Raiz Invest vs Vanguard Personal Investor
Raiz and Vanguard Personal Investor both let you invest small amounts regularly, but they go about it very differently. Raiz is a subscription-based micro-investing app that rounds up your spare change and auto-invests into pre-built ETF portfolios for $5.50/month. Vanguard Personal Investor is a full brokerage platform with zero monthly fees, $0 brokerage on Vanguard ETFs, and the ability to buy individual ASX shares — but it requires a $200 minimum to start.
- ›You want to invest spare change automatically via round-ups from everyday purchases
- ›You're starting with as little as $5 and want a fully managed, pre-built portfolio
- ›You prefer a simple monthly subscription fee over per-trade brokerage costs
- ›You want fractional shares on ASX ETFs so every dollar is put to work
- ›You'd like a mobile-first experience with auto-rebalancing built into the plan
- ›You want to buy individual ASX shares (not just ETFs) with $0 brokerage on Vanguard ETFs
- ›You want to avoid any monthly or annual platform fees entirely
- ›You need joint, company, or trust account options for broader investing structures
- ›You plan to invest larger lump sums and want Sharesight/Navexa integration for tax reporting
- ›You're comfortable with a $200 minimum start and prefer buying whole units of ETFs or shares
Where they differ
| Fact | Raiz Invest | Vanguard Personal Investor |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly platform fee | $5.50/month | $0/month |
| Minimum initial deposit | $5 | $200 |
| ASX direct shares | Not supported (ETFs only) | Supported ($9 brokerage) |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | Yes | No |
| Account types | Individual, SMSF, Kids | Individual, Joint, Company, Trust, SMSF, Kids |
Choose Raiz for hands-off micro-investing with round-ups; choose Vanguard for fee-free ETF investing with full ASX share access.
Common questions
How do Raiz Invest and Vanguard Personal Investor compare on monthly platform fee?
Raiz Invest: $5.50/month. Vanguard Personal Investor: $0/month.
How do Raiz Invest and Vanguard Personal Investor compare on minimum initial deposit?
Raiz Invest: $5. Vanguard Personal Investor: $200.
How do Raiz Invest and Vanguard Personal Investor compare on asx direct shares?
Raiz Invest: Not supported (ETFs only). Vanguard Personal Investor: Supported ($9 brokerage).
When is Raiz Invest the better choice over Vanguard Personal Investor?
Pick Raiz Invest if you want to invest spare change automatically via round-ups from everyday purchases; you're starting with as little as $5 and want a fully managed, pre-built portfolio; you prefer a simple monthly subscription fee over per-trade brokerage costs; or you want fractional shares on ASX ETFs so every dollar is put to work.
When is Vanguard Personal Investor the better choice over Raiz Invest?
Pick Vanguard Personal Investor if you want to buy individual ASX shares (not just ETFs) with $0 brokerage on Vanguard ETFs; you want to avoid any monthly or annual platform fees entirely; you need joint, company, or trust account options for broader investing structures; or you plan to invest larger lump sums and want Sharesight/Navexa integration for tax reporting.
Raiz Invest or Vanguard Personal Investor — what's the verdict?
Choose Raiz for hands-off micro-investing with round-ups; choose Vanguard for fee-free ETF investing with full ASX share access.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Raiz Invest | Vanguard Personal Investor |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | custodian | custodian |
| Individual HIN | — | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | Yes |
| Company account | No | Yes |
| Trust account | No | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | Yes | Yes |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | No | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| US shares supported | No | No |
| US ETFs supported | No | No |
| Other markets supported | ||
| Fractional shares (ASX) | Yes | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | — | No |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | No | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| Market data fees | — | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | — | $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 | — | $0 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | — | 0% |
| ASX free trade conditions | Brokerage free across all plans — bulk ASX execution is bundled into the monthly subscription / management fee. No fees on deposits, withdrawals, or portfolio switches. | $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 | $5.5/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $66/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | — | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Raiz Invest Australia Limited | Vanguard Investments Australia Ltd |
| AFSL number | 434,776 | 227,263 |
| Year founded | 2,016 | 2,020 |
| Parent / ownership | Raiz Invest Limited (ASX: RZI) — Australian publicly listed parent | The Vanguard Group, Inc. (US) - mutual structure owned by US-domiciled Vanguard fund investors |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | public | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $5 | $200 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $0 | $1 |
| Deposit methods | bank_transfer, debit_card, round_ups, recurring_direct_debit | BPAY, Direct credit (EFT), Direct debit |
| Settlement period | T+2 (ASX) — applies to fund trading via the underlying ETFs; member contribution settles in ~1-2 business days into the fund. | T+2 (ASX) |
| Withdrawal time | 3-5 business days (T+2 ASX settle, then 1-3 days bank transfer) | 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 | No | No |
| Demo account | No | No |
| Free real-time market data | No | No |
| Free research reports | No | No |
| 2FA support | SMS | SMS |
| Customer support channels | phone, email, in_app | Phone, Secure message (in-app) |
| Support hours (AU time) | Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:30pm Sydney 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 | No | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | — | Yes |
| Limit orders | — | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | — | No |
| Conditional orders | — | No |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | weighted/rebalancing | multiple |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | — | No |