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UniSuper vs Vision 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

UniSuper

Industry fund

UniSuper offers a public Personal Account alongside its university-sector products. The Defined Benefit Division is fundamentally different from an ordinary investment account.

Membership

The Personal Account is available to people living in Australia aged over 15. Employer-linked products and the Defined Benefit Division have their own entry rules.

Vision Super

Industry fund

Vision Super now includes the former Active Super membership. Its current products need to be read alongside the transfer notices, because the merger did not make every historical option or insurance arrangement identical.

Membership

The fund has Super Saver and Personal products, plus existing defined benefit and retirement arrangements. Eligibility and insurance can differ by 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
MeasureMySuper OfferingVision MySuper
Return basisMySuper net return after administration costs, $50,000 representative memberMySuper net return after administration costs, $50,000 representative member
3-year return, per year9.80%9.16%
5-year return, per year6.89%6.69%
7-year return, per year7.41%7.59%
10-year return, per year8.11%8.14%
APRA strategic growth allocation76.73%76.58%
Reported total fees, net of tax, at $50,000$340 a year (0.68%)$305 a year (0.61%)
Administration and advice costs, net of tax (included in total)$80 a year$115 a year
2026 performance testPassPass
New-member status at reporting dateCheck the current product eligibility rulesCheck the current product eligibility rules

Reading these two options

At $50,000, the reported annual total-cost difference is $35. Vision Super's selected reporting pathway has the lower reported cost on this measure. The figures cover the year to June 2026; current prices, insurance and separately charged advice can change the comparison.

The growth allocations are 76.73% and 76.58%. A return gap can reflect different exposure to growth assets, and similar headline allocations can still contain different investments.

A performance-test pass is a benchmark result for the tested product or pathway. It is not an endorsement or a guarantee of future performance.

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

UniSuper and Vision Super: product features and conditions
What to compareUniSuperVision Super
Membership and access

The Personal Account is available to people living in Australia aged over 15. Employer-linked products and the Defined Benefit Division have their own entry rules.

Sources1

The fund has Super Saver and Personal products, plus existing defined benefit and retirement arrangements. Eligibility and insurance can differ by product.

Sources12345
Accounts and products

Public Personal Account and employer accumulation products; Defined Benefit Division must be assessed separately.

Personal Account

Accumulation 1

Accumulation 2

Defined Benefit Division

Flexi Pension

Sources14

Super Saver, Personal, pension and transition-to-retirement products, with existing defined benefit arrangements.

Sources12345
Investment choices

Balanced (MySuper) for Personal Account and eligible accumulation products; MySuper does not apply to the DBD or pension.

Accumulation members, Personal Account members and Flexi Pension members can select from UniSuper's investment options. A Defined Benefit Division account has two components: a formula-based defined benefit, whose investments the member cannot choose, and an accumulation component that can use the normal menu.

Sources247

A range of diversified and single-asset choices. Some former Active products retain their own history and disclosures. Vision's Diversified Bonds option closed in June 2026, while the former Active Managed Cash option was consolidated in October 2025.

Sources12345
Insurance

The insurance position depends on the product. Ordinary insured cover and the inbuilt benefits associated with the Defined Benefit Division should be compared separately. Check the current product PDS and your member statement before making a transfer.

Sources34

The fund publishes separate insurance documents for Super Saver and Personal. Employment type, including casual employment, can affect the application process.

Sources12345
Retirement income

Flexi Pension provides retirement-phase and transition-to-retirement accounts. The retirement-phase product requires an eligible condition of release and a minimum opening balance. Moving the entire UniSuper balance into a pension ends any insurance or DBD inbuilt benefits attached to the former account.

Sources3

Pension and transition-to-retirement accounts are available. Existing lifetime or defined benefit pensions require their own scheme information.

Sources12345
Advice and support

UniSuper offers advice services covering super and retirement as well as broader financial matters. Advice fee deductions have rules, limits and consent requirements; an agreement to pay an adviser is not a universal feature that applies the same way to every product.

Sources56

Vision Super Financial Planners can help with super and pension questions. The tailored-advice schedule sets out which services carry a fee.

Sources12345
Fee details to check

Compare Personal Account with other public accumulation products, using the cost of the chosen investment option. Employer products, the DBD and retirement-phase Flexi Pension can have different fees. Do not transplant one product's fee figure onto the whole UniSuper brand.

Sources4

Use the current PDS for your product, not an old Active Super cost estimate. Former Active members should check their transfer notice and current statement.

Sources12345
Comparing investment performance

Investment returns describe accumulation investments. The defined-benefit component uses a formula, rather than crediting the chosen market return to an account. A DBD-versus-accumulation decision cannot be reduced to two ten-year investment returns.

Keep UniSuper Personal Account and DBD comparisons separate.

Do not display a DBD benefit as a guaranteed investment return or infer its value from accumulation performance.

Sources27

Vision publishes separate performance information where needed for former Active options. Its notes distinguish super, transition-to-retirement and retirement pension returns because their tax treatment differs.

Sources12345

THE SUPERGURU VIEW

Our take on UniSuper

Editorial assessment

UniSuper belongs on a public-fund shortlist, but the product distinction is essential. For an ordinary Personal Account member, compare the investment menu, cost and service in the usual way. For a DBD member, the more consequential question is what rights, benefits and future entitlements a change would affect.

Who might put it on their shortlist

  • People outside the university sector who want to compare UniSuper's Personal Account.
  • University-sector members reviewing their specific employer product.
  • Members who want an accumulation account and a pension option with the same provider.

What deserves a closer look

  • The defined-benefit component does not let you choose its underlying investments.
  • Changes involving the DBD can affect benefits that a public-fund comparison table cannot value.
  • Rolling the full account into Flexi Pension can end existing insurance and DBD inbuilt benefits.
  • A product's investment-return history does not predict an individual's formula-based benefit.

Sources23

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 Vision Super

Editorial assessment

Especially relevant for existing Vision or former Active members assessing their current arrangements and comparing alternatives.

What deserves a closer look

  • A merged legal fund can still contain materially different product histories.
  • Check whether an old investment option still exists before building a comparison around it.

Sources12345

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

Before choosing between UniSuper and Vision 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 UniSuper profile · Read the full Vision Super profile · Choose another comparison