ICICI Direct vs Kotak Securities Review 2024 | Which Is Better
CICI Direct vs Kotak Securities
ICICI direct, founded in 1994, is a full-service broker. It offers trading on the BSE and NSE , It offers trading on the BSE and NSE. It operates 154 branches across India. Kotak Securities , founded in 1994, is a Full Service broker. It supports trading on the BSE, NSE, MCX, & NCDEX. It has 150 branches in India .
ICICI Direct
One of the biggest retail stock brokers in India is ICICIdirect. It is a member of the Group ICICI. More than 50 lakh consumers can take advantage of its online trading and investing services. Equity, commodity, and currency trading at the BSE, NSE, and MCX are among the services provided. The company also provides wealth products, home loans, loans against securities, fixed deposits, bonds, NCDs, mutual funds, and initial public offerings (IPOs). The most well-liked offering from ICICI Direct is its 3-in-1 account. In addition to many other features and products, ICICIdirect offers One Click Equity, Margin Trading Funding (MTF), Smart Trading features, Systematic Equity Plan, and easy equity
investment.
Kotak Securities
Kotak Securities Ltd, founded in 1994, is a full-service stock broker that provides a 3-in-1 account (Bank + Trading + Demat Account) to individual investors in India. It provides investing opportunities in stocks, derivatives (equities, commodities, and currencies), and mutual funds. It also provides services like Research SMS, margin trading, depository services, and third-party products such as insurance. The company also offers direct access to the US market.
Kotak Securities is a division of Kotak Mahindra bank. In India, It provides a full-service stock broker regular investors with a 3-in-1 account (bank, trading, and demat). It provides investments in stocks, derivatives (equities, commodities, and currencies), and mutual funds. It also provides services such as Research SMS, margin trading, depository services, and third-party products like insurance.
| ICICI Direct | Kotak Securities | |
| Establishment Year | 1994 | 1994 |
| Founder | Vjay Chandok | Jaideep Hansraj |
| Exchange of Membership | BSE, NSE | BSE, NSE, MCX, NCDEX |
| Broker Type | Full Service Broker | Full Service Broker |
| Company Type | Public | Private |
| Branches | 154 | 150 |
ICICI Direct vs Kotak Securities Charges
| Charges | ICICI Direct | Kotak Securities |
| Trade and Call Charge | Rs 50 per trade | Rs. 50 per Call |
| Minimum Brokerage Charges | Rs 35 per trade (I-Secure Plan) | Rs 21 per executed order |
| Other Charges | Margin Trading Interest: 0.025% Per day | NA |
ICICI Direct vs Kotak Securities Offers
| Offers | ICICI Direct | Kotak Securities |
| Free AMC | ||
| Free Brokerage | , Limited | |
| Free Account Opening Charge | ||
| Flat Brokerage Charges | , Limited | |
| Flexible Brokerage Charges | ||
| Free Intraday Charges | ||
| Free Delivery Charges | ||
| Margin Funding and Pledging | ||
| Free F&O Trading | ||
| Refferal Offers | Rs. 500 Per Client | 10% + Upto Rs.500 per Client |
| Zero brokerage for Loss Making Trade | , Limited | |
| Brokerage Cashback | ||
| Free Trading Calls | ||
| Free Research Report | ||
ICICI Direct vs Kotak Securities Product Provided
| Type | ICICI Direct | Kotak Securities |
| Equity Delivery | ||
| Equity Intraday | ||
| Equity Option | ||
| Equity Future | ||
| Currency Option | ||
| Currency Future | ||
| Commodity Options | ||
| Commodity Future | ||
| Mutual Funds | ||
| Foreign stocks | ||
| Banking | ||
| Insurance | ||
| Digital Gold | ||
| Govt. Bonds | ||
| Corporate Bonds | ||
ICICI Direct vs Kotak Securities Advisory Services Provided
| Type | ICICI Direct | Kotak Securities |
| IPO Service | ` | |
| Weekly and Monthly Review | ||
| Daily Stock Picks and Stock Tips | ||
| PMS or PCG | ||
| Trading Institution | ||
| Demat and Trading Service | ||
| Intraday Service | ||
| Share Pledging | ||
| NRI Service | ||
| 3 In 1 Account | ||
| Company and Annual Report | ||
| Stock Recommendation and Research report | ||
Features Of ICICI Direct vs Kotak Securities
ICICI Direct vs Kotak Securities Demat And AMC Charges
The opening fee for an ICICI direct trading account is Rs 0 (free), But an HDFC Securities account requires Rs 999. The AMC charges for ICICIdirect Demat Accounts are Rs 300 (beginning with the second year) and Rs 750 for . While Kotak Securities trading account opening fees are zero (free), Kotak Securities Demat Account AMC Charges are Rs 600. Below the table shows Charges of both the platform.
| Charges | ICICI Direct | Kotak Securities |
| Demat Account Opening Charges | Rs.0 (Free) | Rs 0 (Free) |
| Demat Account AMC Charges | Rs. 300 (from 2nd year) | Rs 600 |
| Trading Account Opening Charges | Rs. 0 (Free) | Rs 0 (Free) |
| Trading Account AMC Charges | Rs. 0 (Free) | Rs. 0 (Free) |
ICICI Direct vs Kotak Securities Brokerage Charges
ICICIdirect costs 0.55% for equity broking and Rs 20 for intraday orders,whereas Kotak Securities provides a set broking plan, with equities delivery trades at 0.25%, intraday and futures at 0.025, and options at ₹20 per lot. Prepaid plans are available for major merchants, which further reduces costs. Below the table shows brokerage charges of both the platforms.
| Brokerage Charges | ICICI Direct | Kotak Securities |
| Brokerage Plan | Neo Plan | Trade Free plan |
| Equity Delivery | 0.27% of Total Transaction | 0.25% or Rs.20 (whichever is higher) |
| Equity Intraday | Rs. 20 per Trade | Free |
| Equity Option | Rs. 20 per Trade | Rs.20 per Trade |
| Equity Future | Free | Rs.20 per Trade |
| Currency Option | Rs. 20 per Trade | Rs.20 per Trade |
| Currency Future | Rs. 20 per Trade | Rs.20 per Trade |
| Commodity Option | Rs. 20 per Trade | Rs.20 per Trade |
| Commodity Future | Rs. 20 per Trade | Rs.20 per Trade |
ICICI Direct vs Kotak Securities Leverage (Margin)
ICICI direct’s margin for intraday trading is up to 20% of the transaction value (5x leverage) based on the stock, whereas while the The Kotak Securities margin for intraday trading is up to 20% of the transaction value (5x leverage) based on the stock, . Below the table shows leverage margin of both platform.
| Leverage | ICICI Direct | Kotak Securities |
| Equity Delivery | 100% of trade value (1x leverage) | 100% of trade value of (1x leverage) |
| Equity Intraday | Up to 20% of trade value (5x leverage) | Up to 20% of trade value of (5x leverage) |
| F&O (Currency, Equity, Commodity) | 100% of NRML margin (Span + Exposure) (1x leverage) | 100% of NRML margin (Span + Exposure) (1x leverage) |
ICICI Direct vs Kotak Securities Pros And Cons
Pros:
| ICICI Direct | Kotak Securities |
| 1)Offers a low bandwidth website that performs effectively on sluggish internet connections. 2) Provides a 3-in-1 account that simplifies stock market investing for novice investors. 3) Several investment possibilities are offered through a single platform. 4) GTC (good till cancellation) and off-market hours order placement facility is very useful. | 1)Online trading strategiesallow for brokerage-freeintraday trading. 2) Investors under the age of 30receive no broking fees acrossall sectors. 3) The company is part of arenowned private bank (KotakMahindra Bank. 4) The NEST trading platform isprovided to frequent traders. 5) Kotak Securities is abank-based broker thatprovides a three-in-one account. Online tradingstrategies allow forbrokerage-free intraday trading. |
Cons:
| ICICI Direct | Kotak Securities |
| 1)Minimum broking’ is set at an extremely high Rs 35 per trade, or 2.5% of the deal amount, whichever is Also There have been reports of a website that performs poorly during business hours. 2) A Demat account is required. 3) IF the broking paid in a month is less than Rs 750, the Trading Terminal (Trade Racer) costs Rs 75 per month. 4) Compared to most Indian retail brokers, ICICI Security charges the highest broking. 5) It charges Call & trade cost extra Rs 50 per trade in Neo/Prime Plans | 1)Kotak Securities’ website andmobile app are not as good asnew-age brokers like Zerodhaand Upstox. 2) High equity delivery brokingfees. 3) High AMC changes (Rs 66 each month). 4) The margin-funding facilitycauses misunderstandingamong investors, who end uppaying large interest costsunwittingly. 5) The customer is required topay a yearly plan membershipcharge of Rs 499. Broking isextremely high in thedealer-assisted brokingscheme. |
ICICI Direct vs Kotak Securities Transactions Charges
Below the table shows Equity Intraday, Equity Delivery, Equity Option , Future and
Commodity options/ Future and Currency Option/Future Transaction charges of both the
platform.
| Transaction Charges | ICICI Direct | Kotak Securities |
| Equity Delivery | 0.00325% (NSE) & As per Stock (BSE) | 0.00335% (NSE) & 0.00375% (BSE) |
| Equity Intraday | 0.00325% (NSE) & As per Stock (BSE) | 0.00335% (NSE) & 0.00375% (BSE) |
| Equity Option | 0.053% (on premium) | 0.0505% (on premium) |
| Equity Future | 0.0019% (NSE & BSE) | 0.002% (NSE & BSE) |
| Currency Option | 0.035% (NSE) & 0.001% (BSE) | 0.037% (NSE) & 0.001% (BSE) |
| Currency Future | 0.0009% (NSE) & 0.00022% (BSE) | 0.0009% (NSE) & 0.00022% (BSE) |
| Commodity Option | 0.05% (Non Agri) | 0.05% (Non Agri) |
| Commodity Future | 0.0021% (Non-Agri) / 0.006% (Agri) / 0.0005% (Special) | NA |
Complaints Of ICICI Direct vs Kotak Securities
The table below shows Total Complaints Lodged, Resolved and their percentage.
| Complaints | ICICI Direct | Kotak Securities |
| Total Complaints Lodged | 400 | 435 |
| Total Complaints Resolved | 335 | 365 |
| % Of Total Complaints Resolved | 85.62% | 83.60 % |
| Non Actionable Complaints | 18 | 21 |
| % Of Non Actionable Complaints | 4.00% | 5 % |
Review Comparison Of ICICI Direct vs Kotak Securities By Customer
CICI direct is rated 7 of 10 , whereas Kotak Securities is rated 8 of 10
| Rating | ICICI Direct | Kotak Securities |
| Customer Services | 7/10 | 7.5/10 |
| Fees | 6 /10 | 8/10 |
| Brokerage Charges | 6.5/10 | 8.5/10 |
| Trade and Call Charges | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Research Capabilities | 7.5/10 | 6/10 |
| Overall Rating | 7/10 | 8/10 |
Conclusion: Both ICICI Direct is India’s major broking houses, providing comprehensive trading and investment services. ICICI Direct offers a user-friendly platform, substantial research reports, and excellent customer service. However, it has considerably higher broking fees. Kotak Securities and SBI Securities both provide strong trading platforms with distinct advantages. Kotak Securities is well-known for its advanced trading tools, research papers, and customer care. Its mobile app is both easy to use and full of features.
However, broking fees tend to be greater.Kotak’s, it provides full banking and trading integration. Choosing between them is based on the importance of sophisticated features versus cost-efficiency and trust.
Customer Care Number/Email
ICICI Direct : +91 1860123112
Kotak Securities : 1800-209-9191
Client can contact this number for clearing your doubt.
Support Email ICICI Direct : helpdesk@icicidirect.com
Kotak Securities Support Email: service.securities@kotak.com
Client can contact this email for clearing your doubt.
Related Posts
About The Author
