Best performing super funds
Being in a consistently high performing super fund is one of the key factors in growing your super balance over time. Members of consistently poor performers are at risk of having substantially lower super balances at retirement.
The Productivity Commission found that a 21-year-old on a $50,000 starting salary who joined a fund consistently in the top quarter for performance could expect to retire at 67 with $1.1 million. In a fund consistently in the bottom quarter, they would retire with $610,000, which is 45% ($502,000) less.
Returns are not the only measure of a good fund. Fees, insurance, member services and investment choice also matter. But if your fund has a long track record of underperformance, it could be time to switch to a product with a history of better returns.
Compare options with the same level of risk
It’s not just your super fund that matters, but the investment option you choose within it. Most funds offer options from conservative to all growth, and most members stay in the default without ever choosing.
Each option takes a different level of risk, so returns are only comparable between options in the same risk category. SuperGuide tracks five categories based on how much is invested in growth assets, with 1-year and 10-year returns for each.
Super fund rankings in the media usually compare options in just one risk category, often over only the last 12 months. The table below also covers one category, but ranks options over 10 years.
Compare fees and returns for options in the same risk category with our super fund comparison tool.
Proportion in growth assets
Many funds’ ‘balanced’ options hold 60-76% growth assets, which puts most of them in our Growth category.
Top 10 performing balanced super options
These are the top 10 Balanced super options (60-76% growth assets), ranked by 10-year return to 30 June 2026.
| Super fund | Investment option | Default option? | 1 yr return (%) | 10 yr return (% per yr) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hostplus | Balanced | Yes | 10.8% | 8.9% |
| Brighter Super | Balanced | No | 8.6% | 8.8% |
| Hostplus | Indexed Balanced | No | 11.1% | 8.7% |
| Australian Retirement Trust | Super Savings – Balanced | No* | 8.0% | 8.7% |
| AustralianSuper | Balanced | Yes | 9.8% | 8.5% |
| Vision Super | Balanced Growth | Yes | 9.8% | 8.4% |
| UniSuper | Balanced | Yes | 10.4% | 8.3% |
| HESTA | Balanced Growth | Yes | 9.5% | 8.3% |
| Aware Super | Future Saver – Balanced | No* | 7.6% | 8.2% |
| Cbus | Growth | Yes | 9.3% | 8.1% |
Returns are net of investment fees, tax and implicit asset-based administration fees. Fees are based on a $50,000 balance as at 30 June 2026 and include percentage-based administration fees, member fees, investment management fees (including performance-based fees), indirect cost ratios and taxes, but exclude any applicable employer size rebates. *Australian Retirement Trust and Aware Super use lifecycle options as their default. Source: SuperRatings
Important: Past performance is not necessarily a guide to future performance. The returns that super funds achieve will change over time and readers should continue to monitor their super’s performance.
Top 10 super funds by risk category (over 1 year and 10 years)
Compare your super fund’s performance over 7 timeframes
