Share Trading comparison
Marketech Focus vs nabtrade
Marketech Focus is the low-cost ASX specialist, while nabtrade is the full-service bank-backed broker with global reach. The biggest practical difference comes down to price versus breadth: Marketech Focus charges a flat $20 monthly fee and just $5 ASX brokerage, but only trades Australian shares. nabtrade costs more per trade ($9.95 minimum) but opens up US, UK, Hong Kong and German markets, plus managed funds, bonds and IPOs.
Choose
Marketech Focus
if…
- ›You trade ASX shares or ETFs frequently and want the lowest cost — $5 brokerage up to $16,667 per trade beats nabtrade's $9.95 minimum every time.
- ›You're happy to pay a $20/month platform fee in exchange for dirt-cheap per-trade costs and don't need international shares.
- ›You want CHESS-sponsored ownership with your own HIN and don't need a big bank behind you.
- ›You're comfortable with email and portal support rather than phone-based customer service.
Choose
nabtrade
if…
- ›You need access to US, UK, Hong Kong or German markets — nabtrade covers them all; Marketech Focus doesn't do any international shares.
- ›You want a one-stop shop that includes managed funds, bonds, IPOs and options trading alongside standard shares and ETFs.
- ›You value bank-grade support with phone, email and secure messaging, plus structured educational content.
- ›You prefer free real-time ASX market data — nabtrade includes it for $19.95/month, while Marketech Focus charges the same $20/month for data on top of its platform fee.
Where they differ
| Fact | Marketech Focus | nabtrade |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage minimum | $5.00 | $9.95 |
| Monthly platform fee | $20/month | $0/month |
| International markets | None (ASX, Cboe, NSX only) | US, UK, Germany, Hong Kong |
| Managed funds & bonds | Not supported | Supported |
| Free real-time data | No (extra $20/month) | Yes (included in $19.95/month market data fee) |
Verdict
Choose Marketech Focus for cheap ASX-only trading; choose nabtrade if you need global markets, a wider product range or bank-backed support.
Cost calculator
What would Marketech Focus vs nabtrade 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 | Marketech Focus | nabtrade |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | chess |
| Individual HIN | Yes | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | — | Yes |
| Company account | — | Yes |
| Trust account | — | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | — | Yes |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | Yes | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| US shares supported | No | Yes |
| US ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| Other markets supported | Cboe Australia, NSX (National Stock Exchange of Australia) | United Kingdom (LSE), Germany (Xetra), Hong Kong (HKEx) |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | — | No |
| Options trading | No | Yes |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | No | Yes |
| Bonds supported | No | Yes |
| IPO access | — | Yes |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | — | 80% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | — | 80% |
| Holds USD account | No | No |
| Market data fees | $20/month | $19.95/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Phone trade surcharge | — | $59.95 |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $5 | $9.95 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 3% | 11% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $16,667 | $20,000 |
| US brokerage minimum | — | US$9.95 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 11% |
| Monthly platform fee | $20/month | — |
| Annual platform fee | $240/year | — |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | — | $55 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Marketech Online Trading Pty Ltd | WealthHub Securities Limited |
| AFSL number | 337,927 | 230,704 |
| Year founded | 2,021 | 2,012 |
| Parent / ownership | Australian-owned private company; AFSL backing from Sanlam Private Wealth Pty Ltd; trade execution via OpenMarkets Australia Limited | National Australia Bank Limited (ASX: NAB) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | private | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $500 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $0 | $0 |
| Deposit methods | Bank transfer (to Macquarie CMA), Direct credit | Direct credit / EFT, BPAY, Internal transfer from linked NAB account |
| Settlement period | T+2 | ASX T+2; US T+1; UK/Germany/HK T+2 |
| Withdrawal time | Same-day to 1 business day (via Macquarie CMA) | Instant to linked NAB accounts; 1 business day to other Australian banks |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | No |
| Demo account | No | No |
| Free real-time market data | No | Yes |
| Free research reports | Yes | Yes |
| 2FA support | — | SMS + PIN |
| Customer support channels | email, support portal | Phone, Email, Secure messaging (via NAB Internet Banking) |
| Support hours (AU time) | — | Mon-Fri 8am-6pm AEST/AEDT (contact centre typically 9am-5pm) |
| Education content | basic articles | structured |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | Yes | No |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | No |