Share Trading comparison
SelfWealth vs Stake
The biggest practical difference between SelfWealth and Stake comes down to fees versus features. SelfWealth charges $9.50 per ASX trade but offers CHESS-sponsored ownership and auto-invest tools. Stake undercuts that with $3 ASX trades and razor-thin FX on US stocks, but holds your US shares in a custodian model and lacks DRP and auto-invest.
Choose
SelfWealth
if…
- ›You want CHESS sponsorship with your own HIN for ASX-listed shares — SelfWealth gives you direct ownership on the registry.
- ›You want to set up auto-invest or dollar-cost averaging into ETFs and shares on a regular schedule.
- ›You need a joint account or a kids/minor account — SelfWealth supports both; Stake does not.
- ›You want dividend reinvestment plans (DRP) handled within the platform rather than manually via the share registry.
- ›You plan to trade Hong Kong stocks — SelfWealth supports HK market access; Stake only offers ASX and US.
Choose
Stake
if…
- ›You trade frequently on ASX — Stake's $3 brokerage is less than a third of SelfWealth's $9.50.
- ›You want US fractional shares — Stake supports them; SelfWealth does not.
- ›You care about FX costs on US trades — Stake's 0.0055% FX spread is dramatically cheaper than SelfWealth's 0.6%.
- ›You want free real-time market data and research reports included at no extra cost.
- ›You want to fund your account via credit card, debit card, Apple Pay or Google Pay — Stake offers more deposit methods than SelfWealth's OSKO/BPAY/EFT options.
Where they differ
| Fact | SelfWealth | Stake |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage (minimum) | $9.50 | $3.00 |
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.6% | 0.0055% |
| CHESS sponsorship model | Mixed — individual HIN available | Mixed — individual HIN available |
| Fractional shares (US) | Not supported | Supported |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Supported (multiple levels) | Not supported |
Verdict
Pick SelfWealth for CHESS ownership and automation; pick Stake for cheaper trades, lower FX, and US fractional shares.
Cost calculator
What would SelfWealth vs Stake actually cost you?
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All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | SelfWealth | Stake |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | mixed | mixed |
| Individual HIN | Yes | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | No |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | Yes | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | Yes | No |
| 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 | United States |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | Yes |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | Yes |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 60% | 0.55% |
| Holds USD account | Yes | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | — | Yes |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Corporate action fees | — | Corporate actions (dividends, SPPs, rights issues, takeovers) are passed through where mandatory; Stake does not provide a DRP — investors must elect DRP directly with each company's share registry. No published per-event fee. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $9.5 | $3 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | — | 0.01% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | — | $30,000 |
| ASX free trade conditions | Selfwealth Premium subscribers ($29/month or $240/year) receive 10 complimentary trades annually; otherwise no free-trade conditions. | No free-trade promotion ordinarily offered; brokerage waived for 12 months on transferred ASX holdings worth A$1,000+ |
| US brokerage minimum | US$9.5 | US$3 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 0.01% |
| 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 | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | SelfWealth Pty Ltd | Stakeshop Pty Ltd |
| AFSL number | 421,789 | 548,196 |
| Year founded | 2,012 | 2,017 |
| Parent / ownership | Syfe (Svava Pte Ltd, Singapore) | Privately held (Stakeshop AFSL Pty Ltd group); investors include AGL Energy's former CEO and various private investors |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | private | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $500 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $0 | $20 |
| Deposit methods | OSKO, BPAY, EFT/bank transfer | Bank transfer (Osko/PayID), Apple Pay, Google Pay, Debit card, Credit card |
| Settlement period | T+2 | T+2 for ASX; T+1 for US |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days | 1-2 business days for AUD (Stake AUS); 2-3 US business days for USD (Stake Wall St) |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | No |
| Demo account | No | No |
| Free real-time market data | No | Yes |
| Free research reports | No | Yes |
| 2FA support | authenticator app | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | live chat, email, phone | Email, In-app chat, Help centre |
| Support hours (AU time) | 10am-4pm AET, Monday-Friday (closed public holidays) | Business hours AEST/AEDT (approximately Mon-Fri); chat/email response varies |
| Education content | basic articles | structured courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | — | No |
| CGT calculator / report | No | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | No |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | No |
| Auto-invest sophistication | multiple | none |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | Yes |