There are mainly two types of stockbroking firms that dominate the Indian market– full-time and discount. Online brokerage is synonymous to discount broking. But the differences between the two are gradually getting blurred with the rising in competition in the sector.
The main difference between full-time and discount brokers is the fees structure. Brokerage charged by discount brokers is approximately 60 percent less than full-time brokers. But a discount broker will act only as a facilitator, carrying out the trading instructions. On the other hand, full-time brokers offer a range of services, including market analysis and research reports, algorithm-based trading indications, customer service and dedicated account managers, technology-enabled trading, and more.