Share Trading comparison
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.
Choose
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
- ›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
Choose
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
- ›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 |
Verdict
Choose Halo for large portfolios and global access; choose IG for low-cost, flexible trading with zero ASX brokerage.
Cost calculator
What would Halo Technologies vs IG Australia 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 | 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 |