Learning on small trades? Free account opening, zero delivery and zero-cost mistakes — ranked for student investors.
✓ Pricing last verified 15 Sept 2026 against official sources.
Updated 15 Sept 2026 · Educational comparison, not personalised advice.
At a glance: 28 of 31 brokers qualify · 25 support mutual funds · 25 support IPOs · cheapest account opening from ₹0
✓Free account opening
✓Zero delivery
✓Zero or low AMC
✓Simple learning app
Who is this guide for?
Students and young first-earners opening a first demat account with small savings.
Student investing has a specific cost shape: tiny orders, a handful of trades a month, and fixed charges that dominate everything. This table only lists brokers that are free to open with zero delivery, then ranks them on AMC and simplicity.
Keep the first year tiny on purpose: one index fund SIP or a couple of blue-chip shares, and model every trade in the brokerage calculator first. Small holdings may also qualify for a Basic Services Demat Account with reduced AMC — ask at account opening.
Avoid margin, intraday and F and O until earned income can absorb losses — learning delivery and SIP mechanics first is the whole point of a student account.
TL;DR
Free to open plus zero delivery is the entry bar below — then pick on AMC and which app you understand fastest. Keep year one to delivery and SIPs.
Ranked by the same transparent scorer as the find-my-broker quiz — editorial rating plus persona fit over live fee data. A starting point for research, not personalised advice.
Every broker below, scored for students on account opening, AMC, delivery brokerage, DP charges plus mutual-fund support, IPO support, platform scores. Sort any column, filter to what matters to you.
Top 8 of 28 · click a column header to sort
Best broker for students compared: Account opening, AMC / year, Delivery, DP charge, Mutual funds, IPO, Platform
Lowest marks the cheapest listed figure per column; slab plans may cost less for small trades. † means we haven't re-verified that figure yet. Statutory charges (STT, exchange, SEBI, GST, stamp duty) apply equally everywhere — see the true cost of a trade.
Showing 28 of 31 brokers — brokers charging to open an account and charging delivery brokerage are left out — a student account should cost nothing to start Show all 31 brokers →
Our take
A student account should cost nothing to open and almost nothing to learn in: every broker here meets both bars, so choose on AMC burden plus which app teaches you faster. Excluded brokers charge to open or charge delivery brokerage.
How we compare brokers
Every broker is scored by the same transparent scorer as the find-my-broker quiz — editorial rating plus persona fit over live fee data. The comparison for this guide considers:
✓Account-opening and delivery cost (both must be zero to qualify)
✓AMC burden relative to a small portfolio
✓Onboarding ease (category score)
✓One-app coverage: mutual funds and IPOs
✓Editorial rating
Labels like “lowest” are computed from the fee figures in the table above — never assigned by hand. Verify pricing on the official site before opening an account.
FAQs
Can students open a demat account?+
Yes — anyone 18 or older with a PAN, Aadhaar-linked mobile and bank account can open one online. Minors can hold a demat account through a guardian but cannot trade.
How much money does a student need to start?+
A few hundred rupees is enough: one index-fund SIP or a single share. Keep trades tiny while learning order types and settlement.
What charges hit small portfolios hardest?+
Fixed charges: yearly AMC and per-order minimums. On a small portfolio, AMC is a large percentage drag — which is why this guide requires free opening and zero delivery and ranks on AMC.
Should students try intraday or F and O?+
No. Intraday and F and O add leverage, time decay and costs that punish inexperience fast. Learn delivery investing and SIPs first.
Zerodha vs Groww for students?+
Both offer free account opening with zero delivery. Compare the rows above on AMC, MF support and which app you understand on first open.
Affiliate disclosure: LetsInvest earns a commission if you open an account via links on this page — at no extra cost to you. Rankings are editorial and never sold. Read how we make money and our methodology.
How we research. Every fee on this site carries a source and a verification date. Data is re-checked against official broker pages; read our editorial methodology. LetsInvest is a research publication, not a financial adviser — see our terms.
