Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL) vs Upstox

A full side-by-side comparison of brokerage charges, demat AMC, margin, platforms, features and user ratings — updated for 2026.

Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL)
Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL)
Full-Service Broker · since 1987
VS
Upstox
Discount Broker · since 2009
Upstox

Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL) vs Upstox — quick verdict

Choose Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL) if

You want research and offline support

Full-service stock broker offering research-backed investing, wealth management, and advanced trading platforms.

Choose Upstox if

You want low-cost, self-directed trading

Modern discount broker offering fast trading platforms, flat brokerage and investment products for traders and investors.

Company overview

Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL) is a full-service broker incorporated in 1987; Upstox is a discount broker incorporated in 2009.

ParameterMotilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL)Upstox
Type of broker Full-Service Broker Discount Broker
Exchange membership NSE · BSE · MCX
Year of incorporation 1987 older 2009
Number of branches 2,500+ Online-first broker
Active clients 11,00,000+ 30+ lakh (approx.) larger

Charges & AMC

Account-opening and maintenance charges for Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL) and Upstox compared side by side.

ParameterMotilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL)Upstox
Trading a/c opening ₹0 (Online) ₹0 (Online)
Trading a/c AMC ₹0 ₹0 (First Year)*
Demat a/c opening ₹0 ₹0
Demat a/c AMC ₹0 (1st Year), then as per applicable plan lower ₹300 + GST/year (applicable after promotional period for eligible accounts)
DP charges (per ISIN, sell) ₹15.34 + GST per debit transaction (per ISIN per day) lower ₹20 per scrip per day (on sell transactions)

Brokerage charges

How Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL) and Upstox price each trading segment, per executed order.

ParameterMotilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL)Upstox
Equity Delivery 0.20% ₹20 per executed order
Equity Intraday 0.02% ₹20 or 0.1% (whichever is lower)
Equity Futures 0.02% ₹20 or 0.05% (whichever is lower)
Equity Options ₹20 per lot Flat ₹20 per executed order
Currency F&O ₹20 per lot ₹20 or 0.05% (whichever is lower)
Commodity F&O ₹20 per lot ₹20 or 0.05% (whichever is lower)
Call & Trade ₹20 per executed order ₹75 + GST per order

Transaction charges (exchange turnover)

Exchange turnover and clearing charges passed through by Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL) and Upstox, per segment.

ParameterMotilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL)Upstox
Equity Delivery NSE: ₹2.97 per lakh (0.00297%) • BSE: As per exchange NSE: 0.00307% (BSE as applicable)
Equity Intraday NSE: ₹2.97 per lakh (0.00297%) • BSE: As per exchange NSE: 0.00307%
Equity Futures NSE: ₹1.73 per lakh (0.00173%) NSE: 0.00183%
Equity Options NSE: ₹35.03 per lakh of premium (0.03503%) NSE: 0.03553% (Premium)
Currency Futures NSE: ₹0.35 per lakh (0.00035%) As per exchange
Currency Options NSE: ₹3.15 per lakh of premium (0.00315%)
Commodity Futures MCX: As per exchange
Commodity Options MCX: As per exchange
Commodity As per exchange

Demat & DP charges

Depository (demat) charges for Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL) and Upstox — AMC, debit transactions, pledging and remat.

ParameterMotilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL)Upstox
Demat Account Opening ₹0 ₹0
Annual Maintenance Charges (AMC) ₹0 for the 1st year (selected plans), thereafter as per applicable tariff
Debit Transaction Charges ₹15.93 per ISIN per day (including GST)
Pledge / Unpledge Charges ₹20 + GST per request
Dematerialisation (Demat) ₹150 per certificate + GST
Rematerialisation (Remat) ₹150 per certificate + GST
Failed Transactions Nil Nil
Demat Account AMC ₹300 + GST/year*
DP Charge (Sell) ₹20 per scrip per day
Pledge Creation ₹20 + GST per request
Rematerialisation ₹100 per certificate + applicable charges
Off-market Transfer ₹20 + GST per ISIN

Margin & leverage (MTF)

Intraday and delivery margin / leverage offered by Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL) and Upstox.

ParameterMotilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL)Upstox
Equity Delivery 100% of trade value (1x) 100% of trade value (1x)
Equity Intraday Up to 20% of trade value* (Up to 5x*) Up to 20% of trade value (Up to 5x)
F&O (Equity/Currency/Commodity) SPAN + Exposure Margin (1x) SPAN + Exposure Margin (1x)
Currency F&O SPAN + Exposure Margin (1x)
Commodity F&O SPAN + Exposure Margin (1x)

Features & account

Account type and feature availability across Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL) and Upstox.

ParameterMotilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL)Upstox
3-in-1 account ✕ No ✕ No
Automated / API trading ✓ Yes ✓ Yes
Margin Trading (MTF) ✓ Yes ✓ Yes
Trading in SME shares ✓ Yes ✓ Yes
Trading platforms MO Investor, MO Trader, Desktop EXE Upstox Pro Web, Upstox Mobile App, Upstox Developer API
Intraday square-off 3:15 PM 3:15 PM
Other Option Strategy Builder, TradeGuide Signal, Smart Stock Baskets, Research360, Price Alerts, Stock SIP, MTF (Pay Later), Advanced Charting GTT Orders, API Trading, Margin Trading Facility (MTF), IPO, Mutual Funds, Option Chain, Advanced Charts, Basket Orders, etc.

Trading platforms & apps

Trading terminals, web platforms and mobile apps offered by Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL) and Upstox.

ParameterMotilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL)Upstox
Trading platforms offered MO Investor, MO Trader, MO Genie Upstox Pro Web, Upstox Mobile App, Upstox Developer API, Upstox Developer Console
Number of platforms 3 4 more choice
Platforms (summary) MO Investor, MO Trader, Desktop EXE Upstox Pro Web, Upstox Mobile App, Upstox Developer API
Mobile / desktop apps Web + Mobile, Desktop + Web Web, Android & iOS, API

User ratings

User ratings for Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL) and Upstox across the key parameters.

Rated onMotilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL)Upstox
Fees 4.2 4.4 better
Brokerage 4.1 4.5 better
Trading platform 4.8 better 4.7
Customer service 4.5 better 4
Research 4.9 better 3.8
Overall 4.6 better 4.4

Investment options

Which investment products Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL) and Upstox let you access.

ParameterMotilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL)Upstox
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 Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL) and Upstox.

ParameterMotilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL)Upstox
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 Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL) and Upstox.

ParameterMotilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL)Upstox
SEBI registration INZ000158836 INZ000185137
NSE member code 10225 13942
Year of incorporation 1987 longer track record 2009
Net worth ₹8,000+ Crore* Upstox Securities Pvt. Ltd.
Exchange memberships NSE · BSE · MCX
Latest complaint ratio 0.0001% fewer complaints 0.038%

Complaints record

Exchange complaint data for Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL) and Upstox — the ratio matters more than the raw count.

ParameterMotilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL)Upstox
Latest financial year 2025–26 2025–26
Exchange NSE NSE
Active clients 8,98,736 32,45,678 larger base
Complaints filed 1 1,245
Complaint ratio 0.0001% fewer complaints 0.038%

Pros & cons

The main advantages and drawbacks of each broker.

Motilal Oswal Financial Services Limited (MOFSL)

▲ Pros

  • ✓ Strong in-house equity research and investment advisory.
  • ✓ Wide range of investment products under one platform.
  • ✓ Advanced trading platforms including MO Investor App and MO Trader.
  • ✓ Margin Trading Facility (MTF) and Portfolio Management Services (PMS) available.
  • ✓ Large branch and relationship manager network across India.
  • ✓ Established financial services brand with decades of market experience.

▼ Cons

  • ✕ Brokerage charges are generally higher than discount brokers.
  • ✕ Different brokerage plans may be confusing for new investors.
  • ✕ Some advanced research and premium services are available under selected plans.
  • ✕ Call & Trade charges are applicable.
  • ✕ Account maintenance and service charges may vary based on the selected plan.
  • ✕ Budget-conscious traders may find discount brokers more economical.
Upstox

▲ Pros

  • ✓ Flat brokerage model with a maximum brokerage per executed order on eligible segments.
  • ✓ Paperless online Demat and Trading account opening.
  • ✓ Feature-rich web and mobile trading platforms.
  • ✓ Supports investing in Stocks, ETFs, IPOs, Mutual Funds and more.
  • ✓ Margin Trading Facility (MTF) available for eligible stocks.
  • ✓ GTT (Good Till Triggered) order facility.
  • ✓ Developer APIs available for algorithmic trading and third-party integrations.
  • ✓ Supports multiple order types and advanced charting tools.

▼ Cons

  • ✕ Call & Trade service is chargeable.
  • ✕ Physical branch presence is limited compared to traditional full-service brokers.
  • ✕ Some advanced services and pricing depend on the selected account plan.
  • ✕ Certain trading facilities are available only for eligible exchanges or approved securities.

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Disclaimer: Investments in the securities market are subject to market risks; read all related documents carefully before investing. This page is for information only and is not investment advice. Brokerage, AMC and other charges change frequently — always verify against the broker's official website before opening an account. Affiliate disclosure: "Open account" links are affiliate links and we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you; this does not influence our ratings.