9 Best Online Brokers in Australia in 2025 

Online brokers in Australia have seen rapid growth, driven by the increasing use of smartphones, increased high-speed internet penetration and by a growing interest in financial markets, trading and investing. We analysed the market, and in this guide, we’ll help you pick the best online broker in Australia matching your specific requirements or trading style.

Australia offers a variety of online brokerages that can cater to various trader and investor types, including full-service brokers that offer comprehensive investment advice, discount brokers that focus on lower trading fees and commissions and trading platforms that focus on technical analysis and robo-advisors that use algorithms to tailor investment strategies to the needs of different types of investors.

Read on to see nine companies that we found to be among the best online brokers in Australia.

An in-depth look at today’s best online brokers in Australia

Before choosing an online broker in Australia, it makes sense to understand what tradable assets it offers, what fees it charges and what other services it provides. Choosing the best online trading platform in Australia depends on what kind of investor you are.

1. Vantage Markets: Best online broker for Australian CFD traders with quick execution

The brokerage provides traders with access to more than 1,000 CFD products, including forex, indices, commodities, shares, ETFs, and bonds. With its low minimum deposit, zero commission on US shares, and relatively low spreads, it’s well-suited for those aiming to minimise trading costs.

One of Vantage’s strengths lies in its educational resources. Traders can benefit from a wealth of articles, videos, and guides. Additionally, the lack of inactivity fees is a significant advantage for beginner investors.

Vantage also provides a demo account with $100,000 in virtual currency, allowing traders to practise their strategies without risking real money.

Customer support is available around the clock through phone, live chat, or email. The platform does charge relatively high trading fees for ASX share CFDs, however, at a minimum of $5 per trade. The company offers several different trading platforms to adjust to your investing needs, including MetaTrader 4&5, TradingView, DupliTrade and ProTrader.

It has a Standard STP account, with commission-free trading and floating spreads beginning at 1.0 pip, but it also has a RAW ECN account that offers tighter spreads, but with a $3 commission per lot per side. Its Pro ECN account has spreads starting from 0.0 pip and a low commission of $1.50 per lot per side for a $10,000 minimum deposit.

2. Pepperstone: Best online broker for beginners, with extra protection

The platform offers a diverse trading experience with more than 1,200 financial instruments. It’s user-friendly, requiring no minimum deposit to start. It’s known for its quick trade execution. It offers two account types, the EDGE Standard, which has zero-commission trading with 1.0 pip spreads, and the EDGE Razor, with smaller spreads for frequent traders but a USD $3 commission per trade.

A key advantage of Pepperstone is its negative balance protection, safeguarding your funds. The way it works is, if you are a retail client and your account does fall into a negative balance, Pepperstone will return the balance to zero as soon as possible. Negative balance protection does not apply to Professional or ‘Pepperstone Pro’ clients.

Some of the drawbacks for Pepperstone include limited educational resources, which can be a bigger problem for novice traders. However, it does have several features that work well for experienced investors, including advanced charting tools, and a range of algorithmic trading features, including cBots and backtesting tools. In Australia, Pepperstone supports popular trading platforms such as MT4, MT5, cTrader, TradingView, and its own platform.

Pepperstone only allows CFD trading, which carries a greater risk than traditional share trading. Pepperstone has a demo account, but it is limited to 30 days, not much time to learn from the experience.

3. eToro: Best online broker in Australia for social investing with straightforward fees

eToro is a social investment platform that allows Australians to buy and sell more than 6,000 financial instruments, including: stocks, ETFs, and crypto. The platform’s fees are straightforward. Australians can buy ASX or US stocks for a flat USD $2 per trade, while ETFs are commission free and the charge for buying or selling crypto is 1$.

The platform also allows users to copy the trades of successful investors, called “Popular Investors,” and those investors are compensated by eToro. The feature offers novice investors a learning opportunity and the potential for higher returns. This service, combined with the availability of demo accounts, makes eToro a good choice for those looking to improve their trading skills.

Beyond social trading, eToro offers a range of other investment tools. Its Smart Portfolios provide diversified, research-backed investment options, making it easier for investors to gain exposure to specific market segments.  

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4. PrimeXBT: Best online broker for crypto CFDs, offering high leverage, at competitive fees

The Seychelles-based company is the best online broker present in Australia for crypto enthusiasts, offering trading in more than 60 cryptocurrencies. It also offers CFD trading in forex, indices and commodities.

Its informational resources are also heavy on crypto news, which isn’t surprising, considering the company’s focus on the asset class, but there isn’t much news regarding the other assets it allows trading in.

Some of the positives for PrimeXBT include its advanced charting tools, copy trading capability, high leverage options and competitive fees. Formed in 2018, it already has more than a million users.

Some of the negatives are the lack of non-CFD trading, and the lack of oversight from the ASIC. Perhaps its biggest drawback is it doesn’t directly support the Australian dollar. This means that users need to convert their AUD to a supported cryptocurrency (such as BTC or ETH) before trading, which can introduce additional fees and exchange rate fluctuations.

5. FP Markets: Best broker in Australia for ultra-tight spreads

Next on our list is FP Markets. It’s a global online broker with an easy-to-use platform and a diverse product range. It offers major, minor, and exotic currency pairs, as well as commodities, metals, indices, cryptos, and thousands of global shares.

New traders can also benefit from a free demo account. Opening a live account requires a minimum deposit of $100, and you can choose from Standard or Raw spreads. Spreads start as low as 0.0 pips on Raw accounts, making your trades more cost-effective.

FP Markets’ trading platforms include MetaTrader 4, MetaTrader 5, cTrader, Iress, and TradingView. These tools provide powerful charting features, automated trading options, and quick order execution. Another advantage is their responsive customer support, which is available 24/7 via live chat, email, or phone.

Regulated by entities like ASIC and CySEC, FP Markets follows strict guidelines to keep client funds separate and safeguard traders.

6. Trade Nation: Online broker offering plenty of CFD instruments, advanced trading platforms

The company is a solid online broker for Australian investors looking to trade CFDs on a variety of assets. Its mix of low fees and advanced trading tools can make it a viable option for beginners and experienced traders. It offers a range of features for Australian investors interested in trading CFDs on a variety of assets. While it doesn’t allow for direct stock ownership, it provides a robust platform for CFD trading on forex, shares, indices, commodities, and cryptocurrencies.

Some of its advantages is it features copy trading and a demo account that will allow you to practise trading with up to US$10,000 in virtual currency. The platform doesn’t charge a minimum deposit, has no inactivity fees and charges no trade commissions. Its spreads are competitive compared to other CFD brokers. It works with advanced trading platforms such as  TN Trader, TradingView, and MetaTrader 4. 

Some of the negatives for Trade Nation include fewer research tools than larger brokers and a lack of non-CFD trading makes its product range somewhat limited, particularly for newer investors who aren’t willing to take the risks that CFD trading brings, or aren’t familiar with derivatives.

7. AvaTrade: Best online broker in Australia for beginners

The platform offers more than 19,000 traded assets and its AvaSocial, ZuluTrade and DupliTrade apps for social and copy trading are great tools to help beginning investors. One other feature that AvaTrade provides, for its MetaTrader4 users is its AvaTrade Guardian Angel, which is a risk management assessment that provides instant feedback and specific alerts for investors.

Like Pepperstone, it also has negative balance protection, which means that if your trades result in losses that bring your account balance below zero, AvaTrade will cover the deficit up to a certain limit.

The downsides for the platform include a relatively high inactivity fee of US $50. Its financial instruments are also somewhat limited compared to other brokers. It allows only forex, and CFDs for crypto, stocks, indexes and commodities, but not bonds or futures, or the ability to buy stocks directly.

However, AvaTrade does have a push notification system which is great for day traders because it can alert traders to key market shifts or changes in their accounts, and the alerts can be adjusted to individual needs. 

8. Sharesies: Best online stock broker for beginners and micro-investing

Founded in 2017, the platform is the best online broker in Australia for stocks and ETFs, especially for micro-investing, and it already has more than 600,000 investors. It boasts an impressive AUM of over AUD $1 billion in Australia and New Zealand. This broker offers a user-friendly way to invest in a variety of markets, including the New Zealand Exchange (NZX), Australian Securities Exchange (ASX), Nasdaq, New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), and the Chicago Board Options Exchange (CBOE).  

One of Sharesies’ key strengths is its accessibility. With no minimum deposit required, investors can start building their portfolios with even small amounts of money. The platform’s auto-invest feature allows for hands-off investing, with options for Global, Responsible, or DIY portfolios. Additionally, the round-up feature enables investors to automatically contribute spare change to their investments.

For those seeking a more personalised approach, Sharesies offers a range of robo-advisor plans. These plans come with low-cost fees, starting with a pay-as-you-go option. The pay-as-you-go plan charges a 1.9% transaction fee on the amount invested, with a cap of US $5 for US shares, AUD $6 for Australian shares, and NZD $25 for New Zealand shares. For investors seeking more comprehensive coverage, though, monthly plans of AUD $6, AUD $10, and AUD $20 offer higher transaction caps, allowing for more frequent trading without incurring excessive fees. Sharesies also provides a savings account option with above-average interest rates. This feature allows investors to earn interest on their funds while they continue to invest.

9. CommSec: Best online broker in Australia for size, backed by a major bank

Australia’s largest brokerage, offers a more traditional approach compared to many other online brokers. With nearly 30 years of experience, it provides a sense of security for retail traders. It’s a subsidiary of the Commonwealth Bank. Though its Internet trading platform constitutes the vast majority of its business, it also offers a telephone based brokerage service, and investment advisory services. While it requires a relatively high initial deposit of AUD $500, it offers several advantages.

Built for novice investors, its CommSec Pocket micro-investment app, which offers a choice of ETFs, requires only AUD $50.

On top of this, CommSec excels in education, providing daily market reports, company earnings, and an in-home learning centre with webinars, videos, podcasts, and tutorials. A demo platform is also available for practise trading.

CommSec allows direct share trading, not just CFDs. You can also trade in 25 international markets and explore CFD options for crypto, ETFs, and forex.

Customer service is another of its strengths, with phone, email, and live chat support.

While there’s an AUD $5 fee for trades up to AUD $1,000, new traders benefit from waived brokerage fees on the first 10 Australian stock trades up to $50,000 until the end of January.

How do these Australian online brokerage companies stack up?

Platform	Minimum deposit	ASIC protection	Instruments
Vantage Markets	US $50	Yes	CFD trading for forex, indices, commodities, energy, ETFs, bonds, precious metals, and shares
Pepperstone	$0	Yes	CFD trading for forex, indices, commodities, crypto, ETFs, and shares
eToro	US $50	Yes	Stocks, ETFs, and other trading instruments
Prime XBT	None	No	Stocks, forex,plus CFD trading in stocks, forex, indices, ETFs, commodities and crypto.
FP Markets	$100	Yes	Over 10,000 CFDs (includes forex, stocks, indices, cryptos, commodities, bonds)
Trade Nation	None	Yes	CFD trading on forex, indices, commodities, stocks and crypto
AvaTrade	AUD $100	Yes	CFD trading on cryptocurrencies, stocks, commodities, indices and forex
Sharesies	None	Yes	Shares, ETFs  and managed funds
CommSec	AUD 500	Yes	Stocks, ETFs, fixed income securities. options

What is an online broker?

Online brokers revolutionised the trading landscape by enabling investors to buy and sell securities directly through electronic platforms. Unlike the traditional method of placing orders over the phone, online brokers offer real-time access to markets, allowing for faster transactions and potentially lower costs. The rise of online brokerage in the mid-to-late 1990s was fueled by advancements in computer technology and the expansion of high-speed internet. Online brokers vary by which type of traders they are catering to. Those that market mostly to day traders focus on CFD trades and focus on low spreads and commissions. Those that focus on long-term investors offer a greater variety of assets to trade and offer more services and educational resources.

How to choose the right online platform to trade and invest with

You need to look at several factors when choosing the right online brokerage for you. First, you need to decide what kind of investor you are and what your risk profile is. Then, you need to understand how much and how often you are likely to invest. Some of the factors to understand to find a positive trading experience:

1. Regulatory Oversight:

• ASIC Regulation: Ensure the brokerage is regulated by the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC). This guarantees compliance with Australian financial regulations and investor protection.

2. Fee Structure:

• Trading Fees: Compare commission rates, spreads, and other fees associated with buying and selling securities.
• Inactivity Fees: Check if there are any fees for inactive accounts.
• Currency Conversion Fees: If trading international markets, consider the costs involved in converting currencies.

3. Range of Assets:

• Australian Securities: Ensure the brokerage offers access to ASX-listed shares, ETFs, and other Australian securities.
• International Markets: If you plan to trade on foreign exchanges like the NYSE, NASDAQ, or London Stock Exchange, verify the brokerage’s capabilities.
• Asset Classes: Consider whether the brokerage offers a diverse range of assets, including shares, ETFs, options, futures, and foreign exchange.

4. Trading Platforms:

• User-Friendliness: Evaluate the platform’s ease of use, navigation, and customization options.
• Technical Features: Look for advanced charting tools, order types, and real-time market data.
• Mobile App: Consider the quality and functionality of the brokerage’s mobile app for on-the-go trading.

5. Research Tools:

• Market News: Assess the availability of real-time news and analysis.
• Fundamental Data: Check if the brokerage provides detailed company information, financial statements, and analyst ratings.
• Technical Indicators: Determine whether the platform offers a variety of technical indicators and charting tools.

6. Customer Support:

• Availability: Evaluate the brokerage’s customer support hours and channels (phone, email, live chat).
• Responsiveness: Assess how quickly and effectively support queries are addressed.

7. Security:

• Data Protection: Ensure the brokerage has robust security measures in place to protect your personal and financial information.
• Account Protection: Verify if the brokerage offers features like two-factor authentication and account alerts.

Our methodology of selecting the best Australian online brokers, explained

We focused on platforms that have significant operations in Australia, and are used by investors in Australia. The main factors we looked at were diversity in financial instruments traded, whether a broker was protected through the ASIC, how accessible a broker was, especially to new investors and what their trading fees were, including trading fees, conversion fees, spreads, etc.  As an investor, before you make your choice, you need to determine whether you’re a long-term investor, short-term trader, or a combination as well as identify what types of assets you want to invest in.

Some of the factors we used to choose platforms for this list:

Comparing brokerage fees

• Trading Fees: We looked at the fees charged per trade, including brokerage fees and exchange fees.
• Account Fees: We looked for any monthly or annual account maintenance fees.  
• Other Costs: We noted what costs there were associated with inactivity, transferring funds, or accessing research.  

Evaluating what markets and products each platform delivered

• It’s important to see if a brokerage allows a multitude of financial instruments to trade in. That’s important from a diversification standpoint as well as having plenty of options allows an investor to grow and adapt as they become more comfortable trading.

Taking a good look at what education resources each broker offered

• Research Tools: W evaluated the quality and depth of research tools, such as market analysis, company reports, and charting capabilities.  
• Educational Resources: Consider whether the broker offers educational materials such as tutorials to help you learn about investing.  Some of these platforms also got high marks because they allowed demo trading or copy trading, which are both forms of education.

Checking their customer service and support:

• Availability: Ensure the broker provides reliable customer support through various channels (e.g., phone, email, live chat).  
• Responsiveness: Assess how quickly and effectively the broker addresses your inquiries.  

Examining platform usability:

• Ease of Use: Evaluate the platform’s interface and how intuitive it is to navigate.
• Mobile App: If you plan to trade on the go, check the quality and features of the broker’s mobile app.

How do we calculate fees per platform?

We examined all potential costs for traders, from spreads for CFD trading, to any annual fees, costs for currency conversion and any other commissions a broker may charge an investor.

Some brokers, especially those who only have CFD trading, charge through the bid-ask spread on a trading asset, while other brokers charge a per trade fee.

FAQs