Share Trading comparison
Bell Direct vs SelfWealth
Bell Direct and SelfWealth are both CHESS-sponsored brokers, but they cater to different types of investors. Bell Direct is the more full-featured platform — it offers options trading, managed funds, bonds, and US fractional shares — while SelfWealth keeps things simpler with a flat $9.50 ASX brokerage and no monthly data fees. The biggest practical difference comes down to how much you trade and what else you want to do beyond buying ASX shares.
Choose
Bell Direct
if…
- ›You want the cheapest ASX trades at scale — Bell Direct's $5 minimum and 0.1% above $25,000 beats SelfWealth's flat $9.50 on larger trades.
- ›You need options trading, managed funds, or bonds — SelfWealth doesn't offer any of these.
- ›You want to buy US stocks in fractional shares, which Bell Direct supports and SelfWealth doesn't.
- ›You value free research reports — Bell Direct includes them; SelfWealth doesn't offer any.
Choose
SelfWealth
if…
- ›You want a simple, predictable $9.50 flat fee on every ASX trade regardless of size — no percentage thresholds to track.
- ›You prefer to avoid monthly market data fees — SelfWealth includes real-time data for free, while Bell Direct charges $27.50/month.
- ›You want to automate regular investments — SelfWealth has a proper auto-invest/DCA feature; Bell Direct has none.
- ›You'd rather use an authenticator app for 2FA instead of SMS-based security.
Where they differ
| Fact | Bell Direct | SelfWealth |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage minimum | $5 | $9.50 |
| Market data fees | $27.50/month | $0/month |
| Off-market transfer fee | $55 | $27.50 |
| Options trading | Yes | No |
| Auto-invest / DCA | None | Available (multiple levels) |
Verdict
Choose Bell Direct for broader asset access and cheaper large trades; choose SelfWealth for simple flat-fee trading with no data costs.
Cost calculator
What would Bell Direct vs SelfWealth actually cost you?
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All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Bell Direct | SelfWealth |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | mixed |
| Individual HIN | Yes | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | Yes |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | Yes | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | Yes | Yes |
| 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 | HK | |
| 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 | — |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 60% | 60% |
| Holds USD account | Yes | Yes |
| Market data fees | $27.5/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $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 | — |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $5 | $9.5 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 10% | — |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $25,000 | — |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | Selfwealth Premium subscribers ($29/month or $240/year) receive 10 complimentary trades annually; otherwise no free-trade conditions. |
| US brokerage minimum | US$0 | US$9.5 |
| Monthly platform fee | — | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | — | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | — | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | — | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $55 | $27.5 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Third Party Platform Pty Limited (trading as Bell Direct) | SelfWealth Pty Ltd |
| AFSL number | 314,341 | 421,789 |
| Year founded | 2,007 | 2,012 |
| Parent / ownership | Bell Financial Group Limited (ASX: BFG) | Syfe (Svava Pte Ltd, Singapore) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $500 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | — | $0 |
| Deposit methods | BPAY, Bank transfer (EFT), Direct credit | OSKO, BPAY, EFT/bank transfer |
| 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 | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, online forms | live chat, email, phone |
| Support hours (AU time) | Business hours, AET (typically Mon-Fri market hours) | 10am-4pm AET, Monday-Friday (closed public holidays) |
| Education content | basic articles | basic articles |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | Yes | — |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | No |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | — | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | multiple |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | — | Yes |