Share Trading comparison
Bendigo Invest Direct vs IG Australia
The biggest practical difference between these two is ownership structure. Bendigo Invest Direct is CHESS-sponsored — you get your own HIN and shares are held in your name on the ASX register. IG Australia is a custodian model: IG holds the shares on your behalf through Citicorp Nominees, so you don't get a HIN. That distinction drives most of the other differences, from fees to features.
Choose
Bendigo Invest Direct
if…
- ›You want your own HIN and CHESS sponsorship — your name on the ASX register, not a custodian's
- ›You trade options, managed funds, or bonds, which IG doesn't support
- ›You're willing to pay $19.95 per ASX trade (up to $22,000) in exchange for direct share ownership and no ongoing platform fee
- ›You want free real-time ASX market data included, whereas IG charges for it
- ›You need dividend reinvestment plans (DRP) — IG doesn't offer them
Choose
IG Australia
if…
- ›You want zero brokerage on ASX trades up to $10,000 — IG charges $0 commission with no minimum trade count
- ›You prefer a custodial model and don't care about having your own HIN
- ›You trade US stocks regularly — IG holds a USD account (Bendigo doesn't) and offers T+1 US settlement
- ›You want to deposit via credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay or Google Pay — Bendigo only offers BPAY and direct credit
- ›You want after-hours trading access or a demo account to practice
Where they differ
| Fact | Bendigo Invest Direct | IG Australia |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage (up to threshold) | $19.95 flat (up to $22,000) | $0 flat (up to $10,000) |
| Ongoing platform fee | $0/month | 0.25% p.a. on holdings value |
| CHESS sponsorship | CHESS-sponsored (your own HIN) | Custodial (no HIN) |
| USD account | No USD account | Holds USD account |
| Market data fees | $41.25/month (or free real-time included) | $0/month (but no free real-time data included) |
Verdict
Choose Bendigo Invest Direct for CHESS ownership and a broader product range; choose IG for zero ASX brokerage and better international trading features.
Cost calculator
What would Bendigo Invest Direct vs IG Australia 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 | Bendigo Invest Direct | IG Australia |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | custodian |
| Individual HIN | Yes | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | Yes |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | Yes | Yes |
| SMSF 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 | UK, JP, CA, DE, FR, HK, SG, NZ, NL, BE, PT, ES, IT, NO, SE | United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | No |
| Options trading | Yes | No |
| CFDs supported | No | Yes |
| Managed funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds supported | Yes | No |
| IPO access | Yes | Yes |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 0.7% | 0.7% |
| Holds USD account | No | Yes |
| Market data fees | $41.25/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Phone trade surcharge | $50 | — |
| Corporate action fees | BPAY for corporate actions $10; IPO/Placement booking fee $55 per stock | Corporate actions (dividends, splits, rights issues, takeovers) for shares held in custody are processed by IG via Citicorp Nominees; cash dividends are credited net of withholding to client ledger. SPP/rights elections are limited under the custodial model and detailed fees are disclosed in the IG Share Trading Customer Agreement / FSG. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $19.95 | $0 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 0.11% | 0% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $22,000 | $10,000 |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | $0 commission on all ASX shares and ETFs on the IG Share Trading account (no conditions/minimum trade count). A 0.25% p.a. platform fee on holdings value applies; 0.7% FX fee applies to international trades. |
| US brokerage minimum | US$0 | US$0 |
| US brokerage percentage | 0% | 0% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | — | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $35 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $55 | — |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | CMC Markets Stockbroking Limited | IG Australia Pty Ltd |
| AFSL number | 246,381 | 515,106 |
| Year founded | — | 2,002 |
| Parent / ownership | Bendigo and Adelaide Bank Limited (ABN 11 068 049 178); service operated by CMC Markets Stockbroking Limited, a member of the CMC Markets Group (CMC Markets plc, LSE-listed) | IG Group Holdings plc (LSE: IGG) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public (Bendigo and Adelaide Bank ASX:BEN; CMC Markets plc LSE:CMCX) | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $0 |
| Deposit methods | BPAY, direct credit | bank transfer, BPAY, debit card, credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay |
| Settlement period | T+2 ASX (CHESS settlement) | T+2 (ASX), T+1 (US) |
| Withdrawal time | — | 1-3 business days |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | Yes |
| Demo account | — | Yes |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | No |
| Free research reports | Yes | Yes |
| 2FA support | — | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, live_chat, in_app | phone, email, live chat, social media |
| Support hours (AU time) | Mon-Fri 7:30am-7:00pm (chat/email) and 7:30am-5:30pm (phone) AEST/AEDT | 24/5 Monday to Friday (closed weekends) |
| Education content | basic_articles | video + courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | — |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | No | No |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | none |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | Yes |