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AustralianSuper vs North

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

AustralianSuper

Industry fund

AustralianSuper combines a conventional Balanced default with a choice of pooled investments and a Member Direct account for people who want to choose listed investments themselves.

Membership

Open to people working in Australia, subject to the product's eligibility rules. Employer arrangements can affect insurance, particularly AustralianSuper Select.

North

Retail platform

North is an adviser-based super and pension platform. Its menu tiers and optional lifetime products make the actual account design more important than the brand-level price.

Membership

A financial adviser is required for MyNorth products. Read the PDS and target market determination for the particular account, including whether it is ordinary super, a pension or a lifetime product.

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.

APRA product data to 30 June 2026
MeasureAustralianSuper MySuperChoose an investment option
Return basisMySuper net return after administration costs, $50,000 representative memberChoose an option
3-year return, per year9.06%Choose an option
5-year return, per year6.34%Choose an option
7-year return, per year7.31%Choose an option
10-year return, per year8.27%Choose an option
APRA strategic growth allocation73.42%Choose an option
Reported total fees, net of tax, at $50,000$345 a year (0.69%)Choose an option
Administration and advice costs, net of tax (included in total)$85 a yearChoose an option
2026 performance testPassChoose an option
New-member status at reporting dateCheck the current product eligibility rulesCheck the current product eligibility rules

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

AustralianSuper and North: product features and conditions
What to compareAustralianSuperNorth
Membership and access

Open to people working in Australia, subject to the product's eligibility rules. Employer arrangements can affect insurance, particularly AustralianSuper Select.

Sources1

A financial adviser is required for MyNorth products. Read the PDS and target market determination for the particular account, including whether it is ordinary super, a pension or a lifetime product.

Sources15
Accounts and products

Public accumulation accounts; Choice Income and TTR Income are separate products.

AustralianSuper accumulation

Choice Income account-based pension

TTR Income

Member Direct investment option

Sources1234567

MyNorth and North super and pension products in Wealth Personal Superannuation and Pension Fund; separate from AMP SignatureSuper.

MyNorth Super

MyNorth Pension

MyNorth Lifetime Super

MyNorth Lifetime Income

MyNorth Deferred Lifetime Income

North legacy products

Sources3
Investment choices

Balanced

The menu has three distinct approaches. PreMixed options put different asset classes into a single portfolio. DIY Mix lets you choose the proportions allocated to the fund's asset-class options. Member Direct provides access to eligible listed investments and term deposits within AustralianSuper, with its own costs and restrictions.

Sources23

Investments selected through the product and adviser; not one platform-wide MySuper default.

MyNorth uses Grow, Select and Choice menus with different pricing. Members can hold investments across menus, with administration costs reflecting that mix. The cash account also has its own investment and administration charges, so uninvested cash is part of the cost calculation.

Sources2
Insurance

Insurance cover can include death, total and permanent disablement and income protection. Cover and pricing depend on eligibility and work rating. Insurance is not available inside Choice Income or TTR Income accounts.

Sources47

North supports insurance arrangements, including cover held inside super. The policy and underwriting are separate from the investment platform. Ask the adviser to compare the cover, premium and exclusions with the existing policy before transferring.

Sources16
Retirement income

Choice Income provides retirement income, while TTR Income is for eligible people accessing part of their super before full retirement. Read the pension PDS separately because its fees and available features are not identical to an accumulation account.

Sources4

MyNorth offers ordinary pension accounts and separate Lifetime and Deferred Lifetime Income arrangements. The PDS says capital-access rules limit withdrawals and death/exit benefits for the lifetime-income accounts. Ordinary super and lifetime-income access terms must not be confused.

Sources345
Advice and support

Most telephone advice about an AustralianSuper account is included in the administration fee. Telephone advice about starting a pension or a transition to retirement strategy can cost extra; broader personal advice has an agreed fee.

Sources4

MyNorth is available through an adviser, making the advice relationship part of the proposition. Fees may include initial, ongoing, fixed-term or ad hoc advice charges. Ask what each service will deliver and what happens to the account if that relationship ends.

Sources126
Fee details to check

Compare administration, investment and transaction costs for your chosen option, then add insurance and any advice or Member Direct costs. AustralianSuper has announced an accumulation administration fee change for 31 October 2026: the asset-based rate will rise from 0.10% to 0.12% a year, and its cap from $350 to $600. The $1 weekly flat fee stays unchanged. These announced terms are not yet effective on the research date.

Sources45

Add account and administration fees, underlying investment costs, the cash-account charge, any trustee or lifetime fee, insurance and adviser charges. Menu mix, balance tiers and eligible family aggregation can change the total. A nil administration rate on one menu does not make all holdings or the full arrangement free.

Sources23
Comparing investment performance

Use the same investment option and end date on both sides of a comparison. AustralianSuper's crediting rates deduct investment fees, transaction costs and tax, but its treatment of the percentage administration fee changed historically. A Balanced return is not a return earned by every member.

Compare Balanced with a portfolio of similar risk, not automatically with every option called Balanced.

Separate the current fee schedule from the announced 31 October 2026 schedule.

Sources2

A platform does not have one investment return. Compare the actual portfolio after its underlying and platform costs, and disclose adviser fees separately if they are excluded. The performance of one managed fund cannot stand in for the account.

Show the exact menu mix, account type and advice fee.

Keep ordinary super and account-based pensions separate from lifetime-income comparisons.

Sources123456

THE SUPERGURU VIEW

Our take on AustralianSuper

Editorial assessment

AustralianSuper is a useful starting point for comparing a broad-service fund. The menu accommodates people who want the fund to manage their investments and people who want more control. Size alone does not settle the choice: the announced fee change is particularly relevant at larger balances, and service history deserves attention alongside investment results.

Who might put it on their shortlist

  • People who want a broad investment menu and a pension pathway with the same provider.
  • Members considering direct shares or ETFs within a large super fund and prepared to compare the extra costs.

What deserves a closer look

  • Member Direct needs active investment decisions and has eligibility, investment and trading limits.
  • The coming administration fee increase means an older comparison can understate the cost after October 2026.
  • In February 2025, the Federal Court imposed a $27 million penalty for failures to merge duplicate member accounts. ASIC said affected members had been remediated. The finding makes administration and member service part of a fair assessment alongside investment returns.

Sources356

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 North

Editorial assessment

North is a platform to assess with a specific portfolio and service proposal in front of you. Its menu and retirement features may help an adviser implement a plan, but the justification should be concrete. For a straightforward diversified holding, the comparison needs to show what the extra structure and advice cost buys.

Who might put it on their shortlist

  • People working with an adviser who need a broad investment and retirement product range.
  • Members examining lifetime-income arrangements and prepared to assess their access restrictions.
  • Families checking whether the applicable fee aggregation changes the overall cost.

What deserves a closer look

  • MyNorth requires an adviser, and advice charges are additional to investment-platform costs.
  • Money held in the cash account has its own charges.
  • Lifetime-income products have capital-access and beneficiary restrictions.
  • North and AMP SignatureSuper sit in different product and legal-fund structures; one cannot inherit the other's fee or performance result.

Sources3

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

Before choosing between AustralianSuper and North

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 AustralianSuper profile · Read the full North profile · Choose another comparison