Share Trading comparison
eToro vs Stake
The biggest practical difference between eToro and Stake comes down to ownership structure. eToro holds your ASX shares in a custodian model — you don't get a HIN — while Stake gives you a CHESS-sponsored HIN for ASX holdings, meaning you're the legal owner on the register. That distinction shapes everything else: fees, market access, and who this platform is really built for.
Choose
eToro
if…
- ›You want zero brokerage on ASX and US trades — eToro charges $0 on both markets with no minimum trade size
- ›You want to trade CFDs, crypto, or access 14 international markets beyond just Australia and the US
- ›You want fractional shares on ASX stocks (eToro lets you buy $50 slices of BHP, CBA, etc.)
- ›You want a demo account to practice trading before committing real money
- ›You want to deposit via PayPal, Skrill, credit card, or POLi — Stake only offers bank transfer and card
Choose
Stake
if…
- ›You want your ASX shares held under your own HIN via CHESS sponsorship — Stake gives you direct ownership on the register
- ›You trade US stocks regularly and want a tighter FX spread (0.0055% vs eToro's 0.0075%) plus the ability to use the 'currency switch trick' to avoid FX fees on USD deposits
- ›You want after-hours trading on US markets — Stake supports overnight trading, eToro doesn't
- ›You want integrated tax reporting with Sharesight or Navexa, and free research reports
- ›You don't want to pay an inactivity fee — Stake charges $0; eToro hits you with $10 after 12 months of no logins
Where they differ
| Fact | eToro | Stake |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage | $0 | $3 (or 0.01% on trades over $30,000) |
| CHESS sponsorship | Custodian model — no individual HIN | CHESS-sponsored — you get your own HIN |
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.0075% | 0.0055% |
| Inactivity fee | $10 after 12 months | $0 |
| Minimum initial deposit | $50 | $500 |
Verdict
Choose eToro for zero-fee trading and global markets; choose Stake if you want CHESS ownership and better US-dollar FX.
Cost calculator
What would eToro vs Stake 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 | Stake |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | custodian | mixed |
| Individual HIN | No | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | No |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | Yes | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | No | No |
| 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 | United States |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | Yes | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | Yes |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | Yes | No |
| Crypto trading | Yes | — |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | Yes |
| IPO access | No | — |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.75% | 0.55% |
| Holds USD account | Yes | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | No | Yes |
| 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. | Corporate actions (dividends, SPPs, rights issues, takeovers) are passed through where mandatory; Stake does not provide a DRP — investors must elect DRP directly with each company's share registry. No published per-event fee. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $0 | $3 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 0% | 0.01% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | — | $30,000 |
| 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. | No free-trade promotion ordinarily offered; brokerage waived for 12 months on transferred ASX holdings worth A$1,000+ |
| US brokerage minimum | US$0 | US$3 |
| US brokerage percentage | 0% | 0.01% |
| 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 | — | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | eToro AUS Capital Limited | Stakeshop Pty Ltd |
| AFSL number | 491,139 | 548,196 |
| AUSTRAC registration | Yes | — |
| Year founded | 2,017 | 2,017 |
| 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. | Privately held (Stakeshop AFSL Pty Ltd group); investors include AGL Energy's former CEO and various private investors |
| Country of incorporation | Australia | AU |
| Public company status | public | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $50 | $500 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $50 | $20 |
| Deposit methods | Bank transfer, Debit card, Credit card, PayPal, Skrill, Neteller, POLi, Online banking | Bank transfer (Osko/PayID), Apple Pay, Google Pay, Debit card, 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 for ASX; T+1 for 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 AUD (Stake AUS); 2-3 US business days for USD (Stake Wall St) |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | No |
| Demo account | Yes | No |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | Yes |
| Free research reports | No | Yes |
| 2FA support | SMS + authenticator app | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | Live chat (Club members only), Email / web ticket, Help centre | Email, In-app chat, Help centre |
| Support hours (AU time) | — | Business hours AEST/AEDT (approximately Mon-Fri); chat/email response varies |
| Education content | video + courses | structured courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | — | No |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | No | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | No |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | No |
| Auto-invest sophistication | multiple | none |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | Yes |