CMC Invest vs Halo Technologies
The biggest practical difference is cost structure. CMC Invest charges no monthly platform fee and $0 brokerage on your first ASX buy each day up to $1,000, while Halo Technologies charges $159/month and $15 minimum per trade. CMC also holds your ASX shares on CHESS with your own HIN; Halo uses a custodian model, so you don't get an individual HIN.
- ›You want no monthly platform fee and low-cost ASX trades
- ›You want your ASX shares held under your own HIN via CHESS sponsorship
- ›You want free real-time market data and research reports bundled in
- ›You want to trade ASX, US and 15+ other global markets from one account
- ›You want a low $500 minimum to get started and PayID/BPAY deposits
- ›You want fractional US shares so you can buy part of a high-priced stock
- ›You want auto-invest spread across multiple assets, not just one
- ›You want a tighter AUD/USD FX spread at 0.005%
- ›You want access to roughly 30 global exchanges including NASDAQ and NYSE
- ›You are comfortable paying a premium platform fee for a broader global offering
Where they differ
| Fact | CMC Invest | Halo Technologies |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly platform fee | 0 AUD/month | 159 AUD/month |
| ASX brokerage minimum | 11 AUD | 15 AUD |
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | custodian |
| Individual HIN | true | false |
| US fractional shares | false | true |
For most Australian retail investors, CMC Invest wins on cost, CHESS holding and free data; Halo only makes sense if you want fractional US shares and multi-asset auto-invest.
Common questions
How do CMC Invest and Halo Technologies compare on monthly platform fee?
CMC Invest: 0 AUD/month. Halo Technologies: 159 AUD/month. Halo's $2,508/year fee dwarfs CMC's zero, so you need real usage to justify it.
How do CMC Invest and Halo Technologies compare on asx brokerage minimum?
CMC Invest: 11 AUD. Halo Technologies: 15 AUD. CMC is cheaper per ASX trade, and free on the first daily buy up to $1,000.
How do CMC Invest and Halo Technologies compare on chess sponsorship model?
CMC Invest: chess. Halo Technologies: custodian. CMC gives you an individual HIN; Halo holds assets via a custodian, so no direct CHESS holding.
When is CMC Invest the better choice over Halo Technologies?
Pick CMC Invest if you want no monthly platform fee and low-cost ASX trades; you want your ASX shares held under your own HIN via CHESS sponsorship; you want free real-time market data and research reports bundled in; or you want to trade ASX, US and 15+ other global markets from one account.
When is Halo Technologies the better choice over CMC Invest?
Pick Halo Technologies if you want fractional US shares so you can buy part of a high-priced stock; you want auto-invest spread across multiple assets, not just one; you want a tighter AUD/USD FX spread at 0.005%; or you want access to roughly 30 global exchanges including NASDAQ and NYSE.
CMC Invest or Halo Technologies — what's the verdict?
For most Australian retail investors, CMC Invest wins on cost, CHESS holding and free data; Halo only makes sense if you want fractional US shares and multi-asset auto-invest.
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 | CMC Invest | Halo Technologies |
|---|---|---|
| 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 |
| 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 | United Kingdom, Canada, Japan, Germany, France, Netherlands, Belgium, Spain, Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Singapore, Hong Kong, New Zealand | US (NASDAQ, NYSE), UK, Europe, Japan (NIKKEI), Asia Pacific, 30 exchanges total |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | Yes |
| Options trading | Yes | — |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds supported | No | — |
| IPO access | Yes | — |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.6% | 0.5% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 0.6% | 0.5% |
| Holds USD account | No | — |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $19/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | — |
| Phone trade surcharge | $59.95 | — |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $11 | $15 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 0.1% | 0.12% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $1,000 | $12,500 |
| ASX free trade conditions | $0 brokerage on first ASX buy order per security per day for trades up to $1,000 (excludes margin loan settled trades and sells) | Promotional offer: $0 brokerage on trades up to $250,000 (per landing page /0-brokerage-on-trades-up-to-250000); standard FSG schedule remains $15/0.12%. Conditions not fully disclosed publicly. |
| US brokerage minimum | US$0 | US$15 |
| US brokerage percentage | 0% | 0.12% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $159/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $2,508/year |
| Inactivity fee | $15 | — |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | — |
| Off-market transfer fee | $55 | — |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | CMC Markets Stockbroking Limited | HALO Technologies Pty Ltd (ABN 54 623 830 866); ultimately wholly owned by HALO Technologies Holdings Limited ABN 73 645 531 219 |
| AFSL number | 246,381 | 484,264 |
| Year founded | 1,989 | 2,017 |
| Parent / ownership | CMC Markets plc (LSE: CMCX) | HALO Technologies Holdings Limited (ASX:HAL) — ultimate parent; publicly listed |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | — |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $0 | — |
| Deposit methods | PayID, Bank transfer (EFT), BPAY | AUD bank transfer / direct credit (to HALO trust account) |
| Settlement period | T+2 for ASX; T+1 for US | — |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days | — |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | — |
| 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 | phone, email, live chat |
| Support hours (AU time) | Monday-Friday, business hours AET (approx 8am-6pm) | — |
| Education content | structured courses | basic articles |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | Yes | — |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | — |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | — |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | — |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | — |
| Auto-invest sophistication | single asset | multiple |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | — |