Share Trading comparison
Capital.com vs Commsec Pocket
Capital.com and CommSec Pocket look similar on the surface — both are low-cost, mobile-first platforms — but they are fundamentally different products. Capital.com is a CFD provider, not a share broker. You never own the underlying asset. CommSec Pocket is a real CHESS-sponsored broker that buys actual ASX ETFs under your own HIN. That distinction changes everything about how you trade, what you can buy, and what happens to your money.
Choose
Capital.com
if…
- ›You want to trade international markets (US, UK, EU, HK, Japan, Germany, France) from a single app without opening multiple brokerage accounts
- ›You're comfortable with leveraged trading and understand that CFDs carry overnight funding costs and can lose more than your deposit
- ›You want a demo account to practise trading strategies before risking real money
- ›You need 24/7 customer support via live chat, WhatsApp or phone
- ›You want to start trading with as little as $20 and use PayID, PayPal or Apple Pay to fund your account
Choose
Commsec Pocket
if…
- ›You want to own real ASX-listed ETFs under your own HIN with CHESS sponsorship and full legal ownership of the shares
- ›You're a long-term investor focused on dollar-cost averaging into a handful of ETFs, with auto-invest and dividend reinvestment built in
- ›You want a simple tax statement and CGT report at year-end, plus Sharesight integration for portfolio tracking
- ›You prefer the backing of Commonwealth Bank and a traditional broker that settles trades T+2 on the ASX
- ›You want to trade ASX ETFs with brokerage as low as $2 per trade (or $0 during promotional periods)
Where they differ
| Fact | Capital.com | Commsec Pocket |
|---|---|---|
| What you actually buy | CFDs (contracts for difference) — you never own the underlying asset | Real ASX ETFs under your own HIN — you own the shares |
| CHESS sponsorship | Custodian model — no individual HIN | Full CHESS sponsorship — you get your own HIN |
| ASX brokerage | $0 (costs embedded in spread) | $2 or 0.2% (whichever is higher) — currently $0 promo until July 2026 |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Not available | Available — set up recurring buys into a single ETF |
| Markets available | US, UK, EU, HK, JP, DE, FR, AU (CFDs on indices, commodities, forex, crypto and shares) | ASX only (a curated selection of ~10-15 ETFs) |
Verdict
If you want to own real ASX ETFs under your own HIN, choose CommSec Pocket. If you want leveraged global CFD trading, choose Capital.com.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Capital.com | Commsec Pocket |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | — | chess |
| Individual HIN | — | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | No |
| Company account | Yes | No |
| Trust account | No | No |
| SMSF account | No | No |
| Kids / minor account | No | No |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | No | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| US shares supported | No | No |
| US ETFs supported | No | No |
| Other markets supported | US, UK, EU, HK, JP, DE, FR, AU | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | No |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | Yes | No |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | No | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 70% | — |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 70% | — |
| Holds USD account | No | — |
| FX currency switch trick | No | — |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | — |
| 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 (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 | — | $2 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | — | 0.2% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | — | $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. |
| 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 | 2,019 |
| 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 (CBA) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | private | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $20 | $50 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $20 | $50 |
| Deposit methods | PayID, bank transfer, debit card, credit card, Apple Pay, PayPal | Linked CBA transaction account (CDIA, Smart Access, Streamline Basic, NetBank Saver, etc.) - direct debit |
| Settlement period | N/A (CFDs are not settled — positions are open contracts marked-to-market continuously) | T+2 |
| 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. | 1-2 business days |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | No |
| Demo account | Yes | No |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | No |
| Free research reports | Yes | No |
| 2FA support | authenticator | SMS + PIN |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, live chat, WhatsApp | phone, email, in-app messaging |
| Support hours (AU time) | 24/7 English live chat and email; Melbourne-based phone support during AEST business hours | Mon-Fri 8:00am-6:00pm AET (phone) |
| Education content | video + courses | structured courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | No | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | No | No |
| CGT calculator / report | No | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | No | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | No |
| Conditional orders | Yes | No |
| Auto-invest / DCA | No | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | single asset |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | No |