When it comes to trading on the Johannesburg Stock Exchange (JSE) in 2025, South African investors often compare EasyEquities and Standard Bank’s platforms for accessibility, costs, and features. Both platforms cater to different types of investors, offering unique advantages depending on your investment goals and experience.
Accessibility and User Experience
EasyEquities is widely recognised for its beginner-friendly interface and accessibility. It allows users to start investing with as little as R50, making it highly attractive for new and casual investors who want to build wealth gradually without large capital outlays. The platform supports fractional investing, enabling clients to buy portions of shares, which is a significant advantage for those with limited funds. EasyEquities offers a web and mobile platform that is intuitive and straightforward, appealing to a younger, tech-savvy audience.
Standard Bank’s trading platform, including its newer Shyft app, targets a broader spectrum of investors, from beginners to more experienced traders. While it offers access to local and international shares, the platform integrates with Standard Bank’s broader banking ecosystem, providing a seamless experience for existing bank clients. This integration includes features like instant funding from your bank account and consolidated financial management. The Shyft app, however, charges a platform fee, which can affect overall costs for smaller investors.
Fees and Costs
Fee structures are a critical consideration. EasyEquities charges trading fees when you buy and sell shares but does not levy an annual platform fee. This can make it more cost-effective for investors who trade infrequently or hold long-term positions. For US shares, EasyEquities provides transparent cost profiles, and its low minimum investment thresholds further reduce barriers to entry.
Standard Bank’s Shyft platform generally offers lower per-trade fees compared to EasyEquities, but it charges a 0.2% annual platform fee. For active traders or those with larger portfolios, this combination might still be competitive, but for smaller investors or those trading infrequently, the platform fee can add up and reduce net returns. This makes EasyEquities more attractive for casual investors focused on cost minimisation.
Range of Investment Options
EasyEquities excels in offering a broad range of assets. Besides local JSE equities, it provides access to ETFs, global stocks from the US, UK, Europe, and Australia, as well as cryptocurrencies and commodities through separate account types (EasyEquities, EasyTrader, and EasyCrypto). This variety allows investors to diversify their portfolios within a single ecosystem, which is a big plus in 2025 when global diversification is increasingly important.
Standard Bank’s platform primarily focuses on equities and ETFs, with strong emphasis on South African shares and some access to international markets. While it may not have the same breadth of asset classes as EasyEquities, it offers reliable access to the South African banking and financial services sectors, which have performed well recently. For example, Standard Bank’s own shares have appreciated about 14% over the past year, reflecting solid underlying business fundamentals.
Technology and Market Access
Both platforms benefit indirectly from the JSE’s advanced trading infrastructure. The JSE uses the Millennium Exchange platform with colocation facilities that reduce latency and improve trade execution quality. Low-latency trading is especially important for high-frequency and algorithmic traders, although retail investors on EasyEquities and Standard Bank platforms mostly experience stable and reliable trade execution without needing direct low-latency access.
Conclusion
For South Africans starting out or investing small amounts, EasyEquities offers an accessible, low-cost, and diverse investment experience without platform fees, making it highly appealing in 2025. Standard Bank’s platform, particularly with Shyft, may suit those who prefer integrated banking services and trade more actively despite the annual platform fee. Choosing between the two depends largely on your trading frequency, portfolio size, and desire for asset variety within South Africa’s evolving investment landscape.