Share Trading comparison
Capital.com vs CommSec
Capital.com and CommSec are fundamentally different products. Capital.com is a CFD broker — you never own the underlying shares, you trade price-exposure contracts on leverage. CommSec is Australia's largest retail broker, offering real CHESS-sponsored shares on the ASX plus international markets. The biggest practical difference: with CommSec you get a HIN and actual ownership; with Capital.com you get a CFD wrapper, no HIN, and no real shareholding.
Choose
Capital.com
if…
- ›You want to trade leveraged positions on indices, currencies, commodities or crypto — Capital.com offers CFDs across global markets with margin
- ›You want zero commission and no minimum trade size on ASX or US stocks (cost is embedded in the spread)
- ›You want a demo account to practise trading strategies before risking real money
- ›You want to start with as little as $20 and deposit via PayID, card, Apple Pay or PayPal
- ›You need 24/7 customer support and fast withdrawals (most processed within 5 minutes)
Choose
CommSec
if…
- ›You want genuine CHESS-sponsored ownership of ASX shares under your own HIN — CommSec is the real-deal broker here
- ›You want to invest in managed funds, bonds, IPOs, or set up a kids / SMSF / trust account
- ›You want fractional US shares and a USD account to avoid ongoing FX conversion costs
- ›You want dividend reinvestment plans (DRP) and proper Australian tax statements for your portfolio
- ›You're a CBA customer who wants seamless settlement via a linked CDIA account with $5 brokerage
Where they differ
| Fact | Capital.com | CommSec |
|---|---|---|
| What you actually own | CFDs — contracts for difference, not real shares | Real shares under your own HIN (CHESS-sponsored) |
| ASX brokerage | $0 (cost in spread) | From $5 (with CDIA) or $29.95 standard |
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.7% | 0.0055% |
| Minimum deposit | $20 | $500 |
| Account types | Individual and company only | Individual, joint, company, trust, SMSF, kids |
Verdict
Choose Capital.com for leveraged CFD speculation; choose CommSec for real, CHESS-sponsored share ownership and long-term investing.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Capital.com | CommSec |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | — | chess |
| Individual HIN | — | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | Yes |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | No | Yes |
| SMSF account | No | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | No | Yes |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | No | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| US shares supported | No | Yes |
| US ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| Other markets supported | US, UK, EU, HK, JP, DE, FR, AU | United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Japan, Belgium, Norway, Spain, Sweden |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | Yes |
| Options trading | No | Yes |
| CFDs supported | Yes | No |
| Managed funds | No | Yes |
| Bonds supported | No | Yes |
| IPO access | No | Yes |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 70% | 0.55% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 70% | 0.55% |
| Holds USD account | No | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | No | No |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Phone trade surcharge | — | $59.95 |
| Corporate action fees | Not applicable — Capital.com offers CFDs only, not real shares. There are no corporate-action fees because clients do not hold underlying securities; dividend adjustments on share CFDs are passed through automatically (credited on long positions, debited on short positions) without an explicit fee. | Corporate actions (SPP, rights issue, takeovers, demergers, dividend payments) are not separately charged by CommSec. They are processed via the share registry/issuer. CommSec does not send trade confirmations for off-market events, so Sharesight/other tracker sync requires manual updates. Failed-settlement fees apply if payment is late ($10 minimum or 0.66% above $1,500). |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | — | $5 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | — | 0.12% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | — | $25,000 |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | Conditional: $5 minimum requires linked CDIA (Commonwealth Direct Investment Account) or CommSec Margin Loan as the settlement account AND CHESS sponsorship with CommSec. Without CDIA linkage, brokerage starts at $29.95 for trades up to $9,999.99 and 0.31% above. Promotional $0 brokerage offers occasionally run for new customers (e.g. 30 free trades up to $50,000 each, May–Nov 2026 offer for new sign-ups). |
| US brokerage minimum | — | US$5 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 0.12% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | — | $54 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Capital Com Australia Pty Ltd | Commonwealth Securities Limited |
| AFSL number | 513,393 | 238,814 |
| Year founded | 2,021 | 1,995 |
| Parent / ownership | Capital.com Group (founded by Viktor Prokopenya, backed by VP Capital); ultimate AU operator is Capital Com Australia Pty Ltd, part of the Cyprus-headquartered Capital.com group with multiple regulated entities globally | Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | private | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $20 | $500 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $20 | $0 |
| Deposit methods | PayID, bank transfer, debit card, credit card, Apple Pay, PayPal | BPAY, Direct debit, Bank transfer (CDIA), Cheque, Cash deposit (CBA branch/ATM) |
| Settlement period | N/A (CFDs are not settled — positions are open contracts marked-to-market continuously) | T+2 (ASX) / T+1 (US) |
| Withdrawal time | Within 1 business day for PayID and bank transfer; 3-5 business days for card/Apple Pay/PayPal. 91% of withdrawals processed within 5 minutes. | Same-day to 1 business day (instant when funds in CDIA via real-time transfer) |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | No |
| Demo account | Yes | No |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | Yes |
| Free research reports | Yes | Yes |
| 2FA support | authenticator | SMS + authenticator |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, live chat, WhatsApp | phone, email, live chat (in-app), secure mail (in-platform), social media (X, Instagram) |
| Support hours (AU time) | 24/7 English live chat and email; Melbourne-based phone support during AEST business hours | Phone 8am-6pm Mon-Fri Sydney time (general & options); extended trading-hours support during ASX session. No 24/7 support. |
| Education content | video + courses | structured courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | No | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | No | No |
| CGT calculator / report | No | No |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | No | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | No | No |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | none |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | Yes |