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.
- ›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.
- ›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) |
Choose Bell Direct for broader asset access and cheaper large trades; choose SelfWealth for simple flat-fee trading with no data costs.
Common questions
How do Bell Direct and SelfWealth compare on asx brokerage minimum?
Bell Direct: $5. SelfWealth: $9.50.
How do Bell Direct and SelfWealth compare on market data fees?
Bell Direct: $27.50/month. SelfWealth: $0/month.
How do Bell Direct and SelfWealth compare on off-market transfer fee?
Bell Direct: $55. SelfWealth: $27.50.
When is Bell Direct the better choice over SelfWealth?
Pick 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; or you value free research reports — Bell Direct includes them; SelfWealth doesn't offer any.
When is SelfWealth the better choice over Bell Direct?
Pick 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; or you'd rather use an authenticator app for 2FA instead of SMS-based security.
Bell Direct or SelfWealth — what's the verdict?
Choose Bell Direct for broader asset access and cheaper large trades; choose SelfWealth for simple flat-fee trading with no data costs.
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 | 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 |