Broker Comparison

EasyEquities vs Empower

Compare EasyEquities and Empower side by side: fees, regulation, platforms.

EasyEquities

Beginner investors in South Africa

EasyEquities is a South African investment platform offering fractional shares, ETFs, stocks, crypto and tax-…

Empower

High-balance hybrid advisory clients

Empower is a US hybrid robo-advisor combining automated portfolio management with access to human financial a…

Head-to-head comparison

EasyEquities vs Empower
Feature	EasyEquities	Empower
Minimum deposit	-	-
Stock trading fee	0.25% per trade; minimum charge applies	Commission-free trading on investment accounts
Regulators	FSCA	SEC, FINRA, SIPC
Best for	Beginner investors in South Africa	High-balance hybrid advisory clients
Markets & account
Stocks
ETFs
Crypto		-
Bonds	-
Fractional Shares		-
Funds
Ready Made Portfolios
Investment Plans
Money Market Funds
Multi Currency		-
Demo Account		-

Pros & cons

EasyEquities

Pros

No minimum deposit required
No inactivity fee
Thrive platform fee (R25/month) is waived for active users and exempt groups
0.25% trading commission is low relative to traditional SA brokers
Fractional Share Rights allow investing with small amounts
Demo account provided automatically (R100,000 ZAR and $10,000 USD)
Multi-currency accounts (ZAR, USD, AUD, GBP, EUR)
Tax-Free Savings Account (TFSA) and retirement annuity options

Cons

R25/month Thrive platform fee applies to users below Thrive Level 3
Currency conversion fee applies when moving funds between currency accounts
Per-asset fee when transferring account to another broker
Research and charting tools are basic compared to specialist platforms
Customer support does not offer live chat; response times reported as slow
Fractional shares are held as Fractional Share Rights, not direct share ownership
Limited advanced order types for active traders
Primarily suited to South African investors; international account options are more limited

Empower

Pros

Comprehensive free financial dashboard with net worth, retirement planner and fee analyzer
Hybrid model gives access to human advisors alongside automated portfolio management
Tax-loss harvesting and tax location strategy included in advisory fee
Tiered fees decrease as assets grow, reaching 0.49% above $10 million
Client assets held at established independent custodians with SIPC protection
High-yield cash account with FDIC insurance up to $5 million
Dedicated advisors and estate planning access at higher asset tiers
Commission-free trading on investment accounts

Cons

$100,000 minimum investment required to access any managed advisory services
Advisory fee of 0.89% on the first $1 million is high relative to robo-only competitors
No direct-to-consumer trading platform for active self-directed trading
No demo account available
No support for forex, CFDs, futures or options trading
Tax and estate planning features restricted to higher asset tiers
Free tools may prompt upsells for users approaching the $100,000 threshold

EasyEquities

EasyEquities is a South African investment platform offering fractional shares, ETFs, stocks, crypto and tax-free accounts with no minimum deposit, 0.25% commissions, and a waivable R25/month platform fee.

Visit EasyEquities Read review

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

Empower

Empower is a US hybrid robo-advisor combining automated portfolio management with access to human financial advisors, built on the foundation of Personal Capital.

Visit Empower Read review

Your capital is at risk. Other fees apply.

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EasyEquities vs Empower

EasyEquities

Empower

Head-to-head comparison

Pros & cons

Pros

Cons

Pros

Cons

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