Bendigo Invest Direct vs SelfWealth
The biggest difference here is price. SelfWealth charges $9.50 per ASX trade, while Bendigo Invest Direct starts at $19.95 — more than double. But Bendigo offers CHESS-sponsored holdings with your own HIN, a much wider range of international markets, and options trading, whereas SelfWealth keeps costs low and adds auto-invest features.
- ›You want true CHESS sponsorship with your own HIN for every trade (Bendigo uses CHESS, SelfWealth uses a mixed model)
- ›You trade options, managed funds, or bonds — SelfWealth doesn't support any of these
- ›You want access to 15+ international markets including UK, Japan, Canada, and Europe
- ›You're happy to pay $19.95 per ASX trade for the security of a major bank-backed broker
- ›You need free real-time market data and research reports included
- ›You want the lowest ASX brokerage at $9.50 per trade — half the cost of Bendigo
- ›You plan to trade US stocks regularly and want a USD account to avoid FX conversion on every trade
- ›You want to set up automated dollar-cost averaging (DCA) into ETFs
- ›You prefer zero withdrawal fees and a lower $27.50 off-market transfer fee
- ›You trade after hours or want OSKO instant deposits for faster funding
Where they differ
| Fact | Bendigo Invest Direct | SelfWealth |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage (minimum) | $19.95 | $9.50 |
| International markets | 15+ countries (US, UK, JP, CA, DE, FR, HK, SG, NZ, etc.) | US and Hong Kong only |
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.007% | 0.6% |
| USD account | No | Yes |
| Options, managed funds & bonds | Supported | Not supported |
Choose Bendigo for global markets and asset variety; choose SelfWealth for low-cost ASX and US trading with automation.
Common questions
How do Bendigo Invest Direct and SelfWealth compare on asx brokerage (minimum)?
Bendigo Invest Direct: $19.95. SelfWealth: $9.50. SelfWealth is roughly half the cost per trade.
How do Bendigo Invest Direct and SelfWealth compare on international markets?
Bendigo Invest Direct: 15+ countries (US, UK, JP, CA, DE, FR, HK, SG, NZ, etc.). SelfWealth: US and Hong Kong only. Bendigo offers vastly more global market access.
How do Bendigo Invest Direct and SelfWealth compare on fx spread (aud/usd)?
Bendigo Invest Direct: 0.007%. SelfWealth: 0.6%. Bendigo's FX is dramatically cheaper for international trades.
When is Bendigo Invest Direct the better choice over SelfWealth?
Pick Bendigo Invest Direct if you want true CHESS sponsorship with your own HIN for every trade (Bendigo uses CHESS, SelfWealth uses a mixed model); you trade options, managed funds, or bonds — SelfWealth doesn't support any of these; you want access to 15+ international markets including UK, Japan, Canada, and Europe; or you're happy to pay $19.95 per ASX trade for the security of a major bank-backed broker.
When is SelfWealth the better choice over Bendigo Invest Direct?
Pick SelfWealth if you want the lowest ASX brokerage at $9.50 per trade — half the cost of Bendigo; you plan to trade US stocks regularly and want a USD account to avoid FX conversion on every trade; you want to set up automated dollar-cost averaging (DCA) into ETFs; or you prefer zero withdrawal fees and a lower $27.50 off-market transfer fee.
Bendigo Invest Direct or SelfWealth — what's the verdict?
Choose Bendigo for global markets and asset variety; choose SelfWealth for low-cost ASX and US trading with automation.
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 | 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 |
| 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 | HK |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | 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) | 0.7% | 60% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 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 | — |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $19.95 | $9.5 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 0.11% | — |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $22,000 | — |
| 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 |
| US brokerage percentage | 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 | $27.5 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | CMC Markets Stockbroking Limited | SelfWealth Pty Ltd |
| AFSL number | 246,381 | 421,789 |
| Year founded | — | 2,012 |
| 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) | Syfe (Svava Pte Ltd, Singapore) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public (Bendigo and Adelaide Bank ASX:BEN; CMC Markets plc LSE:CMCX) | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $500 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | — | $0 |
| Deposit methods | BPAY, direct credit | OSKO, BPAY, EFT/bank transfer |
| Settlement period | T+2 ASX (CHESS settlement) | T+2 |
| Withdrawal time | — | 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 | Yes | No |
| Free research reports | Yes | No |
| 2FA support | — | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, live_chat, in_app | live chat, email, phone |
| Support hours (AU time) | Mon-Fri 7:30am-7:00pm (chat/email) and 7:30am-5:30pm (phone) AEST/AEDT | 10am-4pm AET, Monday-Friday (closed public holidays) |
| Education content | basic_articles | basic articles |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | 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 | No | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | multiple |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | Yes |