Four very different apps, one decision
Indian investors usually end up with 2–3 apps installed: a broker for stocks, an app for mutual funds, and increasingly a planner for AI advice. Zerodha is the OG discount broker; Groww is the fastest-growing all-rounder; Dhan is the trader's broker; FundGenie is the AI planner. They are not direct rivals — but most users are trying to pick the combination that fits.
Here is a clean Dhan vs Groww vs Zerodha vs FundGenie comparison for 2026.
Quick comparison table
| Feature | Dhan | Groww | Zerodha | FundGenie |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Core focus | Active trading | All-rounder | Discount broking pioneer | AI financial planner |
| Equity delivery | ₹0 | ₹0 | ₹0 (Kite) | N/A |
| Intraday / F&O | ₹20 or 0.03% | ₹20 or 0.05% | ₹20 or 0.03% | N/A |
| Direct mutual funds | Yes | Yes | Yes (Coin) | Planned + tracked |
| Charting tools | TradingView, advanced | Basic | Kite charts, decent | N/A |
| AI advisor | No | No | No | Yes — goal, tax, retirement |
| Tax planner (FY 2025-26) | Basic P&L | Basic | Tax P&L (Console) | Old vs New, interactive |
| Loans / EMI tools | No | No | No | Yes — 12 loan types |
| Pricing | Free + ₹20/order | Free + ₹20/order | Free + ₹20/order | Free + ₹111/year |
Detailed comparison
1. Active trading: Dhan vs Zerodha vs Groww
If you actively trade futures and options, Dhan has the best charting, options strategy builder, fastest order placement and a trader-friendly UI. Zerodha (Kite) is the most battle-tested, with rock-solid uptime and a deep ecosystem (Console, Sentinel, Streak). Groww has improved but is still better for delivery investors than serious F&O traders.
Pricing is essentially identical: ₹20 per executed order on intraday and F&O, ₹0 on equity delivery. Decision is about platform feel, not cost.
2. Mutual funds: any of the three
All three brokers offer direct mutual funds at zero commission. Differences are cosmetic. The real question is which funds and how much — and none of these brokers tells you that.
That is where FundGenie plugs in. Plan on FundGenie, execute via Coin / Groww / Dhan — the AMC folio is identical regardless of platform.
3. AI planning: FundGenie
None of the three brokers offer goal-based AI planning. They give you the rails to invest; they don't tell you whether ₹15,000/month is enough to retire at 60 in Bengaluru.
FundGenie answers that. It takes your salary, EMIs, existing portfolio, age and goals and produces a one-page plan: SIP amount, tax regime, fund category mix and retirement gap.
Mid-article CTA: Plan your full Indian portfolio on FundGenie — free in 2 minutes.
4. Tax and reporting
All three brokers generate Tax P&L statements (Zerodha's Console is the most mature). None compare Old vs New regime end-to-end. For that, use FundGenie's Tax Calculator with FY 2025-26 slabs.
5. Loans and EMI
Brokers don't help here. FundGenie's EMI Calculator covers 12 loan types — home, personal, car, education, gold, MSME — with live bank rates, so a prepay-vs-invest decision becomes a 1-minute calculation.
Calculation method: prepay loan vs invest
Net gain from investing instead of prepaying
= (SIP return rate − loan interest rate) × outstanding principal × years
Example: ₹20 lakh home loan at 8.5% with 15 years remaining, vs a 12% SIP:
- Rate gap = 12% − 8.5% = 3.5% (gross, pre-tax)
- Apply tax on SIP gains (LTCG ~12.5% above ₹1.25L/year)
- Effective gap shrinks to ~2.5%
- Plus: home loan interest deduction up to ₹2L/year (Old regime) widens the gap further
Conclusion: most Indians with a low-rate home loan + Old regime should invest, not prepay aggressively. FundGenie computes this exactly; brokers don't even ask.
Common mistakes Indians make
- Picking a broker by promo offers, then trading too much.
- Treating zero brokerage as zero cost — STT, exchange, GST and DP charges still apply.
- Buying a stock app for SIPs and never reviewing fund category mix.
- Confusing trading (short-term) with investing (long-term) — different apps, different risk, different tax treatment.
- Ignoring AI planning because "calculators are enough" — they are, only if you use them with the right inputs.
Action plan
Try on FundGenie
Run your plan on FundGenie before placing the next SIP — your future returns depend on planning quality, not broker UI.
Final CTA: Plan your wealth in 2 minutes on FundGenie — free, India-first, AI-powered.
FAQs
Which is best — Dhan, Groww, Zerodha or FundGenie?
They serve different needs. Dhan for active F&O, Zerodha for proven reliability, Groww for all-round simplicity, FundGenie for AI-driven planning. Most Indians need one broker + FundGenie as planner.
Is FundGenie a stockbroker?
No. FundGenie is an AI financial planning platform. Execution of stocks and mutual funds happens via SEBI-regulated brokers and AMCs.
Which broker is cheapest in India?
Pricing is roughly identical across Zerodha, Groww and Dhan — ₹0 delivery and ₹20 per intraday / F&O order. STT and statutory charges are the same everywhere.
Is Dhan safe and SEBI registered?
Dhan is operated by Raise Financial Services and is SEBI-registered for stockbroking. Holdings sit in your demat account, not with the broker.
Which is best for beginners in 2026?
Groww for execution simplicity, FundGenie for understanding what to buy. Pairing the two gives both what and how.
Is Zerodha better than Groww?
For F&O reliability and Console reporting, Zerodha is more mature. Groww is friendlier for first-time users. Both are SEBI-registered and trustworthy.
Which app has AI investment advice?
Among these four, only FundGenie offers true goal-based AI planning. Brokers focus on execution; FundGenie focuses on decisions.
Can I use FundGenie with Zerodha or Groww?
Yes. FundGenie's plans are broker-agnostic — execute via any SEBI-registered broker. The mutual fund folio sits with the AMC regardless.
Did you find this useful?
