Share Trading comparison
Marketech Focus vs Stake
The biggest difference is simple: Marketech Focus is ASX-only with a $20/month fee, while Stake covers both ASX and US markets with no monthly fee. If you only trade Australian shares, Marketech Focus offers CHESS sponsorship and a low 0.03% brokerage. But if you want US stocks or a cheaper all-rounder, Stake is the clear winner.
Choose
Marketech Focus
if…
- ›You want CHESS sponsorship and your own HIN for every trade — Marketech Focus is fully CHESS-sponsored on ASX.
- ›You trade ASX shares frequently and the $20/month fee is offset by the 0.03% brokerage (cheaper than Stake above $16,667 per trade).
- ›You need conditional orders (e.g. stop-loss, trailing stops) — Marketech Focus supports them; Stake does not.
- ›You want a desktop platform for serious charting and order management — Marketech Focus has one; Stake doesn't.
- ›You need a CGT report and distribution component breakdown for tax time — Marketech Focus provides both.
Choose
Stake
if…
- ›You want US stocks, US ETFs, and fractional US shares — Stake offers all of these; Marketech Focus doesn't offer US markets at all.
- ›You don't want to pay a monthly fee — Stake charges $0/month vs Marketech Focus's $20/month ($240/year).
- ›You want free real-time market data — Stake includes it; Marketech Focus charges $20/month for market data on top of its platform fee.
- ›You prefer a modern app experience with Apple Pay, Google Pay, and card deposits — Stake supports all of these.
- ›You want to trade after hours on US markets — Stake supports overnight trading; Marketech Focus does not.
Where they differ
| Fact | Marketech Focus | Stake |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly platform fee | $20/month | $0/month |
| US shares supported | No | Yes |
| CHESS sponsorship | Full CHESS (individual HIN) | Mixed (CHESS for ASX, custodian for US) |
| ASX brokerage (minimum) | $5 or 0.03% | $3 or 0.0001% |
| Free real-time market data | No ($20/month extra) | Yes (included) |
Verdict
For most investors, Stake is the better deal — zero fees, US access, and cheaper ASX trades beat Marketech Focus's $20/month subscription.
Cost calculator
What would Marketech Focus 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 | Marketech Focus | Stake |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | mixed |
| Individual HIN | Yes | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | — | No |
| Company account | — | Yes |
| Trust account | — | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | — | No |
| 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 States |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | — | Yes |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | Yes |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | — | 0.55% |
| Holds USD account | No | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | — | Yes |
| Market data fees | $20/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Corporate action fees | — | 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 | $5 | $3 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 3% | 0.01% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $16,667 | $30,000 |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | No free-trade promotion ordinarily offered; brokerage waived for 12 months on transferred ASX holdings worth A$1,000+ |
| US brokerage minimum | — | US$3 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 0.01% |
| Monthly platform fee | $20/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $240/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | — | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | — | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Marketech Online Trading Pty Ltd | Stakeshop Pty Ltd |
| AFSL number | 337,927 | 548,196 |
| Year founded | 2,021 | 2,017 |
| Parent / ownership | Australian-owned private company; AFSL backing from Sanlam Private Wealth Pty Ltd; trade execution via OpenMarkets Australia Limited | Privately held (Stakeshop AFSL Pty Ltd group); investors include AGL Energy's former CEO and various private investors |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | private | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $500 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $0 | $20 |
| Deposit methods | Bank transfer (to Macquarie CMA), Direct credit | Bank transfer (Osko/PayID), Apple Pay, Google Pay, Debit card, Credit card |
| Settlement period | T+2 | T+2 for ASX; T+1 for US |
| Withdrawal time | Same-day to 1 business day (via Macquarie CMA) | 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 | Yes | No |
| Demo account | No | No |
| Free real-time market data | No | Yes |
| Free research reports | Yes | Yes |
| 2FA support | — | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | email, support portal | Email, In-app chat, Help centre |
| Support hours (AU time) | — | Business hours AEST/AEDT (approximately Mon-Fri); chat/email response varies |
| Education content | basic articles | structured courses |
| 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 | No |
| Auto-invest / DCA | No | No |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | none |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | Yes |