Share Trading comparison
Bell Direct vs eToro
The biggest difference between Bell Direct and eToro comes down to ownership structure. Bell Direct is a CHESS-sponsored broker that puts shares in your name with your own HIN, while eToro holds assets in a custodian model — you don't get individual share ownership on the ASX register. That distinction ripples through everything from corporate actions to fees.
Choose
Bell Direct
if…
- ›You want your ASX holdings under your own HIN with full CHESS sponsorship and direct share ownership
- ›You trade options or want access to IPOs, bonds, and managed funds — eToro offers none of these
- ›You need joint accounts, kids/minor accounts, or trust structures beyond a basic individual or company setup
- ›You want DRP (dividend reinvestment) and the ability to participate in rights issues and SPPs
- ›You prefer a desktop trading platform and don't mind paying $27.50/month for real-time market data
Choose
eToro
if…
- ›You want zero commission on ASX and US trades — Bell Direct charges $5–$25 on ASX and 0.6% FX on US stocks
- ›You trade small amounts regularly and want fractional shares on both ASX and US markets
- ›You want to trade CFDs, crypto, or access 15+ international markets from one account
- ›You prefer a low $50 minimum deposit and multiple deposit methods including PayPal, card, and POLi
- ›You want free real-time market data and a demo account to practise before committing real money
Where they differ
| Fact | Bell Direct | eToro |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage | $5 minimum (0.1% over $25,000) | $0 (zero commission on real shares) |
| Share ownership model | CHESS-sponsored — your own HIN | Custodian model — no HIN |
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.6% | 0.0075% |
| Fractional shares | US only | ASX and US |
| Minimum deposit | $500 | $50 |
Verdict
Choose Bell Direct for genuine CHESS ownership and a full product suite; choose eToro for zero-commission trades and fractional shares.
Cost calculator
What would Bell Direct vs eToro actually cost you?
Punch in your trade size and frequency. We'll do the full brokerage + FX + fees maths.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Bell Direct | eToro |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | custodian |
| Individual HIN | Yes | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | No |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | Yes | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | Yes | No |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | Yes | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| US shares supported | Yes | Yes |
| US ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| Other markets supported | United States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, Portugal | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | Yes |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | Yes |
| Options trading | Yes | No |
| CFDs supported | No | Yes |
| Crypto trading | — | Yes |
| Managed funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds supported | Yes | No |
| IPO access | Yes | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 60% | 0.75% |
| Holds USD account | Yes | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | — | No |
| Market data fees | $27.5/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $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 | eToro passes through cash dividends from non-leveraged real positions (debit/credit to wallet). It does not facilitate participation in rights issues, share purchase plans (SPPs), DRPs or shareholder votes because shares are held in a managed investment scheme by the custodian, not in the user's name. No explicit fee, but corporate action access is materially restricted. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $5 | $0 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 10% | 0% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $25,000 | — |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | Zero commission applies to all non-leveraged (real) ASX share and ETF purchases. Leveraged / short positions are executed as CFDs and incur 0.15% open/close spread plus overnight financing. |
| US brokerage minimum | US$0 | US$0 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 0% |
| Monthly platform fee | — | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | — | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | — | $10 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | — | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $55 | — |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Third Party Platform Pty Limited (trading as Bell Direct) | eToro AUS Capital Limited |
| AFSL number | 314,341 | 491,139 |
| AUSTRAC registration | — | Yes |
| Year founded | 2,007 | 2,017 |
| Parent / ownership | Bell Financial Group Limited (ASX: BFG) | eToro Group Ltd (NASDAQ: ETOR) — listed 14 May 2025; originally founded in Israel by Yoni and Ronen Assia. eToro AUS Capital Limited is a wholly-owned Australian subsidiary. |
| Country of incorporation | AU | Australia |
| Public company status | public | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $50 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | — | $50 |
| Deposit methods | BPAY, Bank transfer (EFT), Direct credit | Bank transfer, Debit card, Credit card, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, POLi, Online banking |
| Settlement period | T+2 (ASX), T+1 (US) | T+2 ASX, T+1 US (settlement managed by the eToro Service custodian; user funds reflect immediately in eToro wallet) |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days | 1-2 business days for eToro processing; total 2-10 business days end-to-end depending on payment method (bank transfer longer than card) |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | No |
| Demo account | — | Yes |
| Free real-time market data | No | Yes |
| Free research reports | Yes | No |
| 2FA support | SMS | SMS + authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, online forms | Live chat (Club members only), Email / web ticket, Help centre |
| Support hours (AU time) | Business hours, AET (typically Mon-Fri market hours) | — |
| Education content | basic articles | video + courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | Yes | — |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | No |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | — | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | multiple |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | — | No |