Share Trading comparison
Bell Direct vs Commsec Pocket
Bell Direct is a full-service broker offering ASX, US and international markets, options trading and managed funds — while Commsec Pocket is a stripped-back ETF-only app designed for CBA customers who want simplicity. The biggest practical difference: Bell Direct gives you a full trading toolkit with CHESS-sponsored HINs across multiple asset classes, whereas Commsec Pocket limits you to a curated set of ASX ETFs with no US shares, no options and no account types beyond individual.
Choose
Bell Direct
if…
- ›You want to trade US shares and US ETFs with a USD account and fractional shares
- ›You need joint, trust, SMSF, company or kids accounts — Commsec Pocket only offers individual accounts
- ›You trade options, bonds, managed funds or want IPO access
- ›You want a desktop platform alongside the mobile app for serious charting and order management
- ›You're comfortable paying $27.50/month for live market data and don't mind a $500 minimum deposit
Choose
Commsec Pocket
if…
- ›You only want to invest in a handful of ASX ETFs and value dead-simple execution
- ›You want the lowest possible ASX brokerage — $2 on trades up to $1,000 (and $0 during the 2026 promotional period)
- ›You're already a CBA customer and want instant deposits from your linked transaction account with just $50 to start
- ›You want automated DCA investing into individual ETFs without any manual order management
- ›You prefer zero monthly fees for market data and a structured education course over research reports
Where they differ
| Fact | Bell Direct | Commsec Pocket |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage minimum | $5 | $2 |
| US shares available | Yes (with USD account & fractional shares) | No |
| Account types | Individual, Joint, Company, Trust, SMSF, Kids | Individual only |
| Minimum deposit | $500 | $50 |
| Market data fees | $27.50/month | $0/month |
Verdict
Choose Bell Direct for real trading breadth; pick Commsec Pocket if you just want cheap, simple ETF investing from your CBA account.
Cost calculator
What would Bell Direct vs Commsec Pocket actually cost you?
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All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Bell Direct | Commsec Pocket |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | chess |
| Individual HIN | Yes | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | No |
| Company account | Yes | No |
| Trust account | Yes | No |
| SMSF account | Yes | No |
| Kids / minor account | Yes | No |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | Yes | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| US shares supported | Yes | No |
| US ETFs supported | Yes | No |
| Other markets supported | ||
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | No |
| Options trading | Yes | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds supported | Yes | No |
| IPO access | Yes | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 60% | — |
| Holds USD account | Yes | — |
| Market data fees | $27.5/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | — |
| Phone trade surcharge | $60 | — |
| Corporate action fees | Fail fee $110 or 0.11% daily for unsettled trades; corporate action handling generally pass-through via CHESS sponsorship | Corporate actions (rights issues, SPPs, takeovers) are administered via the underlying ETF issuers/share registries since holdings are CHESS-sponsored under the investor's HIN; CommSec does not charge a separate corporate action fee. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $5 | $2 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 10% | 0.2% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $25,000 | $1,000 |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | Promotional $0 brokerage offer on Pocket ETF trades from 20 April 2026 to 17 July 2026 inclusive, available to all CommSec Pocket customers. |
| US brokerage minimum | US$0 | — |
| Monthly platform fee | — | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | — | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | — | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | — | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $55 | $54 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Third Party Platform Pty Limited (trading as Bell Direct) | Commonwealth Securities Limited |
| AFSL number | 314,341 | 238,814 |
| Year founded | 2,007 | 2,019 |
| Parent / ownership | Bell Financial Group Limited (ASX: BFG) | Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $50 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | — | $50 |
| Deposit methods | BPAY, Bank transfer (EFT), Direct credit | Linked CBA transaction account (CDIA, Smart Access, Streamline Basic, NetBank Saver, etc.) - direct debit |
| Settlement period | T+2 (ASX), T+1 (US) | T+2 |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days | 1-2 business days |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | No |
| Demo account | — | No |
| Free real-time market data | No | No |
| Free research reports | Yes | No |
| 2FA support | SMS | SMS + PIN |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, online forms | phone, email, in-app messaging |
| Support hours (AU time) | Business hours, AET (typically Mon-Fri market hours) | Mon-Fri 8:00am-6:00pm AET (phone) |
| Education content | basic articles | structured courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | Yes | No |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | No |
| Conditional orders | Yes | No |
| Auto-invest / DCA | — | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | single asset |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | — | No |