Plus500 vs Tiger Brokers
Plus500 and Tiger Brokers are fundamentally different products. Plus500 is a CFD provider — you never actually own the underlying shares. Tiger Brokers is a genuine broker offering real ASX, US, Hong Kong and China A-share trading with CHESS sponsorship on ASX trades. If you want to buy and hold real shares, Tiger Brokers is the only option here.
- ›You want to speculate on price movements with leverage via CFDs, not own the underlying asset
- ›You trade options and CFDs rather than traditional shares or ETFs
- ›You want a low minimum deposit of $100 and multiple deposit methods including PayPal and Apple Pay
- ›You need 24/7 customer support via live chat, WhatsApp or email
- ›You want a demo account to practise CFD trading strategies before committing real money
- ›You want to buy and hold real ASX shares under your own HIN with CHESS sponsorship
- ›You want access to US stocks with fractional shares, plus Hong Kong and China A-share markets
- ›You need auto-invest and dividend reinvestment (DRP) for a set-and-forget approach
- ›You want a proper Australian tax statement and CGT calculator for end-of-year reporting
- ›You want to open joint, trust or SMSF accounts — Plus500 doesn't offer any of these
Where they differ
| Fact | Plus500 | Tiger Brokers |
|---|---|---|
| What you actually trade | CFDs only — no real share ownership | Real ASX, US, HK and China A-shares |
| CHESS sponsorship | Custodian model (no individual HIN) | CHESS sponsored (individual HIN available) |
| ASX brokerage | Not applicable (no real ASX shares) | From $3 or 0.03% (whichever applies); free intro trades available |
| Account types | Individual and company only | Individual, joint, company, trust and SMSF |
| FX spread on AUD/USD | 0.7% | 0.0055% |
Choose Plus500 for CFD speculation; choose Tiger Brokers for real share ownership, broader markets and proper tax reporting.
Common questions
How do Plus500 and Tiger Brokers compare on what you actually trade?
Plus500: CFDs only — no real share ownership. Tiger Brokers: Real ASX, US, HK and China A-shares. This is the single most important difference between the two platforms.
How do Plus500 and Tiger Brokers compare on chess sponsorship?
Plus500: Custodian model (no individual HIN). Tiger Brokers: CHESS sponsored (individual HIN available). Tiger Brokers lets you hold ASX shares in your own name; Plus500 does not.
How do Plus500 and Tiger Brokers compare on asx brokerage?
Plus500: Not applicable (no real ASX shares). Tiger Brokers: From $3 or 0.03% (whichever applies); free intro trades available. Plus500 doesn't charge brokerage because it doesn't offer real shares.
When is Plus500 the better choice over Tiger Brokers?
Pick Plus500 if you want to speculate on price movements with leverage via CFDs, not own the underlying asset; you trade options and CFDs rather than traditional shares or ETFs; you want a low minimum deposit of $100 and multiple deposit methods including PayPal and Apple Pay; or you need 24/7 customer support via live chat, WhatsApp or email.
When is Tiger Brokers the better choice over Plus500?
Pick Tiger Brokers if you want to buy and hold real ASX shares under your own HIN with CHESS sponsorship; you want access to US stocks with fractional shares, plus Hong Kong and China A-share markets; you need auto-invest and dividend reinvestment (DRP) for a set-and-forget approach; or you want a proper Australian tax statement and CGT calculator for end-of-year reporting.
Plus500 or Tiger Brokers — what's the verdict?
Choose Plus500 for CFD speculation; choose Tiger Brokers for real share ownership, broader markets and proper tax reporting.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Plus500 | Tiger Brokers |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | — | chess |
| Individual HIN | — | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | Yes |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | No | Yes |
| SMSF account | No | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | No | No |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | No | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| US shares supported | No | Yes |
| US ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| Other markets supported | Hong Kong, China A-shares | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | Yes |
| Options trading | Yes | Yes |
| CFDs supported | Yes | No |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | No | Yes |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 70% | 0.55% |
| Holds USD account | No | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | — | No |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Corporate action fees | Not applicable — Plus500 only offers CFDs, so users do not participate in real corporate actions (rights issues, SPPs, takeovers). Dividend adjustments on share CFDs are credited/debited to positions automatically. | — |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | — | $3 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | — | 0.03% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | — | $10,000 |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | New clients receive zero-brokerage on up to 4 trades per month on ASX/US stocks, ETFs or options (minimum brokerage waived; third-party fees still apply). |
| US brokerage minimum | — | US$2 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 0.01% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | $10 | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | — | $50 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Plus500AU Pty Ltd | Tiger Brokers (AU) Pty Limited |
| AFSL number | 417,727 | 300,767 |
| Year founded | 2,008 | 2,020 |
| Parent / ownership | Plus500 Ltd (UK/Israel, LSE-listed parent) | UP Fintech Holding Limited (NASDAQ: TIGR) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $100 | $500 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | — | $0 |
| Deposit methods | BPAY, Bank transfer, Credit/debit card, PayPal, Apple Pay, Google Pay | PayID, PayTo, Bank transfer (direct credit) |
| Settlement period | — | T+2 (ASX), T+1 (US) |
| Withdrawal time | Typically 1-3 business days; same payment method as deposit (card, bank, e-wallet). | 1-2 business days (Tiger review) plus bank processing; can arrive same day |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | Yes |
| Demo account | Yes | Yes |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | Yes |
| Free research reports | Yes | — |
| 2FA support | SMS only | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | Live chat, Email, WhatsApp, Contact form | phone, email, live chat, in-app |
| Support hours (AU time) | 24/7 live chat, email and WhatsApp support | Phone: 9am-5pm weekdays (AET). Live chat: 9am-8:30pm weekdays. Email: ongoing. |
| Education content | structured courses | structured courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | No | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | No | — |
| CGT calculator / report | No | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | No | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | No | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | none | single asset |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | Yes |