Share Trading comparison
Plus500 vs Webull
Plus500 and Webull are both mobile-first trading apps, but they operate in completely different worlds. Plus500 is a CFD provider — you never actually own the underlying shares. Webull is a genuine broker offering real ASX and US shares under CHESS sponsorship. If you want to buy and hold real stocks, Webull is the only option here.
Choose
Plus500
if…
- ›You want to trade CFDs with leverage on indices, commodities, forex or crypto without owning the underlying asset
- ›You want a demo account and structured educational courses to learn trading strategies
- ›You prefer a lower minimum deposit ($100 vs $500) and more deposit options including PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay
- ›You trade 24/7 and want round-the-clock support via live chat, email and WhatsApp
- ›You want zero monthly market data fees and free real-time data included
Choose
Webull
if…
- ›You want to buy and hold real ASX shares under your own HIN with CHESS sponsorship
- ›You want zero-brokerage ASX ETF trading with no conditions attached
- ›You trade US stocks and want $0 US brokerage, fractional shares, and a dedicated USD account to avoid FX conversion on every trade
- ›You need a full suite of account types — joint, trust, SMSF, and company accounts
- ›You want auto-invest (DCA) with weighted allocation, a CGT report, and Sharesight integration for tax time
Where they differ
| Fact | Plus500 | Webull |
|---|---|---|
| What you actually own | CFD contracts — you never hold real shares | Real ASX and US shares under CHESS sponsorship with your own HIN |
| ASX brokerage | Not applicable — no real ASX shares offered | $1 min or 0.03% for shares; $0 for all ASX ETFs |
| US trading costs | Not available — Plus500 does not offer real US shares | $0 US brokerage, 0.005% FX spread, USD account available |
| Inactivity fee | $10 | $0 |
| Market data fees | $0/month — free real-time data included | $49.99/month for real-time data |
Verdict
Choose Plus500 for leveraged CFD trading; choose Webull if you want to own real shares with low-cost ASX and US access.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Plus500 | Webull |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| Crypto trading | — | Yes |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | No | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 70% | 0.5% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | — | 0.5% |
| Holds USD account | No | Yes |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $49.99/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 | — | $1 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | — | 0.03% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | — | $3,333 |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | ASX ETFs: $0 brokerage on all trades, no conditions. ASX shares: not free — $1 minimum or 0.03% (whichever greater). |
| US brokerage minimum | — | US$0 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 0% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | $10 | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Plus500AU Pty Ltd | Webull Securities (Australia) Pty Ltd |
| AFSL number | 417,727 | 536,980 |
| AUSTRAC registration | — | Yes |
| Year founded | 2,008 | 2,022 |
| Parent / ownership | Plus500 Ltd (UK/Israel, LSE-listed parent) | Webull Corporation (NASDAQ: BULL), Cayman Islands holding company; originally backed by Hunan Fumi Information Technology (China) with investors including Xiaomi, General Atlantic, Coatue, Lightspeed |
| Country of incorporation | AU | Australia |
| 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 | PayTo, Bank transfer (EFT), International wire |
| Settlement period | — | T+2 for ASX; T+1 for US |
| Withdrawal time | Typically 1-3 business days; same payment method as deposit (card, bank, e-wallet). | 1-2 business days for AUD bank transfer; 1-5 business days for international wire |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | Yes |
| Demo account | Yes | Yes |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | No |
| Free research reports | Yes | No |
| 2FA support | SMS only | authenticator |
| Customer support channels | Live chat, Email, WhatsApp, Contact form | Phone, Email, In-app chat |
| Support hours (AU time) | 24/7 live chat, email and WhatsApp support | Phone: Mon-Fri 08:30-18:00 AEST/AEDT. In-app chat: advertised 24-hour. |
| Education content | structured courses | structured |
| 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 | weighted |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | Yes |