Share Trading comparison
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.
Choose
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
- ›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
Choose
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
- ›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 |
Verdict
Choose Bendigo for global markets and asset variety; choose SelfWealth for low-cost ASX and US trading with automation.
Cost calculator
What would Bendigo Invest Direct vs SelfWealth actually cost you?
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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 |