superguru
MenuClose menu

AMP Super vs Pearler Super

Compare what each fund offers, then choose investment options to put their published costs and returns side by side.

By SuperGuru Group · Research checked 11 September 2026 · Historical APRA figures to 30 June 2026

AMP Super

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.

Membership

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.

Pearler Super

Retail fund brand

Pearler Super is a digital accumulation account for members who want to choose ETFs and other approved ASX securities.

Membership

The PDS allows a zero initial investment, but an operating cash balance is required once the account is funded.

Compare fees and investment returns

Choose the actual investment pathway for each account. For lifecycle products, select the named stage relevant to you. No stage is selected automatically.

Choose an investment option to see the figures

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.

How the products differ

AMP Super and Pearler Super: product features and conditions
What to compareAMP SuperPearler 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

The PDS allows a zero initial investment, but an operating cash balance is required once the account is funded.

Sources123
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

Pearler Personal Super accumulation.

Sources123
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

Members can choose from a menu of ETFs and other ASX-listed securities through the Pearler apps.

Sources123
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

There is no integrated insurance. Moving an entire balance from another fund can end the cover held there.

Sources123
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

The current PDS does not offer a pension account.

Sources123
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

The app offers investment tools. Any advice arrangement should be assessed separately from access to those tools.

Sources123
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

Administration fees apply to the first $500,000, with eligible family-group caps. Add underlying investment costs, transactions and the effect of the cash account.

Sources123
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

Performance depends on the actual securities and cash held. There is no single Pearler portfolio return that applies to everyone.

Sources123

THE SUPERGURU VIEW

Our take on AMP Super

Editorial assessment

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.

Who might put it on their shortlist

  • People who want an age-based super strategy and access to digital advice.
  • Members examining their employer's SignatureSuper terms.
  • People willing to investigate a lifetime-income product as part of retirement planning.

What deserves a closer look

  • Activating Lifetime Boost permanently changes the account from MySuper to Choice. AMP notes that MySuper has additional legal protections, even though activation itself does not change current fees, insurance or investments.
  • Lifetime Boost's benefit is only realised if the member takes the relevant AMP Lifetime Retirement Income product.
  • Eligibility excludes certain ages and account circumstances, including defined-benefit and TTR arrangements.
  • Compare the lifetime-income product's access, payment and beneficiary rules with an ordinary allocated pension.

Sources5

Based on the cited product features. These are general reasons to investigate the fund, not a personal recommendation. Supporting sources.

THE SUPERGURU VIEW

Our take on Pearler Super

Editorial assessment

May suit a member who can construct and maintain a diversified listed portfolio and has separately considered insurance.

What deserves a closer look

  • At least 2% of the balance or $200, whichever is greater, must remain in cash.
  • No pension or integrated insurance is currently offered.

Sources123

Based on the cited product features. These are general reasons to investigate the fund, not a personal recommendation. Supporting sources.

Before choosing between AMP Super and Pearler Super

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 Pearler Super profile · Choose another comparison

Sources for AMP Super

Checked 2026-09-11. Documents and product terms can change after this date.

  1. AMP MySuper lifecycle approach
  2. SignatureSuper investment guide
  3. SignatureSuper member guide
  4. AMP digital advice and product identity
  5. AMP Lifetime Boost eligibility and conditions
  6. Retiring with AMP Super PDS

Sources for Pearler Super

Checked 2026-09-11. Documents and product terms can change after this date.

  1. Pearler Super PDS
  2. Insurance availability
  3. Pricing and legal fund