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.
Retail fund
Vanguard Super offers an age-based Lifecycle default, other diversified and single-sector investments, and both retirement and transition-to-retirement accounts.
The SaveSmart PDS sets joining conditions. Insurance eligibility is separate and includes work-hours and occupation requirements for some cover types.
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 | Vanguard 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 SaveSmart PDS sets joining conditions. Insurance eligibility is separate and includes work-hours and occupation requirements for some cover types. Sources48 |
| 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 | SaveSmart accumulation, SpendSmart pension and TransitionSmart TTR. Vanguard Super SaveSmart SpendSmart account-based pension TransitionSmart TTR Sources2 |
| 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 | Lifecycle Lifecycle changes the asset mix as a member ages. Members can choose other diversified options or single-sector options instead. The menu offers pooled investments inside super; it should not be described as a brokerage account for buying any Vanguard ETF. Sources1 |
| 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 | Eligible members receive basic death and TPD cover. Income protection requires a separate application. Vanguard's public eligibility page lists a minimum recent work-hours condition and excludes hazardous occupations for TPD and income protection; TPD must be held with death cover and cannot exceed it. Sources45 |
| 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 | SpendSmart provides regular retirement income and lump-sum access for eligible members. TransitionSmart lets eligible working members draw pension payments while keeping a SaveSmart accumulation account for contributions. Sources23 |
| 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 | Vanguard provides educational material and a Find an Adviser tool. Compare the scope and price of personal advice separately; the presence of a referral tool does not establish that comprehensive advice is included in the super fee. Sources7 |
| 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 | Use the total annual fee for your selected option and balance, then account for insurance and buy/sell spreads. Vanguard says options other than Lifecycle can have different costs. A quoted Lifecycle percentage therefore should not be attached to every investment choice or pension product. Sources6 |
| 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 | Lifecycle performance is age-dependent. Compare an equivalent age allocation and period, and use super-product returns rather than the much longer track record of a Vanguard managed fund or ETF outside super. Those are different products with different costs and taxes. Show Lifecycle results for the same age. Include SpendSmart and TransitionSmart in retirement comparisons, and compare insurance eligibility explicitly. Sources12345678 |
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
Vanguard is a useful comparison for someone who wants a clearly described age-based investment approach. Its retirement accounts also let members move from saving to drawing an income within the fund. Insurance is the detail that can change the decision, particularly for someone in a hazardous occupation or with irregular working hours.
Sources4
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 Vanguard 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.