Just spent way too much time researching how to buy shares in Australia and figured I'd share what I found since everyone asks about this. Honestly, the answer really depends on what kind of investor you are because these platforms are all pretty different.

So basically, if you're just starting out and want something simple, Mitrade and eToro are solid entry points. Mitrade's zero commission thing is nice if you're planning to trade more frequently, while eToro has that copy trading feature which is interesting if you like learning from other people's moves. CommSec is the big established name - it's owned by Commonwealth Bank and if you want to actually own your shares directly on the ASX registry, that's the way to go. You pay more in fees though.

For how to buy shares in Australia efficiently, I'd say it comes down to fees and what markets you can access. Stake is great if you just want ASX and US stocks without the bloat. CMC Invest gives you way more global market access if you're into that. Interactive Brokers is honestly overkill unless you're managing serious money across multiple countries.

The thing nobody mentions enough is the ownership model. Some platforms like Stake and CommSec actually register shares in your name. Others like Mitrade are CFDs, so you're just getting price exposure. Both have their place depending on what you're doing.

Tbh, the best move is probably to try a demo account first. Mitrade gives you 50k in virtual money to mess around with, which is pretty useful for figuring out if you actually like their interface before committing real cash.

Anyone else have experience with these? Curious if I'm missing something about how to buy shares in Australia that actually matters.