Share Trading comparison
Plus500 vs SelfWealth
Plus500 and SelfWealth look like trading platforms, but they're fundamentally different products. Plus500 is a CFD provider — you never actually own the underlying shares. SelfWealth is a genuine CHESS-sponsored broker that buys real ASX and US stocks on your behalf. That distinction changes everything about fees, risk, and what you can do with your money.
Choose
Plus500
if…
- ›You want to speculate on price movements with leverage, not own actual shares or ETFs
- ›You trade CFDs on indices, commodities, or forex alongside share-like instruments
- ›You want a demo account to practice before committing real money
- ›You need 24/7 customer support via live chat, email, or WhatsApp
- ›You're comfortable with a custodian model where you don't get an individual HIN
Choose
SelfWealth
if…
- ›You want to buy and hold real ASX shares under your own HIN with CHESS sponsorship
- ›You trade US stocks and want a dedicated USD account to avoid repeated FX conversion fees
- ›You need joint, trust, SMSF, or minor account options — Plus500 offers none of these
- ›You want dividend reinvestment (DRP) and auto-invest / DCA features for building wealth over time
- ›You prefer a flat $9.50 brokerage on ASX trades with no inactivity fee
Where they differ
| Fact | Plus500 | SelfWealth |
|---|---|---|
| What you actually own | CFDs only — no real shares | Real ASX and US shares under your HIN |
| CHESS sponsorship | Custodian model (no individual HIN) | Mixed — individual HIN available |
| ASX brokerage | Not applicable (no real ASX shares) | $9.50 per trade (or free with Premium) |
| Account types | Individual and company only | Individual, joint, company, trust, SMSF, kids |
| Inactivity fee | $10 | $0 |
Verdict
Choose SelfWealth if you want to own real shares; choose Plus500 only if you're specifically after leveraged CFD speculation.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Plus500 | SelfWealth |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | — | mixed |
| Individual HIN | — | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | Yes |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | No | Yes |
| SMSF account | No | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | No | Yes |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | No | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| US shares supported | No | Yes |
| US ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| Other markets supported | HK | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | No |
| Options trading | Yes | No |
| CFDs supported | Yes | No |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | No | — |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 70% | 60% |
| Holds USD account | No | Yes |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Corporate action fees | Not applicable — Plus500 only offers CFDs, so users do not participate in real corporate actions (rights issues, SPPs, takeovers). Dividend adjustments on share CFDs are credited/debited to positions automatically. | — |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | — | $9.5 |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | Selfwealth Premium subscribers ($29/month or $240/year) receive 10 complimentary trades annually; otherwise no free-trade conditions. |
| US brokerage minimum | — | US$9.5 |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | $10 | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | — | $27.5 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Plus500AU Pty Ltd | SelfWealth Pty Ltd |
| AFSL number | 417,727 | 421,789 |
| Year founded | 2,008 | 2,012 |
| Parent / ownership | Plus500 Ltd (UK/Israel, LSE-listed parent) | Syfe (Svava Pte Ltd, Singapore) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $100 | $500 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | — | $0 |
| Deposit methods | BPAY, Bank transfer, Credit/debit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay | OSKO, BPAY, EFT/bank transfer |
| Settlement period | — | T+2 |
| Withdrawal time | Typically 1-3 business days; same payment method as deposit (card, bank, e-wallet). | 1-2 business days |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | No |
| Demo account | Yes | No |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | No |
| Free research reports | Yes | No |
| 2FA support | SMS only | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | Live chat, Email, WhatsApp, Contact form | live chat, email, phone |
| Support hours (AU time) | 24/7 live chat, email and WhatsApp support | 10am-4pm AET, Monday-Friday (closed public holidays) |
| Education content | structured courses | basic articles |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | No | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | No | — |
| CGT calculator / report | No | No |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | No | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | No | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | multiple |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | Yes |