ICICI Direct vs Paytm Money
A full side-by-side comparison of brokerage charges, demat AMC, margin, platforms, features and user ratings — updated for 2026.
ICICI Direct
VS
Paytm Money
ICICI Direct vs Paytm Money — quick verdict
Choose ICICI Direct if
You want research and offline support
One Account. Infinite Opportunities.
Choose Paytm Money if
You want low-cost, self-directed trading
Invest in stocks, F&O, mutual funds and IPOs with zero lifetime AMC and a technology-first trading platform.
Company overview
ICICI Direct is a full-service broker incorporated in 1995; Paytm Money is a discount broker incorporated in 2017.
| Parameter | ICICI Direct | Paytm Money |
|---|---|---|
| Type of broker | Full-Service Broker | Discount Broker |
| Exchange membership | NSE · BSE · MCX · NCDEX | NSE · BSE · MCX · NCDEX · MSEI |
| Year of incorporation | 1995 older | 2017 |
| Number of branches | 3,000+ ICICI Bank Branches & Customer To wider | 0 |
| Active clients | ~19.80 Lakh+ larger | 21 Million+ Users* |
Charges & AMC
Account-opening and maintenance charges for ICICI Direct and Paytm Money compared side by side.
| Parameter | ICICI Direct | Paytm Money |
|---|---|---|
| Trading a/c opening | ₹0 (Online) | ₹0 (Free) |
| Trading a/c AMC | ₹0 | ₹0 |
| Demat a/c opening | ₹0 | ₹0 (Free) |
| Demat a/c AMC | ₹300 + GST per year | ₹0 (Lifetime Free) lower |
| DP charges (per ISIN, sell) | NSDL – ₹20 + GST (first debit), ₹4 + GST (subsequent same-day debit); CDSL – ₹20 + GST per scrip sold per day | ₹20 per debit transaction lower |
Brokerage charges
How ICICI Direct and Paytm Money price each trading segment, per executed order.
| Parameter | ICICI Direct | Paytm Money |
|---|---|---|
| Equity Delivery | ₹20 per order (or plan-specific rate) | ₹20 per executed order |
| Equity Intraday | ₹20 per order | ₹20 per executed order |
| Equity Futures | ₹20 per order | ₹20 per executed order or 0.02% (whichever is lower) |
| Equity Options | ₹20 per order | ₹20 per executed order |
| Currency F&O | ₹20 per order | ₹20 per executed order |
| Commodity F&O | ₹20 per order | ₹20 per executed order |
| Call & Trade | ₹50 per order | ₹50 per executed order |
Transaction charges (exchange turnover)
Exchange turnover and clearing charges passed through by ICICI Direct and Paytm Money, per segment.
| Parameter | ICICI Direct | Paytm Money |
|---|---|---|
| Equity Delivery | NSE: 0.00297% + IPFT 0.00010% • BSE: 0.00375% | NSE: 0.00297% • BSE: 0.00375% |
| Equity Intraday | NSE: 0.00297% + IPFT 0.00010% • BSE: 0.00375% | NSE: 0.00297% • BSE: 0.00375% |
| Equity Futures | NSE: 0.00173% + IPFT 0.00010% • BSE: 0.00000% | NSE: 0.00173% |
| Equity Options | NSE: 0.03503% (on Premium) + IPFT 0.00050% • BSE: 0.03250% (on Premium) | NSE: 0.03503% (on premium) |
| Currency Futures | NSE: 0.00012% • BSE: 0.00005% | NSE: 0.00035% |
| Currency Options | NSE: 0.03250% (on Premium) • BSE: 0.00100% (on Premium) | NSE: 0.0311% (on premium) |
| Commodity Futures (MCX) | 0.00210% | — |
| Commodity Options (MCX) | 0.04180% (on Premium) | — |
| Commodity Futures | — | MCX: 0.00210% |
| Commodity Options | — | MCX: 0.04180% (on premium) |
Demat & DP charges
Depository (demat) charges for ICICI Direct and Paytm Money — AMC, debit transactions, pledging and remat.
| Parameter | ICICI Direct | Paytm Money |
|---|---|---|
| Demat Account Opening | ₹0 (Online) | ₹0 |
| Annual Maintenance Charges (AMC) | ₹300 + GST per year | ₹0 (Lifetime Free) |
| DP Charges (NSDL) | ₹20 + GST per scrip for the first debit instruction and ₹4 + GST for subsequent debit instructions in the same scrip on the same day | — |
| DP Charges (CDSL) | ₹20 + GST per scrip sold per day (includes depository charges) | — |
| Call & Trade (Equity & Derivatives) | ₹50 per order | — |
| Call & Trade (Commodity) | ₹50 per order | — |
| Pledge Charges (MTF) | ₹25 + GST per pledge instruction | — |
| Pledge Charges (Shares as Margin - SAM) | ₹29 + GST per pledge instruction | — |
| Pledge Charges (CUSPA) | ₹29 + GST per pledge instruction | — |
| Debit Transaction Charges | — | ₹20 per sell transaction |
| Pledge / Unpledge Charges | — | ₹20 per transaction (Margin pledge/unpledge as per current tariff) |
| Dematerialisation (Demat) | — | ₹250 per certificate / per scheme |
| Rematerialisation (Remat) | — | ₹250 per certificate / per scheme |
| Failed Transactions | — | Nil |
Margin & leverage (MTF)
Intraday and delivery margin / leverage offered by ICICI Direct and Paytm Money.
| Parameter | ICICI Direct | Paytm Money |
|---|---|---|
| Equity Delivery | Up to 100% of trade value (1x) | 100% of trade value (1x) |
| Equity Intraday | As per SEBI Peak Margin Rules (Up to 5x*) | VAR + ELM Margin (Up to 5x) |
| Equity Futures | SPAN + Exposure Margin (As per Exchange) | SPAN + Exposure Margin (As per available margin) |
| Equity Options | Premium + Applicable Margin (As per Exchange) | Premium Value (Not Applicable) |
| Currency Futures & Options | Exchange Prescribed Margin (As per Exchange) | SPAN + Exposure Margin (As per available margin) |
| Commodity Futures & Options | Exchange Prescribed Margin (As per Exchange) | SPAN + Exposure Margin (As per available margin) |
| Commodity Futures & Options | — | SPAN + Exposure Margin (As per available margin) |
Features & account
Account type and feature availability across ICICI Direct and Paytm Money.
| Parameter | ICICI Direct | Paytm Money |
|---|---|---|
| 3-in-1 account | ✓ Yes better | ✕ No |
| Automated / API trading | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Margin Trading (MTF) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Trading in SME shares | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Trading platforms | ICICIdirect Web, ICICIdirect Mobile App, Trade Racer, Breeze API | Paytm Money Web, Paytm Money App |
| Intraday square-off | 3:15 PM | 3:15 PM |
| Other | 3-in-1 Account, Research Reports, Stock SIP, Basket Orders, MTF, Loan Against Securities | TradingView Charts, Basket Orders, Option Chain, Stock SIP, Price Alerts, ETF Investing, NPS, Margin Trading Facility (MTF), eDIS |
Trading platforms & apps
Trading terminals, web platforms and mobile apps offered by ICICI Direct and Paytm Money.
| Parameter | ICICI Direct | Paytm Money |
|---|---|---|
| Trading platforms offered | ICICIdirect Web, ICICIdirect Mobile App, ICICI Direct Markets App, Trade Racer | Paytm Money Web, Paytm Money App, TradingView Charts |
| Number of platforms | 4 more choice | 3 |
| Platforms (summary) | ICICIdirect Web, ICICIdirect Mobile App, Trade Racer, Breeze API | Paytm Money Web, Paytm Money App |
| Mobile / desktop apps | Web, Mobile, Desktop | Web, Mobile, Integrated Charting |
User ratings
User ratings for ICICI Direct and Paytm Money across the key parameters.
| Rated on | ICICI Direct | Paytm Money |
|---|---|---|
| Fees | 4.1 | 4.8 better |
| Brokerage | 4.2 | 4.8 better |
| Trading platform | 4.8 better | 4.5 |
| Customer service | 4.7 better | 4.1 |
| Research | 4.9 better | 3.8 |
| Overall | 4.6 better | 4.4 |
Investment options
Which investment products ICICI Direct and Paytm Money let you access.
| Parameter | ICICI Direct | Paytm Money |
|---|---|---|
| Stocks / Equity | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Commodity | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| IPO | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Mutual Funds | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| Bonds / NCD | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Order types offered
Advanced order types supported by ICICI Direct and Paytm Money.
| Parameter | ICICI Direct | Paytm Money |
|---|---|---|
| Bracket Order | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| Cover Order | ✕ No | ✕ No |
| BTST | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| After Market (AMO) | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
| GTC / GTT | ✓ Yes | ✓ Yes |
Safety & credibility
SEBI registration, financial strength and complaint record for ICICI Direct and Paytm Money.
| Parameter | ICICI Direct | Paytm Money |
|---|---|---|
| SEBI registration | INZ000183631 | INZ000240532 |
| NSE member code | 07730 | 90165 |
| Year of incorporation | 1995 longer track record | 2017 |
| Net worth | Not Separately Disclosed (Subsidiary of ICICI Bank Limited) | ₹366.98 Cr |
| Exchange memberships | NSE · BSE · MCX · NCDEX | NSE · BSE · MCX · NCDEX · MSEI |
| Latest complaint ratio | 0.0031% | 0.002% fewer complaints |
Complaints record
Exchange complaint data for ICICI Direct and Paytm Money — the ratio matters more than the raw count.
| Parameter | ICICI Direct | Paytm Money |
|---|---|---|
| Latest financial year | Latest Available | 2025–26 |
| Exchange | NSE | NSE |
| Active clients | 19,60,293 larger base | 765,696 |
| Complaints filed | 61 (Pending SCORES 2.0) | 14 |
| Complaint ratio | 0.0031% | 0.002% fewer complaints |
Pros & cons
The main advantages and drawbacks of each broker.
ICICI Direct
▲ Pros
- ✓ Integrated 3-in-1 Account with ICICI Bank.
- ✓ Access to Equity, F&O, Currency and Commodity trading.
- ✓ Strong in-house research and investment recommendations.
- ✓ Multiple trading platforms for beginners and active traders.
- ✓ Wide range of investment products under one account.
- ✓ Backed by the trusted ICICI Group.
- ✓ Digital account opening with online KYC.
- ✓ Extensive customer support network across India.
▼ Cons
- ✕ Brokerage charges may be higher than discount brokers.
- ✕ Some advanced features are available only under specific brokerage plans.
- ✕ Annual Demat AMC is applicable.
- ✕ Certain services attract additional transaction charges.
- ✕ Trading costs may vary depending on the selected brokerage plan.
Paytm Money
▲ Pros
- ✓ Zero lifetime Demat AMC.
- ✓ Competitive flat brokerage across trading segments.
- ✓ Fully digital and paperless account opening.
- ✓ Supports stocks, F&O, commodities, IPOs, mutual funds, ETFs, bonds, and NPS.
- ✓ Modern web and mobile trading platforms with advanced charting.
- ✓ GTT orders, Basket Orders, Stock SIP, and Margin Trading Facility available.
▼ Cons
- ✕ Limited offline branch network.
- ✕ Research and advisory services are not as comprehensive as full-service brokers.
- ✕ Call & Trade service is chargeable.
- ✕ No dedicated desktop trading software.
- ✕ Customer support response time may vary during peak market hours.
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