Share Trading comparison
Commsec Pocket vs Sharesies
The biggest difference between CommSec Pocket and Sharesies comes down to ownership structure. CommSec Pocket is a CHESS-sponsored broker backed by Commonwealth Bank, meaning you hold shares under your own HIN. Sharesies is a custodian model — it holds assets on your behalf, so you don't get a personal HIN. That distinction ripples through fees, features, and who this suits.
Choose
Commsec Pocket
if…
- ›You want true ownership of your ASX holdings under your own HIN (CHESS sponsorship)
- ›You trade ASX ETFs infrequently and want rock-bottom brokerage — $2 on trades up to $1,000
- ›You're already a CBA customer and want seamless direct debit from your CommBank account
- ›You prefer a simple, no-frills app with structured educational courses rather than advanced trading tools
- ›You want to keep costs predictable with zero monthly, inactivity, or market data fees
Choose
Sharesies
if…
- ›You want to invest in US and NZ shares and ETFs, which CommSec Pocket doesn't offer at all
- ›You want fractional shares on ASX or US stocks so you can invest dollar amounts rather than whole units
- ›You want a kids' account to invest on behalf of minors
- ›You want advanced order types like stop-loss and conditional orders, plus after-hours trading
- ›You want to start with as little as $1 and use PayID or card deposits instead of a linked bank account
Where they differ
| Fact | Commsec Pocket | Sharesies |
|---|---|---|
| CHESS sponsorship | Yes — individual HIN | No — custodian model |
| US shares | Not supported | Supported (plus NZ market) |
| Fractional shares | Not available | Available on ASX and US |
| ASX brokerage structure | $2 flat (0.2% up to $1,000) | 1.9% capped at $6 per trade |
| Kids account | Not available | Available ($2/mo plan) |
Verdict
Pick CommSec Pocket for cheap, CHESS-sponsored ASX ETF investing; pick Sharesies for fractional global shares and a kids account.
Cost calculator
What would Commsec Pocket vs Sharesies 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 | Commsec Pocket | Sharesies |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | custodian |
| Individual HIN | Yes | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | No |
| Company account | No | No |
| Trust account | No | No |
| SMSF account | No | No |
| Kids / minor account | No | Yes |
| 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 | NZ | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | Yes |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | Yes |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | No | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | — | 0.6% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | — | 0.6% |
| Holds USD account | — | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | — | No |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | — | $0 |
| 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. | No fee for receiving DRP shares ('You don't pay a Sharesies transaction fee when you receive shares through a DRP'). Sharesies handles corporate actions via the Voting & Corporate Actions Policy; specific fees for rights issues, SPP, takeovers not separately listed in pricing schedule. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $2 | $0 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 0.2% | 1.9% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $1,000 | $315.79 |
| 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. | Pay-as-you-go: 1.9% per buy/sell order, capped at AU$6 for ASX, US$5 for US, NZ$25 for NZ. Monthly plans cover transaction fees on a set volume: $5/mo plan ($54/yr) covers $500 AUD buy/sell + $1,000 AUD auto-invest; $10/mo plan ($108/yr) covers $1,000 AUD buy/sell + $3,000 AUD auto-invest; $20/mo plan ($216/yr) covers $3,000 AUD buy/sell + $8,000 AUD auto-invest. Kids plan $2/mo covers $500 buy/sell + $1,000 auto-invest. Once monthly cover used up, pay-as-you-go applies. No truly free trade option. |
| US brokerage minimum | — | US$0 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 1.9% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $54 | $50 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Commonwealth Securities Limited | Sharesies Australia Limited |
| AFSL number | 238,814 | 529,893 |
| Year founded | 2,019 | 2,021 |
| Parent / ownership | Commonwealth Bank of Australia (CBA) | Sharesies Group Limited (New Zealand) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $50 | $1 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $50 | $1 |
| Deposit methods | Linked CBA transaction account (CDIA, Smart Access, Streamline Basic, NetBank Saver, etc.) - direct debit | PayID, OSKO, direct credit, card |
| Settlement period | T+2 | T+2 ASX/NZX, T+1 US |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days | 1-2 business days for settled funds; longer if recently sold (T+2 settlement plus 1-2 days reconciliation plus 1-2 days bank transfer) |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | No |
| Demo account | No | No |
| Free real-time market data | No | No |
| Free research reports | No | No |
| 2FA support | SMS + PIN | authenticator_app |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, in-app messaging | email, in_app |
| Support hours (AU time) | Mon-Fri 8:00am-6:00pm AET (phone) | Monday to Friday, 6 AM to 4 PM AEST |
| Education content | structured courses | basic_articles |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | No | Yes |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | No |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | No | Yes |
| Conditional orders | No | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | single asset | multiple_assets |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | Yes |