Breaking Down Dhan: Is India’s Newest Broker the Most Trader-Friendly Yet?
Brokerage Free Team •June 17, 2025 | 4 min read • 12738 views
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Brokerage Free Team •June 17, 2025 | 4 min read • 12738 views
Dhan is a new-age discount broker launched in November 2021 by Raise Financial Services, founded by Pravin Jadhav (ex-CEO of Paytm Money). Despite being one of the youngest players, Dhan has quickly gained traction by offering technology-first, trader-centric features, especially for derivatives and active trading.
| Parameter | Details |
|---|---|
| Founded | 2021 |
| Founder/CEO | Pravin Jadhav |
| Parent Company | Raise Financial Services |
| Head Office | Mumbai, India |
| Memberships | NSE, BSE, MCX, CDSL |
| Platforms | Web, Mobile App, API |
| Target Audience | Active traders & Investors |
| Type | Charges |
|---|---|
| Account Opening Charges | ₹0 |
| Annual Maintenance Charges | ₹0 |
| Equity Delivery | ₹0 |
| Intraday & F&O | ₹20 or 0.03% per executed order (whichever is lower) |
| Mutual Fund Investment | ₹0 (Direct schemes available) |
| API Access | Free for all users |
🔺 Highlight: Unlike most peers, Dhan offers free API access even for individual users – a big plus for algo traders.
Dhan distinguishes itself with proprietary tools designed for power users:
Clean, intuitive UI with fast load times.
Built-in tools like market scanners, watchlists, charts.
Native TradingView charts with advanced technical indicators.
Trade directly from charts or even via TradingView.com.
Dedicated app for Options trading.
Strategy builder, payoff diagrams, Greeks, and open interest data.
Features like pre-defined strategies, OI data, and basket orders.
Custom triggers and alerts.
| Feature | Available in Dhan? |
|---|---|
| Direct Mutual Funds | ✅ Yes |
| IPO Investment | ✅ Yes |
| Smallcase Integration | ✅ Yes |
| Margin Trading Facility (MTF) | ✅ Yes (up to 4x on select stocks) |
| Basket Orders | ✅ Yes |
| Trading APIs | ✅ Free & Powerful |
| Instant Payouts | ✅ Real-time with UPI |
🔺 Unique Offering: Dhan offers trading from TradingView.com directly using your Dhan login – no separate platform needed.
| Metric | Dhan (as of 2025) |
|---|---|
| NSE Active Clients | ~2.1 lakh |
| App Rating (Play Store) | 4.3/5 |
| Average Daily Turnover | ₹9000+ Cr |
| Customer Support Response | Within 12 hours avg |
“Dhan's Options app is a blessing for option sellers.” — Trader, Quora
“Free API access should be the norm. Hats off to Dhan!” — Reddit user
“UI is fast, but sometimes support takes a few hours to respond.” — App Store review
| Feature / Broker | Dhan | Zerodha | Upstox | Groww | Fyers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year of Launch | 2021 | 2010 | 2017 | 2020 | 2016 |
| Account Opening | Free | ₹200 | Free | Free | Free |
| AMC | Free | ₹300 | ₹300 | Free | ₹300 |
| Equity Delivery | ₹0 | ₹0 | ₹0 | ₹0 | ₹0 |
| Intraday/F&O | ₹20/order | ₹20/order | ₹20/order | ₹20/order | ₹20/order |
| Mutual Funds | Direct Plans | Direct Plans | Direct Plans | Direct Plans | NA |
| Options Strategy Tools | Advanced (Dhan Options) | Basic (Sensibull - paid) | Moderate (limited tools) | No tools | Basic |
| Charting Platform | TradingView (Native) | ChartIQ/TradingView | TradingView | Proprietary (Basic) | TradingView |
| APIs | Free | ₹2000/month | ₹750/month | Not available | Free |
| Algo Trading | Full support | Requires Kite Connect | Limited support | Not supported | Supported |
| Basket Orders | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
✅ SEBI Registered Broker
✅ Member of NSE, BSE, MCX
✅ Uses CDSL TPIN for secure transactions
✅ Client funds held in segregated accounts
Automated Options Trading based on market conditions.
Custom dashboards with real-time portfolio tracking.
Backtesting strategies using historical Dhan data.
Tech-first Broker: Fast-paced innovation, new features monthly.
Options Trader App: Truly differentiated.
Free APIs: Game-changer for algotraders and developers.
TradingView Integration: Deep, native, and seamless.
Real-time UPI Payouts: Faster fund access than peers.
New Player: Smaller brand recall than Zerodha or Upstox.
Fewer 3rd Party Integrations: Ecosystem still growing.
No NRI Support Yet: Not available for NRIs.
Customer Support Scaling: Needs faster human support.
| User Type | Is Dhan Ideal? |
|---|---|
| Options Traders | ✅✅ Best in class |
| Algo Traders | ✅✅ Excellent |
| Beginners | ✅ Easy to use |
| Long-term Investors | ✅ Decent platform |
| NRI Investors | ❌ Not supported |
| Ecosystem Seekers | 🔄 Still building |
| 💪 Pros of Dhan | ⚠️ Cons of Dhan |
|---|---|
| Free APIs for everyone | Limited 3rd-party integrations |
| Advanced options trading platform | Still scaling customer support |
| Seamless TradingView integration | No NRI account support |
| Real-time payouts via UPI | Newer entrant (lesser brand recall) |
Dhan is disrupting the Indian discount broking space with its tech-centric approach and advanced options tools. While Zerodha and Upstox dominate in terms of scale, Dhan offers superior value for active traders, particularly options and algo traders, thanks to free APIs, premium charts, and exclusive tools.
“If you trade options daily and want tools — go for Dhan.”
“If you want a large ecosystem and passive investing tools — choose Zerodha.”
“If you prefer simplicity and mutual funds — Groww may be better.”
| Category | Best Broker | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Best for Options | Dhan | Advanced tools & strategy app |
| Best for Beginners | Groww | Simple UI, MF integration |
| Best API Platform | Dhan | Free, open for all |
| Best Ecosystem | Zerodha | Sensibull, Smallcase, Streak |
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