CommSec vs Selfwealth

We compare the two popular Australian investing platforms on fees, features and more.

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Kylie Purcell

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CommSec vs Selfwealth

CommSec and Selfwealth are both popular Australian share trading platforms with fairly competitive brokerage fees and a long list of trading features and tools.

CommSecSelfwealth
Fees

4.5/5

4.2/5

Available countries

4.8/5

4.5/5

Available securities

3.5/5

1.5/5

Trading tools

4.1/5

4.1/5

Research and education

4.8/5

4.5/5

Customer support

3.3/5

3.3/5

Overall4.3/5

3.9/5

Check out how we rank share trading platform features here.

Which broker is best for you?

CommSec and Selfwealth have similar overall ratings by Finder, but the best broker for you will depend on how much you plan to trade each month, whether you want access to global shares and your preferred trading tools.

For Australian shares, Selfwealth and CommSec have similar broker fees if you're trading with $1,000 or less, with Selfwealth charging $9.50 and CommSec at $5 per trade.

However, on trades over $1,000 that fee jumps to $10 with CommSec while Selfwealth's flat rate never changes. For higher trade amounts the difference in fees is even greater.

The markets you intend to trade are also a big consideration here.

While CommSec's global account offers stocks from up to 13 countries, Selfwealth only offers US and Australian-listed shares. If these are the only two markets that you wish to trade, then Selfwealth offers cheaper commissions on both, at US$9.50 for US shares (flat) compared to CommSec's $19.95.

It's also worth mentioning that CommSec's international account is distinct from its ASX account and requires a separate login.

Meanwhile, Selfwealth offers US and ASX stocks within the same account.

Check out our comparison of fees and features in the table below.

How do CommSec and Selfwealth compare?

CommSecSelfwealth
Commsec logo
Read our review
selfwealth logo
Read our review
Finder’s rating

4.3/5

As Australia's most popular share trading platform, CommSec is rich in features and trading tools. Users can access broker analysis, watchlists, market news and company updates from their Australian market account. It also features a long list of conditional orders with SMS alert options once a stock buy or sell order is actioned. On the downside its brokerage fees aren't the cheapest, with global stock fees particularly high.

3.9/5

Selfwealth is the cheaper option of the two with a low, flat brokerage fee of $9.50, regardless of trade size. Like CommSec, it's also feature-rich and it offers CHESS-sponsored shares, meaning your stock ownership is registered with the ASX. It loses points for offering fewer global markets and types of securities compared to CommSec. But for those primarily interested in US and ASX stocks, it's a strong contender.

Available markets13 countries including Australia, US, UKAustralia, United States
ASX stock brokerage fee$5.00 for trades up to and including $1,000; $10.00 for trades of $1,001 - $3,000; $19.95 for trades of $3,001 - $10,000 ; $29.95 for trades of $10,001 - $25,000; 0.12% over $25,000$9.50 (flat)
US stock brokerage feeUSD$5.00 or 0.12%, whichever is greaterUS$9.50 (flat)
UK stock brokerage feeGBP£12.00 or 0.40%, whichever is greaterNot available
Inactivity feeNoneNone
Currency conversion fee (for US stocks)0.55%0.60%
CHESS or custody modelCHESS-sponsored for ASX shares, custody model for global stocksCHESS-sponsored for ASX shares, custody model for US stocks
Benefits
  • Feature rich. The platform makes researching and tracking your stock portfolio easy.
  • Broker analysis. You can access broker analysis and price targets for ASX stocks from Morningstar and Goldman Sachs.
  • Alerts. Set alerts and keep up to date with company announcements for stocks in your watchlist.
  • Cheap brokerage. Commission on ASX trades of $1,000 or less is relatively cheap.
  • Switch accounts. If you're a CommBank account holder you can easily switch between banking and investment accounts. Plus, cash transactions between the two are immediate.
  • Flat brokerage fee. Regardless of how much you're investing each trade, your commission fee stays the same.
  • Single login for global. You can trade both Australian and US stocks from the same account.
  • No account fees. There are no subscription or inactivity fees to access the standard Selfwealth account.
  • Portfolio management. You can easily track the performance and risk profile of your portfolio and even compare it to others on the app.
  • Create watchlists. Keep track of potential stocks by setting up alerts in your watchlists.
Drawbacks
  • Global brokerage fees. The fees to trade stocks listed outside of Australia are comparatively high compared to other brokers in the market.
  • Limited support. Investors facing issues must phone or wait a few days for an email response. There is no live chat.
  • No CFDs. CommSec closed its CFD account in 2019, meaning you cannot trade forex, stock CFDs or commodities.
  • US brokerage. The brokerage fees for US shares are higher than some others in the market.
  • No leveraged products. You can only trade stocks and ETFs; there are no options, warrants or CFDs.
  • Limited stock analysis. There are no broker ratings offered on Selfwealth, however it does feature stock forecasting tools.
Tools and research
  • Company announcements. Review relevant company updates throughout the app.
  • Daily stock information. Receive a daily rundown of significant shifts in the stock market.
  • Analyst ratings. Use analyst ratings to help you determine whether to buy, hold or sell a security.
  • Live data. Get live data for free if you make 8 trades or more per month or pay $82.50 per month for the service.
  • Conditional orders. There are 8 order types to choose from when buying or selling stocks or ETFs.
  • Portfolio tracking. Analyse your portfolio, review your holdings, identify risks and compare your performance against others.
  • Stock analysis. Get stock price forecasts, historical data and key financial information to help you make an informed decision.
  • Set watchlists. Create watchlists of current and potential future stock purchases and set alerts.
  • Stock popularity. See how many of your peers are buying or selling individual stocks and vote on whether you're bullish or bearish.
PlatformsDesktop, iOS, AndroidDesktop, iOS, Android
Support
  • Email
  • Phone
  • Email
  • Phone
Learn more

Read our review

Read our review

How do we rate brokers?

We use star ratings to help you identify strengths and weaknesses between different online brokers in Australia. To find an overall score, we take into account six key categories:

  • Fees
  • Available countries
  • Available securities
  • Trading tools
  • Research and education
  • Customer support

For more information about how we measure each feature, head to our methodology page and scroll down to "Star ratings".

Compare other brokers

Looking for something else? Check out our broker comparison table below to review the fees and features of others on the market.

1 - 5 of 5
Updated regularly
Name Product AUFST Price per trade Inactivity fee Asset class International
eToro
Exclusive
eToro logo
US$2
US$10 per month if there’s been no log-in for 12 months
ASX shares, Global shares, US shares, ETFs
Yes
Exclusive: Get 12 months of investment tracking app Delta PRO for free when you fund your eToro account. T&Cs apply.
Trade stocks, commodities and currencies from the one account and get access to social trading.
Go to siteMore Info
CMC Invest
Finder AwardExclusive
CMC Invest logo
$0
$0
ASX shares, Global shares, Options trading, US shares, ETFs
Yes
Finder exclusive: Get $100 trading credit when you transfer $10k+ of either Australian or international stocks to CMC Invest. Only available for the first 50 new clients to participate. Use promo code “100CMC”. T&Cs apply.
Trade over 45,000 shares and ETFs from Australia and 15 major global markets. Plus, buy Aussie shares or ETFs for $0 brokerage up to $1,000 (First buy order of each security, each day - excludes margin loan settled trades).
Go to siteMore Info
Tiger Brokers
Finder AwardExclusive
Tiger Brokers logo
US$1.99
$0
ASX shares, Global shares, Options trading, US shares, ETFs
Yes
Finder exclusive: Get 4 brokerage-free trades and pay no FX fees on the first $2,000 you exchange each month with first deposit of any amount + plus get an $80 cash voucher when you deposit up to $2000. T&Cs apply.
Trade US, Asian and CHESS-sponsored ASX stocks and US options.
Go to siteMore Info
Moomoo Share Trading
Exclusive
Moomoo logo
US$0.99
$0
ASX shares, Global shares, Options trading, US shares, ETFs
Yes
Finder exclusive: Unlock up to AUD$4,000 AND US$4,000 in $0 brokerage over 60 days. T&Cs apply.
Trade US, Asian and CHESS-sponsored ASX stocks and get access to social trading.
Go to siteMore Info
Superhero share trading
Exclusive
Superhero logo
$2
$0
ASX shares, US shares, ETFs
Yes
Sign up with code ‘finder24’ and get US$10 of Nvidia stock when you fund your account with $100 or more within 30 days. T&Cs apply.
Enjoy US$2 brokerage (other fees may apply) on US stocks and buying ETFs as well as $2 fee to trade Australian shares up to $20,000.
Go to siteMore Info
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Important: The standard brokerage fee displayed is the trade cost for new customers to purchase $1,000 of either Australian or US shares. Where a platform charges different fees for both US and Australian shares we show the lower of the two. Where both CHESS sponsored and custodian shares are offered, we display the cheapest option.

1 - 8 of 8
Updated regularly
Product AUFST-RBO Fees Minimum investment Investment product Number of portfolios
Spaceship Voyager
Spaceship Voyager logo
$3 a month (on accounts over $100)
$0
Stocks, Cash, ETFs
5
Invest in Australian shares, global shares and cash markets.
More Info
InvestSMART Robo Advice
Best Rated Brand
InvestSMART logo
From $55 /year
$5,000
ETFs
8
More Info
OpenInvest
OpenInvest logo
From $7 per month
$20,000
Stocks, bonds, cash, ETFs
12
Bloom Impact
Bloom Impact logo
$4.50/Month
$500
Shares, ETFs
1
More Info
Raiz Invest
Raiz Invest logo
From $4.50 /month
$5
ETFs
9
Invest in Australian and international stocks, fixed income/bonds and cash.
Stockspot
Stockspot - AU logo
From $5.50 /month
$2,000
ETFs
10
QuietGrowth
QuietGrowth logo
From 0.6% /year
$3000
ETFs
5
Kwala
Kwala logo
From $2/Month
$10
Shares, ETFs, Managed Funds
1
More Info
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Disclaimer: This information should not be interpreted as an endorsement of futures, stocks, ETFs, CFDs, options or any specific provider, service or offering. It should not be relied upon as investment advice or construed as providing recommendations of any kind. Futures, stocks, ETFs and options trading involves substantial risk of loss and therefore are not appropriate for all investors. Trading CFDs and forex on leverage comes with a higher risk of losing money rapidly. Past performance is not an indication of future results. Consider your own circumstances, and obtain your own advice, before making any trades. Read the Product Disclosure Statement (PDS) and Target Market Determination (TMD) for the product on the provider's website.

Frequently asked questions

  • Both Selfwealth and CommSec offer CHESS-sponsored shares, which means any ASX shares you buy will be held in your own name and belong to you.

    • Kylie Purcell's headshot
    Written by

    Investments analyst

    Kylie Purcell is the senior investments editor and analyst at Finder. She has completed a Certificate of Securities and Managed Investments (RG146) and specialises in investment products including online brokers, robo-advisors, stocks and ETFs. See full bio

    Kylie's expertise
    Kylie has written 134 Finder guides across topics including:
    • Investment strategies
    • Financial platforms
    • Stockbrokers
    • Robo advisors
    • Exchange traded funds (ETFs)
    • Ethical investing
    • ASX stocks
    • Stock and forex markets
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