About ICICIdirect
ICICIdirect is one of the largest retail stock brokers in India. It is part of the ICICI Group. It offers online trading and investment services to over 50 lakhs customers. The services offered include Equity, Derivatives, IPO, Mutual Funds, Fixed Deposits, Bonds, and Commodity trading at BSE and NSE. The company also offers NCD, wealth products, Home Loans, Insurance, etc.
ICICIdirect's most popu... 
About SAMCO
SAMCO Securities is one of India's leading investment technology companies offering a variety of securities to trade and invest in, such as stocks, Equity Derivatives, Currency Derivatives, Commodities, Mutual Funds, and IPO.
Incorporated in 2015, SAMCO is known for its ultra-low brokerage, unique margin products, and free trading software. SAMCO is also popular for offering StockBasket, a tool to...
Incorporated in 2000, ICICIdirect is a Full Service Broker. It offers trading at BSE, NSE. It has 154 branches across India. Incorporated in 1995, SAMCO is a Discount Broker. It offers trading at BSE, NSE, MCX. It has 0 branches across India.
| ICICIdirect | SAMCO | |
|---|---|---|
| Type of Broker | Full Service Broker | Discount Broker |
| Exchnage Membership | BSE, NSE | BSE, NSE, MCX |
| Year of Incorporation | 2000 | 1995 |
| Number of Branches | 154 | 0 |
ICICIdirect trading account opening charges is Rs 0 (Free) while SAMCO account opening changes is Rs 0 (Free). ICICIdirect Demat Account AMC Charges is For Individual account: Rs. 700 p.a. and SAMCO Demat Account AMC Charges is First Year: Free, Rs 400 (Free for 1st year).
| ICICIdirect | SAMCO | |
|---|---|---|
| Trading Account Opening Charges | Rs 0 (Free) | Rs 0 (Free) |
| Trading Account AMC Charges | Rs 0 (Free) | Rs 0 (Free) |
| Demat Account Opening Charges | Rs 0 (Free) | Rs 0 (Free) |
| Demat Account AMC Charges | For Individual account: Rs. 700 p.a. | First Year: Free, Rs 400 (Free for 1st year) |
ICICIdirect Brokerage Charges for equity is 0.29% and intraday is 0.029% whereas SAMCO brokerage charges for equity is 0.5% of the transaction value or ₹20 per executed order and Intraday is 0.5% of the transaction value or ₹20 per executed order.
| Account Type | ICICIdirect ICICI Direct Moneysaver Plan | SAMCO Standard |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed Charges | NA | NA |
| Equity Delivery | 0.29% | 0.5% of the transaction value or ₹20 per executed order |
| Equity Intraday | 0.029% | 0.5% of the transaction value or ₹20 per executed order |
| Equity Futures | 0.029% | 0.5% of the transaction value or ₹20 per executed order |
| Equity Options | Rs 49 per lot | ₹20 per executed order (or 0.5% of the transaction value, whichever is lower). |
| Currency Futures | Rs 20 per order | 0.5% of the transaction value or ₹20 per executed order (whichever is lower). |
| Currency Options | Rs 20 per order | ₹20 per executed order (or 0.5% of the transaction value, |
| Commodity Futures | Rs 20 per order | 0.5% of the transaction value or ₹20 per |
| Commodity Options | Rs 20 per order | ₹20 per executed order (or 0.5% of the transaction value) |
| Special Offer | Zerodha (Flat Rs 20 Per Trade) Special Offer - Invest brokerage-free Equity Delivery and Direct Mutual Funds (truly no brokerage). Pay flat Rs 20 per trade for Intra-day and F&O. Open Instant Account and start trading today. | Special Offer: Get Free Trading and Demat Account Opening + 100% Brokerage Cash Back for 1st Month for trades using Mobile App. Open Instant Account online with SAMCO and start trading today. |
| ICICIdirect | SAMCO | |
|---|---|---|
| Account Type | Prime Plan - 999 | Standard |
| Fixed Charges | Rs 999 one time | NA |
| Equity Delivery | 0.22% | 0.5% of the transaction value or ₹20 per executed order |
| Equity Intraday | 0.022% | 0.5% of the transaction value or ₹20 per executed order |
| Equity Futures | 0.022% | 0.5% of the transaction value or ₹20 per executed order |
| Equity Options | Rs 49/order | ₹20 per executed order (or 0.5% of the transaction value, whichever is lower). |
| Currency Futures | Rs 20 per order | 0.5% of the transaction value or ₹20 per executed order (whichever is lower). |
| Currency Options | Rs 20 per order | ₹20 per executed order (or 0.5% of the transaction value, |
| Commodity Futures | Rs 20/order | 0.5% of the transaction value or ₹20 per |
| Commodity Options | Rs 20/order | ₹20 per executed order (or 0.5% of the transaction value) |
| ICICIdirect | SAMCO | |
|---|---|---|
| Account Type | Prime Plan - 9999 | Standard |
| Fixed Charges | Rs 9999 one time | NA |
| Equity Delivery | 0.07% | 0.5% of the transaction value or ₹20 per executed order |
| Equity Intraday | 0.007% | 0.5% of the transaction value or ₹20 per executed order |
| Equity Futures | 0.007% | 0.5% of the transaction value or ₹20 per executed order |
| Equity Options | Rs 9 per lot | ₹20 per executed order (or 0.5% of the transaction value, whichever is lower). |
| Currency Futures | Rs 20 per order | 0.5% of the transaction value or ₹20 per executed order (whichever is lower). |
| Currency Options | Rs 20 per order | ₹20 per executed order (or 0.5% of the transaction value, |
| Commodity Futures | Rs 20 per lot | 0.5% of the transaction value or ₹20 per |
| Commodity Options | Rs 20 per lot | ₹20 per executed order (or 0.5% of the transaction value) |
| Minimum Brokerage | No minimum brokerage (Moneysaver Plan) | 0.5% per executed order for Equity Delivery and 0.05% per executed order for other segments |
| Other Charges | Daily MTF Interest Rates: 0.049% | Yearly Margin Trading Interest: 17.99% | Auto-Square off charges: Rs 50 per order OFS / Buyback : Rs 50 per order |
| Call & Trade Charges | Rs 50 per trade | Rs 50 + GST |
ICICIdirect margin for intraday trading is up to 20% of the trade value (5x leverage) based on the stock whereas the SAMCO margin for intraday trading is up to 20% of the trade value (4x leverage) based on the stock.
| ICICIdirect | SAMCO | |
|---|---|---|
| Equity Delivery | 100% of trade value (1x leverage) | 100% of trade value (1x leverage) |
| Equity Intraday | Up to 20% of trade value (5x leverage) | Up to 20% of trade value (5x leverage) |
| F&O (Eq, Curr, Comm) | 100% of NRML margin (Span + Exposure) (1x leverage) | 100% of NRML margin (Span + Exposure) (1x leverage) |
The trading platforms offered ICICIdirect include ICICI Direct.com (website), ICICI Direct Mobile App. SAMCO offers Samco Mobile App, Nest Trader, Samco Trade API, RankMF, StockBasket, Samco Star trading software.
| ICICIdirect | SAMCO | |
|---|---|---|
| 3 in 1 Account |  |  |
| Automated Trading | | |
| Margin Trading Funding | | |
| Margin Against Shares (Equity Cash) | | |
| Margin Against Shares (Equity F&O) | | |
| Trading Platform | ICICI Direct.com (website), ICICI Direct Mobile App | Samco Mobile App, Nest Trader, Samco Trade API, RankMF, StockBasket, Samco Star |
| Intraday Square-off Time | 3:15 PM | 3:15 PM |
| Trading In SME Shares Allowed? | | |
| Referral Program | | |
| Other Features | Daily, monthly and yearly free research recommendations, 100% limit in shares as margin | Stock SIP, US Stocks |
ICICIdirect is rated of 5 based on 486 customer reviews whereas SAMCO is rated of 5 based on 26 customer reviews.
| ICICIdirect | SAMCO | |
|---|---|---|
486 Customer Reviews  | 26 Customer Reviews | |
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| Broker Rating | ICICIdirect is Rated 2.3 / 5 based on 486 customer reviews | SAMCO is Rated 3.2 / 5 based on 26 customer reviews |
| ICICIdirect | SAMCO | |
|---|---|---|
| Contact Broker | Invest brokerage-free Equity Delivery and Direct Mutual Funds (truly no brokerage). Pay flat Rs 20 per trade for Intra-day and F&O. Open Instant Account and start trading today. | Get Free Trading and Demat Account Opening + 100% Brokerage Cash Back for 1st Month for trades using Mobile App. Open Instant Account online with SAMCO and start trading today. |
| ICICIdirect | SAMCO | |
|---|---|---|
| Stock / Equity | | |
| Commodity | | |
| IPO | | |
| Mutual Funds | | |
| Bond / NCD | | |
| Debt | | |
| ICICIdirect | SAMCO | |
|---|---|---|
| Casual Investor | | |
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| Trader | | |
| ICICIdirect | SAMCO | |
|---|---|---|
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| Promo / Offers | Zerodha (India's Best & No. 1 Broker)Special Offer - Free Equity Delivery and Mutual Funds
| SAMCO Special OfferFree Account Opening + 100% Brokerage Refund for 1st Month + 0 AMC 1st Year
It is a limited-time offer. Open Instant Account online and start trading the same day. |
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