AvaTrade vs Fusion Markets: features or cost in 2026?
This is the clearest cost-versus-features choice on the site: Fusion Markets is the cheapest broker, AvaTrade is the most fully featured. Fusion Markets (ASIC AFSL 385620, Melbourne since 2017) charges the lowest ASIC forex commission at AUD 2.25 per side (AUD 4.50 round-turn) with raw spreads from 0.0 pip, an AUD 0 minimum and no inactivity fee, but a narrower asset range focused on forex. AvaTrade (ASIC AFSL 406684, plus eight more regulators) costs more, with spread-only pricing around 0.9 pip, but adds the deepest education library in the ASIC set (AvaAcademy), the unique AvaProtect downside-protection tool, a fixed-spread account option, and a much wider multi-asset CFD range including bond and ETF CFDs. For the lowest cost on active forex, choose Fusion Markets. For breadth, education and downside protection, choose AvaTrade.
Top picks for this comparison
Fusion Markets
The cheapest ASIC forex commission at AUD 2.25 per side, raw ECN spreads, AUD 0 minimum and no inactivity fee. Built for cost-focused active traders.
AvaTrade
Multi-asset CFD range including bond and ETF CFDs, the deepest education library, AvaProtect downside protection and a fixed-spread option.
The cleanest cost-versus-features decision on the site
Most broker comparisons involve trade-offs in several directions at once. This one is unusually clean. Fusion Markets is the cheapest ASIC-regulated broker, full stop, and that is its whole proposition. AvaTrade is one of the most fully featured, with breadth, education and a downside-protection tool, and it costs more for them. There is no hidden catch on either side. You are deciding whether you would rather pay the least or get the most, and the right answer depends entirely on what you value.
Choose Fusion Markets if:
- You want the cheapest ASIC forex commission (AUD 2.25/side)
- You trade forex actively and cost is your main concern
- You want no minimum deposit and no inactivity fee
- You are comfortable on MetaTrader or cTrader already
Choose AvaTrade if:
- You want multi-asset breadth including bond and ETF CFDs
- You want the deepest education library (AvaAcademy)
- You want AvaProtect to cap downside on a position
- You want a fixed-spread account option
At-a-glance comparison
| Feature | AvaTrade | Fusion Markets |
|---|---|---|
| ASIC licence | AFSL 406684 (+8 more globally) | AFSL 385620 |
| Forex pricing | Spread-only, ~0.9 pip | Zero: 0.0 pip + AUD 2.25/side |
| Round-turn cost (EUR/USD) | ~AUD 9 | ~AUD 4.50 |
| Minimum deposit | AUD 100 | AUD 0 |
| Inactivity fee | USD 50/quarter after 3 months | None |
| Asset range | Wide, adds bond + ETF CFDs | Forex-focused, narrower |
| Platforms | MT4, MT5, AvaTradeGO, WebTrader | MT4, MT5, cTrader |
| Education | AvaAcademy (deepest in ASIC set) | Limited |
| Downside protection | AvaProtect | None |
| Best for | Breadth + education | Lowest cost |
Cost: where Fusion Markets wins decisively
There is no contest on cost. Fusion Markets charges AUD 2.25 per side on its Zero account, or AUD 4.50 round-turn, with raw spreads from 0.0 pip on the majors. AvaTrade's spread-only pricing puts EUR/USD around 0.9 pip with no commission, close to AUD 9 per round-turn. That is roughly double the cost at AvaTrade for the same forex trade, and the gap only widens with volume.
The entry and holding costs follow the same pattern. Fusion has no minimum deposit and no inactivity fee. AvaTrade asks for AUD 100 to start and charges USD 50 a quarter after three months of no trading. For a trader who measures everything in cost per lot, Fusion is the obvious answer, and for a high-volume strategy the saving over a year runs into thousands of dollars.
Breadth, education and AvaProtect: where AvaTrade wins
AvaTrade justifies its higher cost with what Fusion deliberately leaves out. The asset range is far wider, spanning forex, indices, commodities, crypto, shares, ETFs and bonds, and it is one of the few ASIC brokers offering bond CFDs, so a multi-asset trader can hold more from one account. The education is the deepest in the ASIC set through AvaAcademy. AvaProtect, the paid downside-protection tool, has no Fusion equivalent and lets a trader cap the loss on a position around a known risk event. And the fixed-spread account option, which Fusion does not offer, keeps cost predictable through volatile news. None of these lower your cost, but for a newer or multi-asset trader they can matter more than commission.
Asset range and platforms
The range gap is the practical expression of the cost-versus-features split. Fusion keeps a lean, forex-focused product set, which is part of how it keeps costs down, with a strong pair selection but a narrower range of indices and commodities and no share CFDs. AvaTrade spreads across far more asset classes. If your trading is forex-centric, Fusion has what you need; if you want to move between currencies, shares, bonds and commodities from one account, AvaTrade is built for that.
On platforms the two are closer. Both offer MT4 and MT5. Fusion adds cTrader, preferred by some active traders, while AvaTrade adds its AvaTradeGO mobile app, WebTrader, and the fixed-spread account. Neither offers native TradingView trading. For a MetaTrader or cTrader trader, the platform experience is similar; the real difference remains cost against features.
Who wins on specific use cases
- Lowest cost on active forex: Fusion Markets. Roughly half the round-turn cost.
- Multi-asset breadth: AvaTrade. Adds bond and ETF CFDs and a far wider range.
- Structured learning: AvaTrade. AvaAcademy is the deepest in the set.
- Downside protection: AvaTrade. AvaProtect is unique.
- No entry or holding friction: Fusion Markets. AUD 0 minimum, no inactivity fee.
- cTrader users: Fusion Markets. AvaTrade does not offer cTrader.
- Fixed-spread pricing: AvaTrade. Fusion is raw-spread only.
Final recommendation
If cost is what you optimise for, Fusion Markets wins this comparison outright, with roughly half the round-turn cost, no entry friction and no inactivity fee. If you want breadth, education and the AvaProtect safety net, AvaTrade is the better-suited broker and ranks higher on the best forex brokers in Australia list on the strength of those features, despite the higher cost. The honest framing is that they are aimed at different traders: Fusion at the cost-focused active forex trader, AvaTrade at the newer or multi-asset trader who wants support and range. Neither is wrong; they are answers to different questions.
Read the full AvaTrade review and Fusion Markets review, or see the wider field on the best forex brokers in Australia ranking.
Frequently asked questions
It is a clean trade-off between cost and features. Fusion Markets is better if your priority is the lowest possible trading cost, with the cheapest ASIC commission, raw spreads, no minimum deposit and no inactivity fee. AvaTrade is better if you want a wider multi-asset CFD range, the deepest education library, the AvaProtect downside-protection tool, and a fixed-spread option. Both are ASIC-regulated. Cost-focused active traders pick Fusion; feature-focused or newer traders pick AvaTrade.
Fusion Markets, by a wide margin for active forex. Its Zero account charges AUD 2.25 per side, or AUD 4.50 round-turn, with raw spreads from 0.0 pip. AvaTrade uses spread-only pricing near 0.9 pip with no commission, which is close to AUD 9 per round-turn. Fusion also has no minimum deposit and no inactivity fee, while AvaTrade requires AUD 100 and charges USD 50 a quarter after three months of inactivity. On pure cost, Fusion wins decisively.
AvaTrade, clearly. AvaTrade carries a much wider multi-asset CFD range including forex, indices, commodities, crypto, shares, ETFs and bonds, and is one of the few ASIC brokers offering bond CFDs. Fusion Markets is focused on forex with a strong pair selection but a narrower range of indices and commodities and no share CFDs. For a trader who wants breadth across asset classes from one account, AvaTrade is the better fit; for a forex specialist, Fusion covers what is needed.
Yes. AvaTrade trades in Australia as Ava Capital Markets Australia Pty Ltd under ASIC AFSL 406684, with eight more licences across the group. Fusion Markets Pty Ltd holds ASIC AFSL 385620 and is Melbourne-based, founded in 2017. Both segregate client funds at Australian Tier-1 banks, provide negative balance protection on retail accounts, and are AFCA members. AvaTrade has the broader multi-regulator footprint; Fusion has the leaner, cost-focused operation.
AvaProtect is a paid downside-protection product unique to AvaTrade. For an upfront fee, it caps the loss on a position for a set period and refunds the loss up to a limit if the trade goes against you. Fusion Markets has no equivalent; its proposition is low cost, not built-in risk tools. AvaProtect is a genuine reason to choose AvaTrade for a risk-conscious trader, used selectively around known risk events rather than on every trade.
AvaTrade is the more supportive start, with the deepest education library, the AvaProtect tool to cap downside while learning, and a beginner-friendly app. Fusion Markets is accessible too, with no minimum deposit, but it is built around low cost rather than hand-holding and assumes you are comfortable on MetaTrader or cTrader. A beginner who wants to be taught leans AvaTrade; a cost-focused beginner who already knows the platforms leans Fusion.
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