The cheapest fund (UniSuper) charges $280/year while the most expensive (LegalSuper) charges $501/year — a difference of $221 per year. Compounded at 7% annual growth over 30 years, this gap grows to $22,337 in lost retirement savings.
All 19 Funds Ranked by Total Fee at $50,000
Total fee = admin fee (flat) + admin fee (%) + investment fee + indirect cost ratio, applied to a $50,000 balance.
| # | Fund | Admin $ | Admin % | Inv. Fee | ICR | Total $/yr | Total % | 10yr Return |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | UniSuper | $60 | 0.04% | 0.36% | 0.04% | $280 | 0.56% | 8.50% |
| 2 | REST | $78 | — | 0.48% | 0.06% | $348 | 0.70% | 7.80% |
| 3 | Australian Retirement Trust | $78 | 0.10% | 0.42% | 0.05% | $363 | 0.73% | 8.60% |
| 4 | Hostplus | $78 | 0.02% | 0.52% | 0.08% | $388 | 0.78% | 9.00% |
| 5 | AustralianSuper | $137 | — | 0.46% | 0.05% | $392 | 0.78% | 8.90% |
| 6 | Cbus | $78 | — | 0.58% | 0.05% | $393 | 0.79% | 8.40% |
| 7 | LUCRF Super | $91 | 0.10% | 0.48% | 0.05% | $406 | 0.81% | 7.50% |
| 8 | HESTA | $78 | 0.08% | 0.48% | 0.10% | $408 | 0.82% | 8.30% |
| 9 | Active Super | $78 | 0.15% | 0.48% | 0.05% | $418 | 0.84% | 7.50% |
| 10 | CareSuper | $78 | 0.09% | 0.55% | 0.05% | $423 | 0.85% | 8.00% |
| 11 | Spirit Super | $78 | 0.14% | 0.50% | 0.06% | $428 | 0.86% | 7.50% |
| 12 | Vision Super | $78 | 0.16% | 0.48% | 0.06% | $428 | 0.86% | 7.20% |
| 13 | Media Super | $78 | 0.18% | 0.48% | 0.06% | $438 | 0.88% | 7.20% |
| 14 | Equip Super | $78 | 0.16% | 0.50% | 0.06% | $438 | 0.88% | 7.80% |
| 15 | Brighter Super | $78 | 0.18% | 0.48% | 0.06% | $438 | 0.88% | 7.50% |
| 16 | Aware Super | $52 | 0.18% | 0.52% | 0.08% | $442 | 0.88% | 8.10% |
| 17 | Mine Super | $104 | 0.15% | 0.50% | 0.06% | $459 | 0.92% | 7.50% |
| 18 | First Super | $85 | 0.20% | 0.48% | 0.08% | $465 | 0.93% | 7.20% |
| 19 | LegalSuper | $156 | 0.18% | 0.45% | 0.06% | $501 | 1.00% | 7.00% |
Key Observations at $50,000
- The cheapest fund at this balance is UniSuper at $280/year (0.56% of balance).
- The most expensive is LegalSuper at $501/year (1.00% of balance).
- The $221/year difference compounds to $22,337 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 $50,000 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.