Traders in Australia looking to participate in share trading have plenty of options at their disposal when it comes to choosing best online share trading platforms. With this in mind, we have curated a comprehensive review of the best share trading platforms in Australia. Our in-depth analysis of these share trading platforms and accounts in Australia breaks down the highlights, offerings and downsides of these services. Read on to find the best share trading platform for your trading needs. Top Australian Share Trading Platform eToro took the title of best overall Australian share trading platform as it surpassed its competitors in a number of aspects. We assessed the top share trading platforms and accounts in Australia based on aspects such as user-friendliness, cost, mobile access, reputation, fees and trading tools. In all of these aspects, eToro excelled, emerging as the most well-rounded Australian shares platform. It has excellent accessibility, allowing users to trade Australian stocks on a desktop, web-based and mobile app. Furthermore, it is one of the most user-friendly trading platforms, with plenty of resources for beginners. Regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA), the Australian Securities and Investments Commission (ASIC) and the Cyprus Securities and Exchange Commission (CySEC) among other tier-1 authorities, it has a sterling reputation for security. When it comes to trading fees, its trading tools and research features are the best in class. Based on these and other features discussed in greater detail below, eToro deserves the title of the best share trading platform in Australia. If you’d like to learn a little more check out our eToro review! Webull: Best Mobile App Share Trading Platform Founded in the US, in 2017, Webull is a regulated trading platform under top-tier authorities like the SEC (US). In addition to it being regulatory-compliant it also credible due to it being listed on the New York Stock Exchange. It deals with Stocks, ETFs and Options, and offers a variety of over 2000 assets. Webull offers education resources and charting tools with analytical markers, trackers and indicators. Customer support is available 24/7 and quickly accessible both on email and live chat. Customer support is available 24/7 and quickly accessible both on email and live chat. And though there is no phone support, you can reach the team via WhatsApp. For beginners, there is a demo account and some basic videos. However, there are no tutorial videos to help you get a grasp on trading. Fees: Deposit fee – Deposit via U.S. Domestic Wire - $8 /per, Deposit via International Wire - $12.5 /per Withdrawal fees - Withdrawal via U.S. Domestic Wire - $25/per, Withdrawal via International Wire - $45/per User-friendly platform Excellent mobile app Listed on the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) Limited research tools Few investment offerings Visit Webull Pepperstone: Lowest Fee AU Share Trading Platform Established in 2010, Pepperstone is a regulated entity operating under the ASIC and FCA. It offers some of the lowest spreads in the Australian market. On this site, you can only trade share CFDs, and not physical stocks. There are over 60 top quality stocks that include big names like IBM, Facebook, Boeing and Exxon. Leverage for trading shares CFDs on Pepperstone is 20:1 and the margin is 5%. Additionally, it allows for direct access to over 150 financial service providers, 400+ buy and sell firms as well as more than 60 exchanges. Another reason behind its reputation for tight spreads is its Price Improvement Technology. When it comes to pricing, the best choice is an account known as the Razor account. It is a commission-based account that incorporates fees on prevailing spreads. The Standard account has higher spreads, so even though it is commission-free, its fees are higher. Users on the Active Trader program get even better rates thanks to its discount program. Pepperstone uses third-party trading platforms as it does not have its own proprietary app. Though this is a downside, they make it work to their advantage by offering access to almost every top-tier third party platform. Research features are above average as you will find trading ideas that are based on technical tools, as well as quality market reports. However, there is no fundamental data and poor quality news feed. For beginners, there is a demo account, webinars, plenty of educational texts and a tutorial for the trading platforms. Customer support is accessible via live chat, email and phone, all of which offer fast responses. But these are not available 24/7. Share Trading Fees (CFDs): Commission - $0.02 per share Spread costs – Taken from NYSE, no pips added Other Fees: Account Maintenance - $0 Withdrawals - $0 Deposits -$0 Inactivity - $0 Highly competitive fees Tight spreads Regulated by top-tier authorities No proprietary trading platform Visit Pepperstone Trade Nation: Leading Share Trading Platform With Low Fees Launched in 2014, Trade Nation is a share trading platform that, through its integral use of MT4 and TN, makes trading more analytical and informed for its user base. Established in the UK, Trade Nation has gained traction in all over Australia thanks to its support for CFD trading for multiple asset classes, including forex pairs, commodities, shares, and indices. Following a unique pricing structure with spreads as low as 0.0 pips, Trade Nation has been designed in a way that investors can trade assets affordably. Trade Nation offers three types of accounts - Standard, RAW, and TN Trader. There is no commission charged for the standard account. With a RAW account, there is only a $3.5 commission and spreads as low as 0.0 pips. And also, with TN Trader, Trade Nation's proprietary platform, the share trading platform has kept the spreads at a low and fixed level. Here, investors can leverage up to 500x, make easy deposits and withdrawals, and get to use a trading platform that has been regulated by FCA, ASIC, SCB, and FSA. Initiating trades only requires a $1 deposit that can be made through a myriad of payment options. Customer support is available round the clock, and the platform has acquired a 4.7 rating on Trustpilot. Share Trading Fees: Brokerage fees – $3.5 per trade (for RAW account) Other Fees: Spread - Starts from 0.0 Pips Minimum deposit - $1 Inactivity Fee - $12 monthly after 2 years No hidden trading fees Low minimum deposit Regulated by top tier authorities and publicly traded Does not support third party trading platforms such as MT4 Visit Trade Nation Financial Spread Trades and CFDs are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to high leverage. IG Markets: Best Platform for Research and Tools Established in 1974, IG Markets is a publicly traded share dealing platform, offering the service on 19 international exchanges. With over 195,000 active users, it offers a compelling blend of features in more areas than one. To start with, it has a comprehensive catalog of various investment products including shares on the ASX and international markets. In addition to Australian shares, you can trade over 11,000 international shares. Available markets include the ASX, NYSE, NASDAQ, LSE and AMEX. You can access live share market data by activating the feed on your trading account. Fees are average and the fee system is transparent. Commission for trading Australian shares is a mere $8 per trade or 0.1% of the trade value. There are no deposit, withdrawal or account maintenance fees. And even though there is an inactivity fee, it is low and would only apply after 2 years of inactivity. The site has a remarkably robust research section. It offers tools for social analysis, showing the percentage of customers who have traded specific shares in the past week. The tool also shows the positions other clients own and the percentage of bearish and bullish accounts. Its community research is particularly impressive, allowing clients with live accounts to discuss markets and trading on various forums. A market screener screens individual stocks by at least 34 data points. And IGTV offers a live video thrice daily with various analyses. Other research features include an extensive library of videos and regular interviews featuring CEOs. There are 30 technical indicators and 19 charting tools and you can trade directly from the chart as well as save your layouts for future use. The ability to create watchlists and trade with a single click are other great highlights. Stock trading apps are highly intuitive, with great features such as share-filtering by sector, country or industry. The mobile app offers almost as many tools as you will find on the main trading app. IG is a regulated entity operating under the purview of such top-tier authorities as the ASIC and FCA among others. It is also listed on the LSE and has negative balance protection for its account holders. Based on these features, it is right to conclude that this is a secure platform. You can connect to the customer support team via live chat, email and phone. Email is surprisingly the most efficient of the three but phone support is time consuming. Share Trading Fees: Brokerage fees – 0.10% or $8 per trade, whichever is higher Phone trading – 0.1% or $50 Other Fees: Monthly fee - $16.67 (This can be waived if you trade thrice per quarter using your share trading or CFD account and hold no open position by the end of the quarter.) Foreign exchange margin – 0.3% Withdrawal Fee – None Inactivity Fee - $12 monthly after 2 years Robust research tools Excellent educational resources Regulated by top tier authorities and publicly traded Poor phone support Visit IG Markets AvaTrade: Best for Reputation Founded in 2006, AvaTrade has created a stellar reputation in the market. It is a regulated entity under a number of financial authorities including the ASIC and Central Bank of Ireland. The Irish platform only offers forex and CFDs for its Australian users, with 19 stock indices on its CFD markets. There are no real stocks or mutual funds. In this regard, it falls below eToro which has physical stocks as well and a much wider product offering. It makes use of trading platforms from MetaTrader, offering multiple language support and a highly customizable interface. But it also has two of its own apps, AvaOptions for forex trading and Webtrader for general trading. However, these are not accessible in Australia. One of the factors contributing to its great reputation is the social trading feature. It makes use of two third parties, ZuluTrade and DupllTrade, to allow users to copy others’ trades. However, the feature is not as extensive as eToro’s. Both its trading and non-trading fees are average, but there is an inactivity fee and an administration fee. Research features are above average, thanks to its integration with Autochartist. Charting tools are great and you can make use of 31 technical indicators. There is a demo account on AvaTrade as well as a host of other educational materials including tutorials and educational videos. But there are no webinars. When it comes to customer support, live chat is the best option, accessible in multiple languages. You can also use phone support, but it’s not the most reliable, and it’s not accessible 24/7. Share Trading Fees: Stocks – 0.0028% Commission – None Other Fees: Inactivity Fee – $50 after 3 months Deposit Fee - $0 Withdrawal Fee - $0 Administration Fee - $100 after a year of inactivity Uses both proprietary and third-party trading platforms Offers an opportunity for copy trading Regulated service Fee structure not transparent Limited product offering Visit AvaTrade How to Choose an Australian Share Broker Share trading services differ remarkably in features, offerings and other respects. However, some of the aspects thatft define a good platform overlap. These overlapping aspects make it possible to make a comparative analysis and tell apart the best from the average. To help you along, we have analyzed some of the key features that the best share trading platforms Australia should have. Take a look below. Fees Fees differ significantly from one platform to the next. These include trading and non-trading fees, all of which can eat into your gains. Pepperstone’s $0.02 commission per share is also highly competitive. Access to Different Markets The best trading platforms offer opportunities to trade shares in different markets. A platform like eToro will give you access to international markers, and so will Webull and IG Markets. However, Pepperstone and AvaTrade have a relatively limited scope. Security The safety of your funds is without a doubt one of the most important considerations to make when choosing a service. Regulated providers have to adhere to the stringent security measures stipulated by the ASIC. This includes keeping user funds in a segregated account among others. All of the ANZ share trading platforms discussed above are regulated by the ASIC. Customer Support No matter your level of experience, from time to time you will likely experience problems and require assistance. Live chat is one of the best support features as it is likely to offer immediate responses. eToro takes the day with regards to customer support, as the team has a reputation for being polite, helpful and patient. Trading Platform Find a trading platform that matches your trading style and also your tech needs. From the 5 platforms discussed above, Webull and eToro offer some of the best trading platforms. Ease of Use Whether you are a veteran share trader or a newbie, user-friendliness is a crucial factor to consider. Trading is complex enough without being made more complicated by a trading platform. eToro, IG and Webull have highly intuitive interfaces that can new traders will like. Accessibility If you want to have the ability to trade on your desktop as well as your phone, then eToro is the best share trading platform for you. Only eToro offers accessibility on desktop, mobile and on the web. Education For newbies, this is one of the most important features when choosing a service. What types of education resources are available? And what is the quality of information available? On Pepperstone, eToro and AvaTrade, you will find one of the handiest education tools, a demo account. And eToro’s account stands out above the rest as it has $100,000 in virtual money. Account Offerings Depending on whether you want to make a long-term investment or not, there are different accounts to choose from. The Razor account on Pepperstone and Professional account on eToro are some of the best options available. Service Reliability At the end of the day, everyone wants a reliable service that executes flawlessly for easy trading. And the service in question should function seamlessly on the different operating systems. IG Markets and eToro have some of the most robust and reliable platforms, with high execution speeds and responsive interfaces. Conclusion All the Australian share trading platforms discussed above are secure and can provide you with all the tools you need to hone your trading skills. Pick one of them and start share trading today! Lastly, if you are still new to share trading, remember to only invest what you can afford to lose. Only trade a huge amount of money once you’re confident about your trading skills. FAQs Are share trading platforms in Australia safe? The Australian share trading platforms mentioned above are proven to be safe. They are also regulated by the Australian Securities & Investments Commission (ASIC). Which Australian share trading platfrom is best for beginners? eToro is the best share trading platform Australia for beginners. You can take advantage of its copy trading platform and great educational resources. How much do I need to start share trading in Australia? eToro only requires Australians to have a minimum deposit of $50 to start trading. Is it easy to create a share trading account? Yes. All you need to do is provide your name, email and password to create a share trading account. It will only take you a few minutes to do so. What payment methods are supported by Australian share trading platforms? Most of the share trading platforms in Australia support credit/debit card, PayPal and wire transfer as payment methods.