AvaTrade vs Swissquote
Side-by-side broker intelligence across regulation, spreads, fees, platforms, and overall model score. Category winners use transparent heuristics and should be treated as editorial guidance, not investment advice.
4.5
4.5
0 pts
Head to head
Winners by category
Full comparison table
Rating
AvaTrade
4.5
Swissquote
4.5
Model score
AvaTrade
80
Swissquote
80
Regulation
AvaTrade
Operating since 2006, AvaTrade is highly trusted and regulated across numerous jurisdictions. It holds licenses from Tier-1 authorities globally, including ASIC (Australia), CIRO (Canada), JFSA (Japan), and the CBI (Ireland) in the EU.
Swissquote
Supervised under stringent Tier-1 banking regulations. Key regulators include the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA, UK), Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and Securities and Futures Commission (SFC, Hong Kong).
Spreads
AvaTrade
The broker features fixed and floating spreads depending on the platform. The standard EUR/USD spread typically hovers around 0.9 pips. While competitive for beginners, high-volume traders may find lower all-in costs with raw-spread competitors. Professional accounts (under ESMA) can access tighter spreads down to 0.6 pips.
Swissquote
Provides reliable, bank-grade liquidity aggregation without dealing-desk intervention. Pricing is structured around fixed or floating spread models depending on the account tier, with rapid execution and high fill rates.
Fees
AvaTrade
AvaTrade primarily uses a commission-free pricing model, meaning standard trading costs are built entirely into the spread. They do charge inactivity fees ($50 after three consecutive months of non-use) and a significant administration fee after 12 months of dormancy.
Swissquote
Spreads and commissions are tiered by deposit size (Premium, Prime, and Elite). Premium accounts trade on spread markups starting at 1.4 pips for EUR/USD, while Prime accounts (from $5,000) drop to 1.1 pips. Custody and maintenance fees apply for certain physical equity and banking holdings.
Platforms
AvaTrade
The platform offering is incredibly diverse. It features the MetaTrader suite (MT4/MT5), alongside AvaTrade's excellent proprietary software: the AvaTrade WebTrader, the highly-rated AvaTrade App (mobile), AvaFutures, and AvaOptions.
Swissquote
Proprietary Advanced Trader (desktop, web, and mobile), MetaTrader 4 (MT4), MetaTrader 5 (MT5), and FIX API integration for quantitative funds and high-frequency trading.
Account types
AvaTrade
AvaTrade keeps things simple with a standard Retail account (Standard). They also offer Premium/VIP tiers based on deposit size and trading volume, Islamic (swap-free) accounts, and Professional accounts for qualifying European traders looking for higher leverage.
Swissquote
Retail forex accounts include Premium (min. $1,000), Prime (min. $5,000), and Elite (min. $50,000). Also offers multi-asset Swiss banking accounts, corporate accounts, and institutional partner structures.
Min deposit
AvaTrade
$100 to open a standard account.
Swissquote
$1,000 (or CHF 1,000 / €1,000) for the entry-level Premium forex account.
| Topic | AvaTrade | Swissquote |
|---|---|---|
| Rating | 4.5 | 4.5 |
| Model score | 80 | 80 |
| Regulation | Operating since 2006, AvaTrade is highly trusted and regulated across numerous jurisdictions. It holds licenses from Tier-1 authorities globally, including ASIC (Australia), CIRO (Canada), JFSA (Japan), and the CBI (Ireland) in the EU. | Supervised under stringent Tier-1 banking regulations. Key regulators include the Swiss Financial Market Supervisory Authority (FINMA), Financial Conduct Authority (FCA, UK), Dubai Financial Services Authority (DFSA), Monetary Authority of Singapore (MAS), and Securities and Futures Commission (SFC, Hong Kong). |
| Spreads | The broker features fixed and floating spreads depending on the platform. The standard EUR/USD spread typically hovers around 0.9 pips. While competitive for beginners, high-volume traders may find lower all-in costs with raw-spread competitors. Professional accounts (under ESMA) can access tighter spreads down to 0.6 pips. | Provides reliable, bank-grade liquidity aggregation without dealing-desk intervention. Pricing is structured around fixed or floating spread models depending on the account tier, with rapid execution and high fill rates. |
| Fees | AvaTrade primarily uses a commission-free pricing model, meaning standard trading costs are built entirely into the spread. They do charge inactivity fees ($50 after three consecutive months of non-use) and a significant administration fee after 12 months of dormancy. | Spreads and commissions are tiered by deposit size (Premium, Prime, and Elite). Premium accounts trade on spread markups starting at 1.4 pips for EUR/USD, while Prime accounts (from $5,000) drop to 1.1 pips. Custody and maintenance fees apply for certain physical equity and banking holdings. |
| Platforms | The platform offering is incredibly diverse. It features the MetaTrader suite (MT4/MT5), alongside AvaTrade's excellent proprietary software: the AvaTrade WebTrader, the highly-rated AvaTrade App (mobile), AvaFutures, and AvaOptions. | Proprietary Advanced Trader (desktop, web, and mobile), MetaTrader 4 (MT4), MetaTrader 5 (MT5), and FIX API integration for quantitative funds and high-frequency trading. |
| Account types | AvaTrade keeps things simple with a standard Retail account (Standard). They also offer Premium/VIP tiers based on deposit size and trading volume, Islamic (swap-free) accounts, and Professional accounts for qualifying European traders looking for higher leverage. | Retail forex accounts include Premium (min. $1,000), Prime (min. $5,000), and Elite (min. $50,000). Also offers multi-asset Swiss banking accounts, corporate accounts, and institutional partner structures. |
| Min deposit | $100 to open a standard account. | $1,000 (or CHF 1,000 / €1,000) for the entry-level Premium forex account. |