Share Trading comparison
Stake vs Vanguard Personal Investor
Stake is built for active traders who want cheap US market access and a slick app experience, while Vanguard Personal Investor is a low-cost home for long-term investors who want to buy Vanguard ETFs for free. The biggest practical difference: Stake gives you a CHESS-sponsored HIN for ASX trades plus a USD account for US stocks, whereas Vanguard is a custodian model that only supports ASX-listed products — no US shares at all.
Choose
Stake
if…
- ›You want to trade US stocks and ETFs with low brokerage and a tiny FX spread of 0.55%
- ›You value CHESS sponsorship and want your own HIN for ASX holdings
- ›You trade ASX shares frequently and want brokerage from $3 per trade
- ›You want a modern app with Apple Pay, Google Pay and card deposits for fast funding
- ›You need stop-loss orders or after-hours trading for US markets
Choose
Vanguard Personal Investor
if…
- ›You plan to buy and hold Vanguard ETFs — they cost $0 brokerage on buys
- ›You want to automate your investing with a sophisticated auto-invest feature
- ›You're investing for a child and need a minor/kids account
- ›You prefer managed funds alongside ETFs in the one platform
- ›You want a joint account or don't mind a custodian model for simplicity
Where they differ
| Fact | Stake | Vanguard Personal Investor |
|---|---|---|
| CHESS sponsorship | Yes — individual HIN provided | No — custodian model, no HIN |
| US shares | Supported (US stocks & ETFs) | Not supported |
| ASX brokerage (buy) | $3 flat up to $30,000, then 0.01% | $0 on Vanguard ETFs; $9 on non-Vanguard ASX shares |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Not available | Available with multiple sophistication levels |
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $200 |
Verdict
Pick Stake for active trading and US access; pick Vanguard Personal Investor for free Vanguard ETF investing on autopilot.
Cost calculator
What would Stake vs Vanguard Personal Investor 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 | Vanguard Personal Investor |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | mixed | custodian |
| Individual HIN | Yes | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | Yes |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | Yes | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | No | Yes |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | Yes | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| US shares supported | Yes | No |
| US ETFs supported | Yes | No |
| Other markets supported | United States | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | No |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | No | Yes |
| Bonds supported | Yes | No |
| IPO access | — | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.55% | — |
| Holds USD account | 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. | Participation in voluntary corporate actions (rights issues, SPPs, takeovers) is NOT available through Vanguard Personal Investor for ETFs or direct shares - investors cannot participate. Mandatory corporate actions (e.g. dividends) flow through automatically. No corporate action fees disclosed. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $3 | $0 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 0.01% | 0% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $30,000 | — |
| ASX free trade conditions | No free-trade promotion ordinarily offered; brokerage waived for 12 months on transferred ASX holdings worth A$1,000+ | $0 brokerage on all buys of Vanguard ETFs (Vanguard managed funds incur no brokerage at all). $0 brokerage on Vanguard ETFs/funds purchased via Auto Invest. Sells of Vanguard ETFs incur $9 flat. ASX direct (non-Vanguard) shares: $9 flat both ways. |
| US brokerage minimum | 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 | $0 | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Stakeshop Pty Ltd | Vanguard Investments Australia Ltd |
| AFSL number | 548,196 | 227,263 |
| 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 | The Vanguard Group, Inc. (US) - mutual structure owned by US-domiciled Vanguard fund investors |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | private | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $200 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $20 | $1 |
| Deposit methods | Bank transfer (Osko/PayID), Apple Pay, Google Pay, Debit card, Credit card | BPAY, Direct credit (EFT), Direct debit |
| Settlement period | T+2 for ASX; T+1 for US | T+2 (ASX) |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days for AUD (Stake AUS); 2-3 US business days for USD (Stake Wall St) | Up to 3 business days from processing date (processed same day if requested before 4pm AET) |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | No |
| Demo account | No | No |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | No |
| Free research reports | Yes | No |
| 2FA support | authenticator app | SMS |
| Customer support channels | Email, In-app chat, Help centre | Phone, Secure message (in-app) |
| Support hours (AU time) | Business hours AEST/AEDT (approximately Mon-Fri); chat/email response varies | Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm AET (phone) |
| Education content | structured courses | structured |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | No | Yes |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | No |
| Conditional orders | No | No |
| Auto-invest / DCA | No | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | multiple |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | No |