SelfWealth vs Tiger Brokers
SelfWealth and Tiger Brokers both let you trade ASX and US stocks, but they take very different paths to get there. SelfWealth is CHESS-sponsored with your own HIN, giving you direct ownership of ASX holdings — a big deal for Australian investors who want to hold shares in their own name. Tiger Brokers is cheaper on brokerage (from $3 on ASX) and offers US fractional shares and options, but its ASX trades are custodian-based, meaning you don't get a personal HIN.
- ›You want CHESS sponsorship with your own HIN so ASX shares are registered directly in your name
- ›You need to open accounts for kids or minors — SelfWealth supports them, Tiger Brokers doesn't
- ›You prefer a flat $9.50 ASX brokerage with no percentage component, regardless of trade size
- ›You want a simple, no-frills platform without the bells and whistles of options or fractional shares
- ›You want the lowest ASX brokerage — Tiger Brokers starts at $3 (or 0.03% above $10,000) and new clients get up to 4 free trades per month
- ›You trade US stocks actively and want ultra-low US brokerage ($2 minimum) plus US fractional shares and options trading
- ›You want a demo account to practice trading before committing real money
- ›You need a desktop trading platform alongside the mobile app, plus free real-time market data
- ›You want access to Hong Kong and China A-shares markets
Where they differ
| Fact | SelfWealth | Tiger Brokers |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage minimum | $9.50 | $3 (or 0.03% above $10,000) |
| CHESS sponsorship model | Mixed — individual HIN available | Custodian-based — no individual HIN |
| US brokerage minimum | $9.50 USD | $2 USD |
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.6% | 0.0055% |
| Fractional shares (US) | Not supported | Supported |
Pick SelfWealth for genuine CHESS-sponsored ASX ownership; pick Tiger Brokers for cheaper trades, US options and fractional shares.
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 | SelfWealth | Tiger Brokers |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | mixed | chess |
| Individual HIN | Yes | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | Yes | Yes |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | Yes | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | Yes | No |
| 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 | HK | Hong Kong, China A-shares |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | No | Yes |
| Options trading | No | Yes |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | — | Yes |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 60% | 0.55% |
| Holds USD account | Yes | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | — | No |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $9.5 | $3 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | — | 0.03% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | — | $10,000 |
| ASX free trade conditions | Selfwealth Premium subscribers ($29/month or $240/year) receive 10 complimentary trades annually; otherwise no 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$9.5 | US$2 |
| US brokerage percentage | — | 0.01% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $27.5 | $50 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | SelfWealth Pty Ltd | Tiger Brokers (AU) Pty Limited |
| AFSL number | 421,789 | 300,767 |
| Year founded | 2,012 | 2,020 |
| Parent / ownership | Syfe (Svava Pte Ltd, Singapore) | UP Fintech Holding Limited (NASDAQ: TIGR) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | private | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $500 | $500 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $0 | $0 |
| Deposit methods | OSKO, BPAY, EFT/bank transfer | PayID, PayTo, Bank transfer (direct credit) |
| Settlement period | T+2 | T+2 (ASX), T+1 (US) |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days | 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 | No | Yes |
| Free real-time market data | No | Yes |
| Free research reports | No | — |
| 2FA support | authenticator app | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | live chat, email, phone | phone, email, live chat, in-app |
| Support hours (AU time) | 10am-4pm AET, Monday-Friday (closed public holidays) | Phone: 9am-5pm weekdays (AET). Live chat: 9am-8:30pm weekdays. Email: ongoing. |
| Education content | basic articles | structured courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| CGT calculator / report | No | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | multiple | single asset |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | Yes |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | Yes |