The cheapest fund (UniSuper) charges $1,160/year while the most expensive (Aware Super) charges $2,002/year — a difference of $842 per year. Compounded at 7% annual growth over 30 years, this gap grows to $85,104 in lost retirement savings.
All 19 Funds Ranked by Total Fee at $250,000
Total fee = admin fee (flat) + admin fee (%) + investment fee + indirect cost ratio, applied to a $250,000 balance.
| # | Fund | Admin $ | Admin % | Inv. Fee | ICR | Total $/yr | Total % | 10yr Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UniSuper | $60 | 0.04% | 0.36% | 0.04% | $1,160 | 0.46% | 8.50% |
| 2 | AustralianSuper | $137 | — | 0.46% | 0.05% | $1,412 | 0.56% | 8.90% |
| 3 | REST | $78 | — | 0.48% | 0.06% | $1,428 | 0.57% | 7.80% |
| 4 | Australian Retirement Trust | $78 | 0.10% | 0.42% | 0.05% | $1,503 | 0.60% | 8.60% |
| 5 | Hostplus | $78 | 0.02% | 0.52% | 0.08% | $1,628 | 0.65% | 9.00% |
| 6 | Cbus | $78 | — | 0.58% | 0.05% | $1,653 | 0.66% | 8.40% |
| 7 | LUCRF Super | $91 | 0.10% | 0.48% | 0.05% | $1,666 | 0.67% | 7.50% |
| 8 | HESTA | $78 | 0.08% | 0.48% | 0.10% | $1,728 | 0.69% | 8.30% |
| 9 | Active Super | $78 | 0.15% | 0.48% | 0.05% | $1,778 | 0.71% | 7.50% |
| 10 | CareSuper | $78 | 0.09% | 0.55% | 0.05% | $1,803 | 0.72% | 8.00% |
| 11 | Spirit Super | $78 | 0.14% | 0.50% | 0.06% | $1,828 | 0.73% | 7.50% |
| 12 | Vision Super | $78 | 0.16% | 0.48% | 0.06% | $1,828 | 0.73% | 7.20% |
| 13 | Media Super | $78 | 0.18% | 0.48% | 0.06% | $1,878 | 0.75% | 7.20% |
| 14 | Equip Super | $78 | 0.16% | 0.50% | 0.06% | $1,878 | 0.75% | 7.80% |
| 15 | Brighter Super | $78 | 0.18% | 0.48% | 0.06% | $1,878 | 0.75% | 7.50% |
| 16 | Mine Super | $104 | 0.15% | 0.50% | 0.06% | $1,879 | 0.75% | 7.50% |
| 17 | LegalSuper | $156 | 0.18% | 0.45% | 0.06% | $1,881 | 0.75% | 7.00% |
| 18 | First Super | $85 | 0.20% | 0.48% | 0.08% | $1,985 | 0.79% | 7.20% |
| 19 | Aware Super | $52 | 0.18% | 0.52% | 0.08% | $2,002 | 0.80% | 8.10% |
Key Observations at $250,000
- The cheapest fund at this balance is UniSuper at $1,160/year (0.46% of balance).
- The most expensive is Aware Super at $2,002/year (0.80% of balance).
- The $842/year difference compounds to $85,104 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 $250,000 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.