Share Trading comparison
Commsec Pocket vs Vanguard Personal Investor
The biggest difference between CommSec Pocket and Vanguard Personal Investor is ownership structure. CommSec Pocket is a CHESS-sponsored brokerage backed by Commonwealth Bank, giving you your own HIN and direct ASX ownership. Vanguard Personal Investor is a custodian model — you don't get a HIN, but you get $0 brokerage on Vanguard ETFs and access to Vanguard managed funds.
Choose
Commsec Pocket
if…
- ›You want CHESS sponsorship and your own HIN for direct ASX share ownership
- ›You're starting small — minimum trades start at just $50 and brokerage is as low as $2 on ASX
- ›You prefer a simple, app-only experience backed by a major bank
- ›You want to trade a range of ASX ETFs from different issuers, not just Vanguard products
Choose
Vanguard Personal Investor
if…
- ›You plan to buy Vanguard ETFs regularly — $0 brokerage on buys and $0 on auto-invest purchases
- ›You want access to Vanguard managed funds alongside ETFs in one account
- ›You need joint, trust, company, SMSF or kids accounts — Vanguard supports all of them
- ›You want a more sophisticated auto-invest feature that can handle multiple assets at once
Where they differ
| Fact | Commsec Pocket | Vanguard Personal Investor |
|---|---|---|
| CHESS sponsorship model | CHESS-sponsored (your own HIN) | Custodian model (no HIN) |
| ASX brokerage (Vanguard ETFs) | $2 min or 0.2% | $0 on buys, $9 on sells |
| Managed funds | Not supported | Supported (Vanguard managed funds) |
| Account types | Individual only | Individual, joint, company, trust, SMSF, kids |
| Minimum initial deposit | $50 | $200 |
Verdict
Pick CommSec Pocket for simple, low-cost CHESS-sponsored ETF trading; pick Vanguard if you want zero-buy brokerage on Vanguard products and broader account types.
Cost calculator
What would Commsec Pocket vs Vanguard Personal Investor 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 | Commsec Pocket | Vanguard Personal Investor |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | custodian |
| Individual HIN | Yes | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | Yes |
| Company account | No | Yes |
| Trust account | No | Yes |
| SMSF account | No | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | No | Yes |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | Yes | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| US shares supported | No | No |
| US ETFs supported | No | No |
| Other markets supported | ||
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | 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 | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | — | $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. | Participation in voluntary corporate actions (rights issues, SPPs, takeovers) is NOT available through Vanguard Personal Investor for ETFs or direct shares - investors cannot participate. Mandatory corporate actions (e.g. dividends) flow through automatically. No corporate action fees disclosed. |
| 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. | $0 brokerage on all buys of Vanguard ETFs (Vanguard managed funds incur no brokerage at all). $0 brokerage on Vanguard ETFs/funds purchased via Auto Invest. Sells of Vanguard ETFs incur $9 flat. ASX direct (non-Vanguard) shares: $9 flat both ways. |
| 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 | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Commonwealth Securities Limited | Vanguard Investments Australia Ltd |
| AFSL number | 238,814 | 227,263 |
| Year founded | 2,019 | 2,020 |
| Parent / ownership | Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) | The Vanguard Group, Inc. (US) - mutual structure owned by US-domiciled Vanguard fund investors |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $50 | $200 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $50 | $1 |
| Deposit methods | Linked CBA transaction account (CDIA, Smart Access, Streamline Basic, NetBank Saver, etc.) - direct debit | BPAY, Direct credit (EFT), Direct debit |
| Settlement period | T+2 | T+2 (ASX) |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days | Up to 3 business days from processing date (processed same day if requested before 4pm AET) |
| 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, Secure message (in-app) |
| Support hours (AU time) | Mon-Fri 8:00am-6:00pm AET (phone) | Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm AET (phone) |
| Education content | structured courses | structured |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | No | Yes |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | No | No |
| Conditional orders | No | No |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | single asset | multiple |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | No |