Share Trading comparison
Plus500 vs Tiger Brokers
Plus500 and Tiger Brokers are fundamentally different products. Plus500 is a CFD provider — you never actually own the underlying shares. Tiger Brokers is a genuine broker offering real ASX, US, Hong Kong and China A-share trading with CHESS sponsorship on ASX trades. If you want to buy and hold real shares, Tiger Brokers is the only option here.
Choose
Plus500
if…
- ›You want to speculate on price movements with leverage via CFDs, not own the underlying asset
- ›You trade options and CFDs rather than traditional shares or ETFs
- ›You want a low minimum deposit of $100 and multiple deposit methods including PayPal and Apple Pay
- ›You need 24/7 customer support via live chat, WhatsApp or email
- ›You want a demo account to practise CFD trading strategies before committing real money
Choose
Tiger Brokers
if…
- ›You want to buy and hold real ASX shares under your own HIN with CHESS sponsorship
- ›You want access to US stocks with fractional shares, plus Hong Kong and China A-share markets
- ›You need auto-invest and dividend reinvestment (DRP) for a set-and-forget approach
- ›You want a proper Australian tax statement and CGT calculator for end-of-year reporting
- ›You want to open joint, trust or SMSF accounts — Plus500 doesn't offer any of these
Where they differ
| Fact | Plus500 | Tiger Brokers |
|---|---|---|
| What you actually trade | CFDs only — no real share ownership | Real ASX, US, HK and China A-shares |
| CHESS sponsorship | Custodian model (no individual HIN) | CHESS sponsored (individual HIN available) |
| ASX brokerage | Not applicable (no real ASX shares) | From $3 or 0.03% (whichever applies); free intro trades available |
| Account types | Individual and company only | Individual, joint, company, trust and SMSF |
| FX spread on AUD/USD | 0.7% | 0.0055% |
Verdict
Choose Plus500 for CFD speculation; choose Tiger Brokers for real share ownership, broader markets and proper tax reporting.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Plus500 | Tiger Brokers |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | — | chess |
| 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 | No |
| 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 | Hong Kong, China A-shares | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | Yes |
| Options trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFDs supported | Yes | No |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | No | Yes |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 70% | 0.55% |
| Holds USD account | No | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | — | No |
| 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 | — | $3 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | — | 0.03% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | — | $10,000 |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | New clients receive zero-brokerage on up to 4 trades per month on ASX/US stocks, ETFs or options (minimum brokerage waived; third-party fees still apply). |
| US brokerage minimum | — | US$2 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 0.01% |
| 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 | — | $50 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Plus500AU Pty Ltd | Tiger Brokers (AU) Pty Limited |
| AFSL number | 417,727 | 300,767 |
| Year founded | 2,008 | 2,020 |
| Parent / ownership | Plus500 Ltd (UK/Israel, LSE-listed parent) | UP Fintech Holding Limited (NASDAQ: TIGR) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $100 | $500 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | — | $0 |
| Deposit methods | BPAY, Bank transfer, Credit/debit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay | PayID, PayTo, Bank transfer (direct credit) |
| Settlement period | — | T+2 (ASX), T+1 (US) |
| Withdrawal time | Typically 1-3 business days; same payment method as deposit (card, bank, e-wallet). | 1-2 business days (Tiger review) plus bank processing; can arrive same day |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | Yes |
| Demo account | Yes | Yes |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | Yes |
| Free research reports | Yes | — |
| 2FA support | SMS only | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | Live chat, Email, WhatsApp, Contact form | phone, email, live chat, in-app |
| Support hours (AU time) | 24/7 live chat, email and WhatsApp support | Phone: 9am-5pm weekdays (AET). Live chat: 9am-8:30pm weekdays. Email: ongoing. |
| Education content | structured courses | structured courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | No | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | No | — |
| CGT calculator / report | No | Yes |
| 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 | single asset |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | Yes |