The cheapest fund (UniSuper) charges $104/year while the most expensive (LegalSuper) charges $225/year — a difference of $121 per year. Compounded at 7% annual growth over 30 years, this gap grows to $12,230 in lost retirement savings.
All 19 Funds Ranked by Total Fee at $10,000
Total fee = admin fee (flat) + admin fee (%) + investment fee + indirect cost ratio, applied to a $10,000 balance.
| # | Fund | Admin $ | Admin % | Inv. Fee | ICR | Total $/yr | Total % | 10yr Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UniSuper | $60 | 0.04% | 0.36% | 0.04% | $104 | 1.04% | 8.50% |
| 2 | Aware Super | $52 | 0.18% | 0.52% | 0.08% | $130 | 1.30% | 8.10% |
| 3 | REST | $78 | — | 0.48% | 0.06% | $132 | 1.32% | 7.80% |
| 4 | Australian Retirement Trust | $78 | 0.10% | 0.42% | 0.05% | $135 | 1.35% | 8.60% |
| 5 | Hostplus | $78 | 0.02% | 0.52% | 0.08% | $140 | 1.40% | 9.00% |
| 6 | Cbus | $78 | — | 0.58% | 0.05% | $141 | 1.41% | 8.40% |
| 7 | HESTA | $78 | 0.08% | 0.48% | 0.10% | $144 | 1.44% | 8.30% |
| 8 | Active Super | $78 | 0.15% | 0.48% | 0.05% | $146 | 1.46% | 7.50% |
| 9 | CareSuper | $78 | 0.09% | 0.55% | 0.05% | $147 | 1.47% | 8.00% |
| 10 | Spirit Super | $78 | 0.14% | 0.50% | 0.06% | $148 | 1.48% | 7.50% |
| 11 | Vision Super | $78 | 0.16% | 0.48% | 0.06% | $148 | 1.48% | 7.20% |
| 12 | Media Super | $78 | 0.18% | 0.48% | 0.06% | $150 | 1.50% | 7.20% |
| 13 | Equip Super | $78 | 0.16% | 0.50% | 0.06% | $150 | 1.50% | 7.80% |
| 14 | Brighter Super | $78 | 0.18% | 0.48% | 0.06% | $150 | 1.50% | 7.50% |
| 15 | LUCRF Super | $91 | 0.10% | 0.48% | 0.05% | $154 | 1.54% | 7.50% |
| 16 | First Super | $85 | 0.20% | 0.48% | 0.08% | $161 | 1.61% | 7.20% |
| 17 | Mine Super | $104 | 0.15% | 0.50% | 0.06% | $175 | 1.75% | 7.50% |
| 18 | AustralianSuper | $137 | — | 0.46% | 0.05% | $188 | 1.88% | 8.90% |
| 19 | LegalSuper | $156 | 0.18% | 0.45% | 0.06% | $225 | 2.25% | 7.00% |
Key Observations at $10,000
- The cheapest fund at this balance is UniSuper at $104/year (1.04% of balance).
- The most expensive is LegalSuper at $225/year (2.25% of balance).
- The $121/year difference compounds to $12,230 over 30 years at 7% growth.
- Lower fees do not guarantee better outcomes — net-of-fee returns matter more. Some higher-fee funds outperform after costs.
These rankings use a flat $10,000 balance. Use our comparison calculator to see how fees and returns compare at your real balance and contribution level.
Compare at Other Balances
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Fee rankings shift at different balances. Funds with high flat fees penalise smaller balances, while funds with high percentage fees become expensive at larger balances.