Just spent way too long comparing Australian share trading platforms because I wanted to actually understand what I'm doing before throwing money at this. So here's what I found out about the best share trading platforms available right now.

The ASX had like 61 million equity trades back in February, which is insane. There are almost 2000 shares you can pick from, so honestly the hard part isn't finding a platform - it's picking the right one for what you actually want to do.

If you're just getting started, Webull seems pretty solid for beginners. Zero commissions on Australian shares, and they've got this AI chatbot thing that breaks down financial data for you. Only catch is you need $500 minimum to open an account. eToro is another option if you want something simpler - flat $2 per trade on direct purchases, super low $20 minimum deposit, and they've got copy trading which is kind of cool if you want to follow what other traders are doing.

For the more serious types, Interactive Brokers gives you access to like 170+ markets globally and you can fund accounts in 29 different currencies. No minimum deposit either, which is wild. CMC Invest is also worth looking at - first $1k in trades are free, then you pay $11 or 0.10% after that. They support MetaTrader 4 if you're into that.

Stake is pretty mobile-focused and good if you want to use a tax-advantaged SMSF account. Moomoo just expanded to Australia and they're managing almost $160 billion in assets, so they seem legit. You can buy fractional shares starting at just $5 with them. CommSec is the old-school local option with 30 years in the game - feels safe but their $5 per trade fee is honestly a bit high compared to others.

Mitrade is different because they only do CFDs, not direct share ownership. Spreads are tight but you're not actually buying the shares, just trading the price movement. Useful if you want leverage but comes with more risk obviously.

The biggest difference between direct share trading and CFDs is you actually own the shares with direct trading, get dividends, and can vote at shareholder meetings. With CFDs you're just betting on price movement, can go short, and can lose more than you put in if things go sideways.

Honestly, for someone starting out with Australian share trading platforms, I'd probably go with either Webull or eToro depending on whether I wanted more tools or just simplicity. But if you're planning to trade globally and need access to heaps of markets, Interactive Brokers seems like the play. The fees vary so much between these platforms that it really depends on your trading style and how often you're actually trading. Anyone else been through this decision recently?