Share Trading comparison
Marketech Focus vs tastytrade
Marketech Focus is built for Australians who want CHESS-sponsored ASX trading with a flat monthly fee, while tastytrade is a US broker that gives you commission-free US stocks and options but holds your assets in custody. The biggest practical difference: Marketech Focus puts your ASX holdings under your own HIN, whereas tastytrade doesn't support ASX at all and keeps your US assets in a custodial account.
Choose
Marketech Focus
if…
- ›You want CHESS sponsorship and your own HIN for ASX-listed shares and ETFs
- ›You trade ASX frequently enough that a $20/month platform fee beats per-trade brokerage elsewhere
- ›You need Australian tax statements, distribution breakdowns and CGT reports for EOFY
- ›You want to deposit and withdraw in AUD with same-day to next-business-day settlement
- ›You prefer an Australian-regulated broker (AFSL 337927) with local support hours
Choose
tastytrade
if…
- ›You want to trade US stocks, ETFs and options commission-free with zero monthly fees
- ›You trade options actively — tastytrade is built for options with advanced tools and education
- ›You don't mind a custodial structure and are comfortable with US market hours and settlement
- ›You want a demo account and free real-time US market data to test strategies before committing
- ›You're happy to fund via international wire and wait 3-5 business days for AUD withdrawals
Where they differ
| Fact | Marketech Focus | tastytrade |
|---|---|---|
| ASX support | Yes — CHESS-sponsored, individual HIN | No ASX trading at all |
| Monthly fee | $20/month (includes market data) | $0/month |
| US brokerage | Not available | $0 per trade (options included) |
| Options trading | Not supported | Full options trading supported |
| Withdrawal speed | Same-day to 1 business day (AUD) | 3-5 business days (international wire) |
Verdict
Choose Marketech Focus for CHESS-sponsored ASX investing; choose tastytrade for commission-free US options and stocks.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Marketech Focus | tastytrade |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | custodian |
| Individual HIN | Yes | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | — | Yes |
| Company account | — | Yes |
| Trust account | — | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | No |
| Kids / minor account | — | No |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | Yes | No |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | No |
| US shares supported | No | Yes |
| US ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| Other markets supported | Cboe Australia, NSX (National Stock Exchange of Australia) | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | — | No |
| Options trading | No | Yes |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | Yes |
| IPO access | — | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| Holds USD account | No | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | — | No |
| Market data fees | $20/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Corporate action fees | — | Standard US corporate action processing applies (dividends, splits, mergers). Mandatory corporate actions are processed at no fee; voluntary corporate actions (e.g. tender offers) may incur a fee per tastytrade's fee schedule. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $5 | — |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 3% | — |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $16,667 | — |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | Not applicable — tastytrade does not offer ASX trading. |
| US brokerage minimum | — | US$0 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 0% |
| Monthly platform fee | $20/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $240/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | — | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | — |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Marketech Online Trading Pty Ltd | tastytrade, Inc. |
| AFSL number | 337,927 | — |
| 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 | IG Group Holdings plc (LSE: IGG) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | US |
| Public company status | private | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $0 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $0 | $0 |
| Deposit methods | Bank transfer (to Macquarie CMA), Direct credit | international wire (USD), ACH (US only), check (US only) |
| Settlement period | T+2 | T+1 (US equities/ETFs, from May 2024) |
| Withdrawal time | Same-day to 1 business day (via Macquarie CMA) | International wire withdrawals to AU typically 3-5 business days |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | Yes |
| Demo account | No | Yes |
| Free real-time market data | No | Yes |
| Free research reports | Yes | No |
| 2FA support | — | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | email, support portal | phone, email, live chat |
| Support hours (AU time) | — | Monday-Friday, approx. 7am-5pm US Central Time = approx. 10pm-8am AET (next day). Weekend support limited. No AU business-hours coverage. |
| Education content | basic articles | video + courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | No |
| 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 | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | Yes |