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CommSec vs SelfWealth

We compare the fees and features of both popular Australian investment apps.

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Kylie Purcell
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CommSec vs SelfWealth

CommSec and SelfWealth are both popular Australian share trading platforms with relatively low brokerage fees and a long list of trading features and tools. You can check out our ratings for fees and features in the summary table below and scroll down for more details.

CommSecSelfWealth
Fees

★★★★★3.5/5

★★★★★3.9/5

Available countries

★★★★★4.5/5

★★★★★3/5

Available securities

★★★★★ 3.5/5

★★★★★ 1.5/5

Trading tools

★★★★★4.3/5

★★★★★ 2.7/5

Research and education

★★★★★ 4.8/5

★★★★★4/5

Customer support

★★★★★ 3/5

★★★★★ 3/5

Overall★★★★★ 3.9/5

★★★★★3.7/5

Check out how we rank share trading platform features here.

Which broker is best for you?

CommSec and SelfWealth have similar overall ratings by Finder, but the best broker for you will depend on how much you plan to trade each month, whether you want access to global shares and your preferred trading tools.

For Australian shares, SelfWealth and CommSec have similar broker fees if you're trading with $1,000 or less, with SelfWealth charging $9.50 and CommSec at $10 per trade. However, on trades over $1,000 that fee jumps to $19.95 with CommSec while SelfWealth's flat rate never changes. For higher trade amounts the difference in fees is even greater.

The markets you intend to trade are also a big consideration here. While CommSec's global account offers stocks from up to 26 countries, SelfWealth only offers US and Australian-listed shares. If these are the only two markets that you wish to trade, then SelfWealth offers cheaper commissions on both, at US$9.50 for US shares (flat) compared to CommSec's $19.95.

It's also worth mentioning that CommSec's international account is distinct from its ASX account and requires a separate login. Meanwhile, SelfWealth offers US and ASX stocks within the same account.

Check out our comparison of fees and features in the table below.

How do CommSec and SelfWealth compare?

CommSecSelfWealth
Commsec logo
Read our review
selfwealth logo
Read our review
Finder’s rating

★★★★★ 3.9/5

As Australia's most popular share trading platform, CommSec is rich in features and trading tools. Users can access broker analysis, watchlists, market news and company updates from their Australian market account. It also features a long list of conditional orders with SMS alert options once a stock buy or sell order is actioned. On the downside its brokerage fees aren't the cheapest, with global stock fees particularly high.

★★★★★ 3.7/5

SelfWealth is the cheaper option of the two with a low, flat brokerage fee of $9.50, regardless of trade size. Like CommSec, it's also feature-rich and it offers CHESS-sponsored shares, meaning your stock ownership is registered with the ASX. It loses points for offering fewer global markets and types of securities compared to CommSec. But for those primarily interested in US and ASX stocks, it's a strong contender.

Available markets26 countries including Australia, US, UKAustralia, United States
ASX stock brokerage fee$10.00 for trades up to and including $1,000; $19.95 for trades of $1,000 - $10,000 ; $29.95 for trades of $10,001 - $25,000; 0.12% over $25,000$9.50 (flat)
US stock brokerage feeUS$19.95 for trades up to US$5,000; US$29.95 for trades up to US$10,000; 0.31% for trades above US$10,000US$9.50 (flat)
UK stock brokerage feeUS$39.95 or 0.40%, whichever is greaterNot available
Inactivity feeUS$25 per year on global account if you make no tradesNo
Currency conversion fee (for US stocks)0.60%0.60%
CHESS or custody modelCHESS-sponsored for ASX shares, custody model for global stocksCHESS-sponsored for ASX shares, custody model for US stocks
Benefits
  • Feature rich. The platform makes researching and tracking your stock portfolio easy.
  • Broker analysis. You can access broker analysis and price targets for ASX stocks from Morningstar and Goldman Sachs.
  • Alerts. Set alerts and keep up to date with company announcements for stocks in your watchlist.
  • Cheap brokerage. Commission on ASX trades of $1,000 or less is relatively cheap.
  • Switch accounts. If you're a CommBank account holder you can easily switch between banking and investment accounts. Plus, cash transactions between the two are immediate.
  • Flat brokerage fee. Regardless of how much you're investing each trade, your commission fee stays the same.
  • Single login for global. You can trade both Australian and US stocks from the same account.
  • No account fees. There are no subscription or inactivity fees to access the standard SelfWealth account.
  • Portfolio management. You can easily track the performance and risk profile of your portfolio and even compare it to others on the app.
  • Create watchlists. Keep track of potential stocks by setting up alerts in your watchlists.
Drawbacks
  • Global brokerage fees. The fees to trade stocks listed outside of Australia are comparatively high compared to other brokers in the market.
  • Limited support. Investors facing issues must phone or wait a few days for an email response. There is no live chat.
  • No CFDs. CommSec closed its CFD account in 2019, meaning you cannot trade forex, stock CFDs or commodities.
  • US brokerage. The brokerage fees for US shares are higher than some others in the market.
  • No leveraged products. You can only trade stocks and ETFs; there are no options, warrants or CFDs.
  • Limited stock analysis. There are no broker ratings offered on SelfWealth, however it does feature stock forecasting tools.
Tools and research
  • Company announcements. Review relevant company updates throughout the app.
  • Daily stock information. Receive a daily rundown of significant shifts in the stock market.
  • Analyst ratings. Use analyst ratings to help you determine whether to buy, hold or sell a security.
  • Live data. Get live data for free if you make 8 trades or more per month or pay $82.50 per month for the service.
  • Conditional orders. There are 8 order types to choose from when buying or selling stocks or ETFs.
  • Portfolio tracking. Analyse your portfolio, review your holdings, identify risks and compare your performance against others.
  • Stock analysis. Get stock price forecasts, historical data and key financial information to help you make an informed decision.
  • Set watchlists. Create watchlists of current and potential future stock purchases and set alerts.
  • Stock popularity. See how many of your peers are buying or selling individual stocks and vote on whether you're bullish or bearish.
PlatformsDesktop, iOS, AndroidDesktop, iOS, Android
Support
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Email
  • Phone
Learn more

Read our review

Read our review

How do we rate brokers?

We use star ratings to help you identify strengths and weaknesses between different online brokers in Australia. To find an overall score, we take into account six key categories:

  • Fees
  • Available countries
  • Available securities
  • Trading tools
  • Research and education
  • Customer support

For more information about how we measure each feature, head to our methodology page and scroll down to "Star ratings".

Compare more brokers

Looking for something else? Check out our broker comparison table below to review the fees and features of others on the market.

Data updated regularly
Name Product Standard brokerage fee Inactivity fee Markets International
eToro (global stocks)
eToro (global stocks)
US$0
US$10 per month if there’s been no login for 12 months
Global shares, US shares, ETFs
Yes
Zero brokerage share trading on US, Hong Kong and European stocks with trades as low as $50.
Note: This broker offers CFDs which are volatile investment products and most clients lose money trading CFDs with this provider.
Join the world’s biggest social trading network when you trade stocks, commodities and currencies from the one account.
Go to site
More Info
IG Share Trading
IG Share Trading
$8
$50 per quarter if you make fewer than three trades in that period
ASX shares, Global shares
Yes
$0 brokerage for US and global shares plus get an active trader discount of $5 commission on Australian shares.
Enjoy some of the lowest brokerage fees on the market when trading Australian shares, international shares, plus get access to 24-hour customer support.
Go to site
More Info
ThinkMarkets Share Trading
ThinkMarkets Share Trading
$8
No
ASX shares
No
$8 flat fee brokerage for CHESS Sponsored ASX stocks (HIN ownership), plus free live stock price data on an easy to use mobile app.
Go to site
More Info
Superhero share trading
Superhero share trading
$5
No
ASX shares, US shares, ETFs
Yes
Earn up to 15,000 Qantas frequent flyer points when you transfer an exisiting balance or trade. Offer valid for all new and existing Superhero members until 28 February.
Pay zero brokerage on US stocks and all ETFs and just $5 (flat fee) to trade Australian shares from your mobile or desktop.
Go to site
More Info
GO Markets Share Trading
GO Markets Share Trading
$7.70
No
ASX shares, Forex, CFDs, ETFs
No
Pay zero brokerage on your first 20 trades and $7.70 after that on over 2,500 ASX listed shares from either your desktop or mobile.
Go to site
More Info
Opentrader Share Trading
Opentrader Share Trading
$5
No
ASX shares, Options trading, ETFs, Warrants
No
Gain access to chess sponsored shares for as little as $5 per trade.
Get free live data, advanced charting and even gain experience before trading through fantasy portfolios when you sign up with OpenTrader.
Go to site
More Info
Saxo Capital Markets (Classic account)
Saxo Capital Markets (Classic account)
$5
No
ASX shares, Global shares, ETFs
Yes
Access 19,000+ stocks on 40+ exchanges worldwide
Low fees for Australian and global share trading, no inactivity fees, low currency conversion fee and optimised for mobile.
Go to site
More Info
HSBC Online Share Trading
HSBC Online Share Trading
$19.95
No
ASX shares, mFunds, ETFs, Bonds
No
Limited-time offer: Join HSBC’s online trading account before 28 February 2022 and HSBC will reimburse you up to $100 on your first 5 trades. Also traders who transfer $50k+ will get a $200 bonus(T&Cs apply).
Make trades online with brokerage fees starting from just $19.95 with an HSBC Online Share Trading account. Plus gain access to complimentary expert research, trading ideas and tools.
Go to site
More Info
SelfWealth (Basic account)
SelfWealth (Basic account)
$9.5
No
ASX shares, US shares
Yes
Trade ASX and US shares for a flat fee of $9.50, regardless of the trade size.
New customers receive free access to Community Insights with SelfWealth Premium for the first 90 days. Follow other investors and benchmark your portfolio performance.
Go to site
More Info
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Compare up to 4 providers

Important: Share trading can be financially risky and the value of your investment can go down as well as up. Standard brokerage is the cost to purchase $1,000 or less of equities without any qualifications or special eligibility. Where both CHESS sponsored and custodian shares are offered, we display the cheapest option.

Data updated regularly
Name Product Fees Minimum Investment Investment product Number of Portfolios
OpenInvest
OpenInvest
From $7 per month
$20,000
Stocks, bonds, cash, ETFs
16
Go to site
More Info
Six Park
Six Park
From $9.95 /month
$5,000
ETFs
5
Invest in Australian and global shares, property, infrastructure, emerging markets, bonds and cash with Six Park.
More Info
Raiz Invest
Raiz Invest
From $2.50 /month
$5
ETFs
8
Invest in Australian and international stocks, fixed income/bonds and cash.
More Info
Spaceship Voyager (Universe Portfolio)
Spaceship Voyager (Universe Portfolio)
From $0 /year
$0
AU & Global Shares, Cash
1
Invest in Australian shares, global shares and cash markets.
More Info
Stockspot
Stockspot
From $5.50 /month
$2,000
ETFs
10
More Info
InvestSMART Robo Advice
InvestSMART Robo Advice
From $99 /year
$5,000
ETFs
8
More Info
QuietGrowth
QuietGrowth
From $0 /year
$3000
ETFs
5
More Info
Spaceship Voyager (Origin Portfolio)
Spaceship Voyager (Origin Portfolio)
From $0 /year
$0
AU & Global Shares, Cash
1
More Info
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Disclaimer: This information should not be interpreted as an endorsement of futures, stocks, ETFs, CFDs, options or any specific provider, service or offering. It should not be relied upon as investment advice or construed as providing recommendations of any kind. Futures, stocks, ETFs and options trading involves substantial risk of loss and therefore are not appropriate for all investors. Trading CFDs and forex on leverage comes with a higher risk of losing money rapidly. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Consider your own circumstances, and obtain your own advice, before making any trades.

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