Share Trading comparison
CommSec vs Plus500
CommSec and Plus500 are fundamentally different products. CommSec is a full-service CHESS-sponsored broker that lets you buy and hold real ASX and US shares. Plus500 is a CFD provider — you never own the underlying asset, just speculate on price movements. That single difference determines everything else.
Choose
CommSec
if…
- ›You want to own real shares on the ASX under your own HIN with CHESS sponsorship
- ›You plan to hold investments long-term and collect dividends, participate in SPPs, or vote at AGMs
- ›You need a joint account, trust account, SMSF account, or a minor/kids account
- ›You want low-cost US trading with a dedicated USD account and tight FX spreads (0.0055%)
- ›You need an Australian tax statement and Sharesight integration for portfolio tracking
Choose
Plus500
if…
- ›You want to trade CFDs with leverage and speculate on short-term price movements without owning the asset
- ›You prefer a demo account to practise strategies before risking real money
- ›You want 24/7 customer support via live chat, email or WhatsApp
- ›You want to deposit with credit/debit card, PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay
- ›You only have a small starting amount ($100 minimum deposit) and want to test the platform
Where they differ
| Fact | CommSec | Plus500 |
|---|---|---|
| What you actually buy | Real shares under your HIN (CHESS-sponsored) | CFDs only — no real shares, no ownership |
| ASX brokerage (minimum) | $5 (with CDIA linked) | Not applicable — Plus500 does not offer ASX shares |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | $10 per month after a period of inactivity |
| Demo account | Not available | Available for risk-free practice |
| Account types | Individual, joint, company, trust, SMSF, minor | Individual and company only |
Verdict
If you want to own real shares and invest long-term, choose CommSec. If you want leveraged CFD speculation, choose Plus500.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | CommSec | Plus500 |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | — |
| Individual HIN | Yes | — |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | No |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | Yes | No |
| SMSF account | Yes | No |
| Kids / minor account | Yes | No |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | Yes | No |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | No |
| US shares supported | Yes | No |
| US ETFs supported | Yes | No |
| Other markets supported | United States, Canada, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Italy, Netherlands, Hong Kong, Japan, Belgium, Norway, Spain, Sweden | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | No |
| Options trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFDs supported | No | Yes |
| Managed funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds supported | Yes | No |
| IPO access | Yes | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.55% | 70% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 0.55% | — |
| Holds USD account | Yes | No |
| FX currency switch trick | No | — |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Phone trade surcharge | $59.95 | — |
| Corporate action fees | Corporate actions (SPP, rights issue, takeovers, demergers, dividend payments) are not separately charged by CommSec. They are processed via the share registry/issuer. CommSec does not send trade confirmations for off-market events, so Sharesight/other tracker sync requires manual updates. Failed-settlement fees apply if payment is late ($10 minimum or 0.66% above $1,500). | Not applicable — Plus500 only offers CFDs, so users do not participate in real corporate actions (rights issues, SPPs, takeovers). Dividend adjustments on share CFDs are credited/debited to positions automatically. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $5 | — |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 0.12% | — |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $25,000 | — |
| ASX free trade conditions | Conditional: $5 minimum requires linked CDIA (Commonwealth Direct Investment Account) or CommSec Margin Loan as the settlement account AND CHESS sponsorship with CommSec. Without CDIA linkage, brokerage starts at $29.95 for trades up to $9,999.99 and 0.31% above. Promotional $0 brokerage offers occasionally run for new customers (e.g. 30 free trades up to $50,000 each, May–Nov 2026 offer for new sign-ups). | — |
| US brokerage minimum | US$5 | — |
| US brokerage percentage | 0.12% | — |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | $10 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $54 | — |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Commonwealth Securities Limited | Plus500AU Pty Ltd |
| AFSL number | 238,814 | 417,727 |
| Year founded | 1,995 | 2,008 |
| Parent / ownership | Commonwealth Bank of Australia (ASX: CBA) | Plus500 Ltd (UK/Israel, LSE-listed parent) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $100 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $0 | — |
| Deposit methods | BPAY, Direct debit, Bank transfer (CDIA), Cheque, Cash deposit (CBA branch/ATM) | BPAY, Bank transfer, Credit/debit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay |
| Settlement period | T+2 (ASX) / T+1 (US) | — |
| Withdrawal time | Same-day to 1 business day (instant when funds in CDIA via real-time transfer) | Typically 1-3 business days; same payment method as deposit (card, bank, e-wallet). |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | No |
| Demo account | No | Yes |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | Yes |
| Free research reports | Yes | Yes |
| 2FA support | SMS + authenticator | SMS only |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, live chat (in-app), secure mail (in-platform), social media (X, Instagram) | Live chat, Email, WhatsApp, Contact form |
| Support hours (AU time) | Phone 8am-6pm Mon-Fri Sydney time (general & options); extended trading-hours support during ASX session. No 24/7 support. | 24/7 live chat, email and WhatsApp support |
| Education content | structured courses | structured courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | No |
| Distribution component breakdown | No | No |
| CGT calculator / report | No | No |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | No |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | No | No |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | none |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | Yes |