Share Trading comparison
Bell Direct vs Stake
Bell Direct and Stake both let you trade ASX and US shares from Australia, but they take very different approaches. Bell Direct is a full-service CHESS-sponsored broker with options, bonds and managed funds, backed by a listed financial group. Stake is a leaner, mobile-first platform built around low US trading costs and a slick app experience — but it uses a custody model for US trades and lacks some of the advanced order types and account options Bell Direct offers.
Choose
Bell Direct
if…
- ›You want CHESS sponsorship and your own HIN for direct ASX share ownership
- ›You trade options, managed funds or bonds — Stake doesn't support options or managed funds at all
- ›You need joint, trust, SMSF or kids' accounts — Stake doesn't offer joint or minor accounts
- ›You want conditional orders and stop-loss capabilities beyond basic limit/stop orders
- ›You're comfortable paying $27.50/month for real-time market data and don't mind a $55 off-market transfer fee
Choose
Stake
if…
- ›You trade US stocks regularly and want a razor-thin FX spread of 0.0055% — Bell Direct charges 0.6%
- ›You want zero monthly market data fees and free real-time US quotes out of the box
- ›You prefer paying with Apple Pay, Google Pay or credit/debit card — Bell Direct only offers BPAY, EFT and direct credit
- ›You want a modern app with structured education courses and authenticator-app 2FA instead of SMS
- ›You're happy with a custody model for US trades and don't need options, managed funds or DRP
Where they differ
| Fact | Bell Direct | Stake |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage minimum | $5 | $3 |
| US brokerage minimum | $0 | $3 USD |
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.6% | 0.0055% |
| Monthly market data fees | $27.50/month | $0/month |
| Off-market transfer fee | $55 | $0 |
Verdict
Pick Bell Direct for full-service ASX trading and account flexibility; pick Stake for cheap, slick US trading.
Cost calculator
What would Bell Direct vs Stake actually cost you?
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 | Stake |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | mixed |
| Individual HIN | Yes | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | No |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | Yes | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | Yes | No |
| 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 | United States | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | Yes |
| Options trading | Yes | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds supported | Yes | Yes |
| IPO access | Yes | — |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 60% | 0.55% |
| Holds USD account | Yes | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | — | 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 | Corporate actions (dividends, SPPs, rights issues, takeovers) are passed through where mandatory; Stake does not provide a DRP — investors must elect DRP directly with each company's share registry. No published per-event fee. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $5 | $3 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 10% | 0.01% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $25,000 | $30,000 |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | No free-trade promotion ordinarily offered; brokerage waived for 12 months on transferred ASX holdings worth A$1,000+ |
| US brokerage minimum | US$0 | US$3 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 0.01% |
| Monthly platform fee | — | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | — | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | — | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | — | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $55 | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Third Party Platform Pty Limited (trading as Bell Direct) | Stakeshop Pty Ltd |
| AFSL number | 314,341 | 548,196 |
| Year founded | 2,007 | 2,017 |
| Parent / ownership | Bell Financial Group Limited (ASX: BFG) | Privately held (Stakeshop AFSL Pty Ltd group); investors include AGL Energy's former CEO and various private investors |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $500 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | — | $20 |
| Deposit methods | BPAY, Bank transfer (EFT), Direct credit | Bank transfer (Osko/PayID), Apple Pay, Google Pay, Debit card, Credit card |
| Settlement period | T+2 (ASX), T+1 (US) | T+2 for ASX; T+1 for US |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days | 1-2 business days for AUD (Stake AUS); 2-3 US business days for USD (Stake Wall St) |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | No |
| Demo account | — | No |
| Free real-time market data | No | Yes |
| Free research reports | Yes | Yes |
| 2FA support | SMS | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, online forms | Email, In-app chat, Help centre |
| Support hours (AU time) | Business hours, AET (typically Mon-Fri market hours) | Business hours AEST/AEDT (approximately Mon-Fri); chat/email response varies |
| 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 | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | No |
| Auto-invest / DCA | — | No |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | none |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | — | Yes |