds and five ETFs merely serving marketing purposes. Plus500 maintains over 2,000 CFDs across seven asset classes. Through 49 commodities and 27 cryptocurrencies, portfolio managers can diversify suitably. 189 ETFs offer an excellent introduction to passive trading. Asset selection is the only category where Plus 500 achieves proper execution as a brokerage.

Typical Spreads and Fees

The core pricing environment for traders is more competitive at Plus500, where assets have no minimum markup as Plus500 implements dynamic spreads dependent on market conditions. AVA Trade lists minimum spreads from 0.9 pips. Equity CFDs are advertised as commission-free by both brokers. Certain commodities incur a fee at AvaTrade, while assets are generally priced higher at Plus500. Both brokers are market makers.

Swap rates on overnight leveraged positions apply, where reports indicate that Plus500 imposes a more excessive fee than competing brokers. Corporate actions like dividends and mergers, which impact equity and index CFDs, are passed on to traders. AVA Trade carries an inactivity and administration fee after three and twelve months of €50 and €100 or a currency equivalent. Plus500 charges a $10 inactivity fee per month, while an up to 0.7% currency conversion fee is present. Third-party processing fees apply, but both brokers waive internal charges. AvaTrade has a slight overall advantage against Plus500 regarding trading fees.

Security and Trust