Share Trading comparison
Stake vs Tiger Brokers
The biggest difference between Stake and Tiger Brokers comes down to CHESS sponsorship versus a hybrid model. Stake puts your ASX holdings on your own HIN under CHESS, while Tiger Brokers also offers CHESS sponsorship — but the real divergence is in features. Tiger is the more full-featured platform, offering options trading, conditional orders, auto-invest, and a desktop app, whereas Stake keeps things simpler with no monthly fees and a cleaner UX.
Choose
Stake
if…
- ›You want your ASX holdings on your own HIN under CHESS sponsorship (Stake offers this clearly for all ASX trades)
- ›You want the lowest possible ASX brokerage — Stake charges 0.01% above $30,000 vs Tiger's 0.03% above $10,000
- ›You want to avoid any off-market transfer fees — Stake charges $0, Tiger charges $50
- ›You want to use the FX currency switch trick to convert AUD to USD at near-zero spread before trading US stocks
Choose
Tiger Brokers
if…
- ›You want to trade options — Tiger Brokers supports options trading, Stake does not
- ›You want access to Hong Kong and China A-share markets, not just ASX and US
- ›You want a desktop trading platform and a demo account to practice before committing real money
- ›You want auto-invest / DCA functionality to dollar-cost average into a single asset automatically
- ›You want a DRP (dividend reinvestment plan) — Tiger offers it, Stake does not
Where they differ
| Fact | Stake | Tiger Brokers |
|---|---|---|
| CHESS sponsorship model | Mixed (CHESS + custodian) | CHESS-sponsored |
| Options trading | Not supported | Supported |
| Off-market transfer fee | $0 | $50 |
| FX currency switch trick | Available | Not available |
| Desktop platform & demo account | No desktop app, no demo | Desktop app + demo account available |
Verdict
Choose Stake for low-cost, CHESS-sponsored ASX trading with zero transfer fees; choose Tiger for options, global markets, and advanced trading tools.
Cost calculator
What would Stake vs Tiger Brokers 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 | Stake | Tiger Brokers |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | mixed | chess |
| Individual HIN | Yes | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | Yes |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | Yes | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | No | 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 | United States | Hong Kong, China A-shares |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | Yes |
| Options trading | No | Yes |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | Yes | No |
| IPO access | — | Yes |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.55% | 0.55% |
| Holds USD account | Yes | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | Yes | No |
| 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 | $3 | $3 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 0.01% | 0.03% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $30,000 | $10,000 |
| ASX free trade conditions | No free-trade promotion ordinarily offered; brokerage waived for 12 months on transferred ASX holdings worth A$1,000+ | New clients receive zero-brokerage on up to 4 trades per month on ASX/US stocks, ETFs or options (minimum brokerage waived; third-party fees still apply). |
| US brokerage minimum | US$3 | US$2 |
| US brokerage percentage | 0.01% | 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 | $0 | $50 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Stakeshop Pty Ltd | Tiger Brokers (AU) Pty Limited |
| AFSL number | 548,196 | 300,767 |
| Year founded | 2,017 | 2,020 |
| Parent / ownership | Privately held (Stakeshop AFSL Pty Ltd group); investors include AGL Energy's former CEO and various private investors | UP Fintech Holding Limited (NASDAQ: TIGR) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | private | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $500 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $20 | $0 |
| Deposit methods | Bank transfer (Osko/PayID), Apple Pay, Google Pay, Debit card, Credit card | PayID, PayTo, Bank transfer (direct credit) |
| Settlement period | T+2 for ASX; T+1 for US | T+2 (ASX), T+1 (US) |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days for AUD (Stake AUS); 2-3 US business days for USD (Stake Wall St) | 1-2 business days (Tiger review) plus bank processing; can arrive same day |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | Yes |
| Demo account | No | Yes |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | Yes |
| Free research reports | Yes | — |
| 2FA support | authenticator app | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | Email, In-app chat, Help centre | phone, email, live chat, in-app |
| Support hours (AU time) | Business hours AEST/AEDT (approximately Mon-Fri); chat/email response varies | Phone: 9am-5pm weekdays (AET). Live chat: 9am-8:30pm weekdays. Email: ongoing. |
| Education content | structured courses | structured courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | No | — |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | No | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | No | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | single asset |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | Yes |