Micro Investing comparison
Commsec Pocket vs Raiz Invest
CommSec Pocket and Raiz Invest both let you invest small amounts regularly, but they work very differently under the hood. CommSec Pocket is a CHESS-sponsored brokerage that gives you your own HIN and charges zero monthly fees, while Raiz is a custodial managed-fund wrapper that costs $5.50 a month but offers fractional shares, round-ups, and a kids account. The real choice comes down to whether you want to own ETFs directly or prefer a hands-off app that does the rebalancing for you.
Choose
Commsec Pocket
if…
- ›You want true CHESS sponsorship with your own HIN and direct ETF ownership on the ASX
- ›You want to pay zero monthly or annual platform fees — just $2 brokerage on trades under $1,000
- ›You want dividend reinvestment (DRP) and Sharesight/Navexa integration for portfolio tracking
- ›You're comfortable buying whole ETF units only and don't need fractional shares
- ›You want the backing of Commonwealth Bank and a desktop-accessible brokerage experience
Choose
Raiz Invest
if…
- ›You want to invest with as little as $5 to start and $0 minimum for ongoing purchases
- ›You want fractional shares so every dollar is invested, with no uninvested cash sitting idle
- ›You want automated round-ups from everyday spending and a rebalancing auto-invest feature
- ›You need a kids account or an SMSF account — Raiz offers both, CommSec Pocket doesn't
- ›You're happy with a custodial model and don't need your own HIN or direct CHESS sponsorship
Where they differ
| Fact | Commsec Pocket | Raiz Invest |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $5.50/month |
| CHESS sponsorship model | CHESS-sponsored (your own HIN) | Custodial (no individual HIN) |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | Yes |
| Kids/minor account | Not available | Available |
| Minimum initial deposit | $50 | $5 |
Verdict
Choose CommSec Pocket for low-cost, CHESS-sponsored ETF investing; pick Raiz for automated, fractional investing with round-ups and family accounts.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Commsec Pocket | Raiz Invest |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | custodian |
| Individual HIN | Yes | — |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | No |
| Company account | No | No |
| Trust account | No | No |
| SMSF account | No | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | No | Yes |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | Yes | No |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| US shares supported | No | No |
| US ETFs supported | No | No |
| Other markets supported | ||
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | Yes |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | — |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | No | Yes |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | No | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| Market data fees | $0/month | — |
| Corporate action fees | 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. | Brokerage free across all plans — bulk ASX execution is bundled into the monthly subscription / management fee. No fees on deposits, withdrawals, or portfolio switches. |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $5.5/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $66/year |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $54 | — |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Commonwealth Securities Limited | Raiz Invest Australia Limited |
| AFSL number | 238,814 | 434,776 |
| Year founded | 2,019 | 2,016 |
| Parent / ownership | Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) | Raiz Invest Limited (ASX: RZI) — Australian publicly listed parent |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $50 | $5 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $50 | $0 |
| Deposit methods | Linked CBA transaction account (CDIA, Smart Access, Streamline Basic, NetBank Saver, etc.) - direct debit | bank_transfer, debit_card, round_ups, recurring_direct_debit |
| Settlement period | T+2 | T+2 (ASX) — applies to fund trading via the underlying ETFs; member contribution settles in ~1-2 business days into the fund. |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days | 3-5 business days (T+2 ASX settle, then 1-3 days bank transfer) |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | No |
| Demo account | No | No |
| Free real-time market data | No | No |
| Free research reports | No | No |
| 2FA support | SMS + PIN | SMS |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, in-app messaging | phone, email, in_app |
| Support hours (AU time) | Mon-Fri 8:00am-6:00pm AET (phone) | Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:30pm Sydney time |
| Education content | structured courses | basic articles |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | No | Yes |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | No |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | — |
| Limit orders | Yes | — |
| Stop loss orders | No | — |
| Conditional orders | No | — |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | single asset | weighted/rebalancing |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | — |