Kotak Securities is a full-service broker where you can invest in stocks, equity derivatives, currency F&O, Mutual funds, IPOs, bonds, ETFs, and IRF (Interest Rate Futures). You can also avail the benefit from other value added products including Loan products, research advisory, dealer-assisted trading, and portfolio management services.
Whereas Zerodha is a discount broker that allows you to trade or invest in stocks, equity derivatives, currency F&O, Mutual funds, IPOs, bonds, and ETFs. Zerodha offers flat discounted brokerage fees because zerodha does not provide you stock investment tips, research, or Robo advisory services.
Let’s compare Kotak Securities vs Zerodha on some common features like account opening, AMC, brokerage charges, trading platforms, and customer support.
Kotak Securities vs Zerodha Comparison Table
| Particulars | Zerodha | Kotak Securities |
| Broker Type | Discount Broker | Full Service Broker |
| Year of Incorporation | 2010 | 1994 |
| Exchange Membership | NSE, BSE, MCX and NCDEX | BSE, NSE, MCX, & NCDEX |
| Trade-in | Stocks/Equity, F&O, Commodities, Currency, Mutual Funds, IPOs, Bonds & Govt-Securities | Stocks/Equity, Currency F&O, Commodity, Mutual Funds, IPOs, ETF, Bonds, Loans, IRF (Interest Rate Futures) |
| Account opening charges (one-time) | Rs 200+ Rs 100 for Commodity (optional) | Rs. 299 – Trade Free Youth Rs. 99 – Trade Free Plan Rs. 499 – Dealer assisted plan |
| Demat AMC Fees | Rs. 300 | Rs. 600 |
| Intraday Margin | Upto 5X on intraday | Upto 5X on intraday |
| Brokerage Plan | Single plan | Trade free plan Dealer assisted plan |
| Brokerage Charges | Zerodha Plan | Kotak Securities (Trade free plan) |
| Equity Delivery | 0 (Free) | Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.25% of transaction value whichever is higher with a ceiling of 2.5% |
| Equity Intraday | 0.03% or Rs. 20 per executed order whichever is lower | Rs 0 (free) |
| Equity Futures | 0.03% or Rs. 20 per executed order whichever is lower | Delivery – Rs. 20 per executed order Intraday – Free |
| Equity Options | Rs. 20 per executed order | Delivery – Rs. 20 per executed order Intraday – Free |
| Currency Futures | 0.03% or Rs. 20 per executed order whichever is lower | Delivery – Rs. 20 per executed order Intraday – Free |
| Currency Options | Rs. 20 per executed order | Delivery – Rs. 20 per executed order Intraday – Free |
| Commodity Futures | 0.03% or Rs. 20 per executed order whichever is lower | Delivery – Rs. 20 per executed order Intraday – Free |
| Commodity Options | Rs. 20 per executed order | Delivery – Rs. 20 per executed order Intraday – Free |
| Call & Trade Charges | Rs. 50 per order | First 20 calls free After that, Rs. 15-20 per order |
Kotak Securities Vs Zerodha Account Charges & AMC Comparison
#1. Account Opening Charges
Both Kotak Securities and Zerodha offer a free Demat account facility.
In terms of trading account, Zerodha charges Rs. 200 for trading account opening. You need to pay Rs. 100 more to open a commodity trading account with Zerodha. Commodity trading is optional in Zerodha.
On the other hand, Kotak securities charge different ranges for trading account opening from Rs. 99 to Rs. 499 according to your selected brokerage plan.
| Zerodha | Kotak Securities | |
| Demat Account Opening Charges | Rs. 0 (Free) | Rs. 0 (Free) |
| Trading Account Opening Charges (One Time) | Rs 200 (equity only) Rs 300 (with commodity account) | Rs. 299 – Trade Free Youth Rs. 99 – Trade Free Plan Rs. 499 – Dealer assisted plan |
You may like to read the step-by-step guide on how to open a Zerodha demat account.
#2. Account Annual Maintenance Charges (AMC)
Zerodha charges Rs 300 for demat account AMC charges, on the other hand, Kotak Securities charges Rs 600 per annum.
| AMC Fee | Zerodha | Kotak Securities |
| Trading AMC Fee | Zero | Zero |
| Demat AMC Fee | Rs. 300 | For BSDA ClientsHolding <50K = No AMCHolding >50K & <2 lakh = Rs. 100 AMC For Non-BSDA ClientsHolding <10K = No AMCHolding >10K = Rs. 50 per month (Rs. 600 yearly) |
Kotak Securities Vs Zerodha – Broker Comparison
Zerodha offers zero brokerage on equity delivery and for intraday is 0.03% or Rs. 20 per executed order whichever is lower.
Whereas Kotak Securities offers three plans with different brokerage rates.
- Trade Free Brokerage Plan
- Trade Free Youth Plan
- Dealer Assisted Brokerage Plan
Let’s discuss the brokerage comparison between Kotak Securities and Zerodha based on different brokerage plans.
#1. Kotak Securities Trade Free Brokerage Plan Vs Zerodha (Flat Brokerage Plan)
Zerodha offers a single brokerage plan, charges Rs 0 for equity trades and Rs 20 per executed order or 0.03% (whichever is lower) for intraday trades.
On the other hand, Kotak Securities offers a trade free brokerage plan for individuals above 30 years of age. Under this plan, Kotak securities charge 0.25% for delivery trades, while intraday trades incur zero brokerage charges.
| Segment | Brokerage Charges Under Trade Free Plan | Zerodha(Flat Brokerage Plan) |
| Equity Delivery | Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.25% of transaction value whichever is higher with a ceiling of 2.5% | 0 (Free) |
| Equity Intraday | Rs 0 (free) | 0.03% or Rs. 20 per executed order whichever is lower |
| Equity Futures | Delivery – Rs. 20 per executed order Intraday – Free | 0.03% or Rs. 20 per executed order whichever is lower |
| Equity, Currency, Commodity Options | Delivery – Rs. 20 per executed order Intraday – Free | Rs. 20 per executed order |
| Currency Futures | Delivery – Rs. 20 per executed order Intraday – Free | 0.03% or Rs. 20 per executed order whichever is lower |
| Commodity Futures | Delivery – Rs. 20 per executed order Intraday – Free | 0.03% or Rs. 20 per executed order whichever is lower |
#2. Trade Free Youth
For Youngsters, Kotak Securities offers a trade free youth brokerage plan for those who are below 30 years of age. Under this plan, Kotak securities does not charge any brokerage fees for all trades.
| Segment | Brokerage Charges Under Trade Free Youth Plan |
| Equity, Currency, Commodity, Delivery, Intraday, F&O | Rs. 0 Brokerage for all trades |
#3. Kotak Securities Dealer Assisted Brokerage Plan
Under the dealer-assisted plan, Kotak Securities charges brokerage of as high as 0.39% per trade for delivery trades. On the other hand, Zerodha charges lowest brokerage charges for all intraday trading of Rs. 20 per executed order.
| Segment | Kotak Securities Dealer Assisted Brokerage Plan | Zerodha(Flat Brokerage Plan) |
| Equity Delivery | 0.39% of transaction value | 0 (Free) |
| Equity Intraday | 0.039% of transaction value | 0.03% or Rs. 20 per executed order whichever is lower |
| Equity Futures | 0.39% of transaction value | 0.03% or Rs. 20 per executed order whichever is lower |
| Equity Options | Rs. 39 per Lot | Rs. 20 per executed order |
| Currency Futures | Rs. 9 per Lot | 0.03% or Rs. 20 per executed order whichever is lower |
| Currency Options | Rs. 5 per Lot | Rs. 20 per executed order |
| Commodity Futures | 0.39% of transaction value | 0.03% or Rs. 20 per executed order whichever is lower |
| Commodity Options | Rs. 39 per Lot | Rs. 20 per executed order |
Kotak Securities Vs Zerodha Leverage (Margin)
On July 20, 2020, SEBI issued a circular on peak margin and fixed the leverage margin for all stockbrokers in India. According to this circular, stockbrokers are not permitted to offer margins higher than the defined cap to their customers.
As a result, both the stock brokers Kotak Securities and Zerodha offer margin for intraday trading of up to 20% of the trade value (5x leverage) based on the stock.
| Segment | Kotak Securities | Zerodha |
| Equity Delivery | 100% of trade value (1x leverage) | 100% of trade value (1x leverage) |
| Equity Intraday | Up to 20% of trade value (5x leverage) | Up to 20% of trade value (5X leverage) |
| F&O (Equity, Currency & Commodities) | 100% of NRML margin (Span + Exposure) (1x leverage) | 100% of NRML margin (Span + Exposure) (1x leverage) |
Zerodha Vs Kotak Securities Trading Platforms
Zerodha offers various trading platforms to its customers.
- Kite – Web-based trading platform for investing in stocks
- Kite Mobile – Trading mobile app for Android/iOS
- Coin or Coin app – invest in mutual funds or bonds
- Console – Back-office platform
- Sentinel – Live market price alerts tool
Zerodha doesn’t provide IPO investment through mobile apps.
Kotak Securities provides various trading platforms to its customers.
#1. Kotak Securities Website – HTML/Web-based trading platform to invest in stocks, IPOs, Mutual Funds and Bond.
#2. KEAT ProX Trading Terminal – Desktop-based trading platform where you can trade in equities, derivatives, and currencies using a single platform.
KEAT Pro X comes in two versions
- Fastlane- web-based software for KEAT ProX-like trading when your office does not allow application installations.
- Xtralite – Designed for traders who have slow internet connectivity. Xtralite provides super-fast trading even on low bandwidth connections.
#3. Kotak Stock Trader (Mobile App) – Mobile app-based trading platform for Android/iOS.
#4. Kotak Smallcase – 3rd party investment tool, Smallcase is a portfolio or a basket of stocks and ETFs. You can also check out how to find the Smallcase promo code.
Kotak Securities Vs Zerodha Customer Support
Kotak Securities is a full-service broker offering high-quality customer service, whereas Zerodha is a discount broker providing a better customer support system as compared to all other discount brokers in India.
| Kotak Securities Customer Care | Zerodha Customer Care | |
| Account opening number | 1800 209 9191 Whatsapp No. – 77389 88888 | 080 4719 2020 080 7117 5337 |
| Trading issues | Email – [email protected] | 080 4718 1888080 4718 1999 |
| Ticket raise | Zerodha ticket to raise |
Zerodha Vs Kotak Securities: Which one is better?
Zerodha is the best option for retail investors with a single brokerage plan and user-friendly “kite” interface. Zerodha offers free equity delivery and charges a maximum Rs. 20 per executed order for intraday trading, Currency and commodity.
For intraday trading, Kotak Securities is the great choice for you as Kotak Securities does not charge any brokerage on intraday trading for all segments under trade free plan. For equity delivery, you need to pay Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.25% of transaction value whichever is higher with a ceiling of 2.5%.
When we compare the account charges with AMC fee, both the stock brokers charge Rs. 600 in total, because Zerodha charges Rs. 300 for account opening and Rs. 300 for AMC. Kotak Securities charges Rs. 99 for trade free account opening and Rs. 499 for AMC.
FAQs
Zerodha offers a zero brokerage option for equity delivery trades.
Kotak Securities offers a trade-free option for intraday trades under the trade free plan.
No, there are no brokerage fees charged for all trades.
As per the guidelines issued by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI), there are no annual maintenance charges (AMC) for BSDA accounts if the value of securities held in the account does not exceed Rs. 50,000.
If the value of securities held in the account is between Rs. 50,001 to Rs. 2,00,000, the maximum annual maintenance charge that can be levied is Rs. 100 plus applicable taxes.
The maximum holding in a BSDA account is Rs. 2 lakh (or its equivalent in securities) as per the regulations set by the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
BSDA (Basic Services Demat Account) is a demat account offered by securities depositories in India. BSDA allows small retail investors to hold securities in electronic form with reduced maintenance charges.
Zerodha charges a maximum of Rs. 20 per executed order or 0.03% (whichever is lower) for intraday trading.
