Why Platforms Like BetaShares and Netwealth Are Gaining Ground

For decades, Australians had a predictable set of investment tools: a super fund, maybe a managed fund or two, and – if you were enthusiastic – a brokerage account. The tools were separate, the fees were scattered, and the experience rarely felt cohesive. But over the past few years, something has shifted.

Two names sit at the centre of this transformation, each from a different lineage: Netwealth, a long-established platform used by advisers and increasingly by sophisticated individuals; and BetaShares, whose expansion into retail investing through BetaShares Direct signals a new era of low-cost, self-directed wealth building.

They reflect two ends of the same movement: Australians are demanding a more convenient way to manage their financial future.

The Rise of the Platform Mindset

The old world of investing was fragmented. You might hold a diversified managed fund, a couple of ETFs in a separate brokerage account, some cash in an online savings bank, and crucial tax documents spread across three different institutions. Each piece required separate logins, statements, and fee structures.

Platforms emerged to solve that problem – not by offering new investments, but by rethinking the architecture around them. They wrap multiple investment types into a unified environment with consolidated reporting, centralised tax data, easier trading and, in some cases, adviser collaboration.

For investors, the appeal is obvious: one place to see the full picture. One place to trade, top up, rebalance, or simply observe. And increasingly, platforms are no longer the domain of high-net-worth households alone.

Netwealth: The Architect’s Platform

Netwealth represents the “classic” version of a modern wealth platform – high-functioning, sophisticated, and built for people who manage complex portfolios or work with advisers who oversee them.

Its core product, Wealth Accelerator, is essentially an operating system for your investments. Shares, managed funds, ETFs, term deposits, and even SMSF assets can sit inside one administrative layer. What Netwealth does well – better than many legacy providers – is remove friction. Investors gain detailed performance reports, streamlined tax statements, and the ability to structure accounts the way they prefer.

What’s shifting quietly, however, is Netwealth’s audience. While the platform remains adviser-friendly, the company is increasingly positioning itself as a home for self-directed, financially literate investors.

Netwealth’s offering isn’t built for the “$5 spare-change” crowd. It suits investors who want their wealth in a single platform – particularly those who are accumulating across multiple vehicles, like personal taxable accounts, family trusts and SMSFs. In that sense, Netwealth represents the upward evolution of the investor who has moved beyond “Do I invest?” and into “How do I organise everything I own?”

It’s the platform you gravitate towards once investing becomes a serious, ongoing part of your life.

BetaShares: The New Shape of Retail Investing

On the other side of the spectrum sits BetaShares, one of the major forces behind the ETF boom in Australia. For years they’ve been known for products – index trackers, thematic funds, ethical ETFs. But their launch of BetaShares Direct signals a shift from manufacturer to full-service retail platform.

This matters. It changes the way Australians interact with investing at every level.

While traditional wrap platforms were built for people already comfortable in the financial world, BetaShares Direct aims at the everyday – but motivated – inventor: people who want long-term wealth without complexity. The platform offers zero-brokerage trades on ASX ETFs, portfolio tools, automatic investment plans, and goal-based saving features.

In practice, it’s a bridge between two worlds: the simplicity of a micro-investing app and the maturity of a full brokerage account. BetaShares is trying to create a pathway: start small, build consistency, then transition naturally into a more self-directed investing life.

Where Netwealth appeals to organisation and structure, BetaShares appeals to accessibility and momentum.

Why These Platforms Matter Now

Australians are experiencing a strange moment in financial history: higher interest rates, volatile markets, and rising property barriers. People want more control over their money than ever before. They also want tools that match how they live now – mobile-first, transparent, flexible, and unbundled from old-fashioned banking systems.

Platforms offer that control, and both Netwealth and BetaShares are tapping into the same broad trend from different angles:

• Simplification – Investors want to reduce clutter and make sense of their entire financial world without juggling five portals.
• Cost clarity – Brokerage, fund fees, admin, performance reports – platforms make these explicit.
• Customisation – Whether it’s direct shares, diversified ETFs, or model portfolios, investors want choice.
• Education – Tools, charts, portfolio metrics, simple tax reporting help people stay engaged.

The tools are affecting behaviour as much as the investments themselves.

Choosing Between Them

The interesting question isn’t “Which platform is better?” but “Which investor are you becoming?”

If you’re building meaningful wealth, earning well, and taking a long-term view of your finances, you may eventually want deeper structure and the tax efficiency that comes with an organised platform. This is where Netwealth thrives.

If you’re at the beginning or transitional stage – ready to take control of your investing but not ready for complexity – BetaShares Direct offers a friendly, low-barrier foundation.

Some investors will naturally move from one to the other. Others will find a perfect home in either system.