Share Trading comparison
CMC Invest vs Halo Technologies
The biggest difference between CMC Invest and Halo Technologies comes down to cost and ownership structure. CMC Invest is a low-cost, CHESS-sponsored broker with zero platform fees and $0 brokerage on small ASX trades. Halo Technologies charges a hefty $159 monthly platform fee and holds assets in custody, but offers fractional US shares and a more sophisticated auto-invest engine.
Choose
CMC Invest
if…
- ›You want CHESS sponsorship and your own HIN — CMC gives you direct ASX ownership, Halo uses a custodian model
- ›You trade ASX stocks in small parcels — CMC charges $0 brokerage on the first buy order per security per day up to $1,000
- ›You want zero ongoing fees — CMC has no monthly or annual platform fee, while Halo costs $159/month
- ›You want access to 15+ international markets including the UK, Canada, Japan and Europe
- ›You want free real-time market data and research reports included
Choose
Halo Technologies
if…
- ›You want to buy fractional US shares — Halo supports them, CMC does not
- ›You want a sophisticated auto-invest tool that works across multiple assets and rebalances automatically
- ›You trade large ASX volumes — Halo's promotional $0 brokerage on trades up to $250,000 can save serious money
- ›You want a tighter FX spread — Halo charges 0.005% vs CMC's 0.006% on AUD/USD
- ›You're building a high-balance portfolio where the $159/month fee is outweighed by the platform's automation and research tools
Where they differ
| Fact | CMC Invest | Halo Technologies |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $159/month |
| ASX brokerage (minimum) | $11 | $15 |
| CHESS sponsorship | CHESS-sponsored (your own HIN) | Custodian model (no individual HIN) |
| Fractional US shares | Not supported | Supported |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $19/month |
Verdict
Choose CMC Invest for low-cost, CHESS-sponsored trading; choose Halo only if you need fractional US shares and can justify the $159 monthly fee.
Cost calculator
What would CMC Invest vs Halo Technologies 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 | CMC Invest | Halo Technologies |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | custodian |
| Individual HIN | Yes | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | Yes |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | Yes | 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 | Yes |
| US ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| Other markets supported | United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand | US (NASDAQ, NYSE), UK, Europe, Japan (NIKKEI), Asia Pacific, 30 exchanges total |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | Yes |
| Options trading | Yes | — |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds supported | No | — |
| IPO access | Yes | — |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.6% | 0.5% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 0.6% | 0.5% |
| Holds USD account | No | — |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $19/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | — |
| Phone trade surcharge | $59.95 | — |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $11 | $15 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 0.1% | 0.12% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $1,000 | $12,500 |
| ASX free trade conditions | $0 brokerage on first ASX buy order per security per day for trades up to $1,000 (excludes margin loan settled trades and sells) | Promotional offer: $0 brokerage on trades up to $250,000 (per landing page /0-brokerage-on-trades-up-to-250000); standard FSG schedule remains $15/0.12%. Conditions not fully disclosed publicly. |
| US brokerage minimum | US$0 | US$15 |
| US brokerage percentage | 0% | 0.12% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $159/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $2,508/year |
| Inactivity fee | $15 | — |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | — |
| Off-market transfer fee | $0 | — |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | CMC Markets Stockbroking Limited | HALO Technologies Pty Ltd (ABN 54 623 830 866); ultimately wholly owned by HALO Technologies Holdings Limited ABN 73 645 531 219 |
| AFSL number | 246,381 | 484,264 |
| Year founded | 1,989 | 2,017 |
| Parent / ownership | CMC Markets plc (LSE: CMCX) | HALO Technologies Holdings Limited (ASX:HAL) — ultimate parent; publicly listed |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | — |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $0 | — |
| Deposit methods | PayID, Bank transfer (EFT), BPAY | AUD bank transfer / direct credit (to HALO trust account) |
| Settlement period | T+2 for ASX; T+1 for US | — |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days | — |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | — |
| Demo account | No | — |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | No |
| Free research reports | Yes | No |
| 2FA support | authenticator app | — |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, live chat | phone, email, live chat |
| Support hours (AU time) | Monday-Friday, business hours AET (approx 8am-6pm) | — |
| Education content | structured courses | basic articles |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | Yes | — |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | — |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | — |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | — |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | — |
| Auto-invest sophistication | single asset | multiple |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | — |