Overview
Stake is a share trading app from Sydney, built for everyday investors in Australia and New Zealand who want cheap access to US and Australian stocks. It's not a trading broker in the CFD sense: there's no leverage, and you're buying the real shares. In Australia, Stakeshop Pty Ltd is an authorised representative of Stakeshop AFSL Pty Ltd, which holds an ASIC financial services licence. US orders are executed and cleared by DriveWealth LLC, a broker-dealer regulated by the SEC. Stake closed its UK service in November 2024 and moved those accounts to Freetrade.
Accounts and costs
Stake Wall St lets you buy US shares and ETFs with no commission, and reviewers put the minimum deposit at $50. The catch is currency conversion, since your money has to be turned into US dollars first. Stake AUS covers the ASX, with $3 brokerage on trades up to $30,000 and CHESS sponsorship, so the shares sit in your name. Stake Black is an optional paid subscription with extra research and tools; reviewers quote different prices for it, so check the current fee before signing up.
Platforms and markets
Everything runs through Stake's own mobile app and web platform. You can't connect TradingView or MetaTrader. Markets are US and Australian stocks and ETFs, with fractional shares on the US side and extended hours trading before and after the US session. There are no options, futures, CFDs or crypto.
Money in and out
You fund your account by bank transfer, and reviewers say Stake doesn't charge for withdrawals. US trading accounts are held in US dollars, so expect conversion costs moving money in and out. Some users on review sites complain about slow transfers and held funds, so give yourself a few days when moving money.
Good
- Australian business with an ASIC-licensed entity
- Commission-free trading on US stocks and ETFs
- $3 brokerage on ASX trades up to $30,000, with CHESS sponsorship
- Fractional shares on US stocks
- Simple mobile app that suits beginners
Watch for
- Only stocks and ETFs, no options, CFDs or crypto
- Currency conversion costs when moving money into US dollars
- Only available in a few countries, and the UK service closed in 2024
- No TradingView or MetaTrader connection
- Mixed customer reviews, with complaints about slow transfers
Accounts and costs
What each account needs to open and what you pay to trade on it.
| Account | Min deposit | Pricing | Max leverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stake Wall St | $50 | Commission-free US stock and ETF trades, currency conversion fees apply | — |
| Stake AUS | — | $3 brokerage on ASX trades up to $30,000, CHESS sponsored | — |
| Stake Black | — | Paid monthly or annual subscription with extra research and tools on top of the standard account | — |
Regulation
Which entity holds which licence. Your protection depends on the entity you open an account with.
Platforms and markets
Platforms
Markets
Deposits and withdrawals
- Methods
- Bank transfer
- Minimum deposit
- $50
- Not available in
- GB
What traders say
Scores from the sites traders use, and our summary of what they're saying, checked 6 October 2026.
Stake, the Australian share trading app at hellostake.com, has a small and negative Trustpilot page: 1.4 from 144 reviews. Trustpilot notes that Stake does not invite customers to review it, so the page mostly collects people with a problem. Reddit, where Australian investors discuss it often, is far more positive. Be careful when searching: most results for Stake are about the unrelated Stake.com casino, which this summary ignores.
What traders like
Cheap brokerage. Reddit users in r/AusFinance and r/fiaustralia often praise the $3 ASX trades, free trades from referrals and a year of free brokerage for transferring a portfolio in.
The app. Several call it the cleanest interface among the major Australian brokerage apps.
Access to US and ASX shares. Many like having both markets in one account.
Common complaints
Withdrawal delays. Reddit threads from early 2026 describe withdrawals that took days or over a week, with larger amounts slower than small ones. A Stake representative said on Reddit that a technical issue affected some withdrawals while cash accounts moved to JP Morgan in March 2026.
Slow support during problems. Some say replies took 48 hours and did not resolve anything.
FX costs. Several Reddit users say the roughly 1% currency charge makes the US side expensive compared with Interactive Brokers.
Not the cheapest anymore. Some say other brokers now match or beat Stake's ASX pricing.
Recently
No dated reviews from the last 90 days in our evidence. Stake stopped serving UK clients in late 2024, according to BrokerChooser.
Where this comes from
Trustpilot: the hellostake.com page, a small sample.
Reddit: Stake's own community, plus threads in r/AusFinance and r/fiaustralia.
Verified reviews
Reviews from traders who've connected an account at Stake to Chartnaut, so you know they actually traded there. Opening soon.