Share Trading comparison
Bell Direct vs Marketech Focus
Bell Direct and Marketech Focus both offer CHESS-sponsored ASX trading, but the real difference comes down to breadth versus cost. Bell Direct is a full-service broker with US shares, options, managed funds and bonds, while Marketech Focus is a lean ASX-only platform with a razor-thin brokerage rate of 0.03% — but charges a $20/month platform fee. Which one works for you depends entirely on what you want to trade and how often.
Choose
Bell Direct
if…
- ›You want to trade US shares and ETFs — Bell Direct supports them with a USD account and fractional US shares; Marketech Focus doesn't offer US markets at all.
- ›You need options trading, managed funds or bonds — Bell Direct covers all three; Marketech Focus offers none.
- ›You want IPO access or the ability to open joint, trust, company or kids' accounts — Bell Direct has the full suite of account types.
- ›You prefer a pay-per-trade model with no monthly fee and plan to trade infrequently — Bell Direct has no platform fee, just brokerage.
Choose
Marketech Focus
if…
- ›You trade ASX shares frequently and want the lowest brokerage — 0.03% up to $16,667 is significantly cheaper than Bell Direct's 0.1%.
- ›You're happy to pay a $20/month platform fee in exchange for ultra-low trade costs — the fee can be easily offset by a few extra trades a month.
- ›You only trade ASX shares and ETFs and don't need US markets, options, managed funds or bonds — Marketech Focus keeps it simple.
- ›You want fast withdrawals via a Macquarie CMA — same-day to 1 business day, versus Bell Direct's 1-2 business days.
Where they differ
| Fact | Bell Direct | Marketech Focus |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage (up to threshold) | 0.10% up to $25,000 | 0.03% up to $16,667 |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $20/month |
| US shares & ETFs | Yes (with USD account) | No |
| Options, managed funds, bonds | All supported | None supported |
| Account types offered | Individual, joint, company, trust, SMSF, kids | Individual and SMSF only |
Verdict
Choose Bell Direct for multi-market access and no monthly fee; choose Marketech Focus if you only trade ASX and trade often enough to justify the $20/month.
Cost calculator
What would Bell Direct vs Marketech Focus 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 | Marketech Focus |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | chess |
| Individual HIN | Yes | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | — |
| Company account | Yes | — |
| Trust account | Yes | — |
| SMSF account | Yes | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | Yes | — |
| 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 | Cboe Australia, NSX (National Stock Exchange of Australia) | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | — |
| Options trading | Yes | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds supported | Yes | No |
| IPO access | Yes | — |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 60% | — |
| Holds USD account | Yes | No |
| Market data fees | $27.5/month | $20/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 | — |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $5 | $5 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 10% | 3% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $25,000 | $16,667 |
| US brokerage minimum | US$0 | — |
| Monthly platform fee | — | $20/month |
| Annual platform fee | — | $240/year |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | — | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $55 | — |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Third Party Platform Pty Limited (trading as Bell Direct) | Marketech Online Trading Pty Ltd |
| AFSL number | 314,341 | 337,927 |
| Year founded | 2,007 | 2,021 |
| Parent / ownership | Bell Financial Group Limited (ASX: BFG) | Australian-owned private company; AFSL backing from Sanlam Private Wealth Pty Ltd; trade execution via OpenMarkets Australia Limited |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $500 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | — | $0 |
| Deposit methods | BPAY, Bank transfer (EFT), Direct credit | Bank transfer (to Macquarie CMA), Direct credit |
| Settlement period | T+2 (ASX), T+1 (US) | T+2 |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days | Same-day to 1 business day (via Macquarie CMA) |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | Yes |
| Demo account | — | No |
| Free real-time market data | No | No |
| Free research reports | Yes | Yes |
| 2FA support | SMS | — |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, online forms | email, support portal |
| Support hours (AU time) | Business hours, AET (typically Mon-Fri market hours) | — |
| Education content | basic articles | basic articles |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | — | No |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | none |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | — | No |