Bell Direct vs Commsec Pocket
Bell Direct is a full-service broker offering ASX, US and international markets, options trading and managed funds — while Commsec Pocket is a stripped-back ETF-only app designed for CBA customers who want simplicity. The biggest practical difference: Bell Direct gives you a full trading toolkit with CHESS-sponsored HINs across multiple asset classes, whereas Commsec Pocket limits you to a curated set of ASX ETFs with no US shares, no options and no account types beyond individual.
- ›You want to trade US shares and US ETFs with a USD account and fractional shares
- ›You need joint, trust, SMSF, company or kids accounts — Commsec Pocket only offers individual accounts
- ›You trade options, bonds, managed funds or want IPO access
- ›You want a desktop platform alongside the mobile app for serious charting and order management
- ›You're comfortable paying $27.50/month for live market data and don't mind a $500 minimum deposit
- ›You only want to invest in a handful of ASX ETFs and value dead-simple execution
- ›You want the lowest possible ASX brokerage — $2 on trades up to $1,000 (and $0 during the 2026 promotional period)
- ›You're already a CBA customer and want instant deposits from your linked transaction account with just $50 to start
- ›You want automated DCA investing into individual ETFs without any manual order management
- ›You prefer zero monthly fees for market data and a structured education course over research reports
Where they differ
| Fact | Bell Direct | Commsec Pocket |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage minimum | $5 | $2 |
| US shares available | Yes (with USD account & fractional shares) | No |
| Account types | Individual, Joint, Company, Trust, SMSF, Kids | Individual only |
| Minimum deposit | $500 | $50 |
| Market data fees | $27.50/month | $0/month |
Choose Bell Direct for real trading breadth; pick Commsec Pocket if you just want cheap, simple ETF investing from your CBA account.
Common questions
How do Bell Direct and Commsec Pocket compare on asx brokerage minimum?
Bell Direct: $5. Commsec Pocket: $2.
How do Bell Direct and Commsec Pocket compare on us shares available?
Bell Direct: Yes (with USD account & fractional shares). Commsec Pocket: No.
How do Bell Direct and Commsec Pocket compare on account types?
Bell Direct: Individual, Joint, Company, Trust, SMSF, Kids. Commsec Pocket: Individual only.
When is Bell Direct the better choice over Commsec Pocket?
Pick Bell Direct if you want to trade US shares and US ETFs with a USD account and fractional shares; you need joint, trust, SMSF, company or kids accounts — Commsec Pocket only offers individual accounts; you trade options, bonds, managed funds or want IPO access; or you want a desktop platform alongside the mobile app for serious charting and order management.
When is Commsec Pocket the better choice over Bell Direct?
Pick Commsec Pocket if you only want to invest in a handful of ASX ETFs and value dead-simple execution; you want the lowest possible ASX brokerage — $2 on trades up to $1,000 (and $0 during the 2026 promotional period); you're already a CBA customer and want instant deposits from your linked transaction account with just $50 to start; or you want automated DCA investing into individual ETFs without any manual order management.
Bell Direct or Commsec Pocket — what's the verdict?
Choose Bell Direct for real trading breadth; pick Commsec Pocket if you just want cheap, simple ETF investing from your CBA account.
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 | Bell Direct | Commsec Pocket |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | chess |
| Individual HIN | Yes | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | No |
| Company account | Yes | No |
| Trust account | Yes | No |
| SMSF account | Yes | No |
| Kids / minor account | Yes | No |
| 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 | ||
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | No |
| Options trading | Yes | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds supported | Yes | No |
| IPO access | Yes | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 60% | — |
| Holds USD account | Yes | — |
| Market data fees | $27.5/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | — |
| Phone trade surcharge | $60 | — |
| Corporate action fees | Fail fee $110 or 0.11% daily for unsettled trades; corporate action handling generally pass-through via CHESS sponsorship | Corporate actions (rights issues, SPPs, takeovers) are administered via the underlying ETF issuers/share registries since holdings are CHESS-sponsored under the investor's HIN; CommSec does not charge a separate corporate action fee. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $5 | $2 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 10% | 0.2% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $25,000 | $1,000 |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | Promotional $0 brokerage offer on Pocket ETF trades from 20 April 2026 to 17 July 2026 inclusive, available to all CommSec Pocket customers. |
| US brokerage minimum | US$0 | — |
| Monthly platform fee | — | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | — | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | — | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | — | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $55 | $54 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Third Party Platform Pty Limited (trading as Bell Direct) | Commonwealth Securities Limited |
| AFSL number | 314,341 | 238,814 |
| Year founded | 2,007 | 2,019 |
| Parent / ownership | Bell Financial Group Limited (ASX: BFG) | Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $50 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | — | $50 |
| Deposit methods | BPAY, Bank transfer (EFT), Direct credit | Linked CBA transaction account (CDIA, Smart Access, Streamline Basic, NetBank Saver, etc.) - direct debit |
| Settlement period | T+2 (ASX), T+1 (US) | T+2 |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days | 1-2 business days |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | No |
| Demo account | — | No |
| Free real-time market data | No | No |
| Free research reports | Yes | No |
| 2FA support | SMS | SMS + PIN |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, online forms | phone, email, in-app messaging |
| Support hours (AU time) | Business hours, AET (typically Mon-Fri market hours) | Mon-Fri 8:00am-6:00pm AET (phone) |
| Education content | basic articles | structured courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | Yes | 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 | No |
| Conditional orders | Yes | No |
| Auto-invest / DCA | — | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | single asset |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | — | No |