Share Trading comparison
nabtrade vs Stake
The biggest practical difference between nabtrade and Stake is cost. Stake charges just $3 for ASX trades and near-zero FX on US shares, while nabtrade charges $9.95 minimum and 0.8% FX spread. But nabtrade is a full-service CHESS-sponsored broker backed by NAB, with options, bonds, managed funds and international markets beyond the US — Stake keeps it simpler and cheaper, focused on ASX and US stocks.
Choose
nabtrade
if…
- ›You want CHESS sponsorship with your own HIN and direct ownership of ASX shares on the registry
- ›You trade options, managed funds or bonds — none of which Stake offers
- ›You need access to UK, German or Hong Kong markets, not just Australia and the US
- ›You want a dividend reinvestment plan (DRP) — Stake doesn't offer one
- ›You prefer the backing of a Big Four bank and phone-based customer support
Choose
Stake
if…
- ›You trade frequently and want ASX brokerage at $3 and US trades at $3 with near-zero FX spread (0.0055%)
- ›You buy US fractional shares — nabtrade doesn't offer them
- ›You want free market data with no monthly fee (nabtrade charges $19.95/month)
- ›You prefer a modern app with Apple Pay, Google Pay and card deposits for fast funding
- ›You want to transfer existing ASX holdings in and get brokerage waived for 12 months
Where they differ
| Fact | nabtrade | Stake |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage minimum | $9.95 | $3 |
| US brokerage minimum | $9.95 USD | $3 USD |
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.8% | 0.0055% |
| Market data fees | $19.95/month | $0/month |
| CHESS sponsorship model | CHESS (full) | Mixed (CHESS for ASX, custodian for US) |
Verdict
Choose nabtrade for full-service investing with CHESS and global markets; choose Stake for low-cost ASX and US trading.
Cost calculator
What would nabtrade 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 | nabtrade | Stake |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | mixed |
| Individual HIN | Yes | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | No |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | Yes | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | Yes | 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 Kingdom (LSE), Germany (Xetra), Hong Kong (HKEx) | United States |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | Yes |
| Options trading | Yes | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds supported | Yes | Yes |
| IPO access | Yes | — |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 80% | 0.55% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 80% | — |
| Holds USD account | No | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | — | Yes |
| Market data fees | $19.95/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Phone trade surcharge | $59.95 | — |
| 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 | $9.95 | $3 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 11% | 0.01% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $20,000 | $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$9.95 | US$3 |
| US brokerage percentage | 11% | 0.01% |
| Monthly platform fee | — | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | — | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | — | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $55 | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | WealthHub Securities Limited | Stakeshop Pty Ltd |
| AFSL number | 230,704 | 548,196 |
| Year founded | 2,012 | 2,017 |
| Parent / ownership | National Australia Bank Limited (ASX: NAB) | 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 | public | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $500 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $0 | $20 |
| Deposit methods | Direct credit / EFT, BPAY, Internal transfer from linked NAB account | Bank transfer (Osko/PayID), Apple Pay, Google Pay, Debit card, Credit card |
| Settlement period | ASX T+2; US T+1; UK/Germany/HK T+2 | T+2 for ASX; T+1 for US |
| Withdrawal time | Instant to linked NAB accounts; 1 business day to other Australian banks | 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 | No | No |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | Yes |
| Free research reports | Yes | Yes |
| 2FA support | SMS + PIN | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | Phone, Email, Secure messaging (via NAB Internet Banking) | Email, In-app chat, Help centre |
| Support hours (AU time) | Mon-Fri 8am-6pm AEST/AEDT (contact centre typically 9am-5pm) | Business hours AEST/AEDT (approximately Mon-Fri); chat/email response varies |
| Education content | structured | structured courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | No | 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 |