Share Trading comparison
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.
Choose
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.
- ›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.
Choose
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.
- ›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 |
Verdict
Choose nabtrade for CHESS-sponsored ownership and broader asset access; choose Superhero for ultra-low fees, fractional US shares, and auto-investing.
Cost calculator
What would nabtrade vs Superhero 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 | 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 |