Written by ForexBrokers.com
Is AvaTrade better than IC Markets? In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 62 of the best forex brokers, AvaTrade is considered low-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 93 out of 99. IC Markets is considered average-risk, with an overall Trust Score of 86 out of 99. Learn more about Trust Score.
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❯×| Overall Rating | AvaTrade | IC Markets | |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | AvaTrade Review | IC Markets Review |
| Regulation | AvaTrade | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trust Score | 93 | 86 | |
| Year Founded | 2006 | 2007 | |
| Publicly Traded (Listed) | No | No | |
| Bank | No | No | |
| Authorised in European Union | Yes | No | |
| Tier-1 Licenses | 4 | 1 | |
| Tier-2 Licenses | 4 | 1 | |
| Tier-3 Licenses | 1 | 1 |
| Tier-1 Licenses (High Trust) | AvaTrade | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ASIC Authorised (Australia) | Yes | Yes | |
| IIROC Authorised (Canada) | Yes | No | |
| SFC Authorised (Hong Kong) | No | No | |
| CBI Authorised (Ireland) | Yes | No | |
| FSA Authorised (Japan) | Yes | No | |
| MAS Authorised (Singapore) | No | No | |
| FINMA Authorised (Switzerland) | No | No | |
| FCA Authorised (U.K.) | No | No | |
| CFTC Registered (USA) | No | No | |
| FMA Authorised (New Zealand) | No | No |
| Tier-2 Licenses (Average Trust) | AvaTrade | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| CBRC Authorised (China) | No | No | |
| CySEC Authorised (Cyprus) | Yes | Yes | |
| SEBI Authorised (India) | No | No | |
| ISA Authorised (Israel) | Yes | No | |
| CBR Authorised (Russia) | No | No | |
| FSCA Authorised (South Africa) | Yes | No | |
| SEC Authorised (Thailand) | No | No | |
| DFSA / Central Bank Authorised (UAE) | Yes | No |
| Tier-3 Licenses (Low Trust) | AvaTrade | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| SCB Authorised (Bahamas) | No | Yes | |
| FSC Authorised (Belize) | No | No | |
| CIMA Authorised (Cayman Islands) | No | No | |
| BMA Authorised (Bermuda) | No | No | |
| FSC Authorised (British Virgin Islands) | Yes | No | |
| FSC Authorised (Mauritius) | No | No | |
| VFSC Authorised (Vanuatu) | No | No |
| Investments | AvaTrade | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forex Trading (Spot or CFDs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Tradeable Symbols (Total) | 1260 | 3583 | |
| Forex Pairs (Total) | 55 | 61 | |
| U.S. Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Int'l Stock Trading (Non CFD) | No | No | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Cryptocurrency (Physical) | No | No | |
| Cryptocurrency (CFD) | Yes | Yes | |
| Disclaimers | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). | Note: Crypto CFDs are not available to retail traders from any broker's U.K. entity, nor to U.K. residents (except to Professional clients). |
| Cost | AvaTrade | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average Spread EUR/USD - Standard | 0.92 | 0.62 | |
| All-in Cost EUR/USD - Active | 0.61 | 0.62 | |
| Active Trader or VIP Discounts | Yes | Yes | |
| Execution: Agency Broker | No | Yes | |
| Execution: Market Maker | Yes | Yes |
| Funding | AvaTrade | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $100 | $200 | |
| PayPal (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Skrill (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes | |
| Visa/Mastercard (Credit/Debit) | Yes | Yes | |
| Bank Wire (Deposit/Withdraw) | Yes | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | AvaTrade | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Proprietary Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Windows) | Yes | Yes | |
| Web Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Trading / Copy Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 4 (MT4) | Yes | Yes | |
| MetaTrader 5 (MT5) | Yes | Yes | |
| cTrader | No | Yes | |
| DupliTrade | Yes | No | |
| ZuluTrade | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading Platforms Gallery (click to expand) |
| Trading Tools | AvaTrade | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Virtual Trading (Demo) | Yes | Yes | |
| Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlists - Total Fields | 7 | 7 | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies (Total) | 80 | 30 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools (Total) | 13 | 15 | |
| Charting - Trade From Chart | Yes | Yes | |
| Charts can be saved | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile Trading | AvaTrade | IC Markets | |
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| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple iOS App | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Alerts - Basic Fields | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Watchlist | Yes | Yes | |
| Watchlist Syncing | Yes | No | |
| Mobile Charting - Indicators / Studies | 73 | 30 | |
| Mobile Charting - Draw Trendlines | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Charting - Drawings Autosave | No | No | |
| Forex Calendar | Yes | Yes | |
| Mobile Trading Gallery (click to expand) |
| Research | AvaTrade | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Daily Market Commentary | Yes | Yes | |
| Forex News (Top-Tier Sources) | Yes | Yes | |
| Autochartist | No | Yes | |
| Trading Central (Recognia) | Yes | Yes | |
| Social Sentiment - Currency Pairs | Yes | Yes | |
| Economic Calendar | Yes | Yes | |
| Research Gallery (click to expand) |
| Education | AvaTrade | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Has Education - Forex or CFDs | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Client Webinars (Archived) | Yes | Yes | |
| Videos - Beginner Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Videos - Advanced Trading Videos | Yes | No | |
| Investor Dictionary (Glossary) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education Gallery (click to expand) |
| Major Forex Pairs | AvaTrade | IC Markets | |
|---|---|---|---|
| GBP/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/JPY | Yes | Yes | |
| EUR/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CHF | Yes | Yes | |
| USD/CAD | Yes | Yes | |
| NZD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| AUD/USD | Yes | Yes | |
| Review | AvaTrade Review | IC Markets Review |
| Overall | AvaTrade | IC Markets | |
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| Commissions & Fees |
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| Offering of Investments |
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| Platform & Tools |
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| Education |
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| Trust Score | 93 | 86 | |
| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | AvaTrade Review | IC Markets Review |
Compare
0 of 5Comparing forex brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2023 annual forex broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 62 forex and CFD brokerages to find the best forex broker. Let's compare AvaTrade vs IC Markets.
Comparing the trading costs of forex and CFDs is not easy. Not every broker publishes average spreads data, and pricing structures vary. Based on our thorough annual assessment, IC Markets offers better pricing overall for traders.
At ForexBrokers.com, we track where each forex and CFD broker is regulated across over 23 international regulator databases. Here's our findings. AvaTrade holds 4 global Tier-1 licenses, while IC Markets holds 1. AvaTrade holds 4 global Tier-2 licenses, while IC Markets holds 1. In our analysis of 23 international regulators across 50 brokers, AvaTrade earned a higher Trust Score than IC Markets.
To compare the trading platforms of both AvaTrade and IC Markets, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, AvaTrade offers a better experience. With research, IC Markets offers superior market research. Finally, we found AvaTrade to provide better mobile trading apps.
For forex and CFDs traders, copy trading and MetaTrader are both popular platform options. Both AvaTrade and IC Markets offer MetaTrader 4 (MT4).AvaTrade and IC Markets both offer copy trading.
IC Markets provides traders 61 currency pairs (e.g., EUR/USD) compared to AvaTrade's 55 available pairs. Forex pairs aside, IC Markets offers traders access to 3583 CFDs while AvaTrade has 1260 available CFDs, a difference of 2323.
AvaTrade is not publicly-traded and does not operate a bank. AvaTrade is authorised by four tier-1 regulators (high trust), four tier-2 regulators (average trust), and one tier-3 regulator (low trust). AvaTrade is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC), Central Bank of Ireland (CBI) and the Japanese Financial Services Authority (JFSA), and via Friedberg Direct, with the Investment Industry Regulatory Organization of Canada (IIROC).
IC Markets is not publicly traded and does not operate a bank. IC Markets is authorised by one tier-1 regulator (high trust), one tier-2 regulator (average trust), and one tier-3 regulator (low trust). IC Markets is authorised by the following tier-1 regulators: Australian Securities & Investment Commission (ASIC).
AvaTrade is a trusted global brand best known for offering an extensive selection of trading platforms for forex and CFD traders, as well as exceptional educational content that helped it nab a Best in Class rating for Beginners for 2022.
IC Markets’ competitive pricing and scalable execution make it an excellent option for algorithmic traders. Though it supports an impressive range of third-party tools and plugins, IC Markets’ research and education offerings are not as impressive as those offered by industry leaders.
Overall winner: AvaTrade
Please note:
We review each broker’s overall global offering – a “Yes” checkmark in our Compare Tool does not guarantee the availability of any specific features in your country of residence. To verify the availability of any features within your country of residence, please contact the broker directly.
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