Zerodha, Groww, Angel One Brokerage Charges 2026 — Compare All Brokers | StockCalc.in

Most traders focus on finding the right stock to buy. Very few calculate how much they're paying just to make the trade — and this hidden cost is silently killing a significant portion of retail trading profits.

In India, 5 different entities take a cut every time you trade: your broker, the government (STT), the exchange (NSE/BSE), the GST department, and the state government (stamp duty). Even with 'zero brokerage' discount brokers like Zerodha and Upstox, the total charge can be 0.08-0.15% of your trade value.

Calculate Your Exact Trading Cost

The 5 Charges You Pay on Every Trade

1. Brokerage

• Discount brokers (Zerodha, Upstox, Angel One, Groww): ₹20/order flat or 0.03% (whichever is lower) for intraday/F&O. Zero for equity delivery.
• Full-service brokers (HDFC, ICICI, Kotak): 0.3–0.5% per trade, both sides. This is 10-15x more expensive.

2. STT (Securities Transaction Tax)

A government tax charged by the exchange:

• Equity Delivery: 0.1% on BUY + 0.1% on SELL
• Equity Intraday: 0.025% on SELL only
• Options (sell): 0.0625% of premium
• Futures: 0.0125% of turnover

3. Exchange Transaction Charges

• NSE equity: 0.00322% (delivery), 0.00689% (intraday)
• This is ≈₹3.22 per ₹1 lakh traded — small but real.

4. GST (18%)

Applied on Brokerage + Exchange charges combined. Not on STT or stamp duty.

5. Stamp Duty

• On BUY orders only
• Equity delivery & intraday: 0.015% of trade value
• Options: 0.003% of premium

Real Example: ₹1L Intraday Trade

You buy Reliance at ₹2,800 (100 shares = ₹2,80,000 investment), sell at ₹2,814 (+0.5%, ₹1,400 profit).

The same trade: profitable with Zerodha, a loss with HDFC. This is why broker selection matters more than most traders realize.

Broker Comparison 2026

Best for active traders: Upstox or Angel One (zero AMC + ₹20 flat). Best for platform/education: Zerodha (Kite + Varsity). Avoid full-service for self-directed trading: HDFC/ICICI brokerage eats into profits.

Break-Even Price: The Number You Must Know

Break-even = the minimum price move needed to cover all charges.

For a ₹1L Zerodha intraday trade: Total charges ≈ ₹200. Break-even = 0.20%.

Nifty and most large-caps move 0.3-1% daily — so you have a reasonable edge. But if you're trading ₹10,000 positions: Total charges ≈ ₹100 for the same ₹20 flat fee. Break-even = 1%. Now you need much larger moves just to escape zero.

Rule: Keep your position size large enough that charges don't exceed 0.15% of trade value.

Use our Brokerage Calculator to calculate your exact break-even for any trade size and broker. Input different broker rates to compare side-by-side. You can also Calculate GST on this transaction separately for a detailed breakdown.