Micro Investing comparison
Sharesies vs Stockspot
Sharesies and Stockspot take completely different approaches to micro-investing. Sharesies is a trade-everything platform where you buy fractional ASX, US and NZ shares with low dollar amounts and tiered monthly plans. Stockspot is a managed-portfolio service that picks and rebalances ETF portfolios for you, charging a single all-inclusive fee — but you can't buy individual stocks or choose your own holdings.
Choose
Sharesies
if…
- ›You want to buy individual ASX and US stocks (including fractional shares) with as little as $1
- ›You prefer a pay-as-you-go or subscription model where trading costs are capped monthly
- ›You want access to the NZ market alongside ASX and US
- ›You value limit orders, stop losses and conditional orders for hands-on trading
- ›You want to open a kids' account and let them invest small amounts regularly
Choose
Stockspot
if…
- ›You want a fully managed, hands-off ETF portfolio that rebalances automatically
- ›You prefer a single all-inclusive fee with no per-trade brokerage or spreads
- ›You need joint, company, trust or SMSF account structures
- ›You want CHESS-sponsored holdings (shares in your own name on the ASX register)
- ›You're investing $1,000+ upfront and making regular contributions of $500+
Where they differ
| Fact | Sharesies | Stockspot |
|---|---|---|
| Investment model | Self-directed trading (buy/sell individual shares & ETFs) | Managed ETF portfolios (platform picks and rebalances) |
| CHESS sponsorship | Custodian model (no individual HIN) | CHESS-sponsored (individual HIN on ASX register) |
| Minimum initial deposit | $1 | $1,000 |
| Account types | Individual and kids only | Individual, joint, company, trust, SMSF and kids |
| US stocks & ETFs | Yes (fractional, with USD account) | No |
Verdict
Pick Sharesies to trade stocks yourself with tiny amounts; pick Stockspot to outsource your portfolio to a managed ETF service.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Sharesies | Stockspot |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | custodian | chess |
| Individual HIN | No | — |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | Yes |
| Company account | No | Yes |
| Trust account | No | Yes |
| SMSF account | No | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | Yes | Yes |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | Yes | No |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| US shares supported | Yes | No |
| US ETFs supported | Yes | No |
| Other markets supported | NZ | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | Yes | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | — |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | No | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.6% | — |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 0.6% | — |
| Holds USD account | Yes | No |
| FX currency switch trick | No | — |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $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. | Corporate actions (DRP, dividends, distributions) are handled automatically and included in the management fee. No separate corporate action fees disclosed. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $0 | $0 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 1.9% | — |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $315.79 | — |
| ASX 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. | No brokerage charged at all - all trades (rebalancing, buys, sells) included in the all-inclusive monthly management fee. |
| US brokerage minimum | US$0 | — |
| US brokerage percentage | 1.9% | — |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $1/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $12/year |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | — |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $50 | — |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Sharesies Australia Limited | Stockspot Pty Ltd |
| AFSL number | 529,893 | 536,082 |
| Year founded | 2,021 | 2,014 |
| Parent / ownership | Sharesies Group Limited (New Zealand) | Independent / privately held (founder Chris Brycki; shares common major shareholder with Global X Australia) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | private | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $1 | $1,000 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $1 | $500 |
| Deposit methods | PayID, OSKO, direct credit, card | Bank transfer (EFT), BPAY, Direct debit (recurring) |
| Settlement period | T+2 ASX/NZX, T+1 US | T+2 (ASX standard) |
| Withdrawal time | 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) | Typically 2-5 business days |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | No |
| Demo account | No | No |
| Free real-time market data | No | — |
| Free research reports | No | No |
| 2FA support | authenticator_app | authenticator-app |
| Customer support channels | email, in_app | phone, email |
| Support hours (AU time) | Monday to Friday, 6 AM to 4 PM AEST | Monday-Friday 9am-5pm AEST |
| Education content | basic_articles | structured-articles |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | No | No |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | — |
| Limit orders | Yes | No |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | No |
| Conditional orders | Yes | — |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | multiple_assets | weighted-rebalancing |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | No |