If you are looking for a demat account that fits your needs, we have prepared a comprehensive list of the best demat accounts in India.
This article lists the top 10 demat accounts and a detailed analysis to help you make an informed decision. These demat accounts offer many benefits, and you can open an account online through a simple process.
Real-time updated charts with numerous technical indicators and multiple platforms are benefits they all offer. On top of that, they follow all regulatory rules and regulations and have top-notch security standards.
To benefit from trading and investing, the first step is to objectively evaluate the pros and cons of various demat accounts and choose one that suits your needs.
To help you in this endeavour, we have provided all the details you might require.
Best Demat Account in India – List of Top Demat Accounts of 2026
In this section, we have provided the top demat accounts, and the ranking is based on various factors.
The best demat account has a large customer base, which attests to its reliability.
Another major factor affecting the ranking is the pricing offer the customer gets; that is why we mention such offers separately in the following table.
Tools that help customers, both experienced and beginners, conduct their analysis and execute the trades also affect the overall ranking.
Consider each criterion independently when finalising your demat account.
Once you’ve shortlisted a provider, follow our step-by-step account opening guide to get your demat and trading account live in a few simple steps.
If you’re an NRI, the account rules differ — living abroad? here’s the NRI-specific list built for that use case.
In this article, we also considered multiple factors to determine the ranking. The following sections will discuss these parameters and each demat account in detail.
Compare the Top 10 Demat Accounts in India
| Demat Account | Active Demats | Offers | Advanced Tools |
| Angel One | 43 Lakh | Lifetime Free Delivery Trading | ARQ Prime, Smart API, Angel One Trade |
| Upstox | 39 Lakh | Zero Commission on Mutual Funds | Tradingview, Candle Patterns, APIs |
| Zerodha | 66 Lakh | Free Delivery & Direct MF Investment | Sensibull, Golden Pi, Coin, Streak |
| 5Paisa | 11 Lakh | Lowest Brokerage @ Rs.10 per Order | Algo Trading, Robo Advisory |
| ICICI Direct | 27 Lakh | Rs.20/Trade for Intraday & F&O | i-Track, Payoff Analyzer, Money App |
| Motilal Oswal | 9 Lakh | Free Rs.1000 Digital Gold | Technical Indicators, Trade Signals, Strategy Maker |
| Groww | 52 Lakh | Free MF Investment, Flat Rs.20/Trade | Online E-KYC, Dark & Light mode |
| Kotak Securities | 10.5 Lakh | Free Intraday Trading | Smart Search, Smart Alerts, Biometric Login |
| HDFC Securities | 12 Lakh | F&O @ Rs.20 per Trade | 3-in-1 account, Portfolio, Custom Watchlist |
| Sharekhan | 7.5 Lakh | Free 1st Year AMC | Sharekhan NEO, TradeTiger, Mini |
In this section, we will compare demat accounts in India. We have already provided a table listing various demat accounts, their rank, and the factors that determined their rank.
Now we will discuss each rank in more detail so you can understand their features and why they were ranked as they were.
Investors’ and traders’ needs are often unique; knowing the features of each demat account will help you choose the right one.
For example, brokerage charges might not be the primary concern for some investors who do not trade and only buy and sell in the long term with a high-profit margin.
On the other hand, scalpers trade with very small margins and are therefore greatly affected by high brokerage charges.
Therefore, understanding these demat accounts in detail will help you make a better decision.
Angel One – Best Demat Account in India
Angel One ranks at the top of our list of best demat accounts. Many factors contribute to this rank; let’s have a look at these factors:
- ARQ Prime: An investment engine provided by Angel One. It provides customers with rule-based automated investment advice. It scans the entire market to suggest potential investment winners.
- Brokerage: It offers one of the most beneficial brokerage charges. Intraday and F&O charges are among the lowest. On top of that, equity delivery charges are zero.
- Smart Money: It is the learning module offered to everyone by Angel One. Even if you don’t have a Demat account with them, you can use this platform to learn about investment on this platform. They offer different modules for different investor levels, from beginner to advanced.
- US Equity: Angel One provides customers with the facility to invest in US stocks and ETFs via US-based firm Vested.
- Portfolio Health Score: You can check your portfolio’s health score; it’s measured based on risk and return generation parameters. It is an outstanding feature for beginners.
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Upstox – Top Demat Account in India
Next on our list of top 10 demat accounts is Upstox. Upstox is one of the newcomers in this market segment but has gained popularity due to its unique features.
- They provide an easy selection process for investment. You can easily find investment opportunities using their Smart List and Smart Screener.
- It is very easy to access company information; you can get technical and fundamental information about companies you want to invest in.
- Upstox also makes it easier for customers to invest in mutual funds and ETFs, as they can do so from the same app they use for trading or investing in equity.
- They are currently offering customers demat accounts with zero annual maintenance fees.
- For futures and options traders, they offer an easy-to-use trading strategy builder and ready-made strategies that are very easy to implement.
Zerodha – Top 10 Demat Accounts in India
Continuing our list of demat accounts in India, let us now discuss the third-ranked and probably the most popular, Zerodha.
Zerodha has become popular for several reasons, and these are the same ones that have earned it the third rank.
- Zerodha is one of the most cost-effective demat accounts for customers in India. Not only are they offering one of the lowest brokerages, but they also offer free equity delivery trades.
- Zerodha is also among the most innovative companies in this sector; the number of technological solutions they have introduced for Indian customers is astonishing.
- Coin: Through this platform of Zerodha, you can easily transact in mutual funds and invest in any manner that suits your needs.
- Varsity: Zerodha Varsity is an educational initiative for people new to investment, mainly to equity. It is free and accessible to anyone.
- Streak: Through Streak, Zerodha offers an algo trading platform that is very easy to use and requires no programming knowledge.
5Paisa – Best Demat Account
Next in our list of the best demat accounts in India is 5Paisa. Let us look at its main features in detail so you can get a clear idea.
- They offer multiple pricing packages, and brokerage can go as low as Rs. 10 per order, with zero brokerage on equity delivery.
- They offer a dedicated platform for derivative trading that provides you with all the required trading tools.
- They provide advisory services across multiple segments, including equity, currency, and commodities.
- You can also start SIPs in stocks through their platform, giving customers enormous options for their investment needs.
- Trading room: It is a social network provided by 5Paisa for traders, where you can follow the top investors, discuss your trading strategies, etc.
ICICI Direct – Top Demat Account
ICICI Direct ranks fifth in our list of top demat accounts in India. Now let’s take a look at its features in detail.
- ICICI Direct is backed by ICICI Bank, one of India’s largest private-sector banks, with years of experience and a physical presence in almost every Indian city.
- You get robust and extensive research on the Indian market, which helps investors make informed decisions and fully use opportunities.
- You get a 3-in-1 account, which means you get demat, trading, and a bank account in one go—covering your broader financial needs.
- One can invest in equity of multiple countries through ICICI Direct. They are among the very few Indian brokers offering equity investments in various countries.
- You get a personal relationship manager with an ICICI Direct account.
Motilal Oswal – Top 10 Demat Accounts
Among the top 10 demat accounts in India, Motilal Oswal ranks next. It provides many unique features to its customers.
Let’s discuss some of these so you can decide whether it matches your requirements.
- They provide financing for buying an IPO; investors can apply for an IPO through a margin funding facility.
- Motilal Oswal has won awards for the strategies and research they provide to customers. The research-based recommendations they provide customers can be customised per your investment style.
- You get dedicated support you can call anytime for trade- or investment-related queries.
- They offer an algo-based portfolio restructuring tool. You can get personalised recommendations for your portfolio based on your risk profile.
- They provide education modules for beginner, intermediate, and advanced-level investors in Hindi, English, and Tamil.
Groww – Best Demat Account in India
Groww ranks seventh in the list of best demat accounts in India. Groww started as a mutual fund platform and now offers its customers a free demat account in India.
- Groww offers customers the option to invest in US stocks. You can also buy partial stocks through Groww.
- Groww provides users with an accessible, paperless KYC facility to open an account. The entire process is online and very easy.
- They offer zero account-opening charges, and annual account maintenance charges are currently zero.
- They offer an all-in-one platform for mobile devices and desktops. You can transact in multiple segments from the same platform.
- Groww offers users the option to invest in digital gold.
Kotak Securities – Best Demat Account for beginners
Kotak Securities ranks eighth in our list of best demat accounts. They offer many different pricing plans, which include a plan with zero maintenance charges.
This makes it one of the best demat accounts for free.
- They offer multiple pricing plans for their customers. These plans are unique, as two are based on the customer’s age: one for customers below 30 and one for those above 30.
- Their brokerage plan is also very unique. While many offer zero brokerage on delivery trades, they are offering zero brokerage on intraday trades.
- A loan against securities is offered to the customer through Kotak Bank, the parent company.
- Kotak Securities also provides the facility of investing in the US equity market to its customers. You can even buy fractional stocks. The onboarding for this facility is also paperless and effortless.
- They also offer Private Client Group, their high-end offering for high-net-worth individuals. It comes with a personal account manager and other top-of-the-class services.
HDFC Securities – Best Demat Account Online
The next position in our list of best demat accounts online is HDFC Securities. It is backed by another one of the top private-sector banks in India. Let’s discuss some of its unique features.
- They offer a unique feature: voice-enabled investing. Their voice-enabled virtual trading assistant ‘Arya’ can execute voice commands very efficiently. You can use Google Home and Alexa-powered devices for this.
- They offer ready-made stock baskets through small cases. These are based on particular themes and sectors.
- They offer many investment instruments, including mutual funds, stocks, commodities, currency, bonds, debentures, NCDs, NPS, etc.
- They also offer customers the facility to invest in stocks through SIP.
- They also offer a buy now, pay later facility for stocks. You can pay the amount up to 275 days.
Sharekhan – Top 10 Demat Accounts in India
Sharekhan ranks tenth on our list of top online demat accounts. They are a well-established broker in India with many years of experience. Let’s discuss their features.
- Sharekhan offers full brokerage services, and they also provide a discount brokerage account through Espresso. This lets customers benefit from both from a single company.
- Sharekhan offers Trade Tiger, their proprietary trading platform, filled with all the tools and features required by both beginner and advanced traders.
- Mini: This is the light version of their trading platform and is very useful for people with a slow internet connection.
- Pattern Finder: It analyses various market segments and, based on technical analysis, predicts chart patterns. You get the notification via SMS and email.
- They have an extensive network of physical branches in most cities of India. You also benefit from a large network of equity and mutual fund advisors.
Now let us discuss some of the top parameters and the demat accounts which perform well in those parameters.
Best Demat Account for Fast Account Opening
The account-opening process is a crucial factor in determining a demat account’s rank. Top demat accounts should offer an effortless, smooth account-opening process.
Nowadays, most customers prefer opening an account online. An easy, online account-opening process should be the first concern.
This also instils confidence in customers about the platform’s technological soundness.
The demat accounts which perform very well in this category are Angel One, Zerodha, Kotak Securities, Upstox, and Groww.
A quick, hassle-free account-opening process also benefits the company by increasing customer retention.
Top Demat Account with Low Brokerage
Brokerage and charges are very important in determining the ranking of the top 10 demat accounts.
The brokerage becomes even more important for short-term traders, especially those working on small profit margins.
Competitive brokerage rates and other charges can also save traders who make multiple trades regularly.
Even for long-term traders with larger profit margins, high brokerage and other charges can add up over time.
Then there is the concern of hidden costs, which must be more clearly mentioned; any Demat account with high hidden charges is not a good choice.
The demat accounts that perform well on this parameter are Zerodha, Angel One, 5Paisa, Groww, and Upstox.
Best Demat Account for Beginners
A beginner-friendly demat account should have basic features that make trading and investing easy and simple; this factor plays a huge role in determining the best demat account.
The trading platform should have simple navigation, and the user interface should be easy to understand.
Trade execution should be manageable for the user; the priority should be quick, simple order placement and execution.
The platform should also offer educational resources and demos to teach the basics of investing and trading, along with tools to learn how to use it.
The best-performing demat account for this parameter is Kotak Securities, Angel One, Upstox, Zerodha, and 5Paisa.
Top Demat Account for Traders
Beyond beginners, we also need to consider the requirements of traders and investors to determine the best demat account in India.
First, let us look at the features which make a demat account suitable for traders.
Traders usually make short-term trades and quick buys and sells; thus, easy, quick execution is the most critical factor.
Access to the trading platform from multiple devices is also a key requirement, as traders may need to place orders from their mobile devices.
Margin and leverage facilities with easy access, low fees, and interest are also necessary. Lastly, easy fund transfers to and from the demat account are essential.
The Demat accounts that stand out under this parameter are Motilal Oswal, Angel One, ICICI Direct, Kotak Securities, and Zerodha.
Top 10 Demat Accounts for Investors
Just like traders, we will now examine investors’ requirements to determine the top 10 demat accounts in India.
The top requirement for an investor is a wide range of investment instruments.
The Demat account should offer various instruments and assets, like stocks, derivatives, mutual funds, bonds, IPOs, etc.
A platform that provides detailed and real-time information is critical. As investors usually do not make quick trades; instead, they make well-researched trades.
Thus, top-notch research and analysis are the prime requirement. Value-added services like portfolio management services, personal finance assistance, etc, are also a good factor.
Zerodha, Angel One, Kotak Securities, Upstox, and Motilal Oswal perform very well under this parameter.
What Is a Demat Account?
A Demat account is an abbreviation; the full form is Dematerialised Account. It is a digital account where various types of investment instruments are kept in a paperless format.
Earlier, securities like stocks and bonds were held in paper certificates. Nowadays, they are in digital format, and a demat account is where they are stored.
Depository participants operate these, mainly brokerage firms like Angel One, Upstox, Zerodha, etc.
Types Of Demat Account
There are three types of demat accounts. These are regular demat accounts, repatriable demat accounts, and non-repatriable accounts; let’s discuss these in detail.
- Regular Demat Account: This is the most basic demat account; it stores various instruments in dematerialized form. Withdrawals and deposits can be made only in Indian rupees.
- Repatriable demat account: This account is mainly for NRI investors and traders. It allows the fund to be transferred outside India in foreign currencies. The investor must have an NRE bank account; the fund can be transferred to and from the NRE bank account.
- Non-Repatriable demat account: This again is for NRI investors and traders, but the main difference is that the money cannot be transferred outside India. The investor needs an NRO bank account.
How to Open a Demat Account Online?
The process to open a demat account is relatively straightforward.
- Go to the provided link and enter your basic details in the form.
- A company representative will contact you and guide you through the next steps.
- You must verify your mobile number and email ID by OTP.
- The next step will be to fill up the entire account opening.
- You will then e required to upload documents like PAN card, aadhar card, etc.
- Next, e-sign your form.
- Once verification is complete, the firm will activate your account within 24 hours.
Best Demat Account in India – Conclusion
India has a large number of Demat accounts which investors can choose from.
These provide unique features and offers to customers, but not all meet the necessary parameters to be considered one of the best Demat accounts in India.
The demat accounts we mention not only meet the basic requirements of most Indian customers; they also offer attractive features.
FAQs on Top 10 Demat Accounts in India
Here is the list of FAQs related to free demat accounts in India:
How to find the Best Demat Account offers in India?
You can check online reviews and the features of different demat accounts. It helps to be clear about your needs and requirements before deciding.
Which is the Top Demat Account in India?
Multiple factors determine the top demat account in India; as per our ranking, the top demat account is Angel One.
Which is the best online demat account?
The account opening process can determine the best online demat account, which should be paperless and easy.
The trading and investment process should also be simple and online; the following demat accounts fulfil these criteria: Angel One, Zerodha, Kotak Securities, Upstox, and Groww.
Which Top 5 Demat for Beginners?
A demat account with a straightforward account-opening process, an easy-to-navigate user interface, and educational resources can be a good fit for beginners.
Angel One, Upstox, Zerodha, 5Paisa, and Kotak Securities are the top 5 demat accounts for beginners.
Which Top 3 demat accounts are best for traders?
Traders need a demat account to place quick orders and keep brokerage and other charges low. The top 3 demat accounts for traders are Motilal Oswal, Angel One, and ICICI Direct.
Which Demat is Best for Investors?
Investors need a Demat account that helps them conduct reliable research on the stocks they want to invest in.
The top demat accounts for investors are Zerodha, Angel One, Kotak Securities, Upstox, and Motilal Oswal.
Which Demat is best for IPO investment?
The best demat account for IPO investment is one that provides complete, real-time, reliable data about the company whose IPO has been released.
Which is the best demat for MF Investment?
Groww can be considered the best Demat account for MF investment. Groww started as a pure mutual fund investment and later introduced demat and trading services.
Which is the Top 5 Free Demat account?
A free demat account is a demat account that does not charge you any fees for account opening; the top 5 in this category are Zerodha, Upstox, 5Paisa, Groww, and Angel Broking.
Where can you compare demat accounts?
You can find all the relevant details on our website; in addition to this article, we have separate articles on different demat accounts. You can use them to make your decision.