Halo Technologies vs Sharesies
Halo Technologies and Sharesies sit at opposite ends of the investing spectrum. Halo is a high-end global platform built for serious investors who trade large volumes — it charges a $159/month platform fee but offers rock-bottom brokerage of 0.12%. Sharesies is a beginner-friendly, low-cost entry point with zero monthly fees, fractional shares on ASX and US stocks, and a minimum buy-in of just $1.
- ›You trade more than $12,500 per trade on ASX — Halo's 0.12% brokerage is dramatically cheaper than Sharesies' 1.9% tiered model
- ›You need access to 30+ global exchanges including UK, Europe, Japan and Asia Pacific
- ›You want a trust, company or SMSF account structure — Sharesies only offers individual and kids accounts
- ›You trade high volumes and the $159/month platform fee is easily offset by the ultra-low per-trade costs
- ›You want a publicly listed parent company (ASX:HAL) with full corporate transparency
- ›You're starting small — Sharesies has no monthly fee, no minimum deposit, and lets you buy as little as $1 of a stock
- ›You want fractional shares on ASX — Sharesies offers them, Halo does not
- ›You only trade ASX, US and NZ markets and don't need the broader global exchange access Halo provides
- ›You prefer a simple, app-first experience without a $159/month commitment eating into a small portfolio
- ›You want to open a kids account — Sharesies has a dedicated $2/month plan for minors
Where they differ
| Fact | Halo Technologies | Sharesies |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly platform fee | $159/month | $0/month |
| ASX brokerage (small trade) | $15 minimum | 1.9% capped at $6 |
| ASX brokerage (large trade) | 0.12% ($15 on $12,500) | 1.9% capped at $6 (but $237.50 on $12,500) |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | Not supported | Supported |
| Account types | Individual, joint, company, trust, SMSF | Individual and kids only |
Choose Halo if you trade big and need global markets; choose Sharesies if you're starting small and want zero monthly fees.
Common questions
How do Halo Technologies and Sharesies compare on monthly platform fee?
Halo Technologies: $159/month. Sharesies: $0/month. Halo's fee is a major cost for smaller portfolios; Sharesies charges no base fee.
How do Halo Technologies and Sharesies compare on asx brokerage (small trade)?
Halo Technologies: $15 minimum. Sharesies: 1.9% capped at $6. Sharesies is cheaper for small trades; Halo's $15 minimum hurts on sub-$1,250 trades.
How do Halo Technologies and Sharesies compare on asx brokerage (large trade)?
Halo Technologies: 0.12% ($15 on $12,500). Sharesies: 1.9% capped at $6 (but $237.50 on $12,500). Flip the trade size and Halo becomes dramatically cheaper for large orders.
When is Halo Technologies the better choice over Sharesies?
Pick Halo Technologies if you trade more than $12,500 per trade on ASX — Halo's 0.12% brokerage is dramatically cheaper than Sharesies' 1.9% tiered model; you need access to 30+ global exchanges including UK, Europe, Japan and Asia Pacific; you want a trust, company or SMSF account structure — Sharesies only offers individual and kids accounts; or you trade high volumes and the $159/month platform fee is easily offset by the ultra-low per-trade costs.
When is Sharesies the better choice over Halo Technologies?
Pick Sharesies if you're starting small — Sharesies has no monthly fee, no minimum deposit, and lets you buy as little as $1 of a stock; you want fractional shares on ASX — Sharesies offers them, Halo does not; you only trade ASX, US and NZ markets and don't need the broader global exchange access Halo provides; or you prefer a simple, app-first experience without a $159/month commitment eating into a small portfolio.
Halo Technologies or Sharesies — what's the verdict?
Choose Halo if you trade big and need global markets; choose Sharesies if you're starting small and want zero monthly fees.
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 | Sharesies |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | custodian | custodian |
| Individual HIN | No | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | No |
| Company account | Yes | No |
| Trust account | Yes | No |
| SMSF account | Yes | No |
| 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 | US (NASDAQ, NYSE), UK, Europe, Japan (NIKKEI), Asia Pacific, 30 exchanges total | NZ |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | Yes |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | Yes |
| Options trading | — | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds supported | — | No |
| IPO access | — | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 0.5% | 0.6% |
| Holds USD account | — | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | — | No |
| Market data fees | $19/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | — | $0 |
| Corporate action fees | — | 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 | $15 | $0 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 0.12% | 1.9% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $12,500 | $315.79 |
| 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. | 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$15 | US$0 |
| US brokerage percentage | 0.12% | 1.9% |
| Monthly platform fee | $159/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $2,508/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | — | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | — | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | — | $50 |
| 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 | Sharesies Australia Limited |
| AFSL number | 484,264 | 529,893 |
| Year founded | 2,017 | 2,021 |
| Parent / ownership | HALO Technologies Holdings Limited (ASX:HAL) — ultimate parent; publicly listed | Sharesies Group Limited (New Zealand) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | — | $1 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | — | $1 |
| Deposit methods | AUD bank transfer / direct credit (to HALO trust account) | PayID, OSKO, direct credit, card |
| Settlement period | — | T+2 ASX/NZX, T+1 US |
| Withdrawal time | — | 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 |
| Demo account | — | No |
| Free real-time market data | No | No |
| Free research reports | No | No |
| 2FA support | — | authenticator_app |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, live chat | email, in_app |
| Support hours (AU time) | — | Monday to Friday, 6 AM to 4 PM AEST |
| Education content | basic articles | basic_articles |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | — | Yes |
| CGT calculator / report | — | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | — | No |
| 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 | multiple | multiple_assets |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | — | Yes |