nabtrade vs Superhero
The biggest difference between nabtrade and Superhero comes down to ownership structure. nabtrade is a CHESS-sponsored broker backed by NAB, meaning you hold your ASX shares under your own HIN. Superhero is a custodian model broker — it buys shares in its own name on your behalf — and charges just $2 per trade. That trade-off between ownership and cost is the central decision.
- ›You want your ASX shares held under your own HIN (CHESS sponsorship) for direct ownership and faster transfers between brokers.
- ›You trade options, bonds, or managed funds — nabtrade supports all three; Superhero does not.
- ›You need access to international markets beyond the US, including the UK, Germany, and Hong Kong.
- ›You want phone trading and secure messaging support, plus a big-bank backing from NAB.
- ›You plan to transfer holdings between brokers — nabtrade's $55 off-market transfer fee is standard, but you keep your HIN.
- ›You want the lowest possible brokerage — $2 flat on both ASX and US trades, compared to nabtrade's $9.95 minimum.
- ›You want to buy fractional US shares, which Superhero offers and nabtrade does not.
- ›You want to set up automatic dollar-cost averaging (DCA) into investments — Superhero supports it; nabtrade doesn't.
- ›You want zero monthly fees and no market data charges — Superhero's $0 platform fee and free data beat nabtrade's $19.95/month market data fee.
- ›You're starting with a smaller amount — Superhero's minimum initial deposit is $100 vs nabtrade's $500.
Where they differ
| Fact | nabtrade | Superhero |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage minimum | $9.95 | $2.00 |
| CHESS sponsorship model | CHESS-sponsored (your own HIN) | Custodian model (no individual HIN) |
| Fractional shares (US) | Not supported | Supported |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Not supported | Supported (multiple options) |
| Market data fees | $19.95/month | $0/month |
Choose nabtrade for CHESS-sponsored ownership and broader asset access; choose Superhero for ultra-low fees, fractional US shares, and auto-investing.
Common questions
How do nabtrade and Superhero compare on asx brokerage minimum?
nabtrade: $9.95. Superhero: $2.00. Superhero is significantly cheaper per trade on the ASX.
How do nabtrade and Superhero compare on chess sponsorship model?
nabtrade: CHESS-sponsored (your own HIN). Superhero: Custodian model (no individual HIN). nabtrade gives you direct share ownership; Superhero holds shares in its name.
How do nabtrade and Superhero compare on fractional shares (us)?
nabtrade: Not supported. Superhero: Supported. Only Superhero lets you buy fractional US stocks.
When is nabtrade the better choice over Superhero?
Pick nabtrade if you want your ASX shares held under your own HIN (CHESS sponsorship) for direct ownership and faster transfers between brokers; you trade options, bonds, or managed funds — nabtrade supports all three; Superhero does not; you need access to international markets beyond the US, including the UK, Germany, and Hong Kong; or you want phone trading and secure messaging support, plus a big-bank backing from NAB.
When is Superhero the better choice over nabtrade?
Pick Superhero if you want the lowest possible brokerage — $2 flat on both ASX and US trades, compared to nabtrade's $9.95 minimum; you want to buy fractional US shares, which Superhero offers and nabtrade does not; you want to set up automatic dollar-cost averaging (DCA) into investments — Superhero supports it; nabtrade doesn't; or you want zero monthly fees and no market data charges — Superhero's $0 platform fee and free data beat nabtrade's $19.95/month market data fee.
nabtrade or Superhero — what's the verdict?
Choose nabtrade for CHESS-sponsored ownership and broader asset access; choose Superhero for ultra-low fees, fractional US shares, and auto-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 | nabtrade | Superhero |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | chess | custodian |
| Individual HIN | Yes | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | No |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | Yes | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | Yes |
| Kids / minor 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 | United Kingdom (LSE), Germany (Xetra), Hong Kong (HKEx) | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | Yes |
| Options trading | Yes | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | Yes | No |
| Bonds supported | Yes | No |
| IPO access | Yes | — |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 80% | 0.5% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 80% | — |
| Holds USD account | No | No |
| Market data fees | $19.95/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Phone trade surcharge | $59.95 | — |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $9.95 | $2 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 11% | 0.01% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $20,000 | $20,000 |
| US brokerage minimum | US$9.95 | US$2 |
| US brokerage percentage | 11% | 0.01% |
| Monthly platform fee | — | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | — | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | — | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $55 | — |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | WealthHub Securities Limited | Superhero Securities Limited |
| AFSL number | 230,704 | 430,150 |
| Year founded | 2,012 | 2,020 |
| Parent / ownership | National Australia Bank Limited (ASX: NAB) | Independent (founder-controlled). Previously merged into Swyftx in 2022; demerger completed December 2022 returning ownership to co-founders John Winters and Wayne Baskin. |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $100 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $0 | $100 |
| Deposit methods | Direct credit / EFT, BPAY, Internal transfer from linked NAB account | PayID, BPAY, bank transfer |
| Settlement period | ASX T+2; US T+1; UK/Germany/HK T+2 | T+2 for ASX, T+1 for US |
| Withdrawal time | Instant to linked NAB accounts; 1 business day to other Australian banks | 1-3 business days |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | No |
| Demo account | No | No |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | Yes |
| Free research reports | Yes | No |
| 2FA support | SMS + PIN | SMS |
| Customer support channels | Phone, Email, Secure messaging (via NAB Internet Banking) | email, in-app chat |
| Support hours (AU time) | Mon-Fri 8am-6pm AEST/AEDT (contact centre typically 9am-5pm) | Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm AEST |
| Education content | structured | basic |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | No | — |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | — |
| Auto-invest / DCA | No | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | multiple |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | No |