nabtrade vs tastytrade
The biggest practical difference between nabtrade and tastytrade is that one is built for Australian investors trading ASX shares under CHESS sponsorship, while the other is a US-based platform that doesn't support ASX trading at all. nabtrade is a full-service bank-owned broker with access to ASX, US, UK, German and Hong Kong markets. tastytrade is a US options-focused broker offering zero-commission US equities and options, but you cannot buy a single ASX-listed stock on it.
- ›You want to trade ASX shares, ETFs or managed funds under your own HIN with CHESS sponsorship
- ›You need a single platform for Australian, US, UK, German and Hong Kong markets
- ›You want instant withdrawals to a linked NAB account and same-business-day transfers to other Australian banks
- ›You need dividend reinvestment plans (DRP), tax statements with Australian reporting, and CGT reports
- ›You're opening an SMSF, trust, company or kids account — tastytrade doesn't support these
- ›You trade US options actively and want zero commission on US equities and options
- ›You want a desktop trading platform with advanced charting and a demo account to practice
- ›You want to avoid monthly market data fees — tastytrade charges $0 for real-time US data
- ›You trade during US market hours and don't mind support being available only overnight Australian time
- ›You're comfortable with a custodian model (no individual HIN) and don't need Australian tax statements
Where they differ
| Fact | nabtrade | tastytrade |
|---|---|---|
| ASX trading | Supported — CHESS sponsored with individual HIN | Not supported at all |
| US brokerage | $9.95 USD or 0.11% (whichever is higher) | $0 USD commission |
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.8% | Not disclosed — USD account held, so no ongoing FX conversion |
| Monthly market data fees | $19.95 AUD/month | $0 AUD/month |
| Account types supported | Individual, joint, company, trust, SMSF, kids/minor | Individual, joint, company, trust only |
Choose nabtrade if you invest in ASX shares; choose tastytrade if you only trade US options and want zero commissions.
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 | tastytrade |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | custodian |
| Individual HIN | Yes | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | Yes |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | Yes | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | No |
| Kids / minor account | Yes | No |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | Yes | No |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | No |
| US shares supported | Yes | Yes |
| US ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| Other markets supported | United Kingdom (LSE), Germany (Xetra), Hong Kong (HKEx) | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | No |
| Options trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds supported | Yes | Yes |
| IPO access | Yes | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 80% | — |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 80% | — |
| Holds USD account | No | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | — | No |
| Market data fees | $19.95/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Phone trade surcharge | $59.95 | — |
| 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 | $9.95 | — |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 11% | — |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $20,000 | — |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | Not applicable — tastytrade does not offer ASX trading. |
| US brokerage minimum | US$9.95 | US$0 |
| US brokerage percentage | 11% | 0% |
| Monthly platform fee | — | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | — | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | — | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | — |
| Off-market transfer fee | $55 | — |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | WealthHub Securities Limited | tastytrade, Inc. |
| AFSL number | 230,704 | — |
| Year founded | 2,012 | 2,017 |
| Parent / ownership | National Australia Bank Limited (ASX: NAB) | IG Group Holdings plc (LSE: IGG) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | US |
| Public company status | public | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $0 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $0 | $0 |
| Deposit methods | Direct credit / EFT, BPAY, Internal transfer from linked NAB account | international wire (USD), ACH (US only), check (US only) |
| Settlement period | ASX T+2; US T+1; UK/Germany/HK T+2 | T+1 (US equities/ETFs, from May 2024) |
| Withdrawal time | Instant to linked NAB accounts; 1 business day to other Australian banks | International wire withdrawals to AU typically 3-5 business days |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | Yes |
| Demo account | No | Yes |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | Yes |
| Free research reports | Yes | No |
| 2FA support | SMS + PIN | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | Phone, Email, Secure messaging (via NAB Internet Banking) | phone, email, live chat |
| Support hours (AU time) | Mon-Fri 8am-6pm AEST/AEDT (contact centre typically 9am-5pm) | Monday-Friday, approx. 7am-5pm US Central Time = approx. 10pm-8am AET (next day). Weekend support limited. No AU business-hours coverage. |
| Education content | structured | video + courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | No |
| 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 | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | No | No |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | none |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | Yes |