Best Demat Account in India to Start Your Investments in 2022

By Staff

Updated: Monday, January 17, 2022, 14:30 [IST]

Equities have had a fantastic run up in the past year and if you wish to participate in the rally you need to mandatorily be maintaining a demat account for trading as well as maintaining your holdings in dematerialised or electronic form. In fact, not only equity but also bonds and other ETF investments can be made and tracked via the demat account. In fact, to extend convenience to users, brokers have come up with 3-in-1 accounts that integrate savings, demat and trading account. Also, investors can plunge into the highly sought after investment instruments- public issues or IPO via the platform for lucrative returns.

Best Demat Account in India to Start Your Investments in 2022

Advantages of a demat account:

1. Demat account ensures safety of your securities as in physical form they are risk of loss, theft etc.,

2.Loans can be availed against securities held in your demat.

3. Eliminates unnecessary cost: In case of physical bond etc., there is charged stamp duty, handling charges etc. which can be avoided by maintaining a demat account.

4. Apart from easy trading, there is easy tracking and the shares upon purchase are easily reflected in your demat account in 2 days' time.

If you are intending to open a demat account, below is a list of the best demat accounts in India on the basis of the following parameters:

Highest market share that these brokerages command as of now revealing better service and hence customers trust and confidence.
Better plans and transparent pricing.

Best Demat Accounts in India for 2022

1. ICICI Direct:

The subsidiary of ICICI Bank- ICICIdirect is the country's highly acclaimed leading retail broker and financial product distributor. The company tops in the list of full-service stockbrokers and remained at number 1 position in terms of active clientele till 2019. Nonetheless as per reports, it is the most visited platform in the country. Also, the company pioneered the issuance of digitally signed contract notes in the country.

Open an ICICIdirect Demat & Trading Account

Features of ICICIdirect Demat & Trading Account

1. The brokerage firm offers free demat account opening & 3-in-1 account for high convenience while trading in the share market

2. Offers a range of over 50 products offered under one roof including equity, mutual funds, F&O, corporate fixed deposits, IPOs, NCD, NRI services, global investment, financial learning etc.

3. Customer specific brokerage plans such as Neo - Zero Brokerage plan, Prime, Pre-paid brokerage plan, I-Secure plan and NRI brokerage plan.

4. Intra-day trades can be engaged in probably at a lower cost of Rs. 15 in comparison to other brokerages, while for delivery it is between 0.1-0.27%.

5. Margin funding trading available with interest rate starting at 7.9%.

6. The company extends learning experience through Investonomics - a platform that extends knowledge on investment and encourages people to invest for the long term for maximising returns. Along with that they have knowledge centre which helps you learn with videos, podcasts, learn hub, icommunity etc.

7. Global investment can be facilitated across 8 countries US, Europe, China, Japan, UK and many more.

8. ATM (money in account within 5 minutes) is a facility called Equity ATM that credits against sell order in cash in half an hour.

9. It offers customers a One-Click investment portfolios in stocks, ETFs & mutual funds where customers can invest in top-performing products with just a single click handpicked by their research, which are curated through extensive analysis.

10. Further the company extends award winning research and has trusted clientele base of 6 million customers.

Benefits

The demat account with ICICI Direct serves as a one-stop solution for your trading as well as other financial dealings. The company deploys advanced technologies to extend seamless service experience. Further the various widgets available on the platform enables efficient decision making process.

For new entrants, the brokerage extends personal consultation and also dedicate a relationship manager against each account.

Brokerage plan can be chosen as per your trading and investing strategies.

Tools and platform:

The Markets App: The trading app offers top quality trading experience backed by unique features such as analytical tools including lice charting, OI graphs on Option chain etc.

Money App: This is a standalone app of the stock broker that facilitates mutual fund and SIP investment. Through the app, mutual funds of several fund houses can be invested into.

iTrack: Using this, customer can make better decision as the same has more derivatives market data such as insights in respect of your open position, pay off analyser, moving averages etc.

2. Zerodha:

The company pioneered the discount broking model and offers retail brokerage, commodities trading, bonds and mutual funds. The company ventured into the domain to extend convenience to users and hence the name Zerodha i.e. a combination of two 'Zero' and 'Rodha'- which is a Sanskrit word meaning barrier and hence zero barriers. The company as of now commands the highest active client base with over 18 percent market share.

Features of Zerodha demat account

1. On equity delivery and mutual funds there is charged zero brokerage.

2. For F&O and intra-day a flat fee of Rs. 20 per trade is charged.

3. The stockbrokers offers up to 20x leverage on intra-day trades.

4. The company's demat account is suitable for all investors including beginners, active and passive investors, traders and also algo traders.

5. The platform also offers free and open market education through Varsity i.e. the largest online stock market education book in the world.

Benefits:

The broker charges flat charge for intra-day orders. There is no upfront fee or brokerage charged. Account opening charges are at a meagre Rs. 200 and an additional Rs. 100 if you also wish to enable Commodity account. The advanced Pi platform offers a full bouquet of trading, charting as well as analysis.

Platforms and app

Kite: This is the broker's flagship trading platform offering live streaming data, highly interactive and responsive UI. This is also available on the mobile app.

Coin: This platform allows investment into direct mutual funds, bonds etc. on the country's largest direct mutual funds interface.

3. Upstox or RKSV:

Previously referred to as RKSV Securities, the discount broking firm has a strong backing of some of the big investors namely Tiger Global, Ratan Tata and Kalaari Capital etc. The Mumbai based stock broker mainly running on the online business model has come up with competitive brokerage plans.

Features of Upstox demat account:

1. Currently for a limited period, the company is offering free demat and trading account. The offer is valid for new users only.

2. Equity delivery, F&O, commodity and currency -Rs. 20 per order. Mutual fund and IPO investment can be made at no brokerage.

Advantages:

Currently Upstox is the second largest discount broker with flat brokerage while equity delivery is free for customers on boarded before September 21, 2021. Margin against shares is available. To monitor markets while on the go the company offers multiple indicators. Upstox Option chain tool, Upstox Strategy Builder for options are also made available for devising personalised strategies. The company also leverages superior technology and its brokerage calculator SPAN- calculator is one such example of its efficient technology deployment.

Platforms and tools:

Pro web: This is the advanced trading platform which can be accessed from the web.
Pro Mobile: This light weight app does everything that the desktop version should do.
Developer Platform: By fetching real time data, you can devise your own trading strategies.

4. Angel One:

Earlier called Angel Broking, Angel One is an independent full-service stock broker. The company in the corona period has massively increased its client base by 144% YoY to 7.78 million in December 2021.

Features

1. The company offers seamless and safe online share trading platform.

2. The company commands a huge sub-broker network and its presence on a PAN India basis has helped it to render quality service.

3. The AI-backed ARQ platform is a best in class robot-advisory service.

4. Also, the company on regular basis shares podcasts and videos for helping investors take better financial decisions.

5. Charges are similar to other brokerages, zero for equity delivery and Rs. 20 per order for F&O, commodity, currency trades.

Advantages:

The company with its array of services across products including insurance, etc. serves as a one stop shop catering to wide set of financial needs. Robot assisted app-ARQ offers highly valuable service. Valuable stock recommendations and research reports at no costs.

Platforms and app:

Angel Broking App: This is a comprehensive platform providing your portfolio information using which you can trade and also get update on latest news in the stock market. Also at the same time, herein you can intra-day, long term and short term stock recommendations.
Angel Lite: This is devised primarily for traders and investors with slow GPRS connections and it does not need any download process.
Angel Speedpro: SpeedPro is a trading software that provides clients with a single window trading experience along with trade monitoring capabilities.

5. Groww:

The company has close to 9 percent market share. The company has a strong backing of Ribbit Capital, Sequoia Capital, Tiger Global, Propel Venture Partners. The company initially started operations providing a platform to directly invest in mutual funds. Now, amid an increasing interest in equity trading, the company ventured into this domain.

Features and benefits of Groww:

The company through its offer investment and trading platform for trading in equity, mutual funds, demat service, intra-day, IPO etc.
Simple to use interface that can be used for trading via both mobile app and web.
Equity investment i.e. delivery and intra-day can be made. Besides one can also invest into US stocks via the app. Likewise, investment into corporate FD and digital gold can be done.
High security containing a high level 128-bit encryption standard. Fingerprint scanner for safe log in.
The company provides resources such as blogs, videos and eBooks to serve the requirement of beginners.

Platforms and app:

The company's services can be accessed via all of the modes be it Web app, iOS and Android app.

6. 5Paisa.com:

Through its motto "A Paisa Saved is a Paisa Earned', the company has become the brokerage of choice. The company started initially as part of the IIFL group and was founded by Mr. Nirmal Jain. Later it started operating as an independent entity in 2017.

Features and benefits

1. Free demat account opening facility. Further it offers all-in-1 account for stocks, mutual funds, commodity, currency etc.

2. flat fee or zero brokerage helps in saving immensely on secondary cost.

3. The brokerage offers omni-channel support on mobile, call centre, desktop as well as your own APIs.

4. There is also an option to buy international research and tools
5. Also offer cheaper brokerage plan than Rs. 20 if in case an active trader subscribes to a plan that is fixed based

6. Artificial intelligence backed robot advisory that offers stock recommendations'

Platforms:

5Paisa App: This user friendly, all in app enables user to place order, see its status as well track the same. Alongside, users can check net positions, maintain a customised watch list.
Trade Station 2.0: This is a revolutionary browser based platform for seasoned investors enabling investors to trade and invest across securities and also transfer funds.

7. Kotak Securities:

This company is among the top 5 full service brokers and is among the very few offering 3-in-1 account. Part of the financial services group- Kotak Mahindra Group-the company offers several multi-asset class investment and trading services.

Features & Benefits of Kotak Securities

The company is a full-fledged stock broker offering investment across products including derivatives, mutual funds, IPOs etc.
The company is also into portfolio management services.
The company serves both as a stock broker as well as a DP providing customers dual benefits.
Various brokerage plans to suit the varied needs of investors and traders.
Research driven reports across companies, sector-specific reports macro-economic studies etc.

Benefits:

The company offers a 3-in-1 account for quick transfer of funds. Both offline and online trading facility available.

Customized brokerage plans are designed for regular and frequent traders.
Several TradeSmart tools are offered for hassle free and smooth customer experience/
The Company's Trade Free plan provides zero brokerage on all intraday trades.

Platforms and tool:

Keat Pro 3.0: The brokerage's high speed online stock trading platform makes trading experience brilliant.
Kotak Stock Trader mobile app: This app is not only available to stock broker's clientele but even non-customers can sign in as a guest. Equity, currency and derivatives trading is provided along with portfolio tracking.
Fastlane: High speed trading platform prevents any issues surfacing because of internet speed. The customers using this platform can overview the funds available, open position etc.

8. HDFC Securities:

This stockbroker is the subsidiary of a large scale lender HDFC and is in existence for over 2 decades. As of December 2021, the company has over 10 lakh active clientele. The full service broker serves both via offline and online mode. The customers of this broking house can trade on BSE, NSE, IRDA, PFRDA, AMFI, and MCX.

Features:

1.Demat account with the broker can be opened in no time online and derivatives order shall entail a cost of Rs. 10/ order

2.The company takes pride in 90% success rate over a period of 17 months when it comes to its research reports. This in particular is for the company's 'Pick of the Week' offerings3. They have launched the country's foremost Voice-Enabled Investing assistance.

Benefits

The company's trading platforms offer seamless experience with features including portfolio tracking, market watch lists, charting etc. 3-in-1 account enables quick transfer of funds. The company's research services are far more advanced when compared to other full service brokers. Their digital platforms Digify and DigiGold allow customers to invest in mutual funds and gold respectively online hassle-free. Apart from trading, they also offer insurance products, various loans, and many other financial distribution products which prove for anyone as a one-stop solution for all the financial and investment-related needs.

Platforms and tools:

Real time platform is offered by the stock for trading and tracking one's investments which can be done using online trading platform, mobile app or via call.

So, before zeroing on the best demat account that would suit your need always take into account the below pointers:

1. Consider having your trading and demat account with the same provider or DP
2.Engage in some research and know the history of the brokerage firm
3.Check for the plans and compare cost structure such as those associated with maintaining a demat account, free in respect of transactions such as for intra-day etc., charges for demat and rematerialisation and AMC etc.

Closing thoughts: The cost is an important parameter as your overall return from investment highly depends on this outgo, nonetheless do remember that the low cost brokerage plan may not be best and as per your service requirements.

Best Demat Account in India to Start Your Investments in 2022

Advantages of a demat account:

Best Demat Accounts in India for 2022

1. ICICI Direct:

Open an ICICIdirect Demat & Trading Account

Features of ICICIdirect Demat & Trading Account

Benefits

Tools and platform: