Zerodha review
Independent review of Zerodha — brokerage, app, account opening, customer support and the kind of investor it actually fits. Zerodha is India's largest discount broker.
Verdict
Cost-conscious self-directed Indian investors and active traders who want a low-cost, well-designed platform with free equity delivery, flat-fee intraday/F&O, and free direct mutual funds.
Brokerage at a glance
Headline brokerage on the default Zerodha flat ₹20 plan. On top of brokerage you also pay STT, exchange transaction charges, SEBI fee, stamp duty, GST and DP charges — see full charges for the breakdown.
About Zerodha
Zerodha is India's largest discount broker. Equity delivery is free; intraday and F&O are charged at flat ₹20 or 0.03% per executed order, whichever is lower (options at flat ₹20).
The Kite trading app
- Charts with technical indicators and drawing tools
- GTT (Good Till Triggered) orders for delivery
- Basket orders and option chain with strike-wise OI
- Margin pledging from inside the app
Opening a Zerodha account
Account opening is fully online for Indian residents. Keep your PAN, Aadhaar (with mobile linked for OTP), a bank cancelled cheque or statement, a passport-size photo and a signature on white paper handy. Aadhaar e-KYC, in-person video verification and e-sign typically take 1–3 working days end-to-end. Start at zerodha.com.
Customer support
Zerodha support is available support: mon-fri 8:30 am - 5:00 pm. call & trade: mon-fri 9:00 am - 11:30 pm. account opening: mon-fri 8:30 am - 5:00 pm, sat 9:00 am - 2:00 pm. ticket support available daily including weekends.. For complete contact details, the four-level SEBI escalation path (broker desk → compliance officer → SCORES → SMART ODR), and what to have ready before escalating, see the Zerodha customer care page.
Pros and cons
How we judge this: these pros and cons are drawn from Zerodha’s published charges and platform features, its app-store ratings — cross-checked against its SEBI registration and NSE / BSE membership. They are our editorial assessment, not a sponsored placement, and not financial advice.
What users say about Zerodha
Paraphrased themes from public app-store reviews and forums — these are users’ opinions, not our testing, and not financial advice. Sampled 2026-06-14.
- Clean, lightweight trading interface widely regarded as fast and easy to use
- Advanced charting with built-in technical indicators and drawing tools
- Free direct mutual fund investing via integrated Coin platform
- Open developer ecosystem via Kite Connect API
- Unified portfolio view across stocks, ETFs, bonds and mutual funds
- Occasional platform glitches or freezes, particularly on high-volume/high-volatility market days
- Intermittent login or order-placement difficulties during outages
- Phone support can be hard to reach during peak periods
Alternatives to Zerodha
By active client count, Zerodha is the #2 largest of 38 retail brokers on the NSE (as of 2026-04-30). If you're weighing it against the field, these are the brokers people most often compare it with:
Side-by-side head-to-head comparisons:
See the full ranked list of every retail broker in India on the stock brokers in India page, or compare exact landed cost on a typical trade with the brokerage calculator — switch brokers in the dropdown without leaving the page.
Frequently asked
What people ask about Zerodha.
Zerodha is SEBI-registered and holds NSE / BSE membership, so it meets the regulatory bar every Indian broker must clear. Whether it is a good fit depends on what you trade. Cost-conscious self-directed Indian investors and active traders who want a low-cost, well-designed platform with free equity delivery, flat-fee intraday/F&O, and free direct mutual funds.
Equity delivery is Free. Equity intraday is ₹20 / 0.03%. Equity options is Flat ₹20. On top of brokerage you pay STT, exchange transaction charges, SEBI fee, stamp duty, GST and DP charges. The brokerage calculator on this site shows the all-in landed cost for a sample trade.
Zerodha is registered with SEBI and a trading member of NSE / BSE. Demat accounts are held with CDSL or NSDL — the broker does not hold your shares, the depository does. Funds are held in a SEBI-regulated client bank account separate from the broker's own funds. The risk to investors from broker failure is limited; the larger risk to manage is account fraud via phishing and OTP sharing.
Charts with technical indicators and drawing tools. GTT (Good Till Triggered) orders for delivery. For a full feature list and download links see the Zerodha app page.
Account opening is fully online for Indian residents. You need PAN, Aadhaar (with mobile linked for OTP), a bank cancelled cheque or statement, a passport-size photo and a signature on white paper. Aadhaar e-KYC, in-person video verification and e-sign typically take 1–3 working days. Apply via https://zerodha.com.
Discount brokers comparable to Zerodha include Zerodha, Groww, Upstox, Dhan and Angel One. Full-service alternatives include ICICI Direct, HDFC Securities, Kotak Securities and Sharekhan. Compare brokerage rates side-by-side on the brokerage calculator before switching.