Top & Best Stock Brokers in India for 2023

If you trade large volumes without the need for research and investment advisory services then you should open an account with discount brokers. Discount brokers charge a flat fee of Rs. 20 per order.  

Full-service brokers charge brokerage in percentage terms that range from 0.3% to 0.55% of the trade volume and offer a host of research and investment advisory. 

List of Top 20 stock brokers in India

  1. Zerodha
  2. Upstox
  3. 5Paisa
  4. Angel Broking
  5. Paytm Money
  6. Groww
  7. Wisdom Capital
  8. IIFL
  9. Alice Blue
  10. Sharekhan
  11. ICICI Direct
  12. Kotak Securities
  13. HDFC Securities
  14. Axis Direct
  15. Motilal Oswal
  16. SBI Securities
  17. Edelweiss
  18. Religare
  19. Geojit
  20. Anand Rathi

Our Top Picks Demat Accounts in India

thumbnail

BEST DISCOUNT BROKER

Zerodha

Free stock delivery

Open Account Now

thumbnail

FASTEST GROWING BROKER

Upstox

Free account opening & 0 AMC

Open Free Account Now

thumbnail

BEST MOBILE APP

5paisa

Rs 10 per trade with special plan

Open Account Now

Detailed Review of 10 Best Stock Brokers in India

Table of Contents

#1. Zerodha

thumbnail

BEST DISCOUNT BROKER IN INDIA

Zerodha

  • Fix Rs. 20 per trade on intraday trades
  • Zero brokerage on the stock delivery
  • Good customer support
  • Best charts and tools for technical analysis

Open Account Now

Zerodha is a Bengaluru based stockbroker that brought the concept of the discount broking model to India. Zerodha now contributes over 15% of the total retail trading volumes in India having more than 3 million client base.

Zerodha is best for placing high volume trades with minimal margin requirements. Zerodha charges a flat Rs. 20 for intraday and F&O trades. 

You can invest in mutual funds, bonds and IPO (through Bhim UPI). Equity delivery and direct mutual fund investment are free.

Why Zerodha is at #1

  • Most trusted stockbroker by the traders
  • Fix brokerage of Rs 20/trade on intraday 
  • Zero brokerage on delivery  
  • Good customer support 
  • Advanced charts and tools for trading & technical analysis

Zerodha Brokerage Charges 

Trading TypeBrokerage Charges
Equity DeliveryRs. 0
Equity IntradayLower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.03%
Equity FuturesLower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.03%
Equity OptionsRs. 20 per executed order 
Currency Futures and OptionsLower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.03%
Commodity F&OLower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.03%

Zerodha Account Opening & AMC Charges 

ParticularsCharges
Trading and Demat account opening chargesRs. 200
Commodity AccountRs. 100
Trading account annual maintenance chargesRs. 0
Demat account annual maintenance chargesRs. 300

Click here to Open Zerodha account

#2. Upstox

thumbnail

FASTEST GROWING STOCKBROKER

Upstox

  • Free account opening & Zero AMC
  • Fix Rs. 20 per trade
  • Fast account opening process

Open Free Account Now

Upstox is the fastest growing discount broker in India. Upstox is the best choice for high volume traders looking for high margins (up to 15X), low brokerages, and decent trading platforms.

You only pay brokerage of Rs. 20 to do an intraday, F&O, currencies, and commodities trading irrespective of the trade volume. The stock delivery is free.

Why Upstox

  • Free account opening
  • Zero AMC charges
  • Fix brokerage of Rs 20/trade
  • Advanced trading platforms with charts & tools 

Upstox Brokerage Charges

There are two trading plans – namely the Basic plan and the Priority plan. 

Trading TypeBrokerage Charges for
Basic Plan
Equity DeliveryLower of 2.5% or Rs 20 per order
Equity IntradayLower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.05%
Futures (Equity, Currency & Commodity)Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.05%
Options (Equity, Currency & Commodity)Rs. 20 per executed order 

Upstox Account Opening & AMC Charges 

  • Demat & Trading account opening – Free
  • Account maintenance charges – Zero

Click here to Open Upstox Account

If you can pay the account opening fee and AMC, I would suggest Zerodha over Upstox because of its better trading platforms and customer support. Stock delivery is also free in Zerodha.

#3. 5Paisa

thumbnail

BEST MOBILE TRADING APP

5paisa

  • Lowest brokerage charges of Rs 10 per trade
  • Zero brokerage on delivery (under Ultra Trader pack)
  • Fastest account opening process
  • Offers the best trading app that is easy to use

Open Account Now

5Paisa is a top stock broker that charges the lowest brokerage of flat Rs. 10 per order under the Power Investor & Ultra Trader pack. But you need to pay up to Rs. 20 per order for stock delivery trades.

You get a common account for stock trading, mutual funds, insurance and investment.

5paisa mobile app is the best mobile trading app in India. The app is really easy to use and provides a great experience.

If you are looking for the cheapest brokerage charges and having a requirement for the mobile trading app then you should go with 5Paisa.

Why 5Paisa is at #3

  • Charge the lowest brokerage of Rs 10/trade
  • Fastest account opening process 
  • Best trading app with easy to use. 

5Paisa Brokerage Charges 

5Paisa offers two addon packs with lower brokerage charges

TransactionWithout Addon PackWith Power Investor PackWith Ultra Trader Pack
Stock DeliveryRs. 20 per orderRs. 10 per orderRs. 10 per order
Stock Intraday TradingRs. 20 per orderRs. 10 per orderRs. 10 per order
Stock F&ORs. 20 per order/lotRs. 10 per order/lotRs. 10 per order/lot
Commodity F&ORs. 20 per order/lotRs. 10 per order/lotRs. 10 per order/lot
Currency F&O TradesRs. 20 per order/lotRs. 10 per order/lotRs. 10 per order/lot

Under the Ultra Trader pack, the first 100 trades are free every month after which you need to pay Rs. 10 per executed order.

5Paisa Account Opening & AMC Charges 

The Demat and Trading account opening is free. The account maintenance charges are up to Rs. 25 per month.

Click here to Open FREE 5paisa account

#4. Wisdom Capital

Wisdom Capital Stock Broker

Wisdom Capital is one of the best discount broker in India for derivatives (Equity and commodity F&O) trading. 

The broker charges one of the lowest flat brokerages of Rs. 9 per trade for derivative trading under the Pro plan.  

Wisdom Capital is based out of Noida and has 1000 franchises all over India.

Wisdom Capital Brokerage Charges 

Wisdom Capital has three trading plans – Freedom Plan, Pro Plan and Ultimate Plan;

Trading TypeFreedom PlanPro PlanUltimate Plan
Equity DeliveryRs. 00.01%0.02%
Equity IntradayRs. 00.01%0.02%
Equity FuturesRs. 0Rs. 9 per trade0.005%
Equity OptionsRs. 0Rs. 9 per tradeRs. 15 per lot
Commodity F&O – MCXRs. 0Rs. 9 per trade0.005% 

Wisdom Capital Account Opening & AMC Charges 

Charges for opening an account online with Wisdom Capital under various plans are as under.

ParticularsFreedom PlanPro PlanUltimate Plan
Demat & Trading account opening chargesRs. 0Rs. 0Rs. 0
Trading account annual maintenance chargesRs. 0Rs. 0Rs. 0
Demat account annual maintenance chargesLifetime AMC by paying – Rs. 999Lifetime AMC by paying – Rs. 999Lifetime AMC by paying – Rs. 999

#5. IIFL Securities

India Infoline is an ISO certified diversified financial arm of the IIFL group. IIFL Securities is a full-service stockbroker with other value-added services like

  • Mutual Funds
  • IPO
  • Portfolio Management Service
  • Loans (home, personal, gold, property and business)
  • Wealth & portfolio management
  • Asset management, Investment banking

IIFL Brokerage Charges 

  • Stock delivery – Free 
  • Intraday, futures & options – Flat Rs 20/trade

IIFL Account Opening & AMC Charges 

ParticularsCharges
Trading & Demat account opening charges Free (limited time offer)
Annual maintenance chargesFirst Year – Free
From Second Year onwards – Rs. 250

#6. Angel Broking

Angel Broking Review

Angel Broking is a 30+-year-old full-service broking company that offers discount brokerage rates of Rs. 20 per trade.

You can invest in IPO, OFS, bonds and even avail loans against shares. Angel Broking has a pan India presence covering 18,649 pin codes with over 2.15 million operational broking accounts.

Angel Broking Brokerage Charges

Angel Broking does not have different trading plans. You need to pay a maximum of Rs. 20 per trade across the trading segment irrespective of the trading volume.

Trading SegmentBrokerage Charges
Equity DeliveryRs. 0
Equity IntradayRs. 20 per trade or 0.25% (whichever is lower)
Futures – Equity / Commodity / Currency Rs. 20 per trade or 0.25% (whichever is lower)
Options – Equity / Currency / CommodityRs. 20 per order or 0.25% (whichever is lower)

Angel Broking Account Opening & AMC Charges

ParticularsCharges
Trading account opening chargesRs. 0
Demat AccountRs. 0
Annual maintenance chargesFirst Year – Free.
Second Year onwards – Rs. 20 per month

Click here to Open Angel Broking account

#7. Sharekhan

Sharekhan Stock Broker Review

Sharekhan is a full-service stockbroker having two decades of industry presence with 2+ million clients and pan India presence across 541 cities.  

The value-added services include mutual fund investment and portfolio management services. New traders can benefit from various stock trading courses on Sharekhan Education.

Sharekhan offers research advisory customized for traders, investors and for mutual fund investment separately. 

Sharekhan Brokerage Charges 

Trading TypeBrokerage Charges
Equity Delivery0.50% (minimum 10 paise per share)
Equity Intraday (on both legs)0.10% (minimum 5 paise per share) 
Equity Futures (1st leg)
Equity Futures (2nd leg)
0.10% 
0.02%
Equity Options (both legs)2.5% (minimum Rs. 100 per lot)
Currency Futures (1st leg)
Currency Futures (2nd leg)
0.10% (minimum 0.01 paise)
Nil
Currency Options (1st leg)
Currency Options (2nd leg)
2.5% or a minimum of Rs. 30 per lot
Nil
Commodity Futures (1st leg)
Commodity Futures (2nd leg)
0.10%
Nil 
Commodity Options2.5%, maximum brokerage – Rs. 250 per lot

Sharekhan Account Opening & AMC Charges 

ParticularsCharges
Trading account opening chargesRs. 0
Demat account opening chargesRs. 0
Trading account annual maintenance chargesRs. 0
Demat account annual maintenance chargesUp to Rs. 500 depending on the scheme 

#8. Edelweiss

Edelweiss Broking Review

Edelweiss broking has over two decades of industry presence where you can invest & trade in shares, derivatives (F&O), mutual funds, insurance Gold ETF and IPO. 

Presently, they have a team of 11,938 professionals across 200 locations in India handling more than a million clients.

Edelweiss offers guided investing through portfolio organizer and research reports. 

Edelweiss Brokerage Charges 

Edelweiss has two brokerage plans

ParticularsEdelweiss LiteEdelweiss Elite
Equity DeliveryRs. 10 per executed order0.30%
Equity IntradayRs. 10 per executed order0.03%
Equity FuturesRs. 10 per executed order0.03%
Equity OptionsRs. 10 per executed orderRs. 75 per lot
Currency FuturesRs. 10 per executed order0.02%
Currency OptionsRs. 10 per executed orderRs. 20 per lot

You have the flexibility to switch accounts. Account switch is free when you switch from Lite to Elite. Whereas a fee of Rs. 2,500 is charged when you switch from the Elite to the Lite plan. 

Edelweiss Account Opening & AMC Charges 

ParticularsEdelweiss LiteEdelweiss Elite
Account OpeningRs. 0Rs. 0
AMC ChargesFirst Year – Free
Second Year onwards – Rs. 300
First Year – Free
Second Year onwards – Rs. 500

#9. Kotak Securities

Kotak Securities Review

Backed by Kotak Mahindra Bank, Kotak Securities is a full-service stockbroker having presence in 393 cities with 1539 branches, franchisees. 

Services offered include investment in stocks, derivatives, mutual funds, IPOs and ETFs. You can also look for portfolio management and in house research advisory services. 

Kotak Securities Brokerage Charges 

Kotak Securities offers four plans, namely Fixed Brokerage plan, Dynamic Brokerage plan, Advance Brokerage plan and Shubh Trade plan.

#1. Fixed Brokerage Plan

Segment Brokerage
Equity Delivery0.49%, Min 4 paise per share
Intraday (both sides)0.049%or Rs. 21 per executed order, whichever is higher Min 3 paise per share
Futures (both sides)0.049%Min 3 paise per share subject to ceiling of 2.5% of contract value
OptionsRs. 300 per lot

#2. Dynamic Brokerage plan

For Delivery Trades

SlabsBrokerage (both sides)
< Rs. 1 Lakh0.59%
Rs. 1 Lakh to Rs. 5 Lakh0.55%
Rs. 5 Lakh to Rs. 10 Lakh0.45%
Rs. 10 Lakh to Rs. 20 Lakh0.36%
Rs. 20 Lakh to Rs. 60 Lakh0.27%
Rs. 60 Lakh to Rs. 2 Crores0.23%
> Rs. 2 Crores 0.18%

For Intraday Trade

SlabsBrokerage (both sides)
< Rs. 25 Lakh0.06%
>Rs. 25 Lakh0.05%

Futures 

SlabsBrokerage (both sides)
< Rs. 25 Lakhs 0.06%
Rs. 25 Lakhs to Rs. 2 Crores0.05%
Rs. 2 Crores to Rs. 5 Crores0.04%
> Rs. 5 Crores 0.03%

Options – Brokerage is applicable on both sides

Monthly Premium Volume Intraday BrokerageSettlement BrokerageMinimum Brokerage per lot
Up to Rs. 4 Lakhs2.5%2.5%Rs. 300
Rs. 4 Lakhs to Rs. 11 Lakh2.25%2.5%Rs. 240
> Rs. 11 Lakhs1.8%2.3%Rs. 180

Currency Derivatives 

Monthly Volume SlabCurrency FuturesCurrency Options
Rs. 0 to Rs. 3 Crores0.040% or Rs. 20 whichever is higherRs. 20 per lot
Rs. 3 Crores to Rs. 8 Crores0.036% or Rs. 18 whichever is higherRs. 18 per lot
Rs. 8 Crores to Rs. 15 Crores0.030% or Rs. 15 whichever is higherRs. 15 per lot
Rs. 15 Crores to Rs. 30 Crores0.020% or Rs. 10 whichever is higherRs. 10 per lot
> Rs. 30 Crores0.015% or Rs. 7.5 whichever is higherRs. 7.5 per lot

#10. Motilal Oswal

Motilal Oswal Stock Broker Review

Motilal Oswal is a full-service stockbroker with over three decades of industry presence and is known for solid research advisory. 

The broker has an in-house research team that covers 260+ companies & stocks in over 21 sectors. In fact, they spend almost 10% of the revenue on research and on hiring & training for research.

Motilal Oswal offers daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly and annual reports on stock markets, companies, various sectors, market analysis reports and thematic reports.

Brokerage, Admin and AMC Charges

Motilal offers three types of plans. The brokerage details under each plan are as under

#1. Value Pack

Value AmountDeliveryIntraday (on each leg)Futures Equity & Currency (on each leg)Futures Commodity (on each leg)Options Equity (per lot on each leg)Options Currency (per lot on each leg)
Rs. 20000.40% (min 2 paise)0.040%0.040%0.030%Rs. 50Rs. 20
Rs. 30000.35% (min 2 paise)0.035%0.035%0.025%Rs. 45Rs. 18
Rs. 50000.30% (min 2 paise)0.030%0.030%0.020%Rs. 40Rs. 15
Rs. 10,0000.25% (min 2 paise)0.025%0.025%0.015%Rs. 30Rs. 12
Rs. 30,0000.20% (min 2 paise)0.020%0.020%0.010%Rs. 25Rs. 11
Rs. 50,0000.15% (min 2 paise)0.015%0.015%0.008%Rs. 25Rs. 10
Rs. 1,00,0000.10% (min 2 paise)0.010%0.010%0.007%Rs. 20Rs. 8
  • Admin charges under the value pack for all the slabs is Rs. 199 from the first year itself.
  • The AMC charges are NIL for the first year. From the second year onwards the charges are Rs. 299 per annum.  

#2. Margin Scheme

Margin Up to DeliveryIntraday (on each leg)Futures Equity (on each leg)Options Equity (per lot)Currency F&O (per lot)AMC Fee p.aAdmin Fee p.a
Rs. 9,9990.50% (min 5 paise)0.050%0.050%Rs. 100Rs. 20Rs. 800Rs. 199
Rs. 10,000 to 24,9990.50% (min 5 paise)0.050%0.050%Rs. 100Rs. 20Rs. 299Rs. 199
Rs. 25,000 to 49,9990.40% (min 3 paise)0.040%0.040%Rs. 75Rs. 20FreeNIL
Rs. 50,000 to 99,9990.03% (min 3 paise)0.030%0.030%Rs. 70Rs. 20FreeNIL
Rs. 1 lakh to 2,99,9990.25% (min 3 paise)0.025%0.025%Rs. 50Rs. 20FreeNIL
Rs. 3 lakh to 4,99,9990.02% (min 2 paise)0.020%0.020%Rs. 40Rs. 20FreeNIL
Rs. 5 Lakh0.015% (min 1 paise)0.015%0.015%Rs. 25Rs. 20FreeNIL
Margin Up to Commodity Futures(on each leg)
Rs. 9,9990.04% 
Rs. 10,000 to 24,9990.04% 
Rs. 25,000 to 49,9990.04% 
Rs. 50,000 to 99,9990.03% 
Rs. 1 lakh to 2,99,9990.02% 
Rs. 3 lakh to 4,99,9990.02% 
Rs. 5 Lakh0.01% 

#3. AMC 999 Plan

Trading TypeBrokerage Charges
Equity Delivery0.50%
Equity Intraday0.05% on each leg
Equity Futures0.05% on each leg
Equity OptionsRs. 100 per lot
Currency Futures and OptionsRs. 20 per lot
Commodity F&O0.50% on each leg

Admin Charges – Rs. 199 annually

AMC Charges – Rs. 800 annually

Motilal Oswal Account Opening Charges

ParticularsCharges
Trading account opening chargesRs. 0
Demat account opening chargesRs. 999 (currently waived off)

#11. ICICI Direct

ICICI Direct Review

ICICI Direct research covers stock, companies, market and mutual funds. The research reports are available on the website and on the trading page. 

The research products include

  • Pre-market views on momentum pick and derivatives
  • Intraday recommendations on derivatives strategies and trends
  • Monthly outlook on technicals, derivatives and mutual funds
  • Long-term recommendations on companies, investments & model portfolio 

The period of different reports is from daily to yearly. 

ICICI Direct Brokerage Charges 

ICICI has an i-Secure plan, Prepaid brokerage plan, ICICI Direct Prime plan and ICICI Direct Neo plan. 

#1. Brokerage charges for the i-Secure plan

A variable percentage of brokerage is charged on the basis of quarterly turnover.  

Trading TypeBrokerage Charges
Equity Delivery0.55% (including buy and sell)
Equity Intraday0.275% ( the second leg is not charged)
Equity Futures0.050% plus a flat brokerage of Rs. 50 on the second leg
Equity OptionsRs. 95 per lot plus a flat brokerage of Rs. 50 on the second leg
Currency / Commodity Futures Rs. 20 per order
Currency OptionsRs. 20 per order

The brokerage for Margin and Margin Plus under the i-Secure Plan is 0.050%.

#2. Brokerage charges under Prepaid Brokerage plan

Prepaid valueDelivery brokerageIntraday/ FuturesEquity OptionsCurrency F&OCommodity Futures
Rs. 5,0000.25%0.025%Rs. 35 per lotRs. 20 per orderRs. 20 per order
Rs. 12,5000.22%0.022%Rs. 30 per lotRs. 20 per orderRs. 20 per order
Rs. 25,0000.18%0.018%Rs. 25 per lotRs. 20 per orderRs. 20 per order
Rs. 50,0000.15%0.015%Rs. 20 per lotRs. 20 per orderRs. 20 per order
Rs. 1,00,0000.12%0.012%Rs. 15 per lotRs. 20 per orderRs. 20 per order
Rs. 1,50,0000.09%0.009%Rs. 10 per lotRs. 20 per orderRs. 20 per order

Both buy and sell legs of Intra-day Futures & Options will be charged as per applicable brokerage rates

#3. Brokerage charges under ICICI Direct Prime plan

Prime PlanScheme validity Delivery brokerageIntraday/ FuturesEquity OptionsCurrency F&OCommodity Futures
Rs. 299365 days0.27%0.027%Rs. 40 per lotRs. 20 per orderRs. 20 per order
Rs. 999365 days0.22%0.022%Rs. 35 per lotRs. 20 per orderRs. 20 per order
Rs. 1,999365 days0.18%0.018%Rs. 25 per lotRs. 20 per orderRs. 20 per order
Rs. 2,999365 days0.15%0.015%Rs. 20 per lotRs. 20 per orderRs. 20 per order

#4. ICICI Direct Neo Plan

SegmentBrokerage
Equity IntradayRs. 20 per order
Equity FuturesRs. 0 per order
Equity OptionsRs. 20 per order
Currency F&ORs. 20 per order
Commodity F&ORs. 20 per order

You need to pay Rs. 299 as one time subscription fee for Neo plan. The brokerage in F&O will be charged on both legs.

ICICI Direct Account Opening & AMC Charges 

ParticularsCharges
Trading and Demat account opening chargesRs. 0
Trading account annual maintenance chargesRs. 0
Demat account annual maintenance chargesRs. 700

ICICI Direct Trading Platforms 

#1. ICICI Trade Racer

ICICI Trade Racer

ICICI Trade Racer online trading platform is available in the web version, desktop version and on mobile devices.

Trade Racer comes with a market and Trend Scanner, Live Scanner to help analyze and trade. Trade Racer also offers “Heat maps” for spotting price movements. 

Best For

ICICI Direct is best if you already have an existing banking relationship with ICICI bank. You also benefit from their trading tips, research advisory and wealth management services.

Conclusion 

I would recommend to open Zerodha account If you ask me which is the best stock broker in India.

If you are looking for a free Demat account opening with zero AMC fee then I suggest to open an account with Upstox.

Leave a Comment