Groww and Zerodha are SEBI-registered discount brokers. Groww charges zero account maintenance charges (AMC), while Zerodha charges zero brokerage on equity delivery. Both charge ₹20 per executed options order.
Groww is India’s largest broker by NSE active clients, with about 1.34 crore in September 2026. Zerodha is second, with about 67.9 lakh.
Quick answer: Zerodha usually costs less if you trade often, especially for delivery and small intraday orders. Groww usually costs less if you place only a few orders a year and your Zerodha account would pay the standard AMC. Options brokerage is the same at both.
Disclosure: This comparison uses each broker’s published pricing and documentation.
Related: Best Brokers for Algo Trading in India: API, Speed and Compliance
Groww vs Zerodha: Comparison at a Glance
These are standard charges for resident individual accounts.
Costs in this article exclude STT, stamp duty, exchange and SEBI charges. These are set by the government and exchanges and are the same at both brokers.
Whichever broker you pick, Sign up to get 100 Backtests free/month and test your strategy on historical data first.
Groww vs Zerodha Charges: Which Costs Less?
Delivery Investing: Brokerage vs AMC
Zerodha’s ₹0 delivery brokerage helps people who buy shares often. Groww’s ₹0 AMC helps people who place few orders.
Example: 12 delivery purchases of ₹10,000 each in a year, with no sales
Where the costs cross over: Each Groww delivery order of ₹20,000 or more costs ₹23.60 including GST. Fifteen such orders add up to ₹354, the same as Zerodha’s standard AMC.
Below 15 large orders a year, Groww costs less.
Above 15, Zerodha costs less.
At ₹10,000 per order, the crossover moves to 30 orders.
Selling tips the maths further towards Zerodha, because its DP charge is ₹13 + GST per stock sold against Groww’s ₹20 + GST.
Zerodha AMC: Check Which Rate Applies to You
Many Zerodha accounts pay less than ₹300 a year, so check your account type before comparing.
BSDA status needs a single demat account. If you also hold a secondary demat account, both accounts pay the standard AMC.
The first-year waiver covers only your primary account.
Intraday Trading: “Both Charge ₹20” Misses the Difference
On a ₹10,000 intraday order, Groww charges ₹10 (0.1%) and Zerodha charges ₹3 (0.03%). Since a full trade has an entry and an exit, the round trip costs ₹20 at Groww and ₹6 at Zerodha.
Groww reaches its ₹20 cap on orders of ₹20,000 and above, while Zerodha reaches it only from about ₹66,700. Between those two sizes, Zerodha costs less per order.
Related: Essential Intraday Trading Tips Every Trader Should Know
F&O Trading: Count Your Orders, Not the Rate
Options brokerage is ₹20 per executed order at both brokers, so your order count decides the cost. A two-leg spread that you open and later close needs four orders, which means ₹80 in brokerage before GST at either broker. Every adjustment adds more.
Before placing a multi-leg trade:
Check strikes and premiums on the Nifty option chain.
Replay how a similar position behaved on past trading days with the Option Simulator.
Estimate the margin you need on the margin calculator, and confirm it with your broker.
Charges That Are Easy to Miss
Groww charges 1% brokerage, with no cap, on equity orders funded through UPI Mandate balance. Adding money to your Groww balance normally avoids this.
Groww charges ₹50 + GST per position if you don’t close intraday positions by 3:20 PM.
Zerodha charges ₹50 per order placed through its dealer, including auto square-off orders.
Both brokers charge for pledging, and both charge interest on any debit balance in your trading account.
Want to check how your entry and exit rules have performed in the past? Try free backtesting; it includes drawdowns and trading costs.
Which Is Better for Long-Term Investing and Mutual Funds?
For regular delivery buying, Zerodha has the brokerage advantage. For a few purchases a year, compare that saving with the AMC your Zerodha account would actually pay.
Both brokers offer direct mutual funds with no distributor commission. The bigger difference is how your units are held:
Zerodha Coin holds mutual fund units in your demat account.
Groww holds new mutual fund purchases in demat form by default, but you can opt out and keep them in an AMC folio, also called a Statement of Account (SoA).
Demat holding keeps stocks and funds in one place and lets you pledge units for trading margin.
SoA holding supports SWP (Systematic Withdrawal Plan) and STP (Systematic Transfer Plan), which are not available in demat mode.
If you move an existing portfolio, transfer the units rather than selling and buying again, which can trigger tax and exit loads.
Related: Top 8 Indian Brokers to Invest in US Stocks
Groww App vs Zerodha Kite: Which Is Better for Trading?
Zerodha splits its tools by purpose, while Groww keeps most products in one app.
Zerodha
Kite is the trading platform on web and mobile.
Coin handles mutual funds, and Console holds reports, P&L and tax statements.
Varsity is Zerodha’s free learning library on markets, F&O and taxes.
Groww
The Groww app combines stocks, ETFs, IPOs, F&O and mutual funds.
Groww Terminal puts charts, option chains, orders and positions in one workspace.
915 Terminal adds a separate interface for active traders.
Feature lists don’t show reliability. Before choosing, check whether you can comfortably:
Place, modify and cancel the order types you use.
Track open positions and spot rejected orders quickly.
Find contract notes, charges and realised P&L.
Reach support, and use a backup way to place orders if the app has a problem.
Plan multi-leg options trades and check payoffs with any broker on AlgoTest’s Strategy Builder.
Groww vs Zerodha for Algo Trading
Both brokers offer trading APIs. They price them differently.
If you only place orders through code, Zerodha’s Personal plan is free.
If you also need market data, both cost about ₹500 a month, and active Zerodha traders can get theirs credited.
Under SEBI’s algo framework, algo orders must go through a broker’s approved API, and each strategy needs an exchange-registered algo ID. You can compare live broker API response times on AlgoTest’s Broker Speedtest.
If you don’t code, a no-code platform like AlgoTest connects to either broker. It supports 70+ brokers, including Groww and Zerodha, and you can paper trade a strategy with virtual money before linking an account. Groww’s setup needs Groww API access, so check its API plan first. Keep in mind that simulated results can differ from live trading because of fills, delays and rejections.
New to algos? Start with a ready-made strategy from a SEBI-registered Research Analyst and algo trade with any broker of your choice on RA Algos.
Related: List of Brokers with an API in India
Which Should You Choose?
Risk note: F&O trading carries a high risk of loss. SEBI’s study of FY2023-24 found that only about 9% of individual F&O traders made a profit. This article is for information only and is not investment advice.
Pick the Broker, Then Prove the Strategy
Choosing between Groww and Zerodha settles where your orders go. The strategy you run through either broker still needs its own proof.
Write your idea down as a clear strategy: the market context, entry, exit and position risk. Then evaluate it across historical and live market conditions before committing real money.
AlgoTest helps you move from an idea to a strategy you can inspect and test before deciding whether to deploy.
Join us as we simplify algo trading in India.
Related Reading
FAQs
Is Groww completely free?
Groww charges nothing for account opening or maintenance. Stock and F&O trades still carry brokerage and statutory charges, and some optional services cost extra.
Does Zerodha charge AMC?
It depends on your account. Standard individual accounts pay ₹300 + GST a year. New primary accounts opened on or after 1 June 2026 pay nothing in the first year. Single-demat BSDA accounts pay ₹0 up to ₹4 lakh in holdings and ₹100 + GST between ₹4 lakh and ₹10 lakh.
What are the disadvantages of Groww compared with Zerodha?
Groww charges brokerage on delivery trades and a higher percentage on small intraday orders. Its DP charge on selling is also higher, and orders funded through UPI Mandate balance carry 1% brokerage.
What are the disadvantages of Zerodha compared with Groww?
Standard Zerodha accounts pay ₹300 + GST in AMC each year after any waiver. Investors who want stocks and mutual funds in one app may find switching between Kite and Coin less convenient.
Which is bigger, Zerodha or Groww?
Groww is bigger by active clients. In September 2026, it had about 1.34 crore NSE active clients, a 29.16% market share, while Zerodha had about 67.9 lakh, or 14.73%. An active client is someone who traded at least once in the past year.
Which is safer, Groww or Zerodha?
Both operate through SEBI-registered broking entities, and your shares sit in your own demat account with the depository. Registration does not remove market losses, outages or operational risk, so check your monthly depository statements and know each broker’s grievance process.
Can I invest in US stocks through Groww or Zerodha?
As of 19 October 2026, Zerodha offers US stocks and ETFs in public beta on Kite through GIFT City. Groww is preparing to relaunch US stock investing through GIFT City, so check availability in the app.
Can I use Groww or Zerodha for algo trading?
Yes. Both offer trading APIs, and both connect with AlgoTest. Speed is only one factor when choosing a broker for algos, as explained in Broker Speedtest by AlgoTest.
Can I have accounts with both Groww and Zerodha?
Yes. Keep in mind the extra record-keeping, and that a second demat account can affect Zerodha BSDA eligibility.
Sources
Charges were checked on 19 October 2026 against official broker pages. Cost examples use standard published rates, not actual contract notes.