Groww vs Zerodha Kite

Updated November 2026 · AppBreakup editorial

Groww

Indian investing app for stocks, mutual funds, F&O, IPOs and US stocks.

Free plan + paid

Visit Groww Groww profile

Zerodha Kite

Zerodha's web and mobile trading platform for Indian stocks, F&O, commodities and currencies.

Free plan + paid

Visit Zerodha Kite Zerodha Kite profile

The short answer

Groww suits first-time Indian investors who want mutual funds, stocks, IPOs and US stocks in one simple app with no maintenance charge. Zerodha Kite suits self-directed investors and active traders who want ₹0 delivery brokerage and detailed charting. The biggest difference: Kite charges nothing on equity delivery, while Groww charges up to ₹20 per order but has no annual demat fee.

Groww or Zerodha Kite: our take

Groww and Zerodha are two of India's largest brokers, and the choice usually depends on how you invest and how often you trade.

Groww is built for beginners. One clean app covers direct mutual funds and SIPs at zero commission, Indian stocks, ETFs, IPOs, F&O, commodities and US stocks. Account opening and account maintenance are both ₹0. Equity trades cost ₹20 or 0.1% per order, whichever is lower, so delivery investing isn't free. Active traders get separate products, Groww Terminal and 915, plus margin trading and an API. Groww also runs its own mutual fund house, which is worth remembering when it suggests funds.

Zerodha Kite is a trading platform first. It offers detailed charts with hundreds of indicators, 20-level market depth, GTT orders, baskets for multi-leg options and cloud alerts across NSE, BSE and MCX. Equity delivery brokerage is ₹0. Intraday costs ₹20 or 0.03% per executed order, whichever is lower, and options are a flat ₹20 per executed order. Direct mutual funds are free too, but they sit in the separate Coin app. Account opening is free, but non-BSDA accounts pay a demat AMC of ₹300 a year + GST after the first year. Zerodha doesn't give stock tips. It offers the free Varsity courses and the paid Kite Connect API instead.

If you mostly buy and hold stocks, Kite's ₹0 delivery brokerage saves money as your trade count grows. If you invest mainly through SIPs, trade rarely, or want US stocks and mutual funds in one beginner-friendly app with no yearly maintenance charge, Groww is simpler. Active F&O traders will find Kite's charting and order types more complete in one place.

Choose Groww if…

First-time investors in India who want mutual funds and stocks in one simple app
No account opening or maintenance charges
Direct mutual funds and SIPs with zero commission

Choose Zerodha Kite if…

Self-directed Indian investors and active traders who want low, flat fees and a clean charting app
No brokerage on equity delivery trades or direct mutual funds
Flat ₹20 cap per intraday or F&O order

What is Groww?

Groww is a Bengaluru-based investing app that began with mutual funds and grew into a full broker for Indian stocks, ETFs, IPOs, futures and options, commodities and US stocks. It is known for a simple, clean interface aimed at first-time investors, and it says it serves more than 50 million customers. Opening a trading and demat account is free and fully online, there is no annual account maintenance charge, and direct mutual fund investments (lump sum or SIP) carry no commission. Stock trades cost a small fee per executed order, capped at ₹20, plus the usual government and exchange charges. More active traders can use the separate Groww Terminal and 915 platforms, stock screeners, margin trading and an API for algorithmic trading. Groww also runs its own mutual fund house, which some investors will want to keep in mind when browsing fund suggestions. It runs on Android, iOS and the web.

What is Zerodha Kite?

Kite is the trading app from Zerodha, the Bengaluru broker that started in 2010 and popularised flat-fee discount broking in India. It runs in the browser and on Android and iOS, and covers NSE, BSE and MCX: equities, futures and options, currencies and commodities. Traders get detailed charts with hundreds of indicators, 20-level market depth, GTT orders that sit until a price is hit, baskets for multi-leg options trades, and cloud alerts. Long-term investors mostly care that equity delivery trades and direct mutual funds (through the separate Coin app) carry no brokerage, while intraday and F&O orders cost a flat fee per order. Opening an individual account is free; a yearly demat maintenance charge applies after the first year depending on holdings. Zerodha also publishes Varsity, a large free course on markets, and Kite Connect, a paid API for building your own trading tools. It doesn't give stock tips or run a research desk, so it suits people who make their own decisions.

Side by side

Attribute	Groww	Zerodha Kite
Pricing	Free plan + paid	Free plan + paid
Open source	No	No
Self-hostable	No	No
Platforms	Web, Android, iOS	Web, Android, iOS
Best for	First-time investors in India who want mutual funds and stocks in one simple app	Self-directed Indian investors and active traders who want low, flat fees and a clean charting app
Status	Active	Active

Verified facts, compared

Facts both apps publish, checked on each vendor's own site.

Fact	Groww	Zerodha Kite
Account opening	₹0	Free for individual accounts