Superhero vs tastytrade
The biggest difference between Superhero and tastytrade is that Superhero is built for Australian investors who want low-cost ASX and US shares, while tastytrade is a US-centric platform for advanced options traders with zero interest in the ASX. Superhero lets you buy ASX stocks from $2 brokerage and US stocks from $2, with fractional US shares thrown in. tastytrade doesn't support the ASX at all — it's purely US markets, with $0 US equity commissions and serious options trading tools.
- ›You want to trade ASX shares and ETFs — Superhero offers CHESS-custodied ASX trading from $2 brokerage, while tastytrade doesn't support the ASX at all.
- ›You want to buy fractional US shares — Superhero supports fractional US shares; tastytrade does not.
- ›You want a simple, low-cost setup for ASX and US shares with no monthly fees, no inactivity fees, and no withdrawal fees.
- ›You want an Australian tax statement and CGT report included — Superhero provides both; tastytrade does not produce an Australian tax statement.
- ›You want to auto-invest or dollar-cost average into the market with multiple-level automation.
- ›You trade options — tastytrade is built for options (calls, puts, spreads, strangles) with $0 commission and advanced order types; Superhero doesn't offer options at all.
- ›You want a professional-grade desktop trading platform with real-time data, conditional orders, and after-hours trading — tastytrade has all of these; Superhero is mobile- and web-only.
- ›You want to trade US bonds alongside US equities — tastytrade supports bonds; Superhero does not.
- ›You want zero minimum deposit and zero US equity brokerage — tastytrade has no minimum and $0 commission on US stocks and ETFs.
- ›You want a demo account to practise options strategies before going live.
Where they differ
| Fact | Superhero | tastytrade |
|---|---|---|
| ASX trading | Supported (ASX shares & ETFs) | Not supported |
| US brokerage | $2 minimum (0.01% over $20,000) | $0 (commission-free) |
| Options trading | Not offered | Full options trading with $0 commission |
| Fractional US shares | Supported | Not supported |
| Australian tax statement | Provided | Not provided |
Pick Superhero for ASX and low-cost US shares; pick tastytrade only if you're an advanced US options trader.
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 | Superhero | tastytrade |
|---|---|---|
| account structure | ||
| CHESS sponsorship model | custodian | custodian |
| Individual HIN | No | No |
| Individual account | Yes | Yes |
| Joint account | No | Yes |
| Company account | Yes | Yes |
| Trust account | Yes | Yes |
| SMSF account | Yes | No |
| Kids / minor account | Yes | No |
| asset coverage | ||
| ASX shares supported | Yes | No |
| ASX ETFs supported | Yes | No |
| US shares supported | Yes | Yes |
| US ETFs supported | Yes | Yes |
| Other markets supported | ||
| Fractional shares (ASX) | No | No |
| Fractional shares (US) | Yes | No |
| Options trading | No | Yes |
| CFDs supported | No | No |
| Managed funds | No | No |
| Bonds supported | No | Yes |
| IPO access | — | No |
| costs hidden | ||
| FX spread (AUD/USD) | 0.5% | — |
| Holds USD account | No | Yes |
| FX currency switch trick | — | No |
| Market data fees | $0/month | $0/month |
| Conditional order fees | $0 | $0 |
| Corporate action fees | — | Standard US corporate action processing applies (dividends, splits, mergers). Mandatory corporate actions are processed at no fee; voluntary corporate actions (e.g. tender offers) may incur a fee per tastytrade's fee schedule. |
| costs visible | ||
| ASX brokerage minimum | $2 | — |
| ASX brokerage percentage | 0.01% | — |
| ASX brokerage threshold | $20,000 | — |
| ASX free trade conditions | — | Not applicable — tastytrade does not offer ASX trading. |
| US brokerage minimum | US$2 | US$0 |
| US brokerage percentage | 0.01% | 0% |
| Monthly platform fee | $0/month | $0/month |
| Annual platform fee | $0/year | $0/year |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | $0 |
| Withdrawal fee (AUD) | $0 | — |
| identity and trust | ||
| Legal entity name | Superhero Securities Limited | tastytrade, Inc. |
| AFSL number | 430,150 | — |
| Year founded | 2,020 | 2,017 |
| Parent / ownership | Independent (founder-controlled). Previously merged into Swyftx in 2022; demerger completed December 2022 returning ownership to co-founders John Winters and Wayne Baskin. | IG Group Holdings plc (LSE: IGG) |
| Country of incorporation | AU | US |
| Public company status | private | public |
| money movement | ||
| Minimum initial deposit | $100 | $0 |
| Minimum subsequent purchase | $100 | $0 |
| Deposit methods | PayID, BPAY, bank transfer | international wire (USD), ACH (US only), check (US only) |
| Settlement period | T+2 for ASX, T+1 for US | T+1 (US equities/ETFs, from May 2024) |
| Withdrawal time | 1-3 business days | International wire withdrawals to AU typically 3-5 business days |
| platform ux | ||
| iOS app | Yes | Yes |
| Android app | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop platform | No | Yes |
| Demo account | No | Yes |
| Free real-time market data | Yes | Yes |
| Free research reports | No | No |
| 2FA support | SMS | authenticator app |
| Customer support channels | email, in-app chat | phone, email, live chat |
| Support hours (AU time) | Monday-Friday 9:00am-5:00pm AEST | Monday-Friday, approx. 7am-5pm US Central Time = approx. 10pm-8am AET (next day). Weekend support limited. No AU business-hours coverage. |
| Education content | basic | video + courses |
| tax and reporting | ||
| Australian tax statement | Yes | No |
| Distribution component breakdown | — | No |
| CGT calculator / report | Yes | Yes |
| Sharesight / Navexa integration | Yes | Yes |
| trading mechanics | ||
| Market orders | Yes | Yes |
| Limit orders | Yes | Yes |
| Stop loss orders | Yes | Yes |
| Conditional orders | — | Yes |
| Auto-invest / DCA | Yes | No |
| Auto-invest sophistication | multiple | none |
| DRP (dividend reinvestment) | No | No |
| After-hours / overnight trading | No | Yes |