Marketech Focus vs Vanguard Personal Investor
The biggest difference here is ownership structure. Marketech Focus is CHESS-sponsored — you get your own HIN and shares are held in your name. Vanguard Personal Investor is a custodian model: Vanguard holds the legal title, so you don't get a HIN. That distinction drives most of the practical trade-offs between these two platforms.
- ›You want your own HIN and CHESS sponsorship so shares are legally registered in your name on the ASX
- ›You trade ASX-listed stocks and ETFs frequently and want low variable brokerage (0.03% after the first $16,667)
- ›You need stop-loss and conditional orders for active trading strategies
- ›You want to participate in corporate actions like rights issues and SPPs
- ›You plan to hold non-Vanguard ETFs and want cheap brokerage on those trades
- ›You invest primarily in Vanguard managed funds and ETFs — they trade at $0 brokerage on buys
- ›You want to automate your investing with a dollar-cost averaging plan (Auto-Invest with multiple frequency options)
- ›You want zero ongoing fees — no monthly platform fee, no market data fees, no inactivity fees
- ›You're starting small — minimum initial deposit is $200 and subsequent purchases start at $1
- ›You need joint, company, trust or kids/minor account options
Where they differ
| Fact | Marketech Focus | Vanguard Personal Investor |
|---|---|---|
| CHESS sponsorship model | CHESS-sponsored (individual HIN) | Custodian (no HIN) |
| ASX brokerage (non-Vanguard ETFs/shares) | $5 min or 0.03% above $16,667 | $9 flat each way |
| Monthly platform fee | $20/month ($240/year) | $0/month |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Not available | Available with multiple frequency options |
| Account types | Individual and SMSF only | Individual, joint, company, trust, SMSF, and kids/minor accounts |
Pick Marketech Focus if you want CHESS sponsorship and active trading; pick Vanguard if you want zero fees and automated ETF investing.
Common questions
How do Marketech Focus and Vanguard Personal Investor compare on chess sponsorship model?
Marketech Focus: CHESS-sponsored (individual HIN). Vanguard Personal Investor: Custodian (no HIN).
How do Marketech Focus and Vanguard Personal Investor compare on asx brokerage (non-vanguard etfs/shares)?
Marketech Focus: $5 min or 0.03% above $16,667. Vanguard Personal Investor: $9 flat each way.
How do Marketech Focus and Vanguard Personal Investor compare on monthly platform fee?
Marketech Focus: $20/month ($240/year). Vanguard Personal Investor: $0/month.
When is Marketech Focus the better choice over Vanguard Personal Investor?
Pick Marketech Focus if you want your own HIN and CHESS sponsorship so shares are legally registered in your name on the ASX; you trade ASX-listed stocks and ETFs frequently and want low variable brokerage (0.03% after the first $16,667); you need stop-loss and conditional orders for active trading strategies; or you want to participate in corporate actions like rights issues and SPPs.
When is Vanguard Personal Investor the better choice over Marketech Focus?
Pick Vanguard Personal Investor if you invest primarily in Vanguard managed funds and ETFs — they trade at $0 brokerage on buys; you want to automate your investing with a dollar-cost averaging plan (Auto-Invest with multiple frequency options); you want zero ongoing fees — no monthly platform fee, no market data fees, no inactivity fees; or you're starting small — minimum initial deposit is $200 and subsequent purchases start at $1.
Marketech Focus or Vanguard Personal Investor — what's the verdict?
Pick Marketech Focus if you want CHESS sponsorship and active trading; pick Vanguard if you want zero fees and automated ETF investing.
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 | Marketech Focus | Vanguard Personal Investor |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | custodian |
| Individual HIN | Yes | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | — | Yes |
| Company account | — | Yes |
| Trust account | — | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | — | Yes |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | Yes | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| US shares supported | No | No |
| US ETFs supported | No | No |
| Other markets supported | Cboe Australia, NSX (National Stock Exchange of Australia) | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | — | No |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | No | Yes |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | — | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| Holds USD account | No | — |
| Market data fees | $20/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Corporate action fees | — | Participation in voluntary corporate actions (rights issues, SPPs, takeovers) is NOT available through Vanguard Personal Investor for ETFs or direct shares - investors cannot participate. Mandatory corporate actions (e.g. dividends) flow through automatically. No corporate action fees disclosed. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $5 | $0 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 3% | 0% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $16,667 | — |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | $0 brokerage on all buys of Vanguard ETFs (Vanguard managed funds incur no brokerage at all). $0 brokerage on Vanguard ETFs/funds purchased via Auto Invest. Sells of Vanguard ETFs incur $9 flat. ASX direct (non-Vanguard) shares: $9 flat both ways. |
| Monthly platform fee | $20/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $240/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | — | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | — | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Marketech Online Trading Pty Ltd | Vanguard Investments Australia Ltd |
| AFSL number | 337,927 | 227,263 |
| Year founded | 2,021 | 2,020 |
| Parent / ownership | Australian-owned private company; AFSL backing from Sanlam Private Wealth Pty Ltd; trade execution via OpenMarkets Australia Limited | The Vanguard Group, Inc. (US) - mutual structure owned by US-domiciled Vanguard fund investors |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | private | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $200 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $0 | $1 |
| Deposit methods | Bank transfer (to Macquarie CMA), Direct credit | BPAY, Direct credit (EFT), Direct debit |
| Settlement period | T+2 | T+2 (ASX) |
| Withdrawal time | Same-day to 1 business day (via Macquarie CMA) | Up to 3 business days from processing date (processed same day if requested before 4pm AET) |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | Yes | No |
| Demo account | No | No |
| Free real-time market data | No | No |
| Free research reports | Yes | No |
| 2FA support | — | SMS |
| Customer support channels | email, support portal | Phone, Secure message (in-app) |
| Support hours (AU time) | — | Monday to Friday, 8am to 6pm AET (phone) |
| Education content | basic articles | structured |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | Yes | Yes |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | No |
| Conditional orders | Yes | No |
| Auto-invest / DCA | No | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | multiple |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | No |