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Expand vs Freedom of Choice 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

Expand

Retail platform

Expand is a super and pension platform with Essential and Extra product tiers. Its value depends on the investment menu and services a member actually uses.

Membership

Use the Essential or Extra PDS and target market determination. The platform is commonly used with advice, and an application requires an investment choice; Essential allows a cash holding while a member decides on a longer-term strategy.

Freedom of Choice Super

Retail fund brand

Freedom of Choice is an Acclaim-administered super and pension product with managed funds, listed investments and term deposits.

Membership

The current disclosure library provides separate application forms for personal super and pension.

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

Expand and Freedom of Choice Super: product features and conditions
What to compareExpandFreedom of Choice Super
Membership and access

Use the Essential or Extra PDS and target market determination. The platform is commonly used with advice, and an application requires an investment choice; Essential allows a cash holding while a member decides on a longer-term strategy.

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The current disclosure library provides separate application forms for personal super and pension.

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Accounts and products

Expand Essential and Extra in IOOF Portfolio Service Superannuation Fund; not MLC MasterKey.

Expand Essential Super and Pension

Expand Extra Super and Pension

Retirement Boost

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Freedom of Choice Personal Super and Pension.

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Investment choices

Member-selected investments; not a single platform-wide MySuper default.

Essential combines a menu of managed funds and model portfolios with Essential+, which adds selected ETFs and term deposits. Extra offers a much broader selection of managed funds, model portfolios and listed investments. Investments across menus can carry different administration charges.

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The menu includes more than 150 managed funds, approved ASX300 shares and ETFs, term deposits and a cash account.

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Insurance

Expand advertises group and retail insurance options. The policy, underwriting and cost depend on the cover arranged; the platform's investment features do not establish that a member is insured.

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An insurance guide and occupation-rating forms set out the available cover. Do not assume the terms match Acclaim Core or an employer arrangement.

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Retirement income

Both tiers have pension products. Retirement Boost adds a separate lifetime-income proposition with its own eligibility and access rules. It should be compared with other lifetime products rather than treated as an ordinary account-based pension.

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A personal pension account is available with separate application and product terms.

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Advice and support

An advised arrangement needs two assessments: whether the adviser service is useful and whether the platform is an appropriate way to implement it. Ask for the full ongoing cost and the consequences of ending the advice relationship.

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Adviser nomination and advice-fee consent forms are part of the service. Confirm who will make investment decisions and what they will charge.

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Fee details to check

Add platform administration, account charges, underlying investment fees, transaction or brokerage costs, insurance and any adviser fee. Essential+ has a higher administration rate on the first part of the balance than the ordinary Essential menu. A low fee quoted for one menu is not a price for every portfolio.

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Use Freedom of Choice's own reference guide and July 2026 updates. Platform, investments, transactions, cash and advice can all contribute to the cost.

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Comparing investment performance

There is no single meaningful Expand investment return. Measure the chosen portfolio after all applicable costs. The performance test covers only eligible trustee-directed investments, so a result for one option does not describe every investment on the platform.

State Essential versus Extra and the menu used.

Keep option-specific performance-test outcomes attached to the relevant option IDs.

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Evaluate the selected managed funds or the member's complete portfolio; another AMG Super product's return is not a substitute.

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THE SUPERGURU VIEW

Our take on Expand

Editorial assessment

Expand makes most sense to investigate when a person needs its investment or retirement features and can explain why. A broad platform can be useful with a carefully chosen portfolio, but it also creates several layers of fees to compare. The product tier and menu selection should be visible in any price comparison.

Who might put it on their shortlist

  • People using an adviser to implement a portfolio that needs a broad investment menu.
  • Members comparing direct listed investments, managed portfolios and retirement features within one platform.
  • Families checking whether available fee arrangements change the total cost.

What deserves a closer look

  • Expand's 28 August 2026 notice says MLC MultiActive High Growth (MLC0397AU) and MLC MultiActive Geared (MLC0449AU) failed the 2026 performance test within the covered Expand products. Both remained open to new members because this was their first failure.
  • That notice concerns specified investment options, not a failure of every Expand investment or the whole platform.
  • Portfolio complexity, cash holdings, brokerage and advice fees can materially change the cost.
  • Lifetime products have access and beneficiary terms that require separate assessment.
  • Members transferred from Grow Wrap, Voyage or PortfolioOne should use their Expand welcome documents and fee schedule. June 2026 figures for those former products describe the pre-transfer account.

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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 Freedom of Choice Super

Editorial assessment

May suit a member working with an adviser who needs this menu and has compared its total cost with alternatives.

What deserves a closer look

  • The legal fund is shared with other brands, which does not make their fees interchangeable.
  • A long investment list requires deliberate diversification.

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

Before choosing between Expand and Freedom of Choice 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 Expand profile · Read the full Freedom of Choice Super profile · Choose another comparison

Sources for Expand

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

  1. Expand products and legal fund details
  2. Expand Essential PDS
  3. Expand Extra PDS
  4. Essential+ menu and fee differences
  5. Expand pension products
  6. 2026 performance-test notice
  7. Completed transfers to Expand Extra, September 2026

Sources for Freedom of Choice Super

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

  1. Freedom of Choice product history
  2. Investment menu
  3. Product documents
  4. Product ABNs and identifiers