As the internet penetration has increased in India, over the years, Discount broking has become a more reliable business model. So, we thought of compiling a massive collection of the Best discount brokers in India: Top List that you surely must checkout. The discount brokerage industry in India is mainly based on the number of trades executed as they charge very less, or you can say a fraction of fees in comparison to traditional Full Service brokers.
So, here we shall highlight key features and brokerage charged on some of the popular discount trading platforms. You shall also get to know about various options that these online stock brokers generally support (Web, Mobile and Desktop).
Discount Brokers in India: A Glimpse
Discount brokers offer a trading platform or portal to the investors and traders, but they don’t provide any advisory services as such. No doubt, as their name describes itself, discount brokers do charge a discounted rate or a low brokerage as compared to traditional full service brokers in India.
Apart from being asset light, these discount brokers focus on providing one service like stock trading really well. One might argue that Full service brokers provide many other services. However, we will keep the debate of discount broker vs full service broker for some other day.
For now, let’s have a look at the list of the best discount brokers in India. The ones who have significantly changed the landscape of brokerage models across India.
Best Discount Brokers in India: Top List
Here’s a collection of some of the most popular and trending discount brokers in India with exclusive details on each.
1. Zerodha
Zerodha is a pioneer in the discount broking arena, one of the biggest and a leading stock broker that brought a big revolution in the stock broking world. In fact, Zerodha came up with the smart and innovative concept of discount broking in the year 2010 in India. Almost a decade ago! A first of its kind flat brokerage model! Since then, there’s indeed no looking back. This has become one of the largest and the fastest growing online discount brokers in India.
Hence, it was the first discount broker coming up with its fresh ideas in the broking market, thereby introducing a flat fee based trading fixed at Rs. 20 per trade executed regardless of the volume of trade. Undoubtedly, this brought a drastic change on how the brokerage was being charged in earlier models.
As you know, the Full Service Traditional brokerages charge at a percentage of the volume of trade which becomes quite exorbitant if the trade size is large. So, a discount broker could prove economical in this sense.
And a yet another, path breaking move that Zerodha delivered in the brokerage industry was making the delivery trades free so that new investors can enter the market without barriers.
The best and the most popular one. Indeed!
A Quick Link to Open Free Equity Investment Account with Zerodha
Zerodha Brokerage:
Here is the structure of Zerodha Fees:
- Equity Delivery: Zero Brokerage
- Equity Intraday or Futures : 0.01% or Rs.20 per executed trade whichever is lower
- Equity Options: INR 20 Flat
| Transaction | Fees |
|---|---|
| Trading & Demat Account Opening Charges | Rs.200 (One time) for Online Account Opening |
| Trading Account Maintenance Charges (AMC) | Free |
| Demat Account Maintenance Charges (AMC) | Rs.300 |
For a detailed analysis, you can go through our exclusive post on Zerodha Review: Account Opening,Brokerage and Margin
2. 5Paisa
Have you heard of 5Paisa, backed by financial behemoth India Infoline (IIFL). IIFL brings the stability of being a public limited company and 5paisa as a discount brokerage product offers top of line trading clients to the clients. Being a part of IIFL group, 5Paisa website offers much more than just Stock Trading.
One can go for car, health and term insurance as well on the 5Paisa portal. Financial Advisory services are another plus, if you want to take advise instead of do it yourself approach.
A strong contender that ranks very high in the list of discount brokers in India. This is also referred as the leading discount broker, next to Zerodha.
Open Free Online Demat Account @5paisa
5paisa Brokerage:
5Paisa follows a flat and simple brokerage structure. You are charged flat Rs.20 or Rs.10 (based on the plan you select) for each executed trade in equity segment (Delivery, Equity F&O and currency F&O).
| Transaction | Fees |
|---|---|
| Trading Account Opening Charges | Rs.650 (One time) |
| Trading Account Maintenance Charges | Free |
| Demat account opening charges | Free |
| Demat Account Maintenance Charges | Rs.400 |
You may also like: 5Paisa Review
3. SAS Online
SAS online is another great entrant in the discount brokerage space. Started by 2 young entrepreneurs, SAS Online aims to be the true discount broker and breaks the barrier of trading even lower. It supports Equity, commodity (MCX) and currency Trading. The trading platform offers the choice of desktop, mobile and web versions to chose from to setup your trade.
SAS Online Brokerage:
SAS Online offers one of the most competitive brokerage and charges only Rs.9 per trade across all the segments. But, if you are a heavier trader and trade more frequently then you can buy lumpsum plans or Rs.499 or Rs.999 per month wherein you can do as many trades as you would like without being charged any extra fees.
4. Wisdom Capital:
A yet another fast rising discount broker in India. Wisdom Capital provides services for stocks, futures, options on NSE and BSE. It also supports commodity trading on MCX & NCDEX. Its easy to use automated online investing platform attracts investors. You shall primarily get three brokerage plans:
Wisdom Capital Brokerage Plans:
- Freedom Plan: This brokerage plan offers trading across all segments (BSE, NSE & MCX) at zero brokerage. But, this offers very little margin/exposure.
- Pro Plan: Meant for professional traders, this plan charges brokerage in NSE equities at 0.005% intraday and delivery. Whereas the Brokerage in NSE futures, options and MCX is Rs.9 per trade.
- Ultimate Plan: The Ultimate Brokerage Plan is most suitable for high frequency traders looking for highest margin/exposure. Brokerage in NSE equities is 0.007% Intraday & delivery. The brokerage is 0.005% NSE futures, currency & commodity trading at MCX and Rs.15/lot in options.
Demat Account Opening: Free (For all 3 plans)
Demat Account Maintenance: Rs.999+taxes (Lifetime)
5. Samco
Samco Securities provides another great online discount brokerage product. Samco provides a whole suite of products at a discount price with highest quality. You can trade Stocks, F&Os, Commodities and Currency on the Samco dashboard.
Samco supports trading on NSE, BSE, MSEI and MCX. The products include, Samco Trader for trading from desktop, Samco Mobile Trader for trading from iOS/Android platform, Samco Web as a browser based trading platform, Algorithmic trading for high frequency traders, Samco Star for back office management. This stock broker also supports call and trade. But, the call and trade facility is separately chargeable just like other discount brokers.
Samco Brokerage:
Samco Charges a flat fee of Rs.20 per trade of 0.02% whichever is lower across all the segments and exchanges. That’s it!! No hidden cost.
6. Upstox (RKSV)
Upstox is another popular discount brokerage firm. The firm got a lot of fame after being backed by Kalaari Capital and Ratan Tata. Not to say that this is the only traction they have got. Upstox has built a truly paperless demat account opening and trading platform. One can trade Intraday/commodity/F&O/Currencies on the upstox platform.
Their mutual funds platform is also the one to have a look at. The platform is available on web, desktop and mobile alike.
Upstox Brokerage:
Just like the other discount brokerages, upstox charges a flat Rs.20 per trade. No frills attached !
7. Trade Smart Online
Another low brokerage online discount broker in India. Trade Smart Online, a venture of VNS Finance has also become a key player in the discount trading business.
Similar to few other discount brokers, this also offers different brokerage plans for low and high volume traders.
- Value Trading Plan: The brokerage under the Value trading plan for Intraday Cash, Futures, Currency, Commodities is 0.007% and delivery is 0.07% only. Whereas for Options this is Rs. 7 per lot. This suits best to low volume traders.
- Power Trading Plan: Under this plan, brokerage is Rs.15 per trade irrespective of executed trade. It is most suited to traders with less frequency but big volume.
8. ProStocks
Prostocks is a fast growing discount brokerage firm. The founders are really experienced in the brokerage business and committed to providing great service. You can trade Equity (Delivery, intraday, F&O) and currencies on the trading platform offered by ProStocks. You can have access to its desktop trading tool, a mobile trading application and web trading application.
Prostocks Brokerage:
Prostocks charges flat Rs.15 per trade. It offers a monthly and yearly packages. You also get unlimited trading offer but that suits mainly if you are a high frequency trader doing a lot of trades in a month.
9. TradingBells
Tradingbells is another (not so old) entrant that initiated its discount broking steps amid other popular brokers. You can trade Equity (Delivery, intraday, F&O), currencies and commodities on the platform. Similar to other stock trading platforms in India, TradingBells also offers you with a desktop trading tool, a mobile app and a web trading application. You can instantly open your account in 15 minutes with your Aadhar card.
TradingBells Brokerage:
Here is the structure of Trading Fees:
- Equity Delivery: Zero Brokerage
- Equity Intraday or Futures : 0.01% or Rs.20 whichever is lesser
- Equity Options: Rs.20 Flat
10. Finvasia
Finvasia, incorporated in 2016 offers a totally different trading experience to its clients. This advanced technology-driven trading portal boasts of trading in different segments at Zero brokerage. “Invest with Intelligence” as there tagline states, you can enjoy a whole range of financial services through this financial platform. A member of BSE, NSE and MCX, and AMFI Finvasia has emerged as a popular stockbroker in India.
Not only in India, the Finvasia network has spread its wings across different countries. Its zero brokerage plans are a big attraction. However, you may have to bear the software usage cost. And, the leverage offered is low as compared to other leading discount brokers in India.
Discount brokers in India: A Final take
The current era is one of the golden period in trading industry. All the above discount brokerage platforms are great products. These are really moving the trading community a big step forward. There would be some minor differences between each of them. Look for you priorities and usage and chose the one which suits your needs well.
A Quick Link to Open Free Equity Investment Account with Zerodha
Important Notes:
- Each of the brokerages provides different leverage on different segments. Please check that out before opening an account with any of the discount brokers.
- The charges are on “as is” basis, as applicable while writing this post. Please check the latest brokerage on the website before opening an account with any of the discount brokers in India.
- Most of the brokers provide demat account at the time of opening. Different Account opening charges may apply on each of them.
- Taxes shall be added to the total cost wherever applicable.
- Various Govt and SEBI levies will also apply as per the rules.
Disclaimer : There is a high degree of risk involved in stock trading. The details given on this website are for informational purpose and cannot be constituted as professional advice in any regard. Please follow due diligence and do your own research before opening a demat and trading account with any of the stock brokers.
You may also like to have a look at our latest compilation of Top 10 Discount Brokers in India
Have you opened an account with any of the Best Discount Brokers in India? Do share your experiences on the same in the comment section below. Your valuable feedback shall help our readers get deeper insights and act wisely by taking the correct financial decisions.
I am using Trustline Securities broker. Its really very good broker in the marke. I have tried a lot of brokers like Religare Securities, Indiabulls ,Nirmal Bang, Sharekhan, but this broker seems better.
5
5
I already have an NRI account and PIS account with SBI. Is it possible to link up with any discount broker to open a Demat and Trading A/c?.
Thanks for information on discount brokers. I am using Zerodha and tried ICICI direct also. But, Zerodha is very easy and user friendly.
Great Work! Thank you so much for sharing this list. I am also using the 5Paisa and their app. It is very fast and real data is provides for the client.
What are your thoughts on Tradejini? Is it good broker? Any feedback.
Yes, the best platforms and quick customer care matter a lot. The unique ideas in discount broking platform is good. I am using Zerodha from past 3 years and its really good. I am happy with their services.
Discount brokers are a good choice for people with DIY approach.A lot of emerging brokers have eased out the process for investors and traders.
5paisa(IIFL) offers the best fee structure. Also IIFL is a listed company and best known in the market. Go For 5Paisa.
ICICI direct is also a good brokerage.Their name should also be included.
This is list of Discount brokers – ICICI direct is full service broker.