Just spent way too much time comparing share trading platforms in Australia and figured I'd share what I found since I kept seeing people asking about this. So there's basically 8 solid options depending on what you're after.

If you want something straightforward, Mitrade's pretty clean - no commissions, just spreads. But heads up, you're trading CFDs, not actually owning the shares. Fees are baked into the spread which honestly isn't terrible. eToro's the social trading one everyone knows about, $2 per trade for direct purchases, though you need $20 minimum which is pretty accessible. Webull's got this AI chatbot thing that summarizes financial data which is kind of cool if you're lazy like me, but they want $500 minimum.

CMC Invest is interesting because your first $1,000 is free then $11 after that. Stake's mobile-only but super user-friendly, $3 per trade, and they have this SUPER program for tax-advantaged accounts. Moomoo's basically the same vibe as Stake but they also do US options and fractional shares starting at $5. Interactive Brokers is the heavyweight - been around forever, access to 170+ markets, but commissions are a bit higher at 0.08%.

CommSec's the local OG with 30+ years, $5 per trade, solid for ASX shares but nothing fancy. Real talk though - if you're just starting out with share trading platforms in Australia, most of these require $500 minimum to open, so factor that in. The big difference is whether you want direct ownership or CFD leverage, and honestly that changes everything about which platform makes sense for you. What's your main goal - long-term investing or active trading?