Micro Investing comparison
Commsec Pocket vs Spaceship Voyager
CommSec Pocket and Spaceship Voyager take completely different approaches to micro-investing. Pocket is a CHESS-sponsored brokerage that lets you buy real ASX ETFs in dollar amounts, with no monthly fee. Voyager is a managed fund (now owned by eToro) that charges $3 a month but gives you access to US stocks and fractional shares — something Pocket simply can't do.
Choose
Commsec Pocket
if…
- ›You want CHESS sponsorship and your own HIN — your holdings are in your name, not a custodian arrangement
- ›You want to invest in ASX ETFs with zero monthly fees and brokerage as low as $2 per trade
- ›You want to use the CBA ecosystem — direct debit from your CommBank account and seamless integration
- ›You want dividend reinvestment (DRP) on your ETF holdings
- ›You want to transfer your portfolio to another broker without selling down
Choose
Spaceship Voyager
if…
- ›You want to invest in US stocks and ETFs — Voyager offers direct US exposure, Pocket doesn't
- ›You want fractional shares — buy $50 worth of a US stock rather than a whole share
- ›You want to start with no minimum deposit and invest any amount, any time
- ›You want a managed fund approach where professionals handle the portfolio construction for you
- ›You want zero brokerage on every trade, not just promotional periods
Where they differ
| Fact | Commsec Pocket | Spaceship Voyager |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly fee | $0/month | $3/month ($36/year) |
| CHESS sponsorship | Yes — individual HIN | No — custodian model |
| US stocks & ETFs | Not supported | Supported with fractional shares |
| Minimum trade | $50 minimum per buy | No minimum |
| Dividend reinvestment | Supported (DRP) | Not supported |
Verdict
Pick CommSec Pocket for fee-free, CHESS-sponsored ASX ETF investing. Pick Spaceship Voyager for US stocks and fractional shares.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Commsec Pocket | Spaceship Voyager |
|---|---|---|
| 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 | No |
| Kids / minor account | No | No |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | Yes | No |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | No |
| US shares supported | No | Yes |
| US ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| Other markets supported | ||
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | Yes |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | No | Yes |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | No | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | — | 0.7% |
| Holds USD account | — | No |
| FX currency switch trick | — | No |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | — | $0 |
| Phone trade surcharge | — | $0 |
| 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. | Voyager: managed fund structure means corporate actions are handled inside the fund — no investor-level corporate action fees. US Investing: voting and mandatory corporate actions including dividends are free; Voluntary Corporate Actions (VCA) fee of US$100 per action processed. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $2 | $0 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 0.2% | 0% |
| 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. | No brokerage applies to Voyager portfolios; investments are made via unit-trust managed funds with no transactional fees, regardless of order size. |
| US brokerage minimum | — | US$0 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 0% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $3/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $36/year |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $54 | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Commonwealth Securities Limited | Spaceship Capital Limited |
| AFSL number | 238,814 | 501,605 |
| Year founded | 2,019 | 2,017 |
| Parent / ownership | Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) | eToro Group Limited (acquired Spaceship 2024, fully owned subsidiary) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $50 | $0 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $50 | $0 |
| Deposit methods | Linked CBA transaction account (CDIA, Smart Access, Streamline Basic, NetBank Saver, etc.) - direct debit | Direct debit, PayTo |
| Settlement period | T+2 | Voyager: T+1/T+2 unit pricing (managed fund). US Investing: T+1 (US standard). |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days | 1-2 business days from redemption request to funds in available money balance; additional bank transfer time to external account. |
| 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 + PIN |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, in-app messaging | Email, Phone, Live chat, In-app chat |
| Support hours (AU time) | Mon-Fri 8:00am-6:00pm AET (phone) | Monday to Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm Sydney time (business days only) |
| 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 | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | — |
| Stop loss orders | No | No |
| Conditional orders | No | No |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | single asset | weighted |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | No |