CommSec vs Hello Stake 2026
Australia's most established broker goes up against one of its most popular fintech challengers. Full comparison across fees, features, research tools, and which is right for your investing style.
Key takeaways
- ·For US stocks: Stake wins on price — US$3 flat vs CommSec's US$5 or 0.12% (whichever is greater) per trade, with Stake's FX charged per deposit rather than per trade.
- ·For ASX trading: CommSec's research tools are unmatched — Stake undercuts it at A$3 flat but offers limited research depth.
- ·CommSec's biggest advantage is its integration with Commonwealth Bank and its breadth of ASX company data.
- ·Many Australian investors use both — CommSec for ASX research and analysis, Stake for US stock execution.
- ·Both are ASIC-regulated — CommSec is a CBA subsidiary, Hello Stake holds an Australian Financial Services Licence.
Quick verdict
Choose Hello Stake if…
You invest in US stocks and want low flat fees (US$3 per trade), access to 11,000+ US stocks and ETFs, fractional shares, and a purpose-built modern platform. Get a free stock + $10 credit with referral code jaymem884.
Choose CommSec if…
You invest primarily in ASX shares and rely heavily on research tools — analyst ratings, company reports, economic data — and want the reassurance of a major bank-backed platform with a 30+ year track record.
Side-by-side comparison
| Hello Stake | CommSec | |
|---|---|---|
| US brokerage | US$3 flat (≤US$30K) | US$5 or 0.12% (whichever greater) |
| ASX brokerage | A$3 (CHESS) | $5–$29.95 (0.12% above $25k) |
| FX fee (AUD→USD) | 0.55% on deposits | 0.55% per conversion |
| CHESS sponsorship | Yes (ASX) | Yes |
| Account fee | $0 | $0 |
| Inactivity fee | $0 | $0 |
| US stocks | 11,000+ NYSE/NASDAQ | 13 global markets, US$5 min |
| Fractional shares | Yes (from US$10) | No |
| ASX research tools | Basic | Extensive |
| Analyst ratings | Stake Black only | Yes (included) |
| Margin lending | No | Yes |
| Bank backing | No (AFSL regulated) | CBA (Big Four) |
| Welcome bonus | Free stock + $10 ✓ | None |
| App rating (iOS) | 4.6 ★ | 3.9 ★ |
Fee comparison in detail
US stock brokerage
CommSec cut its US pricing in 2026: International Shares now costs US$5 or 0.12% of trade value, whichever is greater — a flat-ish US$5 on small orders, rising to 0.12% on larger ones (a US$10,000 trade costs US$12). Their premium International Plus desk charges US$9.95 or 0.20%. A 0.55% currency conversion applies per trade on the standard product. Hello Stake charges a flat US$3 per US trade for trades up to US$30,000.
CommSec's new US fee is far more competitive than its old ~$19.95 schedule — but Stake still wins at every trade size, and the gap widens for regular investors because Stake's 0.55% FX is charged once per deposit while CommSec's conversion applies per trade. For an investor making 12 US trades per year from a single deposit, Stake saves roughly A$40–$170 in brokerage depending on trade size (CommSec's US$5 minimum dominates small trades; its 0.12% dominates large ones), plus the repeated per-trade conversion costs. For a line-by-line explanation of Stake's brokerage and FX costs, see the complete Hello Stake fees guide.
| Trade size | Stake total cost | CommSec total cost |
|---|---|---|
| A$500 | ~A$7.40 | ~A$10.45 |
| A$1,000 | ~A$10.10 | ~A$13.20 |
| A$2,000 | ~A$15.60 | ~A$18.70 |
| A$5,000 | ~A$32.10 | ~A$35.20 |
| A$10,000 | ~A$59.60 | ~A$67.00 |
Stake cost = A$3 brokerage (converted) + 0.55% FX on deposit. CommSec cost = US brokerage (US$5 or 0.12%, converted) + 0.55% currency conversion. Exchange rate 0.65 USD/AUD, September 2026. Verify current rates at each platform before trading.
ASX brokerage
CommSec charges $5 per ASX trade up to $1,000, $10 to $3,000, $19.95 to $10,000, and $29.95 to $25,000 (0.12% above that). Hello Stake charges a flat A$3 per ASX trade on the standard account, with CHESS sponsorship included.
For an active ASX investor making 20 trades per year at $1,000 each, CommSec costs $399 in brokerage versus $60 on Stake — a saving of over $300 annually just on ASX brokerage.
Research tools: CommSec's biggest advantage
If research tools matter to you, CommSec is genuinely ahead. This is the platform's clearest differentiator and the main reason many investors — myself included — maintain a CommSec account even if they trade on other platforms.
CommSec research tools
- Expert analyst ratings & recommendations
- Company research reports
- AI-generated earnings summaries
- Economic calendar
- Fundamental data & financial statements
- Market depth (Level 2)
- IPO centre
- Margin lending
- Full CBA banking integration
Hello Stake research tools
- Price charts (real-time)
- Basic fundamental data
- News feed
- Analyst ratings (Stake Black only)
- Market depth (Stake Black only)
- 11,000+ US stocks coverage
- Fractional share support
- US earnings calendar
For serious research, I personally supplement Stake's built-in tools with: Simply Wall Street for fundamental health screening, TradingView for ASX and US stock charting, and HotCopper for ASX announcements and sentiment. Together they fill the research gap that Stake's platform leaves.
Pros and cons
Hello Stake
CommSec
Why many investors use both
This is actually what I do personally. CommSec and Hello Stake serve different purposes, and using both gives you the best of each:
CommSec for ASX research
CommSec's expert analyst recommendations, AI summaries, and financial data tools are genuinely useful for evaluating Australian companies before investing. I use it as a research platform even for positions I might execute elsewhere.
Hello Stake for US stocks
US$3 flat brokerage is transformative for building a US portfolio incrementally. A regular monthly buy of US stocks on CommSec would cost $20+ per trade; on Stake it's $3. Over a year of 12 monthly contributions, that's a saving of $200+ in brokerage alone.
Research gap is fillable
Stake's limited research tools are easily supplemented with free and low-cost tools: Simply Wall Street for health screening, TradingView for charting, and HotCopper for ASX sentiment reading. Together they fill the gap.
Overall verdict
For US stock investing, Hello Stake wins clearly. The brokerage difference — US$3 flat vs US$5 or 0.12% (whichever is greater) — makes CommSec consistently more expensive per trade. On FX the rates are now identical (both 0.55%), but Stake charges it once per deposit while CommSec converts per trade — so batching deposits at Stake is the structural win. For small, frequent US trades Stake wins clearly; only very large single trades narrow the gap.
For ASX investing, Hello Stake is now competitive on price. At A$3 per trade with CHESS sponsorship, Stake undercuts every CommSec tier ($5/$10/$19.95/$29.95). The main reason to prefer CommSec for ASX is access to its research tools and analyst recommendations — not price.
The ideal setup for most Australian investors is both: CommSec for its research ecosystem and ASX depth, Hello Stake for US stocks and cost-effective ASX execution. They complement each other well.
Open Hello Stake with a free stock
New Hello Stake accounts opened with referral code jaymem884 receive a free US stock (Nike, GoPro, or Dropbox) plus A$10 trading credit — fund your account within 24 hours of signing up to claim.
Open Stake with code jaymem884This reflects my personal experience. Not financial advice. Verify current fees at hellostake.com and commsec.com.au.
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