Share Trading comparison
Commsec Pocket vs Halo Technologies
CommSec Pocket is a stripped-back, low-cost ETF-only app for casual investors, while Halo Technologies is a full-blown global trading platform with a steep monthly fee. The biggest practical difference is price: Pocket costs nothing to hold, whereas Halo charges $159/month plus market data fees. That monthly fee alone makes Halo a non-starter for anyone who isn't trading serious money.
Choose
Commsec Pocket
if…
- ›You want zero ongoing fees — no monthly platform fee, no inactivity fee, no market data charges.
- ›You only trade ASX ETFs and don't need US shares, options, or international markets.
- ›You're starting small: minimum trades are $50 and ASX brokerage starts at just $2.
- ›You want CHESS sponsorship with your own HIN, so holdings are in your name, not a custodian.
- ›You prefer a simple mobile-only experience with auto-invest (DCA) into single ETFs.
Choose
Halo Technologies
if…
- ›You trade US shares and ETFs — Halo offers direct access to 30+ global exchanges with fractional US shares.
- ›You manage a portfolio big enough to justify $159/month — think $200k+ where the platform's tools and multi-currency access add real value.
- ›You need advanced account types: joint, company, trust, or SMSF accounts (none of which Pocket supports).
- ›You want stop-loss orders and multi-asset auto-invest strategies, not just basic limit and market orders.
- ›You're comfortable with custodian model (no individual HIN) in exchange for global diversification and professional-grade tools.
Where they differ
| Fact | Commsec Pocket | Halo Technologies |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $159/month |
| ASX brokerage minimum | $2 | $15 |
| US shares supported | No | Yes (30+ exchanges) |
| CHESS sponsorship | Yes (individual HIN) | No (custodian model) |
| Account types | Individual only | Individual, joint, company, trust, SMSF |
Verdict
Pick CommSec Pocket for dirt-cheap ETF investing; choose Halo only if you trade globally and can absorb $159/month.
Cost calculator
What would Commsec Pocket vs Halo Technologies actually cost you?
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All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Commsec Pocket | Halo Technologies |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | custodian |
| Individual HIN | Yes | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | Yes |
| Company account | No | Yes |
| Trust account | No | Yes |
| SMSF account | No | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | No | — |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | Yes | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| US shares supported | No | Yes |
| US ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| Other markets supported | US (NASDAQ, NYSE), UK, Europe, Japan (NIKKEI), Asia Pacific, 30 exchanges total | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | Yes |
| Options trading | No | — |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | No | Yes |
| Bonds supported | No | — |
| IPO access | No | — |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | — | 0.5% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | — | 0.5% |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $19/month |
| Corporate action fees | Corporate actions (rights issues, SPPs, takeovers) are administered via the underlying ETF issuers/share registries since holdings are CHESS-sponsored under the investor's HIN; CommSec does not charge a separate corporate action fee. | — |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $2 | $15 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 0.2% | 0.12% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $1,000 | $12,500 |
| ASX free trade conditions | Promotional $0 brokerage offer on Pocket ETF trades from 20 April 2026 to 17 July 2026 inclusive, available to all CommSec Pocket customers. | 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$15 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 0.12% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $159/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $2,508/year |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | — |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | — |
| Off-market transfer fee | $54 | — |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Commonwealth Securities 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 | 238,814 | 484,264 |
| Year founded | 2,019 | 2,017 |
| Parent / ownership | Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) | 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 | $50 | — |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $50 | — |
| Deposit methods | Linked CBA transaction account (CDIA, Smart Access, Streamline Basic, NetBank Saver, etc.) - direct debit | AUD bank transfer / direct credit (to HALO trust account) |
| Settlement period | T+2 | — |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days | — |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | — |
| Demo account | No | — |
| Free real-time market data | No | No |
| Free research reports | No | No |
| 2FA support | SMS + PIN | — |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, in-app messaging | phone, email, live chat |
| Support hours (AU time) | Mon-Fri 8:00am-6:00pm AET (phone) | — |
| Education content | structured courses | basic articles |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | No | — |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | — |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | — |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | No | Yes |
| Conditional orders | No | — |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | — |
| Auto-invest sophistication | single asset | multiple |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | — |