Spaceship Voyager vs Vanguard Personal Investor
Spaceship Voyager and Vanguard Personal Investor both offer zero-brokerage investing, but they target completely different investors. Spaceship is a custodian-based micro-investing app focused on US shares and its own themed managed funds, while Vanguard gives you access to ASX-listed ETFs and shares plus Vanguard's own managed funds. The biggest practical difference: Spaceship is for small, hands-off investing in US markets; Vanguard is for building a diversified ASX portfolio with the option of joint, trust, SMSF and kids accounts.
- ›You want to invest in US stocks and ETFs with zero brokerage and fractional shares from as little as $0
- ›You're happy with a custodian model and don't need a CHESS-sponsored HIN on the ASX
- ›You prefer a simple, app-first experience with themed managed funds (e.g. Spaceship's Universe, Earth portfolios)
- ›You want to start with literally no minimum deposit and no monthly fee if your balance is under $0 (though $3/month kicks in above that)
- ›You want to invest in ASX-listed ETFs and direct shares with $0 brokerage on Vanguard ETF buys
- ›You need joint, company, trust, SMSF or kids account options — Vanguard supports all of them
- ›You want to automate your investing with a sophisticated multiple-level auto-invest feature
- ›You prefer a CHESS-custodian model with Sharesight/Navexa integration for tax reporting
- ›You're happy to start with a $200 minimum deposit and don't need US market access
Where they differ
| Fact | Spaceship Voyager | Vanguard Personal Investor |
|---|---|---|
| Markets available | US shares & ETFs only | ASX shares & ETFs only |
| Monthly platform fee | $3/month (after free trial) | $0/month |
| Account types | Individual only | Individual, Joint, Company, Trust, SMSF, Kids |
| Minimum initial deposit | $0 | $200 |
| Fractional shares | Yes (US stocks) | No |
Choose Spaceship for cheap US exposure and micro-investing; choose Vanguard for a full ASX portfolio with serious account flexibility.
Common questions
How do Spaceship Voyager and Vanguard Personal Investor compare on markets available?
Spaceship Voyager: US shares & ETFs only. Vanguard Personal Investor: ASX shares & ETFs only.
How do Spaceship Voyager and Vanguard Personal Investor compare on monthly platform fee?
Spaceship Voyager: $3/month (after free trial). Vanguard Personal Investor: $0/month.
How do Spaceship Voyager and Vanguard Personal Investor compare on account types?
Spaceship Voyager: Individual only. Vanguard Personal Investor: Individual, Joint, Company, Trust, SMSF, Kids.
When is Spaceship Voyager the better choice over Vanguard Personal Investor?
Pick Spaceship Voyager if you want to invest in US stocks and ETFs with zero brokerage and fractional shares from as little as $0; you're happy with a custodian model and don't need a CHESS-sponsored HIN on the ASX; you prefer a simple, app-first experience with themed managed funds (e.g. Spaceship's Universe, Earth portfolios); or you want to start with literally no minimum deposit and no monthly fee if your balance is under $0 (though $3/month kicks in above that).
When is Vanguard Personal Investor the better choice over Spaceship Voyager?
Pick Vanguard Personal Investor if you want to invest in ASX-listed ETFs and direct shares with $0 brokerage on Vanguard ETF buys; you need joint, company, trust, SMSF or kids account options — Vanguard supports all of them; you want to automate your investing with a sophisticated multiple-level auto-invest feature; or you prefer a CHESS-custodian model with Sharesight/Navexa integration for tax reporting.
Spaceship Voyager or Vanguard Personal Investor — what's the verdict?
Choose Spaceship for cheap US exposure and micro-investing; choose Vanguard for a full ASX portfolio with serious account flexibility.
All data points side-by-side
Every verified fact for both platforms. Differences are highlighted.
| Field | Spaceship Voyager | 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 | No | Yes |
| Kids / minor account | No | Yes |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | No | Yes |
| ASX ETFs supported | No | Yes |
| US shares supported | Yes | No |
| US ETFs supported | Yes | No |
| Other markets supported | ||
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | No |
| Options trading | No | No |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds supported | No | No |
| IPO access | No | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.7% | — |
| Holds USD account | No | — |
| FX currency switch trick | No | — |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Phone trade surcharge | $0 | — |
| Corporate action fees | Voyager: managed fund structure means corporate actions are handled inside the fund — no investor-level corporate action fees. US Investing: voting and mandatory corporate actions including dividends are free; Voluntary Corporate Actions (VCA) fee of US$100 per action processed. | 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 | 0% | 0% |
| ASX free trade conditions | No brokerage applies to Voyager portfolios; investments are made via unit-trust managed funds with no transactional fees, regardless of order size. | $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 | 0% | — |
| Monthly platform fee | $3/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $36/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | $0 |
| Off-market transfer fee | $0 | $0 |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Spaceship Capital Limited | Vanguard Investments Australia Ltd |
| AFSL number | 501,605 | 227,263 |
| Year founded | 2,017 | 2,020 |
| Parent / ownership | eToro Group Limited (acquired Spaceship 2024, fully owned subsidiary) | 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 | $0 | $200 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $0 | $1 |
| Deposit methods | Direct debit, PayTo | BPAY, Direct credit (EFT), Direct debit |
| Settlement period | Voyager: T+1/T+2 unit pricing (managed fund). US Investing: T+1 (US standard). | T+2 (ASX) |
| Withdrawal time | 1-2 business days from redemption request to funds in available money balance; additional bank transfer time to external account. | 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 + PIN | SMS |
| Customer support channels | Email, Phone, Live chat, In-app chat | Phone, Secure message (in-app) |
| Support hours (AU time) | Monday to Friday 8:30am - 5:30pm Sydney time (business days only) | 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 |
| Stop loss orders | No | No |
| Conditional orders | No | No |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | Yes |
| Auto-invest sophistication | weighted | multiple |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | No |