Spaceship Voyager Review: Micro-Investing For The Masses

If you’re looking for a way to start investing in the stock market, you might have heard of Spaceship Voyager, a micro-investing app that claims to help you invest in “where the world is going.” But is Spaceship Voyager a good option for beginners? How does it work, and what are the fees and returns? In this Spaceship Voyager review, we’ll cover what this app is, how it works, and whether it’s a good option or not.

What Is Spaceship Voyager?

Spaceship Voyager is an app that allows you to invest in a portfolio of Australian and global shares, with a focus on technology and innovation. You can choose from three different portfolios: Universe, Origin, or Earth, depending on your risk appetite and investment goals. Spaceship Voyager does not charge any fees for balances under $100 and only charges a flat fee of $2.00/month if you invest more. Spaceship Voyager aims to provide long-term returns by investing in companies that are shaping the future.

Spaceship Voyager’s Three Main Portfolios

#1 Spaceship Origin Portfolio

If you choose to invest in the Spaceship Origin Portfolio you will be investing in an index fund that encompasses the top 100 Australian and top 100 international companies. This portfolio has an annual management fee of 0.15%.

#2 Spaceship Universe Portfolio 

Investing in the Spaceship Universe Portfolio means investing in an index fund with a selection of hand-picked global companies in addition to large public companies from Australia. These add slightly more risk in exchange for potentially higher returns.

This portfolio has an annual management fee of 0.5%.

#3 Spaceship Earth Portfolio

If you choose to invest in the Spaceship Earth Portfolio you will be investing in an index fund that benefits the planet as well as your bank account. The portfolio encompasses the 50 leading companies that are not linked to high levels of pollution, animal cruelty, nuclear power, weapons, gambling, tobacco, or alcohol.

In short, it’s a portfolio of environmentally conscious companies. The Earth portfolio has an annual management fee of 0.5%.

Pros Of Using The Spaceship Voyager App

1. You don’t need that much money to start investing. You can deposit as little as $1 to begin your investment journey and then add more to it later.
2. For investment portfolios with a balance of less than $100, there are no fees whatsoever. However, once your balance exceeds $100, there is a flat monthly fee of $2. The flat fee means that there are no brokerage fees or fund withdrawal fees. Although this fee is competitive compared to other investment apps in the field of finance, it was criticized by consumers who were using the app free of charge until recently (previous to 2021).
3. As an investor, you don’t need to put any effort into researching which companies you’d like to invest in; the work is already done for you. All you need to do is choose one of three portfolios to invest in (Spaceship Origin, Spaceship Universe, and Spaceship Earth).
4. The app has a user-friendly interface that is easy to navigate. For example, you can easily see how your portfolios are performing as well as the individual stocks within the investment portfolios (even though you cannot modify the individual stocks themselves). Additionally, the app has an investment calculator that makes it extremely easy to see what it means to have your money grow in a fund for 5, 10, or 20 years. The investment platform can also be accessed through a desktop computer.
5. You can increase your automatic savings toward long-term investing with “boosts.” There are three types of boosts – round-ups, payday boosts, and budget boosts. Round-Ups can help you save and invest more in that every time you spend on a purchase, Spaceship will round up to the nearest whole dollar, essentially investing your spare change. Payday Boosts occur when you receive a paycheck; before you get a chance to spend it, Spaceship will automatically set a dollar amount to invest. Budget Boosts occur when you spend in a specific type of category like clothing, coffee, or groceries; and when you do, a certain amount of money is invested automatically into one of the three investment portfolios. These Boosts are a fun way to grow your savings and investments! 
6. Refer a friend and get a $5 investment bonus when your friend invests at least $5 in Spaceship Voyager during the Bonus Period.
7. Friendly customer service that you can contact from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Sydney time) at 1300 049 532 or 24/7 via email at [email protected].

Cons Of Using The Spaceship Voyager App

1. Investment choice is restricted to three (3) funds – Spaceship Origin, Spaceship Universe, and Spaceship Earth. Some might consider this overly simplistic. 
2. Since the three portfolios include investment in overseas shares, your portfolio value could be negatively impacted by currency fluctuations. 
3. Spaceship was previously fee-free, but now charges a $2.00 monthly fee for portfolios of $100 and above; This can eat into an investor’s bottom line.
4. Although Spaceship Voyager is a great app for beginners, it’s not good for more seasoned investors or investors who want more control, as it exposes the investor to a lot of risk.

Spaceship Voyager Pricing

The Spaceship Voyager app is a free-to-download app by the Spaceship company. There are three portfolios, all of which are free to invest in for cash amounts of less than $100. After exceeding the $100 amount, there is a flat monthly fee of $2.00. Therefore, as an investor, it is advantageous to invest more overall so that the monthly flat fee is less of a percentage of your total portfolio.

For example, if you have $1,000 in a Spaceship investment, the $2.00 monthly fee is 0.20% of your portfolio, whereas if you invest $10,000, it would be 0.02%.

In addition to the monthly fee, Spaceship charges a management fee of 0.15–0.50% /year, since it offers actively managed portfolios.

How Does This Compare To Other Platforms?

Within this investing space, the main Australian competitors of Spaceship Voyager include Investsmart, Raiz, and Selfwealth.

Raiz has a $3.50 per month fee for accounts under $15,000 and a 0.275% per year fee for accounts over $15,000. Therefore, Spaceship Voyager is competitive compared to Raiz on this front.

Further, Investsmart has a capped fee structure in which fees start at $55 per year (a little over $4.50 a month) and are capped at $550 per year (a little over $45 per month) and 0.55% annually for any investments over $100,000. Therefore, we might assume that the clientele of the Investsmart and Spaceship Voyager apps are probably different. 

Based on the fee structure we might assume that Spaceship Voyager serves a younger and more novice clientele whereas Investsmart draws in investors with larger amounts to invest.

Lastly, Selfwealth has a different fee model where they charge $9.50 per trade regardless of trade size; there are otherwise no fees nor other commissions. Depending on how one invests in stocks, Selfwealth could be advantageous, but at almost $10 per trade, it’s unlikely that it’s truly competitive to Spaceship Voyager annually.

Comparison Chart

Company Name	Spaceship Voyager	Raiz	Investsmart	Selfwealth
Fee Structure / Cost	$2.00 / month (if over $100)	$3.50 / month (if less than $15,000) 0.275% if above $15,000	0.55% ($0 – $100,000; capped at $550 if $100,000+)	$9.50 / trade
Portfolio choices	3 portfolios to choose from	7 portfolios to choose from	10 portfolios to choose from	Unlimited trading options
Boosts?	Round-up boosts, Payday boosts, and Budget boosts	Round-up feature and rewards program	N/A	N/A
Minimum Investment Requirement?	$1	$5	$100	$500

Spaceship Voyager Performance

Spaceship Voyager’s three portfolios have shown good performance in the past several years. Here is the current performance of the three offerings:

• As of writing this article, the Spaceship Universe Portfolio has an annualized performance since its foundation (May 15, 2018 – August 31, 2023) of 10.13% and an over-the-year performance (ending on August 31, 2023) of 20.82%.
• The Spaceship Earth Portfolio has an annualized performance since its foundation (November 12, 2020 – August 31, 2023) of 2.51% and an over-the-year performance (ending on August 31, 2023) of 21.08%.
• Finally, the Spaceship Origin Portfolio has an annualized performance since its foundation (May 15, 2018 – August 31, 2023) of 9.12% and an over-the-year performance (ending on August 31, 2023) of 17.21%.

In Summary

Overall, the Spaceship Voyager micro-investing platform is a great platform for new investors looking to invest small amounts of money or spare change into long-term investments. With only three portfolios to choose from, Spaceship Voyager makes investing streamlined and easy, perfect for a new investor. Furthermore, it’s basically fee-free for portfolios of less than $100, and has a low fee structure of only $2.00 per month for larger than $100 portfolios, making it an affordable option for investing in the stock market.

Spaceship Voyager Review FAQs

What is Spaceship Voyager?

Spaceship Voyager is an investing platform and app, where customers can choose to invest in one or more of three different diversified portfolios: Spaceship Origin, Spaceship Universe, or Spaceship Earth.

How much does using Spaceship Voyager cost?

The platform charges a management fee of 0.15–0.50% annually on the NAV of the invested portfolios. For investments under $100, the platform doesn't charge additional fees. After your balance exceeds $100 in any of the portfolios you'll have to pay an additional $2.00 per month. There are no other fees.

Is Spaceship Voyager legit?

Yes, Spaceship Voyager is a legitimate company and is regulated by the Australian financial services industry.

How does Spaceship Voyager work?

Spaceship Voyager’s portfolios work as unit trusts, registered under the Corporations Act as managed investment schemes”. This means that all investors who use the Spaceship Voyager platform contribute to a pool of money that then, Spaceship (the company) invests and manages on their behalf. 

What makes Spaceship Voyager different?

Unlike other platforms, Spaceship Voyager has no minimum investment requirements (just $1), entry or exit fees, and a small monthly fee of $2.00, rendering it competitive in terms of affordability. Spaceship Voyager also makes investing easy with its three-portfolio system.

Is Spaceship Voyager regulated by the government? Is it credible?

Yes, it’s regulated by the Australian government. The Australian financial market is one of the world’s most regulated markets, making this a very credible broker.

Why did I have to provide my government-issued ID?

In order to use the platform, a government-issued ID is required. This is because of legalities. Specifically, there are anti-money laundering a counter terrorism financing laws that require financial institutions like Spaceship to verify information about a customer’s identity. You can easily upload your government-issued ID right onto the Spaceship app.

How old do I have to be to open a Spaceship Voyager account? 

You must be sixteen (16) years old to open a Spaceship Voyager account.

Is Spaceship Voyager available to people outside of Australia?

Spaceship Voyager is only available to Australian tax residents who also have an Australian residential address. 

How can I withdraw my money?

You can withdraw money from your investments at any time by making a withdrawal request on the Spaceship app. Withdrawal amounts are usually paid within 2-3 business days of receiving the request. 

How can I cancel my account?

You can cancel your account through the mobile app by going to the “Account” tab and then selecting “Close portfolio.” Note: This will only be visible to you if you are running the most up-to-date version of the app, so be sure to update it first if necessary.

How can I change my Spaceship Voyager portfolio?

It is not possible to adjust or modify your portfolios. You can, of course, add a new portfolio. After completing this step, if you wish to close the original portfolio, then you can contact customer support through the in-app chat feature.

How do boosts work? 

Boosts let you automatically increase or boost your investment balance. There are three types of boosts through the Spaceship Voyager app: round-ups, payday boosts, and budget boosts. 

Your boost investment is typically submitted for processing the business day after you reach a minimum threshold of $10.

Is it safe to use the Spaceship Voyager investing app?

Yes, micro-investing apps like Spaceship Voyager are safe to use and regulated by the financial services industry.