Share Trading comparison
Sharesies vs Stake
The biggest practical difference between Sharesies and Stake comes down to ownership structure and minimums. Sharesies is a custodian model (no individual HIN) with a $1 minimum — great for tiny portfolios and kids. Stake offers CHESS-sponsored ASX trading with your own HIN, but requires a $500 minimum deposit to start.
Choose
Sharesies
if…
- ›You want to start investing with as little as $1 — no minimum deposit required
- ›You want a kids / minor account to invest on behalf of children
- ›You want to buy fractional shares on the ASX (not just US stocks)
- ›You want auto-invest / DCA functionality to dollar-cost average into multiple assets automatically
- ›You want a simple subscription model where transaction fees are capped monthly
Choose
Stake
if…
- ›You want your own HIN and CHESS sponsorship for ASX-listed shares — Sharesies is a custodian
- ›You want to trade US stocks with the FX currency-switch trick to avoid the FX spread on the return leg
- ›You need company, trust, or SMSF account structures — Sharesies only offers individual and kids accounts
- ›You want free real-time market data and research reports included
- ›You plan to transfer your portfolio to another broker — Stake charges $0 for off-market transfers vs Sharesies' $50
Where they differ
| Fact | Sharesies | Stake |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage model | 1.9% capped at $6 per order (or monthly subscription plans) | $3 flat fee per trade (0.1% on trades over $30,000) |
| Minimum initial deposit | $1 | $500 |
| CHESS sponsorship / HIN | Custodian model — no individual HIN | Mixed model — individual HIN available for ASX holdings |
| Account types offered | Individual and kids accounts only | Individual, company, trust, and SMSF accounts |
| FX currency-switch trick | Not supported | Supported — convert AUD to USD at low spread then trade USD |
Verdict
Choose Sharesies for micro-investing, kids accounts, and auto-invest; choose Stake for real CHESS ownership and lower US trading costs.
Cost calculator
What would Sharesies vs Stake 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 | Sharesies | Stake |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | custodian | mixed |
| Individual HIN | No | Yes |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | No |
| Company account | No | Yes |
| Trust account | No | Yes |
| SMSF account | No | 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 | NZ | United States |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | Yes | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | Yes |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | Yes |
| IPO access | No | — |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.6% | 0.55% |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 0.6% | — |
| Holds USD account | Yes | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | No | Yes |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Corporate action fees | No fee for receiving DRP shares ('You don't pay a Sharesies transaction fee when you receive shares through a DRP'). Sharesies handles corporate actions via the Voting & Corporate Actions Policy; specific fees for rights issues, SPP, takeovers not separately listed in pricing schedule. | Corporate actions (dividends, SPPs, rights issues, takeovers) are passed through where mandatory; Stake does not provide a DRP — investors must elect DRP directly with each company's share registry. No published per-event fee. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $0 | $3 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 1.9% | 0.01% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $315.79 | $30,000 |
| ASX free trade conditions | Pay-as-you-go: 1.9% per buy/sell order, capped at AU$6 for ASX, US$5 for US, NZ$25 for NZ. Monthly plans cover transaction fees on a set volume: $5/mo plan ($54/yr) covers $500 AUD buy/sell + $1,000 AUD auto-invest; $10/mo plan ($108/yr) covers $1,000 AUD buy/sell + $3,000 AUD auto-invest; $20/mo plan ($216/yr) covers $3,000 AUD buy/sell + $8,000 AUD auto-invest. Kids plan $2/mo covers $500 buy/sell + $1,000 auto-invest. Once monthly cover used up, pay-as-you-go applies. No truly free trade option. | No free-trade promotion ordinarily offered; brokerage waived for 12 months on transferred ASX holdings worth A$1,000+ |
| US brokerage minimum | US$0 | US$3 |
| US brokerage percentage | 1.9% | 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 | $50 | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Sharesies Australia Limited | Stakeshop Pty Ltd |
| AFSL number | 529,893 | 548,196 |
| Year founded | 2,021 | 2,017 |
| Parent / ownership | Sharesies Group Limited (New Zealand) | Privately held (Stakeshop AFSL Pty Ltd group); investors include AGL Energy's former CEO and various private investors |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | private | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $1 | $500 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $1 | $20 |
| Deposit methods | PayID, OSKO, direct credit, card | Bank transfer (Osko/PayID), Apple Pay, Google Pay, Debit card, Credit card |
| Settlement period | T+2 ASX/NZX, T+1 US | T+2 for ASX; T+1 for US |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days for settled funds; longer if recently sold (T+2 settlement plus 1-2 days reconciliation plus 1-2 days bank transfer) | 1-2 business days for AUD (Stake AUS); 2-3 US business days for USD (Stake Wall St) |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | No |
| Demo account | No | No |
| Free real-time market data | No | Yes |
| Free research reports | No | Yes |
| 2FA support | authenticator_app | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | email, in_app | Email, In-app chat, Help centre |
| Support hours (AU time) | Monday to Friday, 6 AM to 4 PM AEST | Business hours AEST/AEDT (approximately Mon-Fri); chat/email response varies |
| Education content | basic_articles | structured courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | Yes |
| Distribution component breakdown | Yes | No |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | No | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | Yes | No |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | No |
| Auto-invest sophistication | multiple_assets | none |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | Yes |