More often than not, investing in stocks pays off handsomely. The idea is to think smart and invest wisely. You can either follow the herd or take some calculated risk and invest in shares that have a high resale value. However, without a proper demat account, you will find your stock trading experience a little cumbersome. We help you select the best demat account provider in India.
What is a Demat account?
Demat is the shorter version of dematerialized account. A demat account is mandatory for a person who deals in shares and other stock market activities. This mandate comes from SEBI (Securities and Exchange Board of India). It is very different from your normal bank account and is used for the sole purpose of buying and selling of shares. The depository and depository participant are two important features of a demat account.
The depository is basically a provider of facility when it comes to holding securities in electronic form. In other words, it is just like the bank holding your money for you. In this case, the depository holds your shares, debentures, bonds etc. On the other hand, a depository participant is an agent hired by the depository to handle the demat account and other institutional participants like share brokers, financial institutions and banks.
Find out prices and read reviews of all the mobile phones sold in India
How to open a demat account?
When it comes to opening a demat account, it should be noted that as a depository, you are not permitted to open one without a depository participant. However, you can open any number of demat accounts as per your choice or based on the quality of services offered. A demat account in the name of joint holders is also possible. This is restricted to three holders. i.e. Main holder and two joint holders.
In case of a minor, you are eligible to open a demat account. However, the account should be operated by a guardian until the minor turns major. The father, mother or both can legally operate the demat account in the name of the minor. It should also be noted that the minor cannot be a joint account holder.
Operating a demat account online
Always enable online transactions when it comes to a demat account. This will not only allow you to access your account from anywhere but will also enable you to transact in stocks and shares listed on the stock exchange (Bombay Stock Exchange or National Stock Exchange). You simply have to login and start trading.
Comparison of various demat account providers in India (2012)
|
Account Opening Charges (AOC) |
Annual Maintenance Charge |
Brokerage |
Enquiry |
|
| Angel Broking |
Rs. 390/- |
Rs. 300/- First Year free |
30p Intra day 60p Delivery |
— N.A — |
| HDFC Securities |
Rs. 799/- |
Rs. 825/- |
0.5% transaction value (Direct) 0.05% transaction value (Intra Day) |
1-800-209-9700 |
| ICICI Direct |
Rs. 975/- |
Rs. 500/- (Paper/Email statements)
|
0.55% Delivery 0.05% Intra Day |
— N.A — |
| IndiaBulls |
Rs. 900/- |
Rs. 450/- |
50p Delivery 5p Intra Day |
— N.A — |
| Kotak Securities |
Rs. 750/- |
Rs. 500/- First Year free |
59p Delivery 6p Intra Day |
1-800-209-9191 OR 1-800-222-299 |
| Reliance Money |
Rs. 950/- |
Rs. 190/- First Year free |
1p Delivery (Offline) 1p Intra Day (Offline) |
— N.A — |
| SBI |
Rs. 500/- |
Rs. 386/- |
75p Delivery 5p Intra Day |
1-800-223-345
|
The table above compares the service charges and fees charged by various demat account providers when it comes to opening and maintaining a demat account. I have listed the ones that I could check. If you have experienced any demat account provider which is not listed above, please share the charges in the comments so that everyone can benefit.
So, which is the best demat account provider in India?
When it comes to costs, I would recommend India Bulls. The account opening charges might be higher than the rest but in the long run it turns out to be cheaper due to the free maintenance offered. However, when it comes to usability and quality service, Angel Broking would be my first choice. Make sure you carry your PAN card and a residence proof while opening a demat account. Happy Trading!
Do tell me which demat account you think is the best, in terms of cost and service, in the comments below.
Do share this blog with your friends on Facebook, Twitter and Google+ (buttons given below) if you have found it helpful. Thanks in advance 🙂
Check out some nice money saving coupons: Amazon India Coupons, Flipkart Coupons and Snapdeal Coupons.
Related Posts
Company Reports – Free research reports for listed companies in India Download free company reports for companies listed on Indian stock exchanges. These reports are published by leading brokers and updated here regularly.
Save 5k using Rajiv Gandhi Equity Savings Scheme (RGESS) – Sec 80CCG We explain Rajiv Gandhi Equity Saving Scheme (RGESS) in simple language and tell you how you can save an additional Rs. 5000 in taxes this year
Best broker and best online trading account in India We compare the top brokers and online trading account providers in India to help you select the best broker and the best online trading account.
Tax Planning – How to save income tax in FY 2016-17 (AY: 2017-18) All the necessary information that you need to know to do your income tax planning properly for financial year 2014-15 and Assessment year 2015-16
Best investment options in India for 2015 As they say, "Money isn't everything, but happiness alone can't keep out the rain."
And as we all know, there are only two ways to make money: by working and/or […]
I personally like ICICI Direct as all 3 of my accounts saving, trading and demat are together there. Zero hassles.
Thanks for sharing the information Ami!
Thanks Priyesh. ICICI is convenient but slightly on the expensive side. With others, you can negotiate and bring down the charges.
plz let me know the best account in terms of services, urgently
I want to open a demant account in sbi is it a good optoin
Yes
No
Hello Krishna, thanks for contributing. Can you please elaborate on your reason for not recommending SBI?
Thanks for the detailed comparison. really helpful…
🙂
How about sharekhan ??
Hi,
I am new to trading. Could you advise what does the 30P delivery charge imply. Is it per rupee or flat immaterial of the value of the transaction and would that work out cheaper than those on percentage like 0.5%?
Thanks
30P is per rupee meaning 0.3%
hi,
I read ur article it will help to go forward. I am new in this field so can u explain about Intra day,Delivery,transaction term, what is it mean?
thanks,
Your question is vast, something which cannot be explained in a comment. I may write an article on it someday but till then, you’ll need to google it or speak with an experienced equity investor.
hi naimisha. how could one say icici direct is more expensive than angel broking.the delivery charges for the former is 55p and for latter is 60p.intra day charges for icici is 5p and a.b. is 30p. i want to open an demat a/c with icici direct. pls suggest….
Hey Shekhar, the pricing that you get depends on your trading volume. You need to negotiate for better rates. There are no rack rates. ICICI may not negotitate but Angel certainly will.
thank u naimisha. i am a novice in this field.thank you for ur valuable suggestion….
🙂
Always prefer discounted broker services advantage is lesser brokerige. For example SAS Online offers 9 per transaction wise. So for buy any sell it is 9+9+15=33 means 16.5 paisa on worst senario which compares to others 25p,30p, 50p. If you trade more than 10000 then you find huge difference on brokerige. Exp: for 20k buy and sell 40k will be turnover so if brokerige is 30 p then you need pay 120rs if you opt discounted broker then it will be 33 only.
Have a nice trading.
Thanks for sharing Manik 🙂
Thanks Namisha, nice comparisons…but wat abt sbi? i mean i have read a few posts abt the service being very bad….ur comments on the same plz…
Sorry, haven’t had any experience with SBI and hence difficult for me to comment.
Indiabulls is not free for life – They are charging Rs.450 per year
Thanks for the information Paul. I have updated the post 🙂
can i open sbi demat a/c and reliance maone trading a/c? or i have to open both the a/c by same service provider?
Yes, you can. However, it is advisable to have both the trading and demat accounts with the same company. The transaction processing is much more faster and convenient.
Yes Dear, u can open as many account as u want, there is no problem.
You made a mistake about D’mat charges in Kotak securities.They charge Rs.500/- & not Rs.50/-as mentioned by you.Service is not that good & now & then they jack up prices.Their trading software is definitely bad & there’s delayed transmission.they maintain only one phone & it’s dificult to get them.CCOs are very rude & are a bunch of uneducated boys & girls who don’t understand what they are dealing.Trading charges are abnormally high & there’s lot of hidden charges .They talk big,but useless like ‘if it croses 50,then it will be 55.Once it’s over 55,it will be 60 ‘,etc. Better choose a pub.sector bank.
Thanks for pointing out the error Kalyani. The post has been updated.
You have mentioned about hidden charges. Can you please elaborate so that fellow readers also know about it?
which is the best demat a/c?
Angel Broking is my choice.
1.delivery brokerage charge-30p ok.but intraday-60p? 2.now any hidden charges? because iam not an experience man.pls guide to me.
1. Corrected. Thanks!
2. You don’t need to be experienced. All you have to do is ensure that you read before you sign.
which has the good representatives which can give us best advice for trading
Sahil, you should look at customer service and not advice for trading. All the representatives that these brokerages have will never be able to give you the kind of advice that you can give yourself. I suggest, rely only on your own research whatever your style, fundamental or technical. Nobody can care about your money as much as you can do. Others can only help.
hey can you tell me how to do a research for a particular company,what things to look for and what are most important things too look before buying any shares of any firm.Also for IPO how to research for it since the information about the company is quiet limited.
Never choose Axis bank, they provide 3rd class services.
I WNT TO OPEN DEMAT AS WELL AS TRADING ACCOUNT , AND TRANSFER HOLDINGS FROM zUARI INVESTMENT. KINDLY SUGGEST ME WHICH IS CHEAP AND BEST FOR ME ,
Once again, its your article where My search came to some conclusion, lol..
Good work…, you are appearing in these google searches…..kudos ^_^
I am going to get a demat a/c from my savings a/c provider HDFC. But today i came to know about one site fundsindia.com for MF trading, they r also providing DEMAT..
So, now I am thinking of considering these non-bank providers also.
I know, I need some more research, but if you can put your perception also, as usual, it will be helpful …:P 🙂
Good to see you back with us 🙂
If I were you, I would open my demat account with HDFC and not fundsindia.
Thanks Naimisha once again for ur valuable time and suggestion, will look into it gwith more details, and most probably will do the same with what u suggested. \m/
Hi..can you please guide me why you would have preferred HDFC over FundsIndia. Recently I opened ac count in FundsIndia for MF transaction & apparently it looks easier if you have DMAT a/c also from same vendor. Isn’t it or am i missing any context here?
wat about sharekhan ??
kindly enlight
Sharekhan is also nice. But my choice is Angel
what about zerodha??
minimum brokerage charge…
I am unaware about zerodha
hii Naimisha
are you know about IndiaInfoline.
Indiainfoline is also good. You may go for it.
I have found your articles quite informative. Thanks for sharing and will be looking to reading more on tax-planning, stock investing and other financial/investing blogs of yours.
I had a query on this blog (http://howtobuybest.in/best-demat-account-in-india/) and the other one which talks about trading account (http://howtobuybest.in/best-broker-and-best-online-trading-account-in-india/).
What is the difference between the Demat Brokerage charges (e.g., from your blog, for Kotak Securities, it is mentioned as 59 paise Delivery, 6 paise Intraday) and Intraday or Delivery Buy/Sell (e.g., for Kotak Securities, you cited it as 0.49%) for Trading Account.
I have heard about the brokerage charges (former) but am not aware of any other charge towards trading – hence this query.
Thanks in advance !
There are two kind of charges:
1. Brokerage charges: Intraday buy/sell, delivery buy/sell, etc
2. Demat charges: Every time securities move into or move out of demat account, you may be charged. Besides, there are annual maintenance charges for your demat account.
i want open a demat and trading account
looking for dmat account
if u r searching for a better demat accnt then go for IIFL….here there trading sftwre is very good….u can do both offlne nd online tradng easily….commnts plzzz
I agree that IIFL has one of the best online trading software in the business.
Sorry for Spelling Mistake
Hi Naimisha
I m rishi,
I have demate account in ICICI Bank,
I m planning to change demate account as ICICI is expensive
pls suggest the best & cheapest service provider
I m beginner in trading,
my 99% transactions are delivery
my req. is online trading, online fund transfer, (I m not interested in trading on phone)
Angel Broking or Sharekhan
Angel
Thanks for ur suggestion
Can u pls give me Fees & Charges detail of Angel & Sharekhan
I m not able to find it on their site
Fees for Angel Broking is given above.
Hi Naimisha I am new to share market. Could you please tell me few articles / books etc. to read before starting investments?
Hi,
Iam new to demat and trading account.
Can you tell me the difference between demat and trading account ?
If i open a demat account with Angel Brokerage, do I have to link it with another bank account for credit/debit of money used for demat purposes ??
Demat account shows all your owned shares in electronic form. Online trading account is where you can buy & sell shares/futures/options online. You should link your bank account with the above accounts for ease in direct debit/credit.
Mam
From the data available above, can it be concluded that angel broking is best for demat a/c as all their charges are on the lower side??
Also do we have to see the reputation , quality of the demat a/c providers and why??
Thank You
Sir, you need to look at all the aspects of the service provider and not just the charges. To answer why, think of a situation where the demat provider charges you the lowest fee but takes more than a month to respond to any request submitted by you?
I hope this Mam has answered your question Sir 😉
Hi Naimisha,
I am new to this demat acc. stuff. I want to invest in this rajeev gandhi equity fund and they have said open a demat account, as per your experience which one is the best from all ends. It would be helpful if you advice on this. Can i open it by myself online?? and what is this 1p delivery and 1p intra day.
Thannk You 🙂
Ramya, for novices like you 😉 , Mutual funds have launched RGESS schemes. You can invest in them without opening a demat account and still claiming a tax benefit 🙂
Some schemes you may consider are:
DSP BlackRock RGESS Fund
UTI Rajiv Gandhi Equity Saving Scheme
LIC Nomura MF RGESS Series 1
No you can not purchase Rajiv Gandhi ESS without without demat account.
Any idea about Axis bank??
I have not experienced Axis bank. Does anyone trade with Axis bank? Please share your experience.
Never choose AXIS bank. Their services are very very very very very third class.
i used angel,stopped their service,applied for icici withdrawed,now i am satisfied with sbi ,but shifted to indian bank as they offer the cheapest maintenace and other costs.i have good service from sbi ,canara bank and indian bank.no frauds.safe.anytime any complaint can be lodged ,and if any complain is not addressed there are options of higher offices where u can complaint.other thing which i love the best is with one standing instruction amount in my trading account such as divident can be moved to bank deposits.so nice.some of my bank deposits are rising due to interest and divident.that with minimum time spending.
Thanks for sharing your experience Aravind! I am sure all the readers will benefit from your experience. 🙂
Naimisha you are awesome in replying all the queries..!!!
And you are awesome in complementing me!! 😀
Hi,
You said this is best to have Demat and your trading account with same banker, and on other hand you suggest Angel Broking is best as per your experience, I have my saving account with ICICI Bank, what about the combination of Angel + ICICI? Any suggestions.
Thanks in advance for your valuable response.
Zameer
Chartered Accountant
It is always more convenient to have all your 3 accounts with the same vendor. However, if you feel that a broker is giving awesome service but he is not a bank and hence cannot offer a savings account, you should link your existing savings account with this broker’s trading and demat accounts.
Angel+ICICI is a good combination!
Wonderful work done by you, Namisha and others as well for making this really informative. My query is I already have trading account and Demat account with HDFC. My only issue is that this bank does not allow me to buy scripts below 2.50 Rs so what should I if I want to buy such scripts ? any suggestions ?
Thanks Jahan!! All credit to my wonderful and helpful readers 🙂
To your question, I would look at some other broker who will allow me to buy scrips below Rs. 2.50.
What is your outlook regarding canara bank and indian bank???
I don’t give stock calls 🙂
I was asking about Demat account in these banks
oh so sorry..
I am not aware about the quality and rates of demat offerings of these banks.
I want to open a Demat account. I intend buying shares for long term and also mutual funds. Some times i may do intra day trading. Which company is better?? Some body told me that VENTURA is cheapest???Adice plz
I have no personal experience with Ventura. Probably, you can tell guide us with your experience once you open your account with them 🙂
Great work namisha…got to know alot as a novoice…Thanks
Can u help me in suggesting about Syndicate bank’s demat account charges & services…
I tried googling it …dint help.
expecting it from you…Thanks 🙂
Thank you for the appreciation, Sandesh!
Unfortunately, I have no idea about demat services of Syndicate bank. I’d suggest, you look for a more established market player from amongst the ones listed above. You can expect professional service and good rates from them 🙂
hv u ever heard about mastertrust…..this is also a broker..n they are providing good brokerage charges compare to other brokerage houses…they are not taking any account opening charges and annual maintenance charges….they take 2p on 100 rs…it is two paisa not 20 paisa on every 100rs…..mastertrust is also listed in bse for last 25 years…..this is the only broker who has ats(automated trading system)…services are good….
Hi,
How about axis direct..?
Axisdirect has very high charges and very poor service. Many times the brokerage deducted is exorbitant and arbitrary.
Thank you Sidharth for answering the question 🙂
And Thank You Naimisha for complimenting me
i am planning to open demat account in IDBI bank. any suggestions
Good work. keep it up..
Hi Naimisha,
I had a word with Angel broking, they were giving me the following price for trading and demat account:
Annual – 300 (1st yr free)
Account opening – Free
Brokerage – 30p
Intra-day – 3p
But after negotiations, he agreed on
Brokerge – 15p
Intraday – 1.5p
Start with 25k transfer to demat a/c from saving a/c
Wotsay?
I might be investing 5-8k per month, is this the best price or should I also check with others like Share Khan etc.
I don’t want to get into annual fees/hidden costs etc. Newbie, so don’t wanna waster more than what I earn!
Looks like a good deal. Go for it!
I have changed my mind.
Heard a lot of bad reviews about Angel Broking. Just google “Angel Broking complaints” and it seems they have cheated a lot of people.
After couple of days research, I am going with either Zerodha/Ventura/RSKV.
Heard a lot good things about these 3.
Thanks!
hi, I have an account in Citibank, can I go for demat account with them? if no which demat account you suggest?
Its also advisable to have demat account with the same bank where you have your savings account. Citibank demat service is good.
Hello Namita,
I am having HDFC demat account from past 2 yrs and sometimes doing trading but really cant imagine big profit in short term investment. I mean apart form buy/sell charges there are so many other charges which’ll reduce your profit. So I feel HDFC,ICICI and all others are good but can some one tell which demat account charge less in intraday/Cash and carry option ??? and we can link HDFC + SharKhan ?
I agree with you Varun. All demat accounts charge almost similar fees. Though, some do not charge annual maintenance.
And yes, you can link your HDFC demat to your Sharekhan trading account.
Hi Naimisha,
Thanks for the great article. Great work has done by you.
iam new to investing in stocks but got lot of information through your article and replays. I have some doubts. How many investor types are there.? Can i invest whenever i want after getting demat and trading accounts ?
Thanks,
Ramesh
Yes Ramesh, you can invest whenever you want but your actual transaction will actually happen only during market hours.
And thanks for the complement 🙂
hi
i m new in this demat world, seems just got out of the egg.
ur above conversation about demat, online trading and charges like intraday, brokege etc boosted my brain.
just wanted 2 know about motilal oswal ???
is it good 2 start with them???
You can go with Motilal Oswal.
Hello,
You did not mention SHCIL? Am i missing something?
There are a lot of brokers operating in India and is difficult to cover all of them. I have covered the ones I have experienced personally.
Hence, nothing against SHCIL. Why don’t you share your experience with them, Karan?
Hey,
I use India Infoline and I think it is pretty good. The only setback is you get leverage only if you have a minimum balance of 1 lakh.
🙂
Hi Namisha,
I have read all your answers and they are really informative.
Namisha is there a deemat account where I can buy & sell shares without brokers? and Can I buy any shares or bonds without a deemat account?
Thanks,
Ajay
You need to go through a broker to buy & sell shares on stock exchanges. These days, you will hardly find any company issuing physical shares. Hence, demat account is a must.
Hi Nimisha,
I must say excellent article. I’ve done some work on demat account service provider in inida and came to know that Sharekhan,Angel broking and Indiabulls etc have bad record in unauthentic selling of shares which cause to high money lose. If such kind of issue occurs then there is no meaning to open demat account in india.
Can you suggest some provider who provides really good service in terms of security and trust?. I am ok if there is bit high cost for trading because I’m not going trading frequently.
I am looking forward to your positive and helpful reply on this asap.
Thanks,
Nitin
Thanks Nitin!
You can look at 3-in-1 offerings of ICICI or Kotak. A little high priced but lots of convenience, security and trust.
Nimisha,
Thanks for replay and i really appreciates your kind support. As you said, ICICI and Kotak are good in terms of Security and trust but ICICIC has stopped foreign stock investment facility recently. Is there any good service provider in india for purchasing of foreign stocks?
Eagerly Waiting for your reply on this…:)
Thanks,
Nitin Piparva.
Not sure Nitin. Can anyone help Nitin with his query?
Hi Nimisha
Can you give some details about IDBI Demat account…
opening chargers 700 annual charger 350..
but charger 0.50% for below 2 lakh…
Go ahead. Can’t see any reason not to 🙂
Hi Naimisha,
Several questions. Here goes:
1. What is this normal, 2-in-1, 3-in-1 account etc.? What’s the difference?
2. Is it that with some service providers, we can trade on mobile phones and with some we can’t? If yes, which ones allow mobile transactions?
3. Do all service providers offer all kind of trading (spot, future, swap, option, commodity, currency etc.) in all accounts? If no, which ones do?
Thanks
1. 2-in-1 is a trading+demat account. In 3-in-1, you get savings account also added.
2. Yes, some service providers do allow trading on mobile platform. I know Indiainfoline allows it. Not sure of others
3. Not everyone will offer everything. But most large brokerages provide these.
Hi Naimisha
I am new to stoxk market and looking for a demat as well as trading account which can give me the best service.
I have gone through all the above suggestions and is actually confused.
Please tell me the best option to go with.
How would be ICICI or shall i go with some other.
ICICI is good but a little expensive. Try Angel or Sharekhan.
Now is April 2015. Most comments are old. Can a knowledgeable persnon furnish a comparison of top 10 DPs in India valid as on date covering current charges on AMC and brokerages ? I think no one charges an account opening fee now.
actually,i have done many investment through mutual funds in equity and tax saver (elss) fund before.
Never done direct trading with demat a/c, no demat a/c in my name.
Can i called new direct investor………..under Rajiv gandhi equity saving scheme?
Can i get an addition tax benefit of 50,000/- deduction by direct trading…..?
Can anybody reply………………?
i WANT TO OPEN A DEMAT A/C OF YOUR’S…………
Yes Anant, you can open a demat account and claim the amount that you invest in shares upto 50k.