Halo Technologies vs IG Australia
The biggest difference between Halo Technologies and IG Australia is how you pay. Halo charges a flat $159 monthly platform fee plus $15 ASX brokerage, while IG charges $0 brokerage on ASX trades but takes a 0.25% p.a. fee on your total holdings. That makes IG cheaper for smaller portfolios and Halo better value once your balance climbs well into six figures.
- ›You hold a large portfolio (say $500k+) where the flat $159/month fee works out cheaper than IG's 0.25% p.a. holdings fee
- ›You want fractional US shares — Halo supports them, IG does not
- ›You need dividend reinvestment (DRP) on ASX holdings, which IG doesn't offer
- ›You want access to 30 global exchanges including Europe, Japan and Asia Pacific
- ›You're comfortable with a custodian model and don't need a personal HIN
- ›You're starting small or investing irregularly — IG has no monthly fee, no minimum deposit and $0 ASX brokerage
- ›You want to trade CFDs alongside shares on the same platform (IG offers both)
- ›You value flexible deposits: IG accepts bank transfer, BPAY, debit/credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay
- ›You want a demo account to practise before committing real money
- ›You need after-hours trading for US stocks, which IG supports
Where they differ
| Fact | Halo Technologies | IG Australia |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage | $15 minimum (0.12% above $12,500) | $0 on all ASX trades |
| Platform fee structure | $159/month flat fee ($2,508/year) | 0.25% p.a. on holdings value ($0/month fee) |
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.005% | 0.007% |
| Fractional US shares | Yes | No |
| Dividend reinvestment (DRP) | Yes | No |
Choose Halo for large portfolios and global access; choose IG for low-cost, flexible trading with zero ASX brokerage.
Common questions
How do Halo Technologies and IG Australia compare on asx brokerage?
Halo Technologies: $15 minimum (0.12% above $12,500). IG Australia: $0 on all ASX trades. IG is free for ASX; Halo has a minimum $15 per trade.
How do Halo Technologies and IG Australia compare on platform fee structure?
Halo Technologies: $159/month flat fee ($2,508/year). IG Australia: 0.25% p.a. on holdings value ($0/month fee). Halo's flat fee suits large portfolios; IG's percentage fee scales with your balance.
How do Halo Technologies and IG Australia compare on fx spread (aud/usd)?
Halo Technologies: 0.005%. IG Australia: 0.007%. Halo's FX spread is slightly tighter for international trades.
When is Halo Technologies the better choice over IG Australia?
Pick Halo Technologies if you hold a large portfolio (say $500k+) where the flat $159/month fee works out cheaper than IG's 0.25% p.a. holdings fee; you want fractional US shares — Halo supports them, IG does not; you need dividend reinvestment (DRP) on ASX holdings, which IG doesn't offer; or you want access to 30 global exchanges including Europe, Japan and Asia Pacific.
When is IG Australia the better choice over Halo Technologies?
Pick IG Australia if you're starting small or investing irregularly — IG has no monthly fee, no minimum deposit and $0 ASX brokerage; you want to trade CFDs alongside shares on the same platform (IG offers both); you value flexible deposits: IG accepts bank transfer, BPAY, debit/credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay and Google Pay; or you want a demo account to practise before committing real money.
Halo Technologies or IG Australia — what's the verdict?
Choose Halo for large portfolios and global access; choose IG for low-cost, flexible trading with zero ASX brokerage.
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 | Halo Technologies | IG Australia |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | custodian | custodian |
| Individual HIN | No | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | Yes |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | Yes | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | 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 | US (NASDAQ, NYSE), UK, Europe, Japan (NIKKEI), Asia Pacific, 30 exchanges total | United Kingdom, Germany, Ireland |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | No |
| Options trading | — | No |
| CFDs supported | No | Yes |
| Managed funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds supported | — | No |
| IPO access | — | Yes |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.5% | 0.7% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 0.5% | 0.7% |
| Holds USD account | — | Yes |
| Market data fees | $19/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | — | $0 |
| Corporate action fees | — | Corporate actions (dividends, splits, rights issues, takeovers) for shares held in custody are processed by IG via Citicorp Nominees; cash dividends are credited net of withholding to client ledger. SPP/rights elections are limited under the custodial model and detailed fees are disclosed in the IG Share Trading Customer Agreement / FSG. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $15 | $0 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 0.12% | 0% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $12,500 | $10,000 |
| ASX free trade conditions | 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. | $0 commission on all ASX shares and ETFs on the IG Share Trading account (no conditions/minimum trade count). A 0.25% p.a. platform fee on holdings value applies; 0.7% FX fee applies to international trades. |
| US brokerage minimum | US$15 | US$0 |
| US brokerage percentage | 0.12% | 0% |
| Monthly platform fee | $159/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $2,508/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | — | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | — | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | HALO Technologies Pty Ltd (ABN 54 623 830 866); ultimately wholly owned by HALO Technologies Holdings Limited ABN 73 645 531 219 | IG Australia Pty Ltd |
| AFSL number | 484,264 | 515,106 |
| Year founded | 2,017 | 2,002 |
| Parent / ownership | HALO Technologies Holdings Limited (ASX:HAL) — ultimate parent; publicly listed | IG Group Holdings plc (LSE: IGG) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | — | $0 |
| Deposit methods | AUD bank transfer / direct credit (to HALO trust account) | bank transfer, BPAY, debit card, credit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay |
| Settlement period | — | T+2 (ASX), T+1 (US) |
| Withdrawal time | — | 1-3 business days |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | — | Yes |
| Demo account | — | Yes |
| Free real-time market data | No | No |
| Free research reports | No | Yes |
| 2FA support | — | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, live chat | phone, email, live chat, social media |
| Support hours (AU time) | — | 24/5 Monday to Friday (closed weekends) |
| Education content | basic articles | video + courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| CGT calculator / report | — | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | — | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | — | No |
| Auto-invest sophistication | multiple | none |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | — | Yes |