Share Trading comparison
Bell Direct vs Sharesies
Bell Direct and Sharesies sit at opposite ends of the Australian trading spectrum. Bell Direct is a full-service CHESS-sponsored broker backed by a listed financial group, with low percentage brokerage and a $5 minimum — built for serious ASX investors. Sharesies is a custodian-model platform with a pay-as-you-go or subscription pricing structure, designed for small-dollar, frequent trading and auto-investing.
Choose
Bell Direct
if…
- ›You want CHESS sponsorship and your own HIN so shares are held in your name, not a custodian
- ›You trade ASX parcels over $5,000 — Bell Direct's 0.1% brokerage (capped at $25k) is far cheaper than Sharesies' 1.9% uncapped rate
- ›You need access to options, bonds, managed funds, IPOs, or trust/SMSF/company accounts
- ›You want phone trading, conditional orders, and dedicated research reports from a broker with 17 years of history
- ›You plan to transfer out eventually — Bell Direct's CHESS model makes moving to another broker simpler
Choose
Sharesies
if…
- ›You want to start with as little as $1 and invest small amounts regularly without brokerage eating your returns
- ›You trade US shares — Sharesies' 0.006% FX spread is dramatically cheaper than Bell Direct's 0.6%
- ›You want fractional shares on both ASX and US markets, plus auto-invest across multiple assets
- ›You prefer a subscription model where a flat monthly fee covers a set volume of trades, rather than paying per trade
- ›You're happy with a custodial model and don't need joint, company, trust, or SMSF accounts
Where they differ
| Fact | Bell Direct | Sharesies |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage structure | 0.1% (min $5, capped at $25k) | 1.9% uncapped, or subscription plans from $5/mo covering $500 volume |
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.6% | 0.006% |
| CHESS sponsorship | Yes — individual HIN | No — custodian model |
| Account types | Individual, joint, company, trust, SMSF, kids | Individual and kids only |
| Fractional shares | US only | ASX and US |
Verdict
Choose Bell Direct for serious ASX investing with CHESS ownership; choose Sharesies for low-cost US trading and micro-investing.
Cost calculator
What would Bell Direct vs Sharesies 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 | Sharesies |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | custodian |
| Individual HIN | Yes | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | No |
| Company account | Yes | No |
| Trust account | Yes | No |
| SMSF account | Yes | No |
| Kids / minor account | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | NZ | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | Yes |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | Yes |
| 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% | 0.6% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | — | 0.6% |
| 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 | No fee for receiving DRP shares ('You don't pay a Sharesies transaction fee when you receive shares through a DRP'). Sharesies handles corporate actions via the Voting & Corporate Actions Policy; specific fees for rights issues, SPP, takeovers not separately listed in pricing schedule. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $5 | $0 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 10% | 1.9% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $25,000 | $315.79 |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | Pay-as-you-go: 1.9% per buy/sell order, capped at AU$6 for ASX, US$5 for US, NZ$25 for NZ. Monthly plans cover transaction fees on a set volume: $5/mo plan ($54/yr) covers $500 AUD buy/sell + $1,000 AUD auto-invest; $10/mo plan ($108/yr) covers $1,000 AUD buy/sell + $3,000 AUD auto-invest; $20/mo plan ($216/yr) covers $3,000 AUD buy/sell + $8,000 AUD auto-invest. Kids plan $2/mo covers $500 buy/sell + $1,000 auto-invest. Once monthly cover used up, pay-as-you-go applies. No truly free trade option. |
| US brokerage minimum | US$0 | US$0 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 1.9% |
| Monthly platform fee | — | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | — | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | — | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | — | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $55 | $50 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Third Party Platform Pty Limited (trading as Bell Direct) | Sharesies Australia Limited |
| AFSL number | 314,341 | 529,893 |
| Year founded | 2,007 | 2,021 |
| Parent / ownership | Bell Financial Group Limited (ASX: BFG) | Sharesies Group Limited (New Zealand) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $1 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | — | $1 |
| Deposit methods | BPAY, Bank transfer (EFT), Direct credit | PayID, OSKO, direct credit, card |
| Settlement period | T+2 (ASX), T+1 (US) | T+2 ASX/NZX, T+1 US |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days | 1-2 business days for settled funds; longer if recently sold (T+2 settlement plus 1-2 days reconciliation plus 1-2 days bank transfer) |
| 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 | authenticator_app |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, online forms | email, in_app |
| Support hours (AU time) | Business hours, AET (typically Mon-Fri market hours) | Monday to Friday, 6 AM to 4 PM AEST |
| 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 | 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_assets |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | — | Yes |