Zerodha Vs ICICI Direct – Comparison:
Comparing Zerodha vs ICICI Direct in terms of all product-wise details which are essential for every investor we get the detailed study. In this comparative assessment, we focused on the advantages and disadvantages of both the broker for the knowledge of investors.
Zerodha is the largest discount broker of India for providing the best online trading platform, high exposure in exchange for low brokerage, free mutual fund investment (using the platform) and a lot more.
Based on Bangalore it has 9lakhs customer base, 22 branch offices, 94 associate office, and 6 support-call & trade offices.
Whereas, ICICI Direct is an awarded stockbroker of India having a presence across 2300 sub-brokers, 61 branches which offers free demat account & numerous happy customers throughout India.
Notable Features:
Zerodha:
- Offers direct mutual fund investment using their portal for free.
- In association with IDFC, it provides 3-in-1 account facilities.
- The trading terminal is best among all the other market competitors.
- It provides the best quality of customer support.
- Facilitate free fund transfer using UPI.
ICICI Direct:
- It doesn’t have a 3-in-1 account.
- Margin Trading facility available.
- Multiple brokerage plan options are available.
- They provide support to the customer on research reports and advice.
- Mobile trading facility not available for NSE trading.
Zerodha Vs ICICI Direct Overall Company Details:
Comparing Zerodha vs ICICI Direct based on overall customer service we derived the below-mentioned details.
Here we have compared both the brokers considering the type of organization, broker type, originated location, establishment year & name of the founder.
Overview | Zerodha | ICICI Direct |
Organization Type | Private | Public |
Broker Category | Discount Broker | Full-Service Broker |
Head Office | Bangalore, India | Mumbai, India |
Founded by | Nithin Kamath | M K Sharma |
Commencement Year | 2010 | 1994 |
Zerodha Vs ICICI Direct Customer Ratings:
Comparing Zerodha vs ICICI Direct based on Customer Ratings we get this information.
Here we can see that regarding experience, product-services & research work, ICICI Direct is leading but in the remaining segments such as products, services, brokerage charges & platforms Zerodha is winning the race.
Customer Ratings | Zerodha | ICICI Direct |
On Experience | 5.7 out of 10 | 7.5 out of 10 |
On Products & Services | 8.5 out of 10 | 8.9 out of 10 |
On Brokerage Charges & Fees | 9.5 out of 10 | 6.0 out of 10 |
On Stock Research & Advisory | 4.0 out of 10 | 8.5 out of 10 |
On Trading Platforms | 9.0 out of 10 | 8.5 out of 10 |
On Overall Ratings | 7.4 out of 10 | 7.9 out of 10 |
On Star Ratings | ★★★★★ | ★★★★★ |
Comparison on AOC & AMC:
Here we have compared Zerodha vs ICICI Direct based on account opening charge & account maintenance charge. Here we can see from the below contrast that Zerodha offers free AMC on the trading account.
Whereas, ICICI Direct provides free account opening. Margin Money criteria are present in ICICI Direct.
Demat Services | Zerodha | ICICI Direct |
Depository Participant | CDSL | NSDL & CDSL |
Charges for Account Opening | Rs.300 | Zero |
AMC of Demat A/C | Rs.300 per Annum | Rs.500 per Annum |
AMC of Trading A/C | Free | Rs.975 |
Marginal Money | Zero | Minimum Rs.20,000 |
Offline to Online | No | No |
Zerodha Vs ICICI Direct Brokerage Charge:
Contrasting Zerodha vs ICICI Direct based on Brokerage Charge we get the below details. Here we can see that ICICI Direct offers a percentage based brokerage charge structure.
While Zerodha has a very economical flat fee-based brokerage charge. ICICI Direct charges a minimum brokerage on executed orders but there is no such minimum brokerage in Zerodha.
Brokerage Charge & Fees | Zerodha Brokerage | ICICI Direct Brokerage |
Equity Delivery Trading | Zero | 0.55% |
Equity Intraday Trading | Rs.20 | 0.03% – 0.05% |
Commodity Options Trading | Rs.20 | NA |
Equity Futures Trading | Rs.20 | 0.03% – 0.05% |
Equity Options Trading | Rs.20 per Lot | Rs.35 – Rs.95 per Lot |
Currency Futures Trading | Rs.20 | 0.03% – 0.05% |
Currency Options Trading | Rs.20 per Lot | Rs.10 – Rs.35 per Lot |
Minimum Brokerage | Zero | Rs.35 per Trade |
Demat AMC Charges | Rs.300 per Annum | Rs.500 per Annum |
Trading AMC Charges | Free | Rs.975 per Annum |
Margin Money | Zero | Minimum Rs.20,000 |
Comparison on Administrative Charge:
In terms of Administrative transactional charge, we here compared Zerodha vs ICICI Direct as below. We can see that both the broker share a similar charge structure other than the transaction charge criteria. The transaction charge of ICICI Direct is lesser than Zerodha.
Other Charges | Zerodha | ICICI Direct |
Transaction Charges | 0.00325% of Total Turnover | 0.00280% of Total Turnover |
STT | 0.0126% of Total Turnover | 0.0126% of Total Turnover |
SEBI Turnover Charges | 0.0002% of Total Turnover | 0.0002% of Total Turnover |
Stamp Duty | Depends on State (very minimal) | Depends on State (very minimal) |
GST | 18% of (Brokerage + Transaction Charges) | 18% of (Brokerage + Transaction Charges) |
Comparison on Offers:
Contrasting Zerodha vs ICICI Direct we get the below comparison on offers. We here can see that in terms of offers ICICI Direct is a step ahead of Zerodha for offering more offers.
Offers | Zerodha | ICICI Direct |
Free Demat Account | ✖ | ✖ |
Free Trading Account | ✖ | ✖ |
Discount on Brokerage | ✔ | ✖ |
Trading Happy Hours | ✖ | ✔ |
Flexible Brokerage Plans | ✖ | ✔ |
1 Month Brokerage Free | ✖ | ✖ |
Holiday Offers | ✖ | ✖ |
Referral Offers | ✖ | ✔ |
Zero Brokerage for Loss Making Trades | ✖ | ✔ |
Comparison on Services Offered:
Comparing Zerodha vs ICICI Direct based on their service offering we derived the below comparison:
Services | Zerodha | ICICI Direct |
Demat Services | ✔ | ✔ |
Trading Services | ✔ | ✔ |
3 in 1 Account | ✖ | ✔ |
Intraday Services | ✔ | ✔ |
IPO Services | ✔ | ✔ |
Stock Recommendations | ✖ | ✔ |
Robo Advisory | ✖ | ✔ |
PMS | ✖ | ✔ |
Trading Institution | ✖ | ✔ |
Trading Exposure | Maximum 28x | Maximum 16x |
Zerodha Vs ICICI Direct Research & Advisory:
Contrasting Zerodha vs ICICI Direct based on their research & advisory offering we received the below comparison. Here we can see in the below table that ICICI Direct offers different advisory supports, where Zerodha doesn’t provide any.
Research & Advisory | Zerodha | ICICI Direct |
Fundamental Reports Services | ✖ | ✔ |
Research Reports Services | ✖ | ✔ |
Company Reports Services | ✖ | ✔ |
Annual Reports Services | ✖ | ✔ |
Company Stock Review Services | ✖ | ✔ |
Free Stock Tips Services | ✖ | ✖ |
IPO Reports Services | ✖ | ✔ |
Top Picks Services | ✖ | ✖ |
Daily Market Review Services | ✖ | ✔ |
Monthly Reports Services | ✖ | ✔ |
Weekly Reports Services | ✖ | ✔ |
Offline Advisory Services | ✖ | ✔ |
Relationship Manager Services | ✖ | ✔ |
Zerodha Vs ICICI Direct Margin/ Exposure/ Leverage
Considering Zerodha vs ICICI Direct based on product-wise leverage we get the below details.
Exposure / Leverage | Zerodha Margin | ICICI Direct Margin |
Equity Delivery | Maximum 20x | Maximum 8x |
Equity Intraday | Maximum 28x | Maximum 16x |
Equity Futures | Maximum 15x | Maximum 8x |
Equity Options | Maximum 8x | Maximum 5x |
Currency Futures | Maximum 12x | Maximum 8x |
Currency Options | Maximum 8x | Maximum 8x |
Commodities | Maximum 17x | Maximum 12x |
Comparison of Products:
Comparing Zerodha vs ICICI Direct based on their product offering we derived the below comparison. We can see in this below comparison that ICICI Direct offered to trade in Mutual funds, forex, banking, insurance & SIP which Zerodha doesn’t.
Products | Zerodha | ICICI Direct |
Equity Trading | ✔ | ✔ |
Commodity Trading | ✔ | ✖ |
Currency Trading | ✔ | ✔ |
Options | ✔ | ✔ |
Futures | ✔ | ✔ |
Mutual Funds | ✖ | ✔ |
Forex | ✖ | ✔ |
Banking | ✖ | ✔ |
SIP | ✖ | ✔ |
Insurance | ✖ | ✔ |
Zerodha Vs ICICI Direct Trading Platforms:
Because of the trading terminal offering of Zerodha vs ICICI Direct, we compared them as below.
Trading Platforms | Zerodha Trading Platforms | ICICI Direct Trading Platforms |
Desktop Platform – Windows | ✔ | ✔ |
Desktop Platform – Mac | ✔ | ✔ |
Desktop Browser Platform | ✔ | ✔ |
Mobile Site Platform | ✔ | ✔ |
Android App Platform | ✔ | ✔ |
iOS App Platform | ✔ | ✔ |
Windows App Platform | ✖ | ✖ |
Other Mobile OS Platform | ✖ | ✖ |
Real-time Updates | ✔ | ✔ |
Portfolio Details | ✔ | ✔ |
Online MF Buy | ✔ | ✔ |
News Flash | ✔ | ✔ |
Research Reports | ✔ | ✔ |
Easy Installation | ✔ | ✔ |
Global Indices | ✔ | ✔ |
Stock Tips | ✔ | ✔ |
Personalized Advisory | ✔ | ✔ |
Interactive Charts | ✔ | ✔ |
Live Markets | ✔ | ✔ |
SMS Alerts | ✔ | ✔ |
Email Alerts | ✔ | ✔ |
Multi-Account Management | ✔ | ✔ |
Comparison on Customer Support:
Comparing customer assistance, we here have compared Zerodha vs ICICI Direct as below. We can see from the below chart that Zerodha doesn’t provide dedicated dealers, offline trading (as it is a discount broker).
While ICICI Direct doesn’t facilitate 24×7 support, offline trading & chat support.
Customer Support | Zerodha | ICICI Direct |
Dedicated Dealer | ✖ | ✔ |
Offline Trading | ✖ | ✖ |
Online Trading | ✔ | ✔ |
24*7 Support | ✔ | ✖ |
Support Number | 080-40402020 | 022-33551122 |
Email Support | ✔ | ✔ |
Chat Support | ✔ | ✖ |
Toll-Free Number | ✖ | ✖ |
Branches | Zero | 226 |
Comparison of Grievances:
Both these brokers provide multiple channels to their investors to reach them so that they can support the customers in a better way. Here we compared Zerodha vs ICICI Direct based on their customer complaint handling in the below table.
Complaints (Current Year) | Zerodha | ICICI Direct |
Lodged in BSE | 120 | 225 |
Resolved in BSE | 117 | 215 |
Lodged in NSE | 89 | 196 |
Resolved in NSE | 85 | 182 |
Conclusion:
Finally, we can conclude that ICICI Direct (full-service broker) has a huge offering for its customers just like its market reputation. But Zerodha (discount broker) offers lower charges to its customers.
Still, it should be kept in mind that individual investors should opt the broker between Zerodha and ICICI Direct as per his need only.