Zerodha Review 2021 – Pros, Cons & Brokerage Charges

Zerodha Review – Zerodha is the biggest discount broker in India with over 50 Lacs customers and known for lower brokerage charges.

You only need to pay a fixed brokerage of Rs. 20 per trade irrespective of the trade volume.

Delivery is Free

Zerodha Overview 2021

Zerodha is the biggest discount broker in India known for lower brokerage charges. You only need to pay fixed brokerage of Rs. 20 per trade irrespective of the trade volume.

You can save huge money on brokerage charges if you trade high volumes regularly. No brokerage charges on the stock delivery. 

Let’s assume you do minimum monthly trading of 10,00,000 rupees with 10 trades (20 if we include buying & selling side).

Comparison of Zerodha trading brokerage with ICICI Securities that charges 0.275% (0.55% if we include both buying and selling).

10,00,000 * 12 months * 0.55% = Rs. 66,000.

Comparison of Zerodha trading brokerage with Sharekhan that charges 0.10% (0.2% total on buying and selling).

10,00,000 * 12 months* 0.2% = Rs. 24,000.

Trading brokerage with Zerodha that charges Rs. 20 per trade

20 trades per month * 12 months * 20 Rs brokerage = Rs. 4,800 only.

Zerodha is a member of BSE, NSC, MCX and MCX-SX and allows you to trade in

• Stocks
• Mutual Funds
• Futures & Options
• Govt. Securities
• Sovereign Gold Bond

Pros & Cons

Pros 

• Free Rs. 0 charges for stock delivery 
• Fix Rs. 20 brokerage charges on intraday trades
• Advance trading platforms 

Cons

• Sometimes servers get down during trading hours.

Zerodha Background – Know About the Company 

Zerodha was founded on 15 August 2010 by Nithin Kamath and Nikhil Kamath. Zerodha was the first company to introduce the discount broking model in India.

You need to pay a fixed brokerage of Rs 20 per trade for intraday and no brokerage on equity delivery. 

Earlier banks and full service were charging high brokerage fees on both delivery and intraday trading.

For example, you would end up paying approx Rs 50 to Rs 100 as brokerage on Rs 1 lakh trade and Rs 500 for stock delivery worth Rs 1 lakh. 

Discount broking model has helped the retail to save money on the brokerage fee.

Even now, full-service brokers like angel broking and IIFL also start providing discount broking packages. 

Zerodha is the biggest stockbroker in India with a customer base of more than 5 million.

More than 15% of daily retail volumes across Indian stock exchanges has been done through the Zerodha platforms. 

Detailed Zerodha Charges

Zerodha Account Opening Charges 

• Demat & trading account (Equity, F&O and Currency) opening charges – Rs. 200
• Demat & trading account (Equity, F&O, Currency and Commodity) opening charges – Rs. 300
• Annual maintenance charges – Rs. 300

Note – If you require trading account only for stock trading then go with the first option

Zerodha Brokerage Charges 

Zerodha offers 0% brokerage on stock delivery and a flat Rs. 20 per trade on intraday.

Detailed Zerodha Brokerage Charges

Type	Brokerage
Equity Delivery	Rs. 0
Equity Intraday	Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.03%
Equity Futures	Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.03%
Equity Options	Rs 20 per executed order
Currency Futures & Options	Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.03%
Commodity F&O	Lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.03%

Call & trade service is available at an additional charge of Rs. 50 per order.

Zerodha brokerage calculator 

Zerodha charges a lower of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.03%. For example if you place 2 trades of volume Rs 50,000 and Rs 1,00,000 respectively. 

For Rs 50,000 trade 

Lower of Rs 20 or 0.03% of 50,000 = Rs 15 

You would be charge Rs 15 as brokerage fee 

For Rs 1,00,000 trade 

Lower of Rs 20 or 0.03% of 1,00,000 = Rs 30

You would be charged Rs 20 

Zerodha Margin/Leverage/ Exposure

Segment	Margin
Zerodha Margin Equity Delivery	No Margin
Zerodha Margin Intraday Equity	Up to 15X
Zerodha Margin Index F&O	4.16X
Zerodha Margin Stock F&O	3.33X
Zerodha Margin Currency Futures	2X
Zerodha Margin Currency Options	No margin
Zerodha Margin Commodity Futures	2X

Zerodha Trading Platforms 

#1. Kite 3.0

Kite 3.0 is a web-based trading and investment platform which can be used for trading on mobile, tablets, desktop and laptops.

You can search across 90,000+ stocks and F&O contracts across stock exchanges like BSE, NSE and MCX.

• Sleek User Interface
• Real-Time Widgets
• Advanced Charting
• Covers all Stock Exchanges

Kite 3.0 is free to all the Zerodha customers.

#2. Kite Mobile

Kite Mobile App is one of the most advanced trading apps in India available for both Android and iOS. You can trade and monitor live streaming data from BSE, NSE and MCX with the Kite app.

The app’s USP is fast interface on light bandwidth consumption of fewer than 0.5 Kbps for a full MarketWatch. 

Kite app offers extensive charting with 100 indicators and 6 chart types. You can place advanced order types like Brackets and Cover orders with ease.

You would get all the features of Kite 3.0 in the Kite app. And seamless login to other Zerodha apps like Zerodha Coin to make mutual fund and bond investment. 

#3. Sentinel

Sentinel is a market price alerts tool for stocks, futures and options residing on the cloud. You would get a notification whenever the underlying hits the price (today, tomorrow, or months from now) that you have set.

You can set alert for over 80,000+ stocks, bonds, commodities, F&O contracts and currencies across exchanges on OHLC, bids and offers, in addition to the price.

You will get alerts on Kite web and via email.

Zerodha Additional Products

#1. Coin

Zerodha Coin allows you to buy mutual funds online directly from the asset management companies and completely commission-free.

You would save on both upfront and trail commissions on your investment. To invest directly, you can visit the fund house’s website or office, fill-up the form and invest in the fund.

Zerodha Coin is completely free.

#2. Coin Mobile

Coin mobile is a mobile application having all features of Zerodha Coin for investing in mutual funds.

You can log in with your Kite account and start using the app.

#3. Kite Connect API

Kite Connect is a set of simple HTTP APIs built on top of Zerodha’s exchange-approved web-based trading platform, Kite. You can build a full-fledged trading platform Kite connect API.

You would gain programmatic access to data such as profile and funds information, order history, positions, live quotes, place orders and manage portfolio at your convenience.

For startups, Kite connect API is free but for retail, the charges are Rs. 2000 per month.

#4. Console

A Console is a complete trade and reporting dashboard for Kite connect users that allows you to track and manage your own programmatic API access.

You can pause or resume, or invalidate such access, and monitor all activity at any point.

Zerodha Account Opening Process 

How to Open Zerodha Account Online Process

Step 1: Signup to Start Demat Account Opening

Click here to directly visit the Zerodha account opening page

Now, you need to provide your mobile number and email address and verify them with the OTP sent to the official mobile number. 

Same way confirm your email address

Next, you need to provide your PAN number and date of birth details for KYC, as shown below. 

Step 2: Pay Demat & Trading Account Opening Fees

Zerodha Rs. 200 for trading account opening. You also have the option to open a commodity trading account simultaneously by paying Rs. 100. 

The options are equity, F&O, currency and commodity. Check the square boxes as per your trading needs and make payment of the necessary fees.

You will have multiple payment options like UPI and net banking 

Step 4: E-Sign Application using Aadhaar

You need to digitally sign the online application form with Aadhaar eSign to create your trading account. 

A popup will come. Signup to your digilocker account. Enter the Aadhar linked mobile number. You will receive the OTP. Fill OTP and hit continue button 

Enter your security PIN. If you don’t have, click on forgot my PIN to generate the new PIN 

Allow Zerodha to access your digilocker 

Share you Aadhaar copy and check you Aadhaar details 

After that enter your personal details & your bank account details. Select on the option by clicking on the boxes and continue.

You will be redirected for online IPV verification. Write OTP on a paper and allow Zerodha to access your webcam. Click on capture button

 Now use Aadhaar to eSign your application form. Upload the relevant documents like PAN card, bank statement/cancelled cheque, your current signature, then click on eSign equity

You will be redirected to NSDL page. Signup using your Aadhaar and OPT. 

Your online application form will be completed. 

You can also check the  video for account opening 

Note – If you do not want to use Aadhaar then you can use the offline account opening process.

But, Zerodha charges an additional fee of Rs. 300 for sending you the application form. 

Step 5: Upload KYC Documents

In the last step, you need to upload your KYC documents to complete the demat and trading account opening process. 

Zerodha will send the trading account login ID and password via email/SMS. Once you receive them, make sure to change your password on the first login. 

Offline Zerodha Account Opening Process 

You can call Zerodha on 080-47192020 / 080-71175337 to open an account offline. 

Zerodha will assign an RM to coordinate the mailing and receiving account opening forms and help further in account opening.

You need to take the printout of the forms, fill it up and sign at the marked places. If you require any help then you can call your assigned Zerodha RM. 

After filling you can send the application form to Zerodha through courier at the address mentioned below. 

Zerodha HO 153/154 4th Cross Dollars Colony,

Opp. Clarence Public School, J.P Nagar 4th Phase, Bangalore – 560078

Zerodha Customer Care for Account Opening

Line 1 – 080-47192020

Line 2 – 080-71175337

FAQs

Is Zerodha trustworthy?

Yes, Zerodha is trustworth stock broker. It is registered with SEBI, CDSL and BSE, NSE, MCX stock exchanges in India.

As with other popular brokers, Zerodha works under the regulations laid by SEBI and RBI. 

Is Zerodha good for beginners?

To suit beginners requirements, Zerodha charges a lower of Rs 20 or 0.03% brokerage charges.

Other discount brokers either charge a fixed fee of Rs 20 or a minimum of 0.05% brokerage fee. Therefore, Zerodha is preferred for both the beginners and advanced traders. 

Is zerodha good for trading?

Zerodha’s brokerage plan, margin, and advanced trading platforms make it an ideal stock broker for trading needs. 

Is there any problem with Zerodha?

Some users face service down during the trading hours with Zerodha. 

Can I invest in an IPO via Zerodha?

Yes, you can apply for an IPO through the Zerodha console and UPI-enabled app as a payment option. You can check complete process here 

How to contact Zerodha customer care?

You can contact Zerodha customer support on 

Mobile – 080 4718 1888 and 080 4718 1999

Support guides on – support.zerodha.com

Email – support@zerodha.com

Social media platforms – Twitter & Facebook 

Does Zerodha provide Research?

Zerodha does not provide you with any tips,research, or Robo advisory services. Zerodha only provides you with the platform through which you can transact in stocks, mutual funds, bonds, and ETFs.

Is Digilocker compulsory for Zerodha?

You need to share Aadhaar information to open an online account. SEBI approved the method to open Digilocker and then share the Aadhaar with Zerodha. 

Sharing Digilocker with Zerodha is completely safe and Zerodha does not store Aadhaar information.  

Click this link to apply for Zerodha account

Final Thoughts – Should you open a Zerodha Account ?

Whereas other discount brokers in India only focused on customer acquisition through lucrative signup bonuses, Zerodha keeps working on providing better service to its customers. 

You can sense this from 

• Improving their trading platforms continuously 
• Resolving customer complaints as quick as possible 
• Keep creating customer support guide as any new issue face by the customer 
• Partnership with brands like smallcase, sensibull, Streak and Golden PI for providing better investment experience

If you are serious about trading or value investment, you should definitely open an account with Zerodha.