Both Zerodha and Upstox (RKVS) are the most preferred discount brokers in India. Both offer zero delivery charges and a low flat charge of Rs. 20 for trading.
You can trade large volumes while paying a nominal fee of Rs 20 per trade.
From the upfront, Upstox and Zerodha are the same in terms of charges and benefits.
One side Zerodha is the largest discount broker with more than 1 Crore+ customers, another side, Upstox recently crossed the 1 Crore customer mark.
However, there are some differences. Zerodha is always the most trusted and first preference for traders, whereas Upstox is the fastest-emerging discount broker in the last 2 years.
You can expect better customer support from Zerodha. Whereas, there are amazing deals like free brokerage credit from Upstox.
You can open an account with any between Upstox and Zerodha based on your requirements. Both brokers provide a far better service than the other discount brokers.
I have reviewed Zerodha vs Upstox (RKSV) so that you can find out which one is better for your trading style.
Before going into the detailed review, let’s compare both discount brokers on the basis of the most important parameters.
Upstox Vs Zerodha Comparison
| Particulars | Upstox | Zerodha |
| Can trade-in | Stocks, Equity F&O, Currency F&O and Commodity F&O | Stocks, Equity F&O, Currency F&O and Commodity F&O Bonds and Govt-Securities |
| Brokerage Charges | Details for Upstox Basic Plan | Details for Zerodha Plan |
| Equity delivery | Lower of Rs. 20 or 2.5% per order | Rs. 0 |
| Equity Intraday, Futures, Options, | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.05% | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.03% |
| Currency & Commodity FNO | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.05% | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.03% |
| Charges for Call and Trade | Rs. 50 per order | Rs. 50 per order |
| Margin for Intraday | Upto 5X | Upto 5X |
| Account Opening Charges | Rs 0 | Rs 200 |
| AMC Fees | Rs. 150 per year | Rs. 300 yearly |
| Apply Now | Open Upstox account | Open Zerodha Account |
Upstox Charges vs Zerodha Charges Comparison
Upstox Brokerage vs Zerodha Brokerage
Upstox (RKSV) and Zerodha both charge the same brokerage charges of a fixed Rs 20 per trade.
Zerodha charges a lower of Rs. 20 per order or 0.03%, whereas Upstox charges a lower of Rs. 20 per order or 0.05%.
If your order value is more than Rs 67,000 then both brokers will charge the same amount i.e Rs 20.
But for trade volume lower than Rs 67,000 Zerodha will charge less.
Upstox Account Charges Vs Zerodha Account Charges
Upstox charges Rs 0 for online account opening. Whereas Zerodha charges a fee of Rs 200 for the account opening.
The annual maintenance charge for Upstox account is Rs 150 per year.
Zerodha charges Rs 300 yearly as a maintenance fee.
Upstox (RKSV) Demat & Trading Account Review
- Free account opening & Zero AMC
- Fix Rs. 20 per trade
- Fast account opening process
Earlier known as RKSV Securities, Upstox is for volume traders looking for lower brokerages, AMC fees and decent trading platforms.
You get intraday trades while paying a fixed brokerage of Rs. 20 per trade irrespective of the trading volume.
Upstox is backed by Tiger Global, Ratan Tata, and GVK Davix. So, you know that your broking firm is reliable.
Upstox helps you trade in Stocks, Futures & Options, Currency and Commodity trading. You can use Upstox to invest in mutual funds also.
RKSV (Upstox) Brokerage Charges
| Trading Type | Brokerage Charges |
| Equity Delivery | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 2.5% |
| Equity Intraday, FNO | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.05% |
| Currency Futures | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.05% |
| Commodity Futures | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.05% |
| Currency Options | Rs. 20 per executed order |
| Commodity Options | Rs. 20 per executed order |
Upstox Margin Provided
Upstox Margin for Intraday
| Segment | Margin Offered |
| NSE/ BSE Cash | 5X |
| Index Futures | 1.33X |
| Stock Futures | 1.33X |
| Index Option Sell | 1.33X |
| Stock Option Sell | 1.33X |
| NSE Currency | 1.33X |
| MCX Futures | 1.33X |
Margins in respect of OC/ OCO Orders are the same as the MIS orders listed above.
Upstox Account Opening Charges
The account opening process of Upstox is entirely online. The paperless account opening process can be completed in a day using Aadhaar.
- Upstox Equity Demat and Trading – Rs 0
- Upstox Demat Yearly Maintenance Charges – Rs. 150
Pros
- No Demat opening charges
- Great trading platforms
- Fix & low brokerage irrespective of trade volume
- Provides great offers from time to time
Cons
- You cannot make G-Sec, Bonds and SDL investments.
- Customer support could have been better.
Upstox Account Best For
Upstox is best known for offering value-adding offers from time to time like Free brokerage credit of Rs 1000.
If you are looking for such offers long with low brokerage charges and high margins, then you must open an account with Upstox.
Zerodha Demat & Trading Account Review
- Fix Rs. 20 per trade on intraday trades
- Zero brokerage on the stock delivery
- Good customer support
- Best charts and tools for technical analysis
Zerodha, started the discount broking model in India by offering a disruptive pricing model of zero brokerage for delivery and fix Rs. 20 for other trades.
Zerodha is the most trusted and reputed discount broker in India. The biggest reason for their success is their customer support.
You can contact their customer support on call, or email and get a positive response.
To answer all your queries, Zerodha also has a resource portal containing calculators, news & circulars and application & other useful forms.
New traders can check out – Zerodha Varsity and the Trading QnA portal which covers topics from basic to advanced trading.
Other discount brokers copied Zerodha’s price offers but couldn’t deliver good customer support.
Zerodha helps you to trade-in
- Stocks & IPO
- Derivatives – Stocks, Commodity and Currency
- Direct mutual funds
- Bonds and Govt-Securities
Brokerage Charges
At Zerodha you need to pay a maximum of Rs. 20 irrespective of the trading volume.
| Trading Type | Brokerage Charges |
| Equity Delivery | Rs. 0 |
| Equity Intraday & Futures | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.03% |
| Equity Options | Rs. 20 per executed order |
| Currency, Commodity FNO | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.03% |
However, Zerodha charges for value-added services like providing stock reports, screeners, and small cases.
Margin Provided
Zerodha offers margin/ leverage on Margin Intraday Square off (MIS), Cover orders (CO) and Bracket orders (BO) products.
The Margin for Intraday (MIS) is as under;
| Segment | Margin |
| Equity Delivery | No Margin |
| Intraday Equity | Up to 5X depending on the scrip |
| Index F&O | 1X |
| Stock F&O | 1X |
| Currency Futures | 1X |
| Commodity Futures | 1X |
In Cover Orders (CO) and Bracket Orders (BO) a stop loss is placed with the initial order. That makes the trade comparatively less risky.
To know the exact margin provided you need to make use of BO&CO margin calculators before you trade.
For example, if you want to place an Equity futures sell order for the scrip Asian Paints. Then you need to indicate the quantity, price and stop-loss price.
When you click “Add” the calculator will give the margin required on the top right-hand corner as shown below.
Zerodha Account Opening Charges
Following are the charges for opening an account online –
| Particulars | Charges |
| Trading and Demat account opening charges | Rs. 200 |
| Commodity Account | Rs. 100 |
| Annual maintenance charges | Rs. 300 |
Pros
- No brokerage charges for delivery.
- Low fixed brokerage charges for trading
- No minimum balance is required to open and maintain the account.
- Good customer support.
- Provides best trading platforms
Cons
- Some customers face delays and service down during trading hours.
Best For
Zerodha is best for traders who is looking for good trading platforms, lower brokerage charges and good customer support.
Zerodha vs Upstox vs 5paisa Comparison
| Particulars | Zerodha | Upstox | 5paisa |
| Can trade-in | Stocks, Equity F&O, Currency F&O,Commodity F&O, Bonds and Govt-Securities | Stocks, Equity F&O, Currency F&O, Commodity F&O | Stocks, Equity F&O, Currency F&O |
| Brokerage Charges | Details for Zerodha Plan | Details for Upstox Plan | 5paisa Platinum/titanium Plan |
| Equity Delivery | Free | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 2.5% | Free |
| Equity Intraday, FNO, | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.03% | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.05% | Rs. 10 per executed order |
| Commodity Futures | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.03% | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.05% | N.A. |
| Commodity Options | Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.03% | Rs. 20 per executed order | N.A. |
| Margin for Intraday | 5X | 5X | 5X |
| Account Opening Charges | Zerodha | Upstox | 5paisa |
| Demat & Trading Account | Rs.200 | Free | FREE |
| Demat AMC Fees | Rs. 300 | Rs 150 | Rs. 45 per traded month Rs. 540 yearly* |
| Best For | Biggest broker with good customer support | Zero account opening, lower AMC & brokerage offer | Cheapest brokerage charges |
| Open Account | Open Zerodha A/c | Open Upstox A/c | Open 5paisa A/c |
F&Q
Q: What documents are needed to open an account online?
A: For online Demat and Trading account opening you will need to upload a scanned copy of the following documents;
- PAN card
- Aadhaar Card
- Canceled cheque
- A photo or scanned copy of your signature proof
- Income proof if you want to trade in F&O
- Form-16
- IT acknowledgment
- 6-month bank statement
- Latest salary slip
- CA-certified net worth statement
Q: What is the power of attorney (PoA) and why is it needed?
A: PoA is a document that gives your broker the right to debit shares from your Demat account on your behalf.
PoA is required whenever you want to sell your shares. Without PoA, your broker will not be able to sell your shares.
Q: How can I add money to my trading account?
A: You can add money using NEFT, IMPS, and RTGS through your Net Banking facility.
For that, you need to add your broker as Beneficiary (Payee) and then you can transfer the funds.
Q: What are limit and market orders?
A: A limit order is an order to buy or sell a stock, F&O at a specified price. The trade gets executed only when the specified price is hit.
A market order is an order to buy or sell at the prevailing market prices. The trade gets executed instantly after the orders are placed.
Q: What is stop loss?
A: A stop-loss order is a buy/ sell order placed to limit losses in case of adverse price movements.
For example, if you have bought a share at Rs 150 and you want to limit your loss at 145 in case the market goes down.
You can place a stop-loss order at Rs. 145.
The system will automatically sell your shares in case the price falls to Rs. 145. You stop from making further losses in case of a down market.
Conclusion (Zerodha vs Upstox Which is Better)
Why You Might Prefer Zerodha
Zerodha is for a cost-conscious trader beginning his journey into the world of stock investing and trading.
The flat Rs. 20 per trade brokerages, a simple yet powerful trading platform and the best customer support are what Zerodha is known for.
Why You Might Prefer Upstox (RKSV)
Upstox brokerage plans (similar to Zerodha) and margin structure supports both new and intermediate traders and investors.
The biggest benefit is that Upstox provides one of the fastest trading platforms which is an essential requirement for intraday trading.
You save on account opening charges and a lower AMC fee.
Zerodha Account opening process is much complicated. I’m always getting message “PAN Already Exists” and unable to create accont. Customer support is very worst.
That means you have started account opening process with zerodha but have not completed yet. Drop an email to zerodha support, they will definitely help.
Upstox account opening process & customer care support is really pathetic.
I am trying to open an account on Upstox but still nothing. They don’t register your PAN with KRA which is must for opening a demat account. All other brokers take care of this thing but not upstox.