Bell Direct vs Sharesies
Bell Direct and Sharesies sit at opposite ends of the Australian trading spectrum. Bell Direct is a full-service CHESS-sponsored broker backed by a listed financial group, with low percentage brokerage and a $5 minimum — built for serious ASX investors. Sharesies is a custodian-model platform with a pay-as-you-go or subscription pricing structure, designed for small-dollar, frequent trading and auto-investing.
- ›You want CHESS sponsorship and your own HIN so shares are held in your name, not a custodian
- ›You trade ASX parcels over $5,000 — Bell Direct's 0.1% brokerage (capped at $25k) is far cheaper than Sharesies' 1.9% uncapped rate
- ›You need access to options, bonds, managed funds, IPOs, or trust/SMSF/company accounts
- ›You want phone trading, conditional orders, and dedicated research reports from a broker with 17 years of history
- ›You plan to transfer out eventually — Bell Direct's CHESS model makes moving to another broker simpler
- ›You want to start with as little as $1 and invest small amounts regularly without brokerage eating your returns
- ›You trade US shares — Sharesies' 0.006% FX spread is dramatically cheaper than Bell Direct's 0.6%
- ›You want fractional shares on both ASX and US markets, plus auto-invest across multiple assets
- ›You prefer a subscription model where a flat monthly fee covers a set volume of trades, rather than paying per trade
- ›You're happy with a custodial model and don't need joint, company, trust, or SMSF accounts
Where they differ
| Fact | Bell Direct | Sharesies |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage structure | 0.1% (min $5, capped at $25k) | 1.9% uncapped, or subscription plans from $5/mo covering $500 volume |
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.6% | 0.006% |
| CHESS sponsorship | Yes — individual HIN | No — custodian model |
| Account types | Individual, joint, company, trust, SMSF, kids | Individual and kids only |
| Fractional shares | US only | ASX and US |
Choose Bell Direct for serious ASX investing with CHESS ownership; choose Sharesies for low-cost US trading and micro-investing.
Common questions
How do Bell Direct and Sharesies compare on asx brokerage structure?
Bell Direct: 0.1% (min $5, capped at $25k). Sharesies: 1.9% uncapped, or subscription plans from $5/mo covering $500 volume.
How do Bell Direct and Sharesies compare on fx spread (aud/usd)?
Bell Direct: 0.6%. Sharesies: 0.006%.
How do Bell Direct and Sharesies compare on chess sponsorship?
Bell Direct: Yes — individual HIN. Sharesies: No — custodian model.
When is Bell Direct the better choice over Sharesies?
Pick Bell Direct if you want CHESS sponsorship and your own HIN so shares are held in your name, not a custodian; you trade ASX parcels over $5,000 — Bell Direct's 0.1% brokerage (capped at $25k) is far cheaper than Sharesies' 1.9% uncapped rate; you need access to options, bonds, managed funds, IPOs, or trust/SMSF/company accounts; or you want phone trading, conditional orders, and dedicated research reports from a broker with 17 years of history.
When is Sharesies the better choice over Bell Direct?
Pick Sharesies if you want to start with as little as $1 and invest small amounts regularly without brokerage eating your returns; you trade US shares — Sharesies' 0.006% FX spread is dramatically cheaper than Bell Direct's 0.6%; you want fractional shares on both ASX and US markets, plus auto-invest across multiple assets; or you prefer a subscription model where a flat monthly fee covers a set volume of trades, rather than paying per trade.
Bell Direct or Sharesies — what's the verdict?
Choose Bell Direct for serious ASX investing with CHESS ownership; choose Sharesies for low-cost US trading and micro-investing.
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 | Sharesies |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | custodian |
| Individual HIN | Yes | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | No |
| Company account | Yes | No |
| Trust account | Yes | No |
| SMSF account | Yes | No |
| 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 | NZ | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | Yes |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | Yes |
| 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% | 0.6% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | — | 0.6% |
| Holds USD account | Yes | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | — | No |
| 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 | No fee for receiving DRP shares ('You don't pay a Sharesies transaction fee when you receive shares through a DRP'). Sharesies handles corporate actions via the Voting & Corporate Actions Policy; specific fees for rights issues, SPP, takeovers not separately listed in pricing schedule. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $5 | $0 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 10% | 1.9% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $25,000 | $315.79 |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | Pay-as-you-go: 1.9% per buy/sell order, capped at AU$6 for ASX, US$5 for US, NZ$25 for NZ. Monthly plans cover transaction fees on a set volume: $5/mo plan ($54/yr) covers $500 AUD buy/sell + $1,000 AUD auto-invest; $10/mo plan ($108/yr) covers $1,000 AUD buy/sell + $3,000 AUD auto-invest; $20/mo plan ($216/yr) covers $3,000 AUD buy/sell + $8,000 AUD auto-invest. Kids plan $2/mo covers $500 buy/sell + $1,000 auto-invest. Once monthly cover used up, pay-as-you-go applies. No truly free trade option. |
| US brokerage minimum | US$0 | US$0 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 1.9% |
| Monthly platform fee | — | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | — | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | — | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | — | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $55 | $50 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Third Party Platform Pty Limited (trading as Bell Direct) | Sharesies Australia Limited |
| AFSL number | 314,341 | 529,893 |
| Year founded | 2,007 | 2,021 |
| Parent / ownership | Bell Financial Group Limited (ASX: BFG) | Sharesies Group Limited (New Zealand) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $1 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | — | $1 |
| Deposit methods | BPAY, Bank transfer (EFT), Direct credit | PayID, OSKO, direct credit, card |
| Settlement period | T+2 (ASX), T+1 (US) | T+2 ASX/NZX, T+1 US |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days | 1-2 business days for settled funds; longer if recently sold (T+2 settlement plus 1-2 days reconciliation plus 1-2 days bank transfer) |
| 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 | email, in_app |
| Support hours (AU time) | Business hours, AET (typically Mon-Fri market hours) | Monday to Friday, 6 AM to 4 PM AEST |
| Education content | basic articles | basic_articles |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | No |
| 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_assets |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | — | Yes |