Share Trading comparison
Sharesies vs Vanguard Personal Investor
The biggest practical difference is that Vanguard Personal Investor is laser-focused on Vanguard products with zero brokerage on Vanguard ETF buys, while Sharesies is a multi-market broker that charges a percentage-based fee but opens up US and NZ shares. If you're building a portfolio around Vanguard ETFs, VPI is hard to beat on cost. If you want US stocks, fractional shares, or a more modern app experience, Sharesies is the better fit.
Choose
Sharesies
if…
- ›You want to trade US and NZ shares — Sharesies supports all three markets, Vanguard only does ASX.
- ›You want fractional shares on ASX or US stocks, allowing you to invest dollar amounts rather than whole units.
- ›You prefer a low minimum of $1 to start investing, compared to Vanguard's $200 minimum.
- ›You want a modern app with stop-loss orders, conditional orders, and after-hours trading — features VPI lacks.
- ›You want to use PayID or OSKO for instant deposits rather than BPAY or EFT.
Choose
Vanguard Personal Investor
if…
- ›You plan to buy and hold Vanguard ETFs — VPI charges $0 brokerage on Vanguard ETF buys and $0 on auto-invest purchases.
- ›You need a joint, company, trust, or SMSF account — VPI supports all of these, Sharesies only offers individual and kids accounts.
- ›You want to invest in Vanguard managed funds directly, which Sharesies doesn't offer at all.
- ›You prefer a flat $9 brokerage on non-Vanguard ASX trades rather than Sharesies' percentage-based fee structure.
- ›You want Sharesight or Navexa integration for portfolio tracking — VPI supports it, Sharesies doesn't.
Where they differ
| Fact | Sharesies | Vanguard Personal Investor |
|---|---|---|
| ASX brokerage (Vanguard ETFs) | 0.019% capped at $6 | $0 on buys, $9 on sells |
| US shares supported | Yes | No |
| Fractional shares | Yes (ASX & US) | No |
| Minimum initial deposit | $1 | $200 |
| Account types | Individual, kids | Individual, joint, company, trust, SMSF, kids |
Verdict
Pick VPI for low-cost Vanguard ETF investing and broader account types; pick Sharesies for US shares, fractional investing, and a lower starting minimum.
Cost calculator
What would Sharesies vs Vanguard Personal Investor 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 | Vanguard Personal Investor |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | custodian | custodian |
| Individual HIN | No | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | Yes |
| Company account | No | Yes |
| Trust account | No | Yes |
| SMSF account | No | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | Yes | Yes |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | Yes | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| US shares supported | Yes | No |
| US ETFs supported | Yes | No |
| Other markets supported | NZ | |
| Fractional shares (ASX) | Yes | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | No |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | No | Yes |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | No | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.6% | — |
| FX spread (other currencies) | 0.6% | — |
| Holds USD account | Yes | — |
| FX currency switch trick | No | — |
| 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. | 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 | $0 |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 1.9% | 0% |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $315.79 | — |
| 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. | $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. |
| US brokerage minimum | US$0 | — |
| US brokerage percentage | 1.9% | — |
| 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 | Vanguard Investments Australia Ltd |
| AFSL number | 529,893 | 227,263 |
| Year founded | 2,021 | 2,020 |
| Parent / ownership | Sharesies Group Limited (New Zealand) | The Vanguard Group, Inc. (US) - mutual structure owned by US-domiciled Vanguard fund investors |
| Country of incorporation | AU | AU |
| Public company status | private | private |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $1 | $200 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $1 | $1 |
| Deposit methods | PayID, OSKO, direct credit, card | BPAY, Direct credit (EFT), Direct debit |
| Settlement period | T+2 ASX/NZX, T+1 US | T+2 (ASX) |
| 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) | 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 | authenticator_app | SMS |
| Customer support channels | email, in_app | Phone, Secure message (in-app) |
| Support hours (AU time) | Monday to Friday, 6 AM to 4 PM AEST | 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 | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | No |
| Conditional orders | Yes | No |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | multiple_assets | multiple |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | Yes | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | Yes | No |