Share Trading comparison
eToro vs Sharesies
The biggest practical difference between eToro and Sharesies is how you pay for trades. eToro offers genuinely zero-commission ASX and US trades on real (non-leveraged) shares, while Sharesies charges 1.9% per trade capped at $6 — or you can buy a monthly subscription plan to cover a set dollar volume. Both are custodian-based (no CHESS sponsorship), so you won't get a HIN with either platform.
Choose
eToro
if…
- ›You want zero brokerage on ASX and US share purchases — eToro charges $0 commission on non-leveraged trades
- ›You trade frequently or in large dollar amounts, where Sharesies' percentage-based fee would add up fast
- ›You want access to 15 international markets including the UK, Europe and Hong Kong, not just Australia and the US
- ›You want a demo account to practise trading before committing real money
- ›You need company, trust or SMSF account structures — Sharesies only offers individual and kids accounts
Choose
Sharesies
if…
- ›You want a kids / minor account — Sharesies has a dedicated kids plan for $2/month
- ›You want dividend reinvestment (DRP) — Sharesies supports it, eToro does not
- ›You want to start with as little as $1 — Sharesies has no minimum deposit or minimum purchase
- ›You want after-hours trading access for US markets
- ›You prefer a simple flat-fee subscription model over worrying about per-trade costs
Where they differ
| Fact | eToro | Sharesies |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage | 0% (zero commission) | 1.9% per trade, capped at $6, or monthly plans from $5-$20/mo |
| Inactivity fee | $10 | $0 |
| Dividend reinvestment (DRP) | Not supported | Supported (no fee for receiving DRP shares) |
| Account types | Individual, company, trust, SMSF | Individual and kids only |
| Minimum initial deposit | $50 | $1 |
Verdict
Choose eToro for zero-commission trading and broader market access; choose Sharesies for kids accounts, DRP and micro-investing.
Cost calculator
What would eToro vs Sharesies 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 | eToro | Sharesies |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | custodian | custodian |
| Individual HIN | No | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | No |
| Company account | Yes | No |
| Trust account | Yes | No |
| SMSF account | Yes | No |
| Kids / minor account | No | 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 States, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Hong Kong, Italy, Spain, Netherlands, Sweden, Belgium, Denmark, Norway, Finland, Switzerland, Portugal | NZ |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | Yes | Yes |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | Yes |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | Yes | No |
| Crypto trading | Yes | — |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | No | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.75% | 0.6% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | — | 0.6% |
| Holds USD account | Yes | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | No | No |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Corporate action fees | eToro passes through cash dividends from non-leveraged real positions (debit/credit to wallet). It does not facilitate participation in rights issues, share purchase plans (SPPs), DRPs or shareholder votes because shares are held in a managed investment scheme by the custodian, not in the user's name. No explicit fee, but corporate action access is materially restricted. | No fee for receiving DRP shares ('You don't pay a Sharesies transaction fee when you receive shares through a DRP'). Sharesies handles corporate actions via the Voting & Corporate Actions Policy; specific fees for rights issues, SPP, takeovers not separately listed in pricing schedule. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $0 | $0 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 0% | 1.9% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | — | $315.79 |
| ASX free trade conditions | Zero commission applies to all non-leveraged (real) ASX share and ETF purchases. Leveraged / short positions are executed as CFDs and incur 0.15% open/close spread plus overnight financing. | Pay-as-you-go: 1.9% per buy/sell order, capped at AU$6 for ASX, US$5 for US, NZ$25 for NZ. Monthly plans cover transaction fees on a set volume: $5/mo plan ($54/yr) covers $500 AUD buy/sell + $1,000 AUD auto-invest; $10/mo plan ($108/yr) covers $1,000 AUD buy/sell + $3,000 AUD auto-invest; $20/mo plan ($216/yr) covers $3,000 AUD buy/sell + $8,000 AUD auto-invest. Kids plan $2/mo covers $500 buy/sell + $1,000 auto-invest. Once monthly cover used up, pay-as-you-go applies. No truly free trade option. |
| US brokerage minimum | US$0 | US$0 |
| US brokerage percentage | 0% | 1.9% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | $10 | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | — | $50 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | eToro AUS Capital Limited | Sharesies Australia Limited |
| AFSL number | 491,139 | 529,893 |
| AUSTRAC registration | Yes | — |
| Year founded | 2,017 | 2,021 |
| Parent / ownership | eToro Group Ltd (NASDAQ: ETOR) — listed 14 May 2025; originally founded in Israel by Yoni and Ronen Assia. eToro AUS Capital Limited is a wholly-owned Australian subsidiary. | Sharesies Group Limited (New Zealand) |
| Country of incorporation | Australia | AU |
| Public company status | public | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $50 | $1 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $50 | $1 |
| Deposit methods | Bank transfer, Debit card, Credit card, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, POLi, Online banking | PayID, OSKO, direct credit, card |
| Settlement period | T+2 ASX, T+1 US (settlement managed by the eToro Service custodian; user funds reflect immediately in eToro wallet) | T+2 ASX/NZX, T+1 US |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days for eToro processing; total 2-10 business days end-to-end depending on payment method (bank transfer longer than card) | 1-2 business days for settled funds; longer if recently sold (T+2 settlement plus 1-2 days reconciliation plus 1-2 days bank transfer) |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | No |
| Demo account | Yes | No |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | No |
| Free research reports | No | No |
| 2FA support | SMS + authenticator app | authenticator_app |
| Customer support channels | Live chat (Club members only), Email / web ticket, Help centre | email, in_app |
| Support hours (AU time) | — | Monday to Friday, 6 AM to 4 PM AEST |
| Education content | video + courses | basic_articles |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | — | Yes |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | No | No |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | multiple | multiple_assets |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | Yes |