Compare what each fund offers, then choose investment options to put their published costs and returns side by side.
Retail fund
AMP Super combines SignatureSuper's age-based MySuper options with investment choice, digital advice and retirement products. Its Lifetime Boost feature needs more explanation than a simple benefits tick.
Check the SignatureSuper PDS and any employer plan's terms. Restricted employer MySuper arrangements should not be treated as the same product as the standard SignatureSuper MySuper offer.
Industry fund
Aware Super uses a Lifecycle default in its Future Saver account and offers retirement income accounts, investment choice and several levels of advice.
Public membership is available. Some former scheme members, including defined-benefit and employer groups, need the documents for their own plan.
Choose the actual investment pathway for each account. For lifecycle products, select the named stage relevant to you. No stage is selected automatically.
The costs and returns belong to the selected product, option or lifecycle stage.
Source: APRA Comprehensive Product Performance Package 2026, published 28 August 2026. Fees reflect the reporting year to 30 June 2026, are net of tax, use standard arrangements and exclude member-activity fees. Dollar figures are rounded. They are not a current quote. Check the latest PDS for changes, insurance premiums and any separately charged advice.
Returns are annualised historical results. Different return bases, risk levels and periods cannot be treated as interchangeable. MySuper net returns use a $50,000 representative balance even when you change the fee balance. A lifecycle stage return does not track a person moving between stages. Missing figures mean not reported, not zero. Past returns do not predict future returns. Read our method and APRA's definitions.
| What to compare | AMP Super | Aware Super |
|---|---|---|
| Membership and access | Check the SignatureSuper PDS and any employer plan's terms. Restricted employer MySuper arrangements should not be treated as the same product as the standard SignatureSuper MySuper offer. Sources3 | Public membership is available. Some former scheme members, including defined-benefit and employer groups, need the documents for their own plan. Sources1 |
| Accounts and products | SignatureSuper in AMP Super Fund. MyNorth is a separate platform and legal super fund. SignatureSuper AMP MySuper Lifestages AMP Flexible Retirement Income AMP Lifetime Retirement Income Sources6 | Future Saver public accumulation account; restricted legacy and employer arrangements are separate. Future Saver Retirement Income Retirement Transition Legacy defined-benefit arrangements Sources12345678 |
| Investment choices | AMP MySuper Lifestages AMP's MySuper strategy allocates members by date of birth and gradually changes the growth and defensive mix. SignatureSuper also offers investment choice, including index-style, multi-manager and single-manager approaches, subject to the current menu. Sources12 | MySuper Lifecycle Future Saver members who do not choose an investment option use MySuper Lifecycle, which changes the mix with age. Members can choose diversified or single-asset-class investments instead. The retirement-account default is Conservative Balanced, rather than the accumulation Lifecycle approach. Sources23 |
| Insurance | Use the insurance guide for your SignatureSuper membership or employer plan. Insurance fees depend on the cover held; the presence of an AMP account does not establish the level of cover or that an application would be accepted. Sources3 | Death, TPD and income protection cover are available through TAL policies, subject to eligibility. Basic Cover comprises death and TPD; other cover can require an application. NSW Police and Ambulance officers have special arrangements and should use their own insurance handbooks. Sources56 |
| Retirement income | AMP offers a flexible allocated-pension product and a separate Lifetime Retirement Income product. Lifetime Boost in accumulation only produces its intended retirement benefit if the member later takes the AMP lifetime-income product. It is not an immediate cash bonus paid into the account. Sources56 | Retirement Income is the account-based pension product. Retirement Transition is for eligible members accessing super while working and automatically becomes Retirement Income at age 65. Members can keep the Conservative Balanced default or choose their own investment mix. Sources34 |
| Advice and support | Eligible AMP Super members can access Digital Financial Advice through My AMP at no extra fee. It has an eligibility and service scope; more complex planning should be compared separately from the digital service. Sources4 | Aware offers help about its accounts, personal retirement advice and broader financial advice. Advice about Aware accounts can be available at no extra cost, while broader advice has a fee. Confirm what the service covers before relying on it for decisions involving other assets or another fund. Sources48 |
| Fee details to check | Identify the product, selected option and employer arrangement before comparing charges. Costs can include administration, investment and transaction costs, insurance and personal advice. North's menu-based fees should not be substituted for SignatureSuper's charges. Sources3 | Compare the fee for the actual Lifecycle age allocation or chosen option. A retirement account and Future Saver can have different administration and investment costs, so the accumulation total should not be carried into a pension comparison. Sources12345678 |
| Comparing investment performance | MySuper Lifestage returns belong to birth cohorts and their changing investment mix. Compare the same cohort or age and common end date. An option's short-term return is not evidence that every SignatureSuper member received the same result. Keep AMP Super and MyNorth separate. Explain the MySuper-to-Choice change and conditional nature of Lifetime Boost before presenting it as a benefit. Sources1 | A Lifecycle comparison must match the member's age and the relevant investment mix. Conservative Balanced pension results and Future Saver results differ in investment strategy and tax treatment; a single brand-level return would obscure those differences. Compare Future Saver's Lifecycle for the same age, and compare retirement accounts separately. Check whether advice being compared is general guidance, personal advice about the fund, or broader financial planning. Sources3 |
| Former names and account history | This detail has not been verified for this profile. Check the current product documents. | First State Super: Renamed Aware Super in September 2020. StatePlus: Former advice and retirement brand, acquired by First State Super in 2016 and rebranded in 2020; do not confuse with State Super NSW defined benefit schemes. TelstraSuper: Heritage TelstraSuper accounts moved to Aware Super, with new arrangements from 1 May 2026; heritage insurance terms remain account-specific. Sources91011 |
THE SUPERGURU VIEW
AMP has a more involved retirement proposition than a simple accumulation account. That may interest someone planning how super and the Age Pension could work together, but the value rests on the conditions and the eventual retirement product. The Lifetime label needs careful reading before it becomes a reason to choose the fund.
Sources5
Based on the cited product features. These are general reasons to investigate the fund, not a personal recommendation. Supporting sources.
THE SUPERGURU VIEW
Aware is worth examining if you want investment management and help with retirement decisions in the same place. The change from an accumulation Lifecycle default to a Conservative Balanced retirement default deserves a close look: it is a meaningful change in how your money is invested, not just a new account name.
Based on the cited product features. These are general reasons to investigate the fund, not a personal recommendation. Supporting sources.
Use the membership rules to establish which accounts are available to you. Then compare the total price of the investment option and cover you need. A lower fee or higher historical return alone does not tell you which fund is suitable.
Ask both funds to confirm insurance acceptance, exclusions, waiting periods and whether cover would change when you leave your employer. Obtain advice before giving up a defined benefit or an insurance policy you may not be able to replace. ASIC Moneysmart explains the comparison checks.
Read the full AMP Super profile · Read the full Aware Super profile · Choose another comparison
Checked 2026-09-11. Documents and product terms can change after this date.
Checked 2026-09-11. Documents and product terms can change after this date.