Investing in trading apps has been evolving with each passing day, and there are numerous trading apps that are coming up in the market. Two of the most prominent and major ones among them are Dhan vs Zerodha. But, to choose between them can be a challenging task.
Dhan Vs Zerodha: Company Overview
These two trading platforms have been in the limelight in the financial market for their investment plans, stock prices, account features, to name a few. While the foremost similarity and the feature that gets the most of the attention is that they don’t charge a single rupee for opening a demat account.
| PARAMETER | DHAN | ZERODHA |
| Founded | 2021 | 2010 |
| Founders | Pravin Jadhav, Alok Pandey & Jay Gupta | Nithin Kamath & Nikhil Kamath |
| Headquarter | Mumbai, Maharashtra, India | Bengaluru, Karnataka, India |
| Type of platform | Discount Broker | Discount Broker |
| Offers trading in | NSE, BSE, MCX, NCDEX | BSE, NSE, MCX |
| No. of branches | Zero | 75+ branches & partner offices |
| Active customer base (2023) | 2.5 lakhs | 6.3 million |
Note: Also visit the article – mStock vs Zerodha.
Detailed Comparison of Dhan Vs Zerodha
Account Opening Charges
| PARAMETER | DHAN | ZERODHA |
| Trading account opening charges | Free | Rs.200 |
| Trading annual account maintenance charges | Zero | Zero |
| Demat account opening charges | Zero | Zero |
| Annual maintenance charges for demat account | Zero (lifetime) | Rs.300 (Lifetime / per annum) |
Brokerage Charges Comparison
Brokerage charges are one of the basic things that any investor looks for before investing in any of the plans, stocks, etc. These charges vary according to the brokerage rates, investment plans, and the platform.
| CHARGES | PARAMETERS | DHAN | ZERODHA |
| EQUITY | Delivery | Free | Free |
| Intraday | Rs.20 or the 0.03% | Rs.20 or 0.3%, the lower among the two | |
| Futures | Rs.20 or 0.03% | Rs.20 or 0.03% | |
| Options | Rs.20 (flat) for every transaction | Rs.20 (flat) per execution of order | |
| COMMODITY | Futures | Rs. 20 or 0.03% (lower one between the two) | Rs.20 or 0.03% (lower one between the two) |
| Options | Rs.20 | Rs.20 | |
| Trading | Flat fee of Rs.20 | Flat fee of Rs.20 | |
| CURRENCY | Futures | Rs.20 or 0.03% | Rs.20 or 0.03% |
| Options | Rs.20 (flat fee) | Rs.20 (flat fee) | |
| CALL & TRADE CHARGES | Per order | GST + Rs.50 | Rs.50 |
| HIDDEN CHARGES | – | NIL | NIL |
| CHARGES FOR MINIMUM BROKERAGE (if any) | – | NIL | NIL |
| BROKERAGE CALCULATOR | – | Dhan | Zerodha |
The above table reflects the different charges these trading apps have set for different parameters while conveying the brokerage charges. For equity delivery, both the trading platforms charge zero, that sets the similarity base for them. While the other parameters charges are somewhat similar to what both Dhan and Zerodha imposes.
While for call and trade dhan charges Rs.50 + GST, whereas zerodha charges only Rs.50 per executed order, that makes one of the major differences between the two.
Both dhan and zerodha, take NIL for hidden charges and for minimum brokerage too. These brokerage charges are essential to consider before investing in any of these platforms, as it’ll help you get the best result for your interest.
Transaction Charges
| CHARGES | PARAMETER | DHAN | ZERODHA |
| EQUITY | Delivery | NSE – 325 per Cr i.e. 0.00325% BSE – 375 per Cr i.e. 0.00375 per Cr | NSE – 335 per Cr i.e. 0.00335% BSE – 375 per Cr i.e. 0.00375 |
| Intraday | NSE – 325 per Cr i.e. 0.00325% BSE – 375 per Cr i.e. 0.00375% | NSE – 335 per Cr i.e. 0.00335% BSE – 375 per Cr i.e. 0.00375% | |
| Futures | NSE – 190 per Cr | NSE – 200 per Cr | |
| Options | NSE – 5000 per Cr | NSE – 5050 per Cr | |
| CURRENCY | Futures | Rs.110 per Cr | Rs.90 per Cr |
| Options | Rs.4000 per Cr | Rs.3500 per Cr | |
| COMMODITY | Not Available | 0.0026% |
The above table represents the different transaction charges imposed by these trading platforms on various parameters. These charges vary according to the NSE and BSE sets. These may evolve or change during the course of time or according to the financial market.
Pros & Cons of Dhan & Zerodha
| PLATFORM | PROS | CONS |
| Dhan | Provide seamless brokerage services across exchanges BSE, NSE, MCX. | Charges extra for call and trade services for every order (Rs.50) |
Open free account | Doesn’t allow the facility of 3-in-1 account | |
Free AMC of demat account | Does not provide the facility of research, recommendations, & stock tips. | |
For all other segments trade brokerages, charges Rs.20 | No monthly unlimited trading plans are provided | |
Zerodha | Offer free equity trades, and charges no amount for brokerage for cash-n-carry orders | Does not provide tips for stocks, research and recommendations |
Provides brokerage services across exchanges BSE, NSE, MCX | Charges extra for call and trade services (Rs.50) | |
Provides facility of direct mutual funds | No 3-in-1 account facility is provided | |
Provides facility to use Kite trading platform for free | No monthly unlimited trading plans are provided | |
For all other segments trade brokerages, charges Rs.20 | ||
NRI trading is available |
Summing Up
Both of these trading platforms have evolved with time and are prominent contenders of each other. On one hand, Zerodha is ahead in the list than Dhan in terms of active customer base, while on the other hand Dhan comes at the other top by charging zero as the account opening fee, while Zerodha charges Rs.200.
