Share Trading comparison
Sharesies vs tastytrade
Sharesies and tastytrade are both low-cost platforms, but they serve completely different investors. Sharesies lets you buy ASX and US shares with tiny dollar amounts, fractional shares, and a CHESS-like custody model — it's built for Australians who want to start small. tastytrade is a US-focused options and equities broker with zero commission on US stocks, but it doesn't support ASX trading at all and you'll need to fund it via international wire transfer.
Choose
Sharesies
if…
- ›You want to invest on the ASX — tastytrade doesn't offer Australian shares at all
- ›You want to buy fractional shares in US or ASX stocks for as little as $1
- ›You want a kids' account to invest on behalf of a minor
- ›You want to auto-invest regularly with a dollar-cost averaging plan
- ›You want to deposit via PayID or OSKO and avoid international wire fees
Choose
tastytrade
if…
- ›You want to trade US options — Sharesies doesn't offer options at all
- ›You want zero-commission US stock and ETF trades with no percentage fee
- ›You want a professional-grade desktop trading platform with real-time market data included
- ›You want to trade US bonds alongside equities
- ›You want a demo account to practise trading before committing real money
Where they differ
| Fact | Sharesies | tastytrade |
|---|---|---|
| ASX trading | Supported (ASX shares & ETFs) | Not supported |
| US brokerage fee | 0.019% per trade (capped at US$5) | $0 per trade |
| Fractional shares | Yes (ASX & US) | No |
| Options trading | Not offered | Yes (core feature) |
| Deposit methods | PayID, OSKO, direct credit, card | International wire (USD only) |
Verdict
Pick Sharesies for simple, low-dollar ASX and US investing; pick tastytrade for zero-commission US options and equities.
Cost calculator
What would Sharesies vs tastytrade 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 | Sharesies | tastytrade |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | custodian | custodian |
| Individual HIN | No | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | Yes |
| Company account | No | Yes |
| Trust account | No | Yes |
| SMSF account | No | No |
| Kids / minor account | Yes | No |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | Yes | No |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | No |
| US shares supported | Yes | Yes |
| US ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| Other markets supported | NZ | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | Yes | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | No |
| Options trading | No | Yes |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | Yes |
| IPO access | No | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.6% | — |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 0.6% | — |
| Holds USD account | Yes | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | No | 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. | Standard US corporate action processing applies (dividends, splits, mergers). Mandatory corporate actions are processed at no fee; voluntary corporate actions (e.g. tender offers) may incur a fee per tastytrade's fee schedule. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $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. | Not applicable — tastytrade does not offer ASX trading. |
| US brokerage minimum | US$0 | US$0 |
| US brokerage percentage | 1.9% | 0% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | — |
| Off-market transfer fee | $50 | — |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Sharesies Australia Limited | tastytrade, Inc. |
| AFSL number | 529,893 | — |
| Year founded | 2,021 | 2,017 |
| Parent / ownership | Sharesies Group Limited (New Zealand) | IG Group Holdings plc (LSE: IGG) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | US |
| Public company status | private | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $1 | $0 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $1 | $0 |
| Deposit methods | PayID, OSKO, direct credit, card | international wire (USD), ACH (US only), check (US only) |
| Settlement period | T+2 ASX/NZX, T+1 US | T+1 (US equities/ETFs, from May 2024) |
| 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) | International wire withdrawals to AU typically 3-5 business days |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | Yes |
| Demo account | No | Yes |
| Free real-time market data | No | Yes |
| Free research reports | No | No |
| 2FA support | authenticator_app | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | email, in_app | phone, email, live chat |
| Support hours (AU time) | Monday to Friday, 6 AM to 4 PM AEST | Monday-Friday, approx. 7am-5pm US Central Time = approx. 10pm-8am AET (next day). Weekend support limited. No AU business-hours coverage. |
| Education content | basic_articles | video + courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | No |
| Distribution component breakdown | Yes | No |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | 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 | Yes | No |
| Auto-invest sophistication | multiple_assets | none |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | Yes |