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ICICI Direct vs Zerodha (Compare ICICI Direct and Zerodha)

So many brokers are offering stock trading & Demat services in India, which one is best, which one provides the services at the lowest price, provides best mobile trading application, the best research team, etc. All answers to your questions would be available here.

Here we provide side by side comparison between ICICI Direct vs Zerodha, Below comparison of ICICI Direct vs Zerodha highlights the variations of Brokerage charges & services offered, Compare their ratings, brokerage & AMC charges, Investment choices, Customer Service, Demat Account, features, Platforms, and running offers.

One on One comparison of ICICI Direct vs Zerodha is given below:

ICICI Direct

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Zerodha

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	ICICI Direct	Zerodha

About The Brokers

ICICI Direct :

"ICICIdirect.com, an award winning, pioneering online broking platform, The platform not only offers convenient ways to invest in Equity, Derivatives, Currency Futur >>> more

Zerodha :

Zerodha is the innovator of the discount broking model in India, Infect, it brought the concept of discount broking in India and post that >>> more

Find More Information about the Broker :

ICICI Direct :

OVERVIEW BROKERAGE PRODUCTS & SERVICES TRADING PLATFORM & TOOLS RATING

Zerodha :

OVERVIEW BROKERAGE PRODUCTS & SERVICES TRADING PLATFORM & TOOLS RATING

Type of Broker

ICICI Direct :

Full Service Broker

Zerodha :

Discount Broker

Promo/offers

ICICI Direct :

N/A

Zerodha :

Special Offer: Invest brokerage-free Equity Delivery and Direct Mutual Funds (truly no brokerage). Pay flat Rs 20 per trade for Intra-day and F&O. Open Instant Account online with Zerodha and start trading today.

Advantage

ICICI Direct :

✔ What ICICI Direct Does Well

✓	3-in-1 account — bank + trading + demat seamlessly integrated with ICICI Bank
✓	Institutional trust — ICICI Bank subsidiary since 1995; 30+ year operating history
✓	SEBI RA research team — 50+ analysts, sector coverage, stock recommendations
✓	NRI 3-in-1 account (NRE + NRO, PIS + non-PIS) — fully integrated NRI banking
✓	eATM — sale proceeds in 5–30 minutes to trading account
✓	iValue plan: ₹20/order intraday + F&O at just ₹299 one-time
✓	50+ products: equity, F&O, MF, IPO, bonds, NCDs, FD, insurance, NPS, home loans
✓	Branch support across 87+ ICICI Bank locations
✓	Trade Racer professional terminal for advanced traders
✓	VTC orders valid for 45 days
✓	Both NSDL and CDSL DP options
✓	19.5 lakh active clients — proven at massive scale

Zerodha :

✔ What Zerodha Does Well

✓ Zero brokerage on equity delivery

✓ ₹20 flat fee makes large F&O trades cheap

✓ Kite — best-designed Indian broker platform

✓ Varsity education — world-class and completely free

✓ Coin saves 1–1.5%/year vs regular MF plans

✓ Full pricing and outage transparency

✓ Zero-debt company — financially very stable

✓ GTT orders for hands-off long-term investing

✓ SEBI-regulated, CDSL custody — securities are safe

✓ Free IPO applications via UPI/ASBA

Disadvantage

ICICI Direct :

✘ Where ICICI Direct Falls Short

✗	Default plan 0.29% delivery brokerage is expensive — ₹580 on ₹1L trade vs ₹0 at discount brokers
✗	AMC ₹700/year — highest among all brokers reviewed on CSB
✗	DP charge ₹20+GST per ISIN — same as Groww, Angel One; higher than Zerodha (₹15.34)
✗	Call & Trade ₹50/order — expensive
✗	MTF interest 17.99% p.a. — among the highest; mStock at 6.99%–14.99% is significantly cheaper
✗	3-in-1 account requires ICICI Bank account for full benefit — non-ICICI bank users get only 2-in-1
✗	Account closure not possible online — physical form submission required
✗	Platform innovation slower than app-first brokers like Dhan or Groww
✗	eATM proceeds go to trading account only — not bank account

Zerodha :

✘ Where Zerodha Falls Short

No advisory, no stock tips, no research
Ticket-only support — no live chat
NRI account opening is offline only
DP charge ₹15.34/scrip surprises many investors
Call & Trade at ₹50/call is expensive
₹300/yr AMC — not zero like Groww/Finvasia
No 3-in-1 integrated banking account
No international trading
No margin funding for delivery purchases
the lack of free API for retail users

Why This

ICICI Direct :

A Unique 3-in-1 On-line Trading Account, which includes ICICI Bank Account, ICICI Trading Account and ICICI Demat Account, is the key offering for retail stock market investors in India.
Security: Instead of transferring monies to a broker's pool or towards deposits, you can manage your own demat and bank accounts when you trade through ICICIdirect.com. It provides you the flexibility to pay only when you trade.
Largest Equity E-Broking House with >40 Lac customers.
Share trading in both NSE and BSE, innovative offerings like - Margin, MarginPlus, BTST, SPOT, Derivatives trading, overseas trading, mutual funds, IPOs and on-line life insurance.
Call-n-Trade: you can place orders securely over the telephone with the Call N Trade service.
Award Winning Research

Zerodha :

Zerodha Charge flat rate of ₹20 per executed order.
Zerodha does not charge any brokerage on Equity delivery transactions.
Zerodha provides platform to invest in mutual funds.
Innovative trading platform.
No upfront fee, no minimum brokerage and no minimum contract charges.
The largest stockbroker by active clients, market volume.
Zero brokerage Direct Mutual Funds.
Offers up to 20x leverage on intraday trading.

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ICICI Direct vs Zerodha Account Opening & AMC Charges

ICICI Direct Trading Account Opening Fee is Rs 0 (Free) and Zerodha Trading Account Opening Fee is Rs 200 . ICICI Direct Demat Account AMC is Rs 700 and Zerodha Demat Account AMC is Rs 300 .

	ICICI Direct	Zerodha
Trading Account Opening Fee	Trading Account Opening Fee : Rs 0 (Free)	Trading Account Opening Fee : Rs 200
Demat Account Opening Fee	Demat Account Opening Fee : Rs 0 (Free)	Demat Account Opening Fee : Rs 0
Demat Account AMC	Demat Account AMC : Rs 700	Demat Account AMC : Rs 300
Trading Account AMC	Trading Account AMC : Rs 0 (Free)	Trading Account AMC : Rs 0 (Free)
	Open Account	Open Account

ICICI Direct vs Zerodha Brokerage Charges

ICICI Direct Brokerage Charges Equity Delivery is 0.29% (buy + sell) and Equity Intraday is 0.029% per side and Equity Options is ₹49 per lot . Zerodha Brokerage Charges Equity Delivery is Rs 0 (Free) and Equity Intraday is Rs 20 per executed order or .03% whichever is lower and Equity Options is Rs 20 per executed order .

	ICICI Direct		Zerodha
Plan Name	Plan Name : ICICI Direct Money Saver Plan	Plan Name : ICICIDirect iValue Plan	Plan Name : Standard Plan
Equity Delivery	Equity Delivery : 0.29% (buy + sell)	Equity Delivery : 0.29% (buy + sell)	Equity Delivery : Rs 0 (Free)
Equity Intraday	Equity Intraday : 0.029% per side	Equity Intraday : ₹20/order flat	Equity Intraday : Rs 20 per executed order or .03% whichever is lower
Equity Future	Equity Future : 0.029% per side	Equity Future : ₹20/order flat	Equity Future : Rs 20 per executed order or .03% whichever is lower
Equity Options	Equity Options : ₹49 per lot	Equity Options : ₹20/order flat	Equity Options : Rs 20 per executed order
Currency Futures	Currency Futures : ₹20 flat	Currency Futures : ₹20/order flat	Currency Futures : Rs 20 per executed order or .03% whichever is lower
Currency Options	Currency Options : ₹20 flat	Currency Options : ₹20/order flat	Currency Options : Rs 20 per executed order or .03% whichever is lower
Monthly Fee	Monthly Fee : NA	Monthly Fee : ₹299 one-time, lifetime	Monthly Fee : -
Margin Trading	Margin Trading : 0.05% - 0.03%	Margin Trading : 0.05% - 0.03%	Margin Trading : Rs 20
Commodity Futures	Commodity Futures : ₹20 flat	Commodity Futures : ₹20/order flat	Commodity Futures : Rs 20 per executed order or .03% whichever is lower
Commodity Options	Commodity Options : ₹20 flat	Commodity Options : ₹20/order flat	Commodity Options : Rs 20 per executed order or .03% whichever is lower
	Open Account		Open Account

ICICI Direct vs Zerodha Exchange Transaction Charges

ICICI Direct Exchange Transaction Charges Equity Future is NSE Rs 190 per Cr (0.0019%) | BSE Rs 0 and Equity Options is NSE Rs 5000 per Cr (0.05%) | BSE Rs 3700 per Cr (0.037%) (on premium) . Zerodha Exchange Transaction Charges Equity Future is NSE Rs 190 per Cr (0.0019%) | BSE Rs 0 and Equity Options is NSE Rs 5050 per Cr (0.0505%) | BSE Rs 500 per Cr (0.005%) (on premium) .

	ICICI Direct	Zerodha
Equity Delivery	Equity Delivery : NSE Rs 325 per Cr (0.00325%) \| BSE Rs 375 per Cr (0.00375%) (each side)	Equity Delivery : NSE Rs 335 per Cr (0.00335%) \| BSE Rs 375 per Cr (0.00375%) (each side)
Equity Intraday	Equity Intraday : NSE Rs 325 per Cr (0.00325%) \| BSE Rs 375 per Cr (0.00375%) (sell side)	Equity Intraday : NSE Rs 335 per Cr (0.00335%) \| BSE Rs 375 per Cr (0.00375%) (sell side)
Equity Future *	Equity Future : NSE Rs 190 per Cr (0.0019%) \| BSE Rs 0	Equity Future : NSE Rs 190 per Cr (0.0019%) \| BSE Rs 0
Equity Options *	Equity Options : NSE Rs 5000 per Cr (0.05%) \| BSE Rs 3700 per Cr (0.037%) (on premium)	Equity Options : NSE Rs 5050 per Cr (0.0505%) \| BSE Rs 500 per Cr (0.005%) (on premium)
Currency Futures *	Currency Futures : NSE Rs 90 per Cr (0.0009%) \| BSE Rs 90 per Cr (0.0009%)	Currency Futures : NSE Rs 90 per Cr (0.0009%) \| BSE Rs 90 per Cr (0.0009%)
Currency Options	Currency Options : NSE Rs 4000 per Cr (0.04%) \| BSE Rs 100 per Cr (0.001%) (on premium)	Currency Options : NSE Rs 3500 per Cr (0.035%) \| BSE Rs 100 per Cr (0.001%) (on premium)
Commodity	Commodity : Group A - Rs 260 per Cr (0.0026%)	Commodity : Group A - Rs 260 per Cr (0.0026%)
	Open Account	Open Account

ICICI Direct vs Zerodha Other Charges

ICICI Direct Minimum Brokerage is Rs 35 per trade (I-Secure Plan) and Call & Trade is Rs 50 per trade . Zerodha Minimum Brokerage is 0.03% in Intraday and F&O and Call & Trade is Rs 50 per executed order .

	ICICI Direct	Zerodha
Minimum Brokerage	Minimum Brokerage : Rs 35 per trade (I-Secure Plan)	Minimum Brokerage : 0.03% in Intraday and F&O
Call & Trade	Call & Trade : Rs 50 per trade	Call & Trade : Rs 50 per executed order
Stamp Duty *	Stamp Duty : -	Stamp Duty : Delivery: 0.015%, Intraday: 0.003%,
DP Charges (on sell side)	DP Charges (on sell side) : -	DP Charges (on sell side) : ₹13.5 per scrip
Other Miscellaneous Charges	Other Miscellaneous Charges : Margin Trading Interest: 0.025% Per day	Other Miscellaneous Charges : Physical contact notes: Rs 20, Trade SMS Alerts: Rs 1 per SMS
	Open Account	Open Account

ICICI Direct vs Zerodha Features

ICICI Direct and Zerodha both offer a host of features, trading tools & platforms to their clients. Their comparative analysis is in the below table:

	ICICI Direct	Zerodha
Trading Platform	Trading Platform : ICICIdirect.com (website), Trade Racer, ICICIDirect Mobile App	Trading Platform : Kite Web, Kite Mobile for Android/iOS and Coin
Placing orders through charts	Placing orders through charts : -	Placing orders through charts : Yes
Trading Alerts	Trading Alerts : -	Trading Alerts : Yes
Research and Advice / Trading Tips	Research and Advice / Trading Tips : -	Research and Advice / Trading Tips : No
Detailed Education Initiatives	Detailed Education Initiatives : -	Detailed Education Initiatives : Yes
Unique features & Offers	Unique features & Offers : Offer 3-in-1 Account. Support in local ICICI Bank branches. Trusted brand.	Unique features & Offers : -
Referral Program	Referral Program : -	Referral Program : 1
Margin Against Shares (Equity Cash) *	Margin Against Shares (Equity Cash) : Yes	Margin Against Shares (Equity Cash) : Yes
Margin Against Shares (Equity F&O) *	Margin Against Shares (Equity F&O) : Yes	Margin Against Shares (Equity F&O) : Yes
	Open Account	Open Account

ICICI Direct vs Zerodha Demat Account Charges

A comparative table of various demat account charges between ICICI Direct and Zerodha is below:

	ICICI Direct	Zerodha
Depository Service Provider	Depository Service Provider : NSDL	Depository Service Provider : CDSL
Account Opening Fee	Account Opening Fee : Stamp Duty at actuals	Account Opening Fee : Rs 50 (Stamp charges payable upfront)
Advance Deposit	Advance Deposit : ₹0 for ICICI Bank customers. ₹7500 for Non ICICI BANK customers.	Advance Deposit : Rs 0
AMC	AMC : For Individual account: ₹700 p.a. For Corporate account: ₹1500 p.a.	AMC : Individuals/Non Individual (except Corporate) - Rs 300 + GST Non Individual - Corporate - Rs 1000
Dematerialisation Charges	Dematerialisation Charges : ₹50 Per Demat Request Form and ₹10 For Each Certificates	Dematerialisation Charges : Rs 150 per certificate (+ Rs 100 Courier charges)
Rematerialisation Charges	Rematerialisation Charges : ₹25 + CDSL charges at actual	Rematerialisation Charges : Rs 150 per certificate + CDSL charges + Rs 100 Courier charges
Transaction Charges (Credit)	Transaction Charges (Credit) : -	Transaction Charges (Credit) : -
Transaction Charges (debit)	Transaction Charges (debit) : Trades done at www.icicidirect.com - Rs 0 (NIL) Instruction submitted through Internet (E-inst / IVR) - 0.04% of value of securities(Min. Rs 30 and Max Rs 25,000) Instruction submitted through Call Centre - 0.04% of value of securities(Min. Rs 35 and Max Rs 25,000) Instruction submitted at Branches - 0.04% of value of securities(Min. Rs 40 and Max Rs 25,000)	Transaction Charges (debit) : Rs 8 + Rs 5.5 (CDSL charges)
Pledge Creation Charges	Pledge Creation Charges : 0.02% or minimum of ₹35	Pledge Creation Charges : Rs 30 per request + GST
Pledge Creation Confirmation Charges	Pledge Creation Confirmation Charges : 0.02% or minimum of ₹35	Pledge Creation Confirmation Charges : Rs 0
Pledge Invocation Charges	Pledge Invocation Charges : 0.02% or minimum of ₹35	Pledge Invocation Charges : Rs 20
Failed Instruction Charges	Failed Instruction Charges : -	Failed Instruction Charges : Rs 50 per ISIN
Other Charges	Other Charges : ₹200 for restoring services if account is suspended for non payment of charges.	Other Charges : Cheque Bounce: Rs 350 Physical Statement - Rs 50 (+Courier charges at actual) Modification in CML - Rs 25 per request KRA Upload / Download - Rs 50 per request Note: Interest at 18% p.a is charged on the outstanding bill amount if not paid within the due date.
	Open Account	Open Account

ICICI Direct vs Zerodha Basic Details

ICICI Direct Year of Incorporation is 2000 and Total Number of Clients is 2045086 and Total Number of Branches is 154 . Zerodha Year of Incorporation is 2010 and Total Number of Clients is 6862233 and Total Number of Branches is 22 .

	ICICI Direct	Zerodha
Year of Incorporation	Year of Incorporation : 2000	Year of Incorporation : 2010
Active Exchange Memberships	Active Exchange Memberships : -	Active Exchange Memberships : NSE, BSE, MCX and NCDEX
Demat Services	Demat Services : Yes	Demat Services : No
Website	Website : -	Website : https://zerodha.com
Contact Details	Contact Details : -	Contact Details : 080-40402020
Total Number of Clients	Total Number of Clients : 2,045,086	Total Number of Clients : 6,862,233
Total Number of Branches	Total Number of Branches : 154	Total Number of Branches : 22
Products *	Products : -	Products : Kite Web, Kite Mobile for Android/iOS and Coin
	Open Account	Open Account

ICICI Direct vs Zerodha Orders

Orders

	ICICI Direct	Zerodha
Cover Orders (CO)	Cover Orders (CO) : Yes	Cover Orders (CO) : Yes
Bracket orders / One Cancels Other (BO / OCO)	Bracket orders / One Cancels Other (BO / OCO) : No	Bracket orders / One Cancels Other (BO / OCO) : No
After Market Orders (AMO)	After Market Orders (AMO) : No	After Market Orders (AMO) : Yes
Buy Today Sell Tomorrow (BTST) *	Buy Today Sell Tomorrow (BTST) : Yes	Buy Today Sell Tomorrow (BTST) : No
Sell Today Buy Tomorrow (STBT) *	Sell Today Buy Tomorrow (STBT) : No	Sell Today Buy Tomorrow (STBT) : No
Good Till Cancelled (GTC) *	Good Till Cancelled (GTC) : Yes	Good Till Cancelled (GTC) : Yes
	Open Account	Open Account

ICICI Direct vs Zerodha Research and Advice / Trading Tips

Research and Advice / Trading Tips

	ICICI Direct	Zerodha
Equity Trading Recommendation *	Equity Trading Recommendation : -	Equity Trading Recommendation : No
Equity Investment Recommendation *	Equity Investment Recommendation : -	Equity Investment Recommendation : No
Recommendation basis risk Profile *	Recommendation basis risk Profile : -	Recommendation basis risk Profile : No
Comparison *	Comparison : -	Comparison : No
Free Tips *	Free Tips : Yes	Free Tips : No
Daily Market report *	Daily Market report : Yes	Daily Market report : No
ETF research *	ETF research : -	ETF research : No
Quarterly Results *	Quarterly Results : Yes	Quarterly Results : No
	Open Account	Open Account

ICICI Direct vs Zerodha Franchisee / Authorized Person related information

Franchisee / Authorized Person related information

	ICICI Direct	Zerodha
Availability for franchisee / AP	Availability for franchisee / AP : -	Availability for franchisee / AP : Yes
Investment required for Franchisee / AP	Investment required for Franchisee / AP : -	Investment required for Franchisee / AP : Rs.11,000
	Open Account	Open Account

ICICI Direct vs Zerodha Product & Services

ICICI Direct and Zerodha both offer a host of Products & Services for a better trading experience for their clients. Their comparative analysis is in the below table:

	ICICI Direct	Zerodha
Delivery Based Trading *	Delivery Based Trading : -	Delivery Based Trading : Yes
Margin Trading *	Margin Trading : Yes	Margin Trading : No
Call N Trade *	Call N Trade : -	Call N Trade : Yes
Trading in Both the exchanges *	Trading in Both the exchanges : -	Trading in Both the exchanges : Yes
Limit Order *	Limit Order : -	Limit Order : Yes
3-in-1 On-line Trading Account *	3-in-1 On-line Trading Account : -	3-in-1 On-line Trading Account : No
NRI Services *	NRI Services : Yes	NRI Services : Yes
SMS Alerts *	SMS Alerts : No	SMS Alerts : No
Offers Multiple Plan *	Offers Multiple Plan : -	Offers Multiple Plan : No
IPO Investment *	IPO Investment : -	IPO Investment : No
Portfolio Analysis *	Portfolio Analysis : -	Portfolio Analysis : Yes
Advanced Charting Features *	Advanced Charting Features : -	Advanced Charting Features : Yes
Brokerage Calculator *	Brokerage Calculator : -	Brokerage Calculator : Yes
Margin Calculator *	Margin Calculator : -	Margin Calculator : Yes
Stop Loss Order *	Stop Loss Order : -	Stop Loss Order : Yes
Bracket Orders & Trailing Stop Loss *	Bracket Orders & Trailing Stop Loss : -	Bracket Orders & Trailing Stop Loss : Yes
Equity Future & Option Trading *	Equity Future & Option Trading : -	Equity Future & Option Trading : Yes
Currency Future & Option Trading *	Currency Future & Option Trading : -	Currency Future & Option Trading : Yes
Market Trading *	Market Trading : -	Market Trading : Yes
Monthly & Yearly Plan *	Monthly & Yearly Plan : -	Monthly & Yearly Plan : No
Aumtomated Trading *	Aumtomated Trading : -	Aumtomated Trading : No
	Open Account	Open Account

ICICI Direct vs Zerodha Customer Services

ICICI Direct and Zerodha both offer a host of Customer service options to their clients to quickly solve their queries or grievances if any. Their comparative analysis is in the below table:

	ICICI Direct	Zerodha
Toll Free Number *	Toll Free Number : -	Toll Free Number : No
Live Chat Facility *	Live Chat Facility : -	Live Chat Facility : No
Email Facility *	Email Facility : -	Email Facility : Yes
Branch Offices *	Branch Offices : -	Branch Offices : Yes
Customer Care *	Customer Care : -	Customer Care : Yes
Community Service *	Community Service : -	Community Service : Yes
Relationship Manager *	Relationship Manager : -	Relationship Manager : No
24/7 Support *	24/7 Support : -	24/7 Support : No
	Open Account	Open Account

ICICI Direct vs Zerodha Other Investement

ICICI Direct and Zerodha both offer a lot of investment avenues apart from Stock trading on their platforms to their clients to make a better trading experience. Their comparative analysis is in the below table:

	ICICI Direct	Zerodha
Commodity Trading *	Commodity Trading : -	Commodity Trading : Yes
Investment in ETFs *	Investment in ETFs : -	Investment in ETFs : Yes
Investment in Mutual Funds *	Investment in Mutual Funds : -	Investment in Mutual Funds : Yes
Investment in Bonds *	Investment in Bonds : -	Investment in Bonds : No
Investment in Corporate Debt instruments *	Investment in Corporate Debt instruments : -	Investment in Corporate Debt instruments : No
Insurance Services *	Insurance Services : -	Insurance Services : No
Banking Services *	Banking Services : -	Banking Services : No
	Open Account	Open Account

ICICI Direct vs Zerodha Trading Platform

ICICI Direct and Zerodha both offer a host of Trading Platform for a better trading experience for their clients. Their comparative analysis is in the below table:

	ICICI Direct	Zerodha
Web Platform *	Web Platform : -	Web Platform : Yes
Android Mobile App *	Android Mobile App : -	Android Mobile App : Yes
Desktop Windows *	Desktop Windows : -	Desktop Windows : Yes
Desktop Mac *	Desktop Mac : -	Desktop Mac : No
I-Pad App *	I-Pad App : -	I-Pad App : Yes
Virtual Trading *	Virtual Trading : -	Virtual Trading : No
iPhone Mobile App *	iPhone Mobile App : -	iPhone Mobile App : Yes
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	Open Account	Open Account