Investing with a strategy,
not just an app.
Discount apps make it easy to buy a fund. They don’t make it easy to build wealth. We’ve been advising Indian families on long-term portfolios since 1990, with a research desk that publishes daily and a wealth advisor you can actually call. The cost? Zero on equity delivery. Zero on direct mutual funds.
The cost is the same. The guidance isn’t.
Zero brokerage on equity delivery and zero-commission direct mutual funds are now table stakes. The real question is what you get on top of those. Here’s what AC Agarwal layers in.
Your account is mapped to an actual person who knows your goal, horizon, and risk profile. They call you on tax-loss harvest dates, before SIP step-ups, and when a corporate action affects your holdings. Discount apps don’t do this.
Pre-market note at 8:45 AM IST. Sector deep-dives. Quarterly model portfolios for conservative, balanced and aggressive risk profiles. Built by analysts who’ve covered Indian equities through four crashes and two bull runs.
We’ve held client portfolios through Harshad Mehta, the dot-com correction, 2008, Covid-19 and every bull run between. The same firm. The same methodology. That continuity is the moat.
Three doors to long-term wealth. One account.
Buy and hold blue-chips, growth names, or your conviction picks. Held in your demat under your name with CDSL. Tracked in Bloom with average buy-price, dividend history, and corporate-action timeline.
- Zero brokerage on equity delivery
- Holdings in your own demat (CDSL)
- Pledge for margin without selling
- Smart sell-side tax-loss harvesting alerts
Direct plans at zero commission via ACA Gullak. Regular plans available with advisor-mapped portfolios. SIP, STP, SWP, lumpsum, and goal-linked baskets. Quarterly portfolio reviews if you opt in.
- Direct MFs at ₹0 commission
- Regular MFs with advisor mapping
- SIP, STP, SWP, lumpsum, switch
- Goal-linked portfolios (retirement, education, home)
Apply to mainboard IPOs and SME IPOs from inside Bloom. Pre-apply before the issue opens, track allotment in real time, and see grey-market premium and analyst views before you commit.
- Mainboard & SME IPO coverage
- UPI-based one-tap subscription
- Pre-apply windows for active issues
- Allotment, listing, and refund tracking
The mutual fund platform Indian families actually use.
ACA Gullak is our investment platform built specifically for goal-led investing. Direct plans at zero commission. Regular plans available where you want advisor input. Goal-linked portfolios you can hand over to your advisor or self-manage. Same demat, same statement, same login.
Pick zero-commission Direct, or Regular plans with advisor support. Both inside the same app.
Retirement, child’s education, home, tax-saving. Goal-tracked progress, automatic rebalancing.
Every transaction type. Pause, modify, step-up, step-down without calling support.
Distributor under AMFI norms. Transparent expense ratios. No hidden trail commissions.
Beyond equity and MFs, the long-tail products that actually show up in real Indian portfolios.
RBI-issued, government-backed. 2.5% interest plus gold price appreciation.
Tax-saving retirement instrument under Section 80C and 80CCD(1B).
Tax-free bonds, AAA corporate paper, G-Secs. For income-focused investors.
Bank and corporate FDs aggregated into your investment dashboard.
Not the cheapest. Not the most app-y. The one that picks up the phone.
| Feature | AC Agarwal | Zerodha Coin | Groww | ICICI Direct |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Equity delivery brokerage | ₹0 | ₹0 | ₹20 or 0.1% | 0.55% |
| Direct mutual fund commission | ₹0 | ₹0 | ₹0 | Regular only |
| Regular MF advisor support | Yes | - | - | Yes |
| Dedicated wealth advisor | Yes | - | - | Premium tiers only |
| Daily research note | Yes | - | - | Subscribers only |
| Mainboard + SME IPOs | Both | - | Mainboard | Both |
| Bonds, NPS, SGB, FDs | Yes | Limited | Limited | Yes |
Published rates as of Apr 2026. Competitor offerings from their public websites.
Four steps. One working day.
From form fill to first SIP. The advisor call is optional, but most investors take it because the portfolio they walk away with is genuinely tailored, not algorithm-generated.
PAN + Aadhaar e-KYC. 15 minutes. ₹0 to open. Trading and demat in one go.
30 minutes with a wealth advisor. We map your goal, horizon, risk profile, and existing investments.
A written plan with specific schemes, SIP amounts, and milestones. Yours to implement or modify.
Set up SIPs, place first IPO bid, transfer existing holdings into your new demat. The advisor stays available.
Questions investors actually ask.
Anything not covered here? Talk to a wealth advisor directly. The first call is free and there’s no pressure to open an account.
Is the wealth advisor free?+
Yes, advisory is included for all investment-account holders. We earn from trail commissions on Regular MF schemes (paid by the AMC, not by you) and from optional services. There is no upfront advisory fee.
What’s the difference between Direct and Regular MF plans here?+
Direct plans are zero-commission (you save the trail commission, lower expense ratio). Regular plans are advisor-supported (the AMC pays us a trail; the expense ratio is slightly higher). We let you choose, and the advisor will recommend Direct unless there’s a specific scenario where Regular adds value.
Can I move my existing MF holdings to AC Agarwal?+
Yes. We consolidate folios from your existing distributor or platform into your ACA Gullak account in 24 hours. No redemption, no tax event. Your SIPs continue uninterrupted.
Do I need a minimum portfolio size?+
No. Open an investment account at ₹0 and start with a single ₹500 SIP. Wealth advisor calls are available from day one.
How are my securities held?+
All shares and securities sit in your own CDSL demat account (DP IN-DP-CDSL-186). They are never commingled with broker funds, and you receive direct CDSL alerts for every debit.
What happens to my SIPs when markets fall?+
They keep running. Falling NAVs mean you accumulate more units for the same SIP amount, which is the whole point of rupee-cost averaging. Your advisor will only reach out if your goal or horizon meaningfully changes.
Self-serve or advisor-led. Same desk, same access.
If you already know what you’re investing in, just open the account. If you want a portfolio plan first, schedule the advisor call. Either way, you end up at the same place.
15-minute KYC. Browse 3,000+ funds in Bloom, set up a SIP, place an IPO bid. Advisor stays a phone call away if you ever need them.
30-minute discovery call with a wealth advisor. Walk away with a written portfolio aligned to your goal and horizon. No obligation to open an account afterwards.