Share Trading comparison
SelfWealth vs Sharesies
The biggest difference between SelfWealth and Sharesies is how you pay for trades and whether you own your HIN. SelfWealth charges a flat $9.50 per ASX trade and is CHESS-sponsored, meaning you hold your own HIN. Sharesies uses a custodian model with no HIN and charges a percentage-based fee (0.019%, capped at $6) or a monthly subscription — great for small trades but you don't directly own the shares on the ASX register.
Choose
SelfWealth
if…
- ›You want CHESS sponsorship and your own HIN so shares are held in your name on the ASX register
- ›You trade larger parcels where a flat $9.50 works out cheaper than Sharesies' percentage model
- ›You need joint, company, trust, or SMSF account types — Sharesies only offers individual and kids accounts
- ›You want to transfer your portfolio to another broker without a $50 off-market transfer fee (SelfWealth charges $27.50)
- ›You prefer a straightforward flat-fee structure without worrying about monthly plan caps or tiered pricing
Choose
Sharesies
if…
- ›You trade small amounts regularly — Sharesies' 0.019% fee (capped at $6) is far cheaper than SelfWealth's $9.50 minimum
- ›You want to buy fractional shares in ASX or US stocks, which SelfWealth doesn't offer
- ›You want a built-in CGT calculator and distribution component breakdown for tax time — SelfWealth lacks both
- ›You want to start with as little as $1 and use card deposits, PayID, or OSKO
- ›You invest in NZ shares — Sharesies supports the NZ market, SelfWealth doesn't
Where they differ
| Fact | SelfWealth | Sharesies |
|---|---|---|
| CHESS sponsorship model | Mixed (individual HIN available) | Custodian (no individual HIN) |
| ASX brokerage minimum | $9.50 flat | 0.019% (capped at $6) |
| Fractional shares | Not supported | Supported on ASX and US |
| Account types | Individual, joint, company, trust, SMSF, kids | Individual and kids only |
| CGT calculator / report | Not available | Built-in |
Verdict
Choose SelfWealth for CHESS ownership and flat fees; choose Sharesies for micro-investing, fractional shares, and tax reporting.
Cost calculator
What would SelfWealth vs Sharesies 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 | SelfWealth | Sharesies |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | mixed | custodian |
| Individual HIN | Yes | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | No |
| Company account | Yes | No |
| Trust account | Yes | No |
| SMSF account | Yes | No |
| Kids / minor account | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | HK | NZ |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | Yes |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | Yes |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | — | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 60% | 0.6% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | — | 0.6% |
| Holds USD account | Yes | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | — | No |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Corporate action fees | — | No fee for receiving DRP shares ('You don't pay a Sharesies transaction fee when you receive shares through a DRP'). Sharesies handles corporate actions via the Voting & Corporate Actions Policy; specific fees for rights issues, SPP, takeovers not separately listed in pricing schedule. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $9.5 | $0 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | — | 1.9% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | — | $315.79 |
| ASX free trade conditions | Selfwealth Premium subscribers ($29/month or $240/year) receive 10 complimentary trades annually; otherwise no free-trade conditions. | Pay-as-you-go: 1.9% per buy/sell order, capped at AU$6 for ASX, US$5 for US, NZ$25 for NZ. Monthly plans cover transaction fees on a set volume: $5/mo plan ($54/yr) covers $500 AUD buy/sell + $1,000 AUD auto-invest; $10/mo plan ($108/yr) covers $1,000 AUD buy/sell + $3,000 AUD auto-invest; $20/mo plan ($216/yr) covers $3,000 AUD buy/sell + $8,000 AUD auto-invest. Kids plan $2/mo covers $500 buy/sell + $1,000 auto-invest. Once monthly cover used up, pay-as-you-go applies. No truly free trade option. |
| US brokerage minimum | US$9.5 | US$0 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 1.9% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $27.5 | $50 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | SelfWealth Pty Ltd | Sharesies Australia Limited |
| AFSL number | 421,789 | 529,893 |
| Year founded | 2,012 | 2,021 |
| Parent / ownership | Syfe (Svava Pte Ltd, Singapore) | Sharesies Group Limited (New Zealand) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | private | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $1 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $0 | $1 |
| Deposit methods | OSKO, BPAY, EFT/bank transfer | PayID, OSKO, direct credit, card |
| Settlement period | T+2 | T+2 ASX/NZX, T+1 US |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days | 1-2 business days for settled funds; longer if recently sold (T+2 settlement plus 1-2 days reconciliation plus 1-2 days bank transfer) |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | No |
| Demo account | No | No |
| Free real-time market data | No | No |
| Free research reports | No | No |
| 2FA support | authenticator app | authenticator_app |
| Customer support channels | live chat, email, phone | email, in_app |
| Support hours (AU time) | 10am-4pm AET, Monday-Friday (closed public holidays) | Monday to Friday, 6 AM to 4 PM AEST |
| Education content | basic articles | basic_articles |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | — | Yes |
| CGT calculator / report | No | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | No |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | multiple | multiple_assets |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | Yes |