Open a freeDemat accountin 15 minutes.
₹0 account opening. ₹0 AMC for the first year. Paperless KYC from your phone. Join 1.3 crore Indians who already invest on Upstox.
- SEBI-regulated broker partner
- ₹0 account opening
- NSDL & CDSL depositories
- Paperless KYC
₹1,24,580
+12.8% this yearIllustrative portfolio. Not a projection of returns.
What is a Demat account?
You keep money in a bank account. You keep shares in a Demat account. In India, you need one to buy or sell shares on the exchange.
Example 1
Bank account
Holds your money. Deposit when you like, withdraw when you need.
Cash and digital money live here.
Example 2
Demat account
Works the same way, but it holds shares instead of money.
Every share you buy lands here, in digital form.
One rule to remember
Money → bank account. Shares → Demat account. Sign up through this page and both the Demat and the trading account open together, free.
Demat vs trading account
Beginners mix these two up. Here is the difference, in one example.
At the counter
Trading account
Where the buying and selling happens. You place orders here, and the account is linked to your bank.
- Places your buy and sell orders
- Linked to your bank account
- Where the action happens
In the cupboard
Demat account
Where the shares you own are stored. Think of it as the wardrobe your purchases go into.
- Storage in digital form
- Held with NSDL or CDSL
- Your proof of ownership
One signup opens both accounts, free. You never choose between them, and you never pay to open them.
Why everyone needs one
Safe digital storage
Your shares live with NSDL or CDSL, the central depositories. Nothing to lose, nothing to tear.
Buy and sell in one tap
Orders travel from your phone to the exchange in under a second.
One account, every investment
Stocks, mutual funds, IPOs and ETFs sit in a single account.
Check your portfolio anytime
Prices, holdings and profit, live on your phone, 24 hours a day.
Lower costs than paper shares
No courier charges, no stamp paper, no lost certificates. Just a small fee per order.
Ready to open yours?
It takes about 15 minutes, and it costs ₹0 to open.
What happens when you tap Buy?
Your order travels through four stops in under two seconds. Here is the route.
01
You
You tap "Buy 5 shares of TCS" in your app.
02
Broker
Your broker routes the order to the exchange instantly.
03
Exchange
NSE or BSE matches your order with a seller.
04
Demat
The shares arrive in your account. You are a shareholder.
Total time: under 2 seconds, on SEBI-regulated infrastructure at every step.
Every charge, out in the open
The numbers below come from Upstox's published pricing. No surprises, no fine print.
Account opening
₹0
Demat + trading account
No commitmentAMC
₹0*
Account maintenance
*Free for the first yearBrokerage
₹20*
Per order, maximum
*Intraday, F&O, commoditiesDelivery
₹20 or 0.1%*
Whichever is lower
*Per executed order₹0 mutual fund and IPO commission
Invest in funds and apply to IPOs without a fee.
SIPs from ₹100 a month
Start a mutual fund SIP with a cup of chai.
Free money transfers
Add funds via UPI or netbanking at no cost.
*Whichever is lower per executed order. GST, STT and exchange charges apply as per regulation and are shown before every order.
Compare the big brokers
Published charges for a basic equity account. Confirm current rates on the broker's pricing page before you open.
| Charge | UpstoxOUR PARTNER | Zerodha | Groww | Angel One | ICICI Direct |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Account opening | ₹0 | ₹200 | ₹444 | ₹0 | ₹975 |
| AMC, first year | ₹0 | ₹300 | ₹240 | ₹300 | ₹600 |
| Equity delivery | ₹20 or 0.1%* | ₹0 | ₹20 or 0.1% | ₹20 or 0.1% | 0.55% |
| Intraday & F&O | ₹20 max | ₹20 | ₹20 | ₹20 | 0.05% |
| Mutual funds | ₹0 | ₹0 | ₹0 | ₹0 | ₹25/order |
| IPO application | ₹0 | ₹0 | ₹0 | ₹0 | ₹25 |
Upstox
OUR PARTNER
Zerodha
Groww
Angel One
ICICI Direct
*Whichever is lower per executed order. Figures as published by the brokers at the time of writing. Confirm current rates on the broker's pricing page.
Not ready yet? Answer four questions.
Thirty seconds, no signup, no spam. See where you stand.
Have you invested in stocks before?
Open your account in four steps
Fully digital and paperless. Keep these documents nearby and you will finish in about 15 minutes.
Keep these handy
Enter your mobile and email
Verify both with an OTP. This takes two minutes.
Fetch your PAN and Aadhaar
DigiLocker pulls them in automatically. No typing, no uploads.
Link your bank account
Funds move in and out through this account. UPI works fine.
Complete e-sign and video KYC
A short selfie video and an Aadhaar OTP finish the check.
Done. Buy your first share.
Add money via UPI and place your first order. Start with as little as ₹100.
Your shares, held the safe way
The broker behind this page is SEBI-regulated, and your shares sit with India's central depositories.
SEBI-regulated broker
Upstox is registered with SEBI (reg. no. INZ000185137) as RKSV Securities India Pvt Ltd.
ISO 27001 certified
The international standard for information security management.
NSDL & CDSL depositories
Shares sit with India's central depositories, not with any single broker.
Bank-grade encryption
Every session and every order runs over encrypted connections.
1.3Cr+ investors
India's retail investors use the platform every market day.
Segregated client funds
Your money is kept separate from the broker's own accounts.
2FA + biometric login
Password, OTP and fingerprint before any order goes out.
Common questions
The ones beginners ask before opening an account.
A Demat account stores your shares in digital form, the way a bank account stores money. SEBI made it mandatory for buying or selling shares in India. You also need a trading account, which places the orders. You get both when you sign up.
The platform is safe: your shares sit with NSDL or CDSL, central depositories backed by the government, and the broker is SEBI-regulated. Share prices themselves move up and down, sometimes sharply. Investing in companies you understand and holding for years is how most retail investors manage that risk.
As little as ₹100. Some shares cost less than that, and mutual fund SIPs start at ₹100 a month. You do not need a minimum balance to open the account.
PAN card, Aadhaar linked to your mobile number, bank details and a signature. Everything uploads digitally through DigiLocker.
No. Account opening is ₹0 and AMC is free for the first year. Brokerage is ₹20 or 0.1% per delivery order, whichever is lower, and mutual funds and IPOs carry ₹0 commission. GST, STT and exchange charges apply as per regulation and show up before every order.
The trading account places your buy and sell orders. The Demat account stores the shares you own. The counter and the cupboard. Both come with the same free signup.
UPI, netbanking or NEFT. Transfers are free, and most arrive within minutes during market hours.
Sell or transfer your holdings, withdraw the balance and raise a closure request in the app. There are no exit fees.
Your first share is 15 minutes away.
Open the account, add as little as ₹100 and start when you feel ready. Opening is free, and the first year of AMC is on the house.
- ₹0 opening
- 15 min setup
- SEBI-regulated partner
Investments in securities markets are subject to market risks. Read all relevant documents carefully before investing.