Quick Verdict
Australian Retirement Trust is cheaper at $50k ($363/yr vs $392/yr). AustralianSuper leads on 10-year returns (8.90% vs 8.60%).
Fund Overview
Australian Retirement Trust
| Type | Industry |
| Established | 2022 |
| Trustee | Australian Retirement Trust Pty Ltd |
| HQ State | QLD |
| Members | 2.3M |
| Assets (AUM) | $300B |
AustralianSuper
| Type | Industry |
| Established | 2006 |
| Trustee | AustralianSuper Pty Ltd |
| HQ State | VIC |
| Members | 3.4M |
| Assets (AUM) | $365B |
Fee Comparison
| Fee Component | Australian Retirement Trust | AustralianSuper |
|---|
| Admin Fee (flat) | $78 | $137 |
| Admin Fee (%) | 0.10% | 0.00% |
| Investment Fee | 0.42% | 0.46% |
| Indirect Cost Ratio | 0.05% | 0.05% |
| Buy/Sell Spread | 0.09% | 0.10% |
Total Annual Fee by Balance
| Balance | Australian Retirement Trust | AustralianSuper |
|---|
| $10,000 | $135 | $188 |
| $25,000 | $220 | $264 |
| $50,000 | $363 | $392 |
| $100,000 | $648 | $647 |
| $250,000 | $1,503 | $1,412 |
| $500,000 | $2,928 | $2,687 |
Performance Comparison
| Period | Australian Retirement Trust | AustralianSuper |
|---|
| 1-Year | 12.20% | 12.10% |
| 3-Year | 8.40% | 8.50% |
| 5-Year | 8.60% | 8.20% |
| 7-Year | 8.70% | 8.50% |
| 10-Year | 8.60% | 8.90% |
| FY2024 | 9.30% | 9.10% |
| FY2023 | 10.50% | 10.30% |
| FY2022 | -2.80% | -2.70% |
| FY2021 | 20.80% | 20.40% |
| FY2020 | -0.50% | -0.70% |
| FY2019 | 8.50% | 8.60% |
| FY2018 | 10.50% | 10.30% |
| FY2017 | 13.20% | 13.10% |
| FY2016 | 4.20% | 4.20% |
| FY2015 | 10.50% | 10.80% |
Insurance Comparison
Australian Retirement Trust
| Insurer | TAL Life Limited |
| Death Cover | Yes — unitised, opt-out |
| TPD Cover | Yes — unitised, opt-out |
| IP Cover | Yes — opt-in |
AustralianSuper
| Insurer | TAL Life Limited |
| Death Cover | Yes — unitised, opt-out |
| TPD Cover | Yes — unitised, opt-out |
| IP Cover | Yes — opt-in |
Annual Premium Comparison by Age
| Age | Australian Retirement Trust | AustralianSuper |
|---|
| 25 | $135 | $156 |
| 30 | $228 | $260 |
| 35 | $385 | $416 |
| 40 | $590 | $624 |
| 45 | $910 | $988 |
| 50 | $1,400 | $1,508 |
| 55 | $2,080 | $2,236 |
| 60 | $2,950 | $3,172 |
APRA Heatmap Ratings
Australian Retirement Trust
| Fee Rating | Below median |
| Return Rating | Above median |
| Sustainability | Performing |
AustralianSuper
| Fee Rating | Below median |
| Return Rating | Above median |
| Sustainability | Performing |
Investment Options
Australian Retirement Trust
| Total Options | 18 |
| Ethical/ESG Option | Yes |
| Indexed Option | No |
| Direct Investing | No |
AustralianSuper
| Total Options | 14 |
| Ethical/ESG Option | Yes |
| Indexed Option | Yes |
| Direct Investing | No |
Member Services
Australian Retirement Trust
| App Ratings | iOS 4.6 / Android 4.4 |
| Advice | Limited personal advice included; comprehensive fee-for-service |
| AFCA Complaints | 3.4 per 10k members |
| Call Centre | 8am-6pm AEST Mon-Fri |
AustralianSuper
| App Ratings | iOS 4.7 / Android 4.5 |
| Advice | Limited personal advice included; comprehensive fee-for-service |
| AFCA Complaints | 2.5 per 10k members |
| Call Centre | 8am-8pm AEST Mon-Fri |
Verdict
The two largest open APRA-regulated funds in Australia, side-by-side. AustralianSuper ($365B AUM, 3.4M members) is the marginally bigger fund and arguably the best-organised, with a deeply staffed in-house investment team, a clear premium-mandate focus on unlisted infrastructure and private equity, and the lowest administered investment fees among funds of its size. Its MySuper option has returned 8.9% p.a. over 10 years.
Australian Retirement Trust ($300B AUM, 2.3M members) is the QSuper-Sunsuper successor, with a slightly more diversified default mandate and the only DBD legacy in the open-fund space (closed to new members but operational for existing QSuper transfers). Its 10-year MySuper return of 8.6% trails AustralianSuper by ~0.3pp — a real gap that compounds to roughly $25,000 on a $50,000 balance over 30 years.
Verdict: AustralianSuper has slightly the better record on every quantitative dimension that matters — fees, returns, scale, and consistency. But the gap is small enough that for most members the choice should come down to fund-specific features: ART for QSuper-legacy or Queensland-public-sector members; AustralianSuper for everyone else. Both are passing the APRA performance test, both are in the top quartile of industry funds, both are reasonable defaults.
Important information
The information on SuperFind is general in nature and does not take into account your personal financial situation, needs, or objectives. It is not personal financial advice. Before making any financial decisions about your superannuation, consider whether the information is appropriate for your circumstances and consider seeking advice from a licensed financial adviser. Super fund data including fees and performance returns shown on this site were current as of May 2026 — always verify figures on the fund's website. Past performance is not a reliable indicator of future performance. Data sourced from APRA, ATO, and individual fund disclosures. Read our
methodology for how figures are calculated and our
about page for editorial policy. SuperFind is a
DecisionLab publication.