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In South Africa, you can buy stocks either through Brockstock or EasyEquities. so, Which one is the best? EasyEquities vs Brokstock? And why would you want to invest with one or the other? This article will look at the fees structure, investment options, account minimums, platform features, and overall suitability to help you decide which is better suited for your needs.
Note – you might be interested in the full stock broker fee comparison article.
About Brokstock Investments
BrokerCredit Service Ltd (Trading as BCS Brokers) was founded in 1995, in Novosibirsk, Siberia, Russia. Brokstock originally focused on day trading but expanded their offering to include long-term investing. Over the last three decades, Brokstock expanded into many countries, including South Africa, UK, the USA and the UAE.
BCS Markets SA (Pty) Limited (‘BCS Markets SA’) trades as Brokstock in South Africa and is an authorized Financial Service Provider with FSP No.51404.
Brokstock fees
In short, Brokstock keeps things straightforward with a low 0.1% commission on JSE stocks. Other investments like currencies and US stocks have a 0.3% commission. Notably, there are no additional account maintenance or inactivity fees, and no monthly subscription charges. This transparent, no-frills pricing structure allows you to calculate your costs easily.
EasyEquities
EasyEquities is a well-known brokerage platform owned by the Purple Group (PPE), a JSE-listed company. EasyEquities was created in 2014 to address the inequality in access that millions of South Africans face when investing in the financial markets.
This was done through fractional shares and offering various investment options. Over the last decade, the product range expanded to EasyCrypto, EasyProperties and investing in foreign markets such as Australia, UK and USA.
EasyEquities Fees
EasyEquities’ trading fees charge a 0.25% fee per trade. However, your account is subject to a flat R25 monthly platform fee (framed as a ‘thrive’ fee). These fees can be waived under certain circumstances, if e.g. While this fixed fee is relatively low, active investors will still need to factor it into their overall cost calculations along with the trading commissions.
Brokstock Fees and EasyEquities Fees
When it comes to fees, even small differences can compound and eat away at your returns over time. However, monthly charges and assets under management (AUM) fees have the biggest impact. Luckily, neither Brokstock nor EasyEquities charge an annual AUM fee.
| Fee type | Brokstock | easy equities |
| Brokerage fees | 0.1% to 0.3% per trade | 0.25% per trade |
| Minimum trade amount | R100.00 | R1.00 |
| Platform fee* | none | R25.00 per month |
| Withdrawal fee | None | none |
| Foreign exchange fee | Not mentioned | 0.5%for international transactions |
| Transfer fees | none | none |
| Administration fees | None | None |
| Asset under management fees | None | none |
Invest with Brokstock
While originally a trading platform, Brokstock now offers a wide variety of investment options. for day traders, features include CFDs (contracts for difference) on stocks, currencies, and metals. Short term investors can invest in ETFs (exchange-traded funds) and shares – both allow for fractional shares (technically CFDs).
Invest with EasyEquities:
EasyEquites is a platform for long term investing. EasyEquities itself offer both international and local and international stocks, ETFs, and unit trusts, ETNs (Exchange Traded Notes). In addition to traditional assets, they now provide access to cryptocurrency trading through EasyCrypto and investing in listed property funds via EasyProperties. This allows investors to diversify into alternative asset classes. Like Brokstock, fractional shares provide an affordable way to buy into high-priced companies.
Minimum Deposit
Brokstock: Has an R100 minimum deposit, wheras EasyEquities doesn’t technically have a minimum deposit, however some places online specify a R1 minimum deposit requirement.
Platform Features
Ultimately, there is no objectively better platform. The ideal choice comes down to your preferences and goals. Personally, I see EasyEquities as a bit more user friendly (especially with their latest UI/UX updates.)
Both EasyEquities and Brokstock have web and mobile apps.
Choosing between Brokstock and EasyEquities
EasyEquities have well established features, whereas Brokstock is still growing. Therefore, you might not get the full set of features that other platforms have. Most people (like me) have their investments on different platforms – stocks and ETFs with one company, retirement annuities with another and their cryptocurrency on an exchange. EasyEquities offers you the opportunity to keep all your crypto, property investments and share portfolio with them, making it easier to manage (at a fee of course!).
But Brokstock is slightly cheaper when buying or selling.
So the choice is yours!
Happy investing.
