Best Mutual Fund App in India 2024 for Direct Funds

Which is the best Mutual Fund App in India? Many of you are getting advice to invest in mutual funds. Then the next question which will come to your mind is how we can invest in mutual funds. Whether there are any apps or websites which can offer us this service for free? Let us discuss this topic in today’s post.

Best Mutual Fund App in India 2023

Before blindly jumping into choosing the best mutual fund app in India, first try to understand why you have to invest in mutual funds at all. Is it just because your friend, colleague, relative, neighbor, or social media guided you to invest? OR it is based on your own research and found mutual funds are best?

There are certain myths associated with mutual fund investment or with these apps. Hence, first, let me clear these myths.

# SIP is NOT a PRODUCT

Yes, majority of mutual fund investors feel that SIP is a product but not a way of investment. SIP in simple terms is a way of investment but not a product. Anything that you invest systematically must be called a SIP. Your monthly Bank RD is also a SIP. However, the financial industry forced us to believe that SIP means it must be in mutual funds not in any other instruments.

Don’t be in this wrong myth. Never believe on anyone BLINDLY when it comes to money matters.

# Need a Demat Account

This is one more myth propagated by few middlemen. As the mutual fund units are by default in electronic format, you don’t need a Demat account to invest in mutual funds. In fact, by holding the units in Demat format, your charges will increase, and also service-related issues pop up in the future.

If you are holding the units in Demat format, then the each service request has to be through the Demat provider not directly (from you to Mutual Fund Companies). Also, if you redeem the units, then the money will first credited to broker and then you need to withdraw.

One more hurdle is in case of a sudden demise of a holder, then the legal heir needs to open a new Demat account in his name, submit the death certificate and other required documents, and get the units transferred to the new Demat account. However, in case of non Demat units, your legal heirs Demat account requirement is not there.

Hence, the best idea is to avoid opting for a Demat account when you invest in mutual funds.

# Online OR Direct does not mean DIRECT Funds

Many blindly choose certain platforms which offer to invest in mutual funds online or tagline with direct (The classic example is ICICI Direct). Don’t follow them blindly. Neither ONLINE means direct nor DIRECT tagline with the firm does not mean direct.

If the platform is offering you DIRECT Funds then the name of the fund should be like for example UTI Nifty Index Fund Direct-Growth, then it is a direct fund. Just because the platform is providing you online facility and the tagline of the firm is DIRECT does not mean they offer you direct funds. They may be offering you REGULAR funds. Regular fund means they may be earning a commission on your investment.

# Safety of these apps

Many of these apps are registered with SEBI. They need to be either a registered mutual fund distributor (MFD) or a registered investment advisor (RIA). Cross-check this on their platform or with their name on SEBI or AMFI website.

Do remember that if they are registered as MFDs, then they do not offer you DIRECT funds. They will obliviously be offering your REGULAR funds.

What if they shut the shop today? No need to worry!! Your money is with mutual fund companies but not with these middlemen. They just act like platform providers. Hence, if they shut the shop today, then choose a different platform to invest.

# FREE Direct Funds Offerings doesn’t mean FREE

If they are offering direct funds (where there is no middlemen cost involved) free of cost, then how they are sustaining their business? There are two possibilities here.

The first one is, they are offering you for free to garner their business or they may be a new entrant to this field. Once they achieve their target, then they may force you to charge some nominal fee. As the competition is very tight in this business module, they may be offering you free of cost.

The second one is, they may be indirectly pushing you to some other products or services where they earn handsome commissions like Corporate FDs, NCDs, or services like tax harvesting (a futile exercise).

Hence, you must be cautious about these FREE bees. Nothing is free in the financial industry. As there is a saying, if anything is offered to you for free, then you are the product.

However, SEBI recently mooted an idea that these platforms must not offer direct funds to investors free of cost. They either must charge to customers or to mutual fund companies. However, as of now, there is no clarity on this aspect. Hence, let us wait for SEBI regulation on this aspect.

# KYC

If you are not KYC compliant, then you have to complete this process before the start of the investment. Sadly as of now, the government is unable to resolve this SINGLE window KYC for all financial services (even though few years back CKYC concept was launched). How many days it will take is unknown to us.

If you are not KYC compliant, then choose the one which offers such a KYC process online. But it does not mean that you have to stick to the same app. Few use such online KYC providers for the sake of KYC completion. Once the process is done, then they choose the one which is comfortable to them. You can either stick to the one where you have completed KYC or move to the new one.

Best Mutual Fund App in India 2023

Now let us move on to the main topic of this post. First, ask these important questions for yourself before searching for the best mutual fund app in India –

  • Your financial goal matters or mutual fund app matters?
  • Your asset allocation matters or mutual fund app matters?
  • Asset performance matters or mutual fund app matters?
  • Risk management at your level and your behavior matters or mutual fund app matters?
  • Mutual Fund matters or mutual fund app matters?
  • Mutual Fund performance matters or mutual fund app matters?

When you ask such questions on your own, then obviously as per me, app does not add value to your investment. But what process you follow for your investment matters a lot. However, I am not denying the fact that we need trustworthy, user-friendly, free, and direct fund offering apps. BUT….it should be your last criteria when you decide to start investment. Sadly many scratch their head on this aspect of searching for the best mutual fund app in India than scratching their head on the questions which I have raised above. Hence, before jumping into choosing the best mutual fund app in India, first do these basic homework of investments yourself. If you are not capable, then take a help of Fee-Only Financial Planners.

# Define your financial goals – It is the first step of investing.

# Identify the time horizon and the amount required (in today’s term) – This process helps you to identify the right asset classes and asset allocation among those asset classes.

# Do the asset allocation – Once you have a clarity about goals, time horizon and the amount required, then do the asset allocation like how much should be invested in debt or equity.

# Choose the right products within those assets – Once asset allocation is defined, then choose the products within those assets based on your requirement, risk appetite and more importantly products which you can understand. Avoid the products which you can’t understand (no matter how much returns they generated in the past).

# FINALLY…search for the right platform which helps you to implement your investment at free, direct, user-friendly and also reliable.

Noticed that in the above steps, choosing the platform or an app is a last step. However, many spend hours or days for the search of best mutual fund app in India.

At the same time, I am not neglecting the importance of platforms in mutual funds. But I am trying to say that this search is the least important aspect in your investment journey.

Many choose apps mainly because they want the information should be accessible 24*7 on their fingertip. However, the more frequent accessibility to your investment leads to unnecessary action and probability of you doing the mistakes are high.

Whether you access your investment details 24*7 at your fingertip or access it once a month through login in website, this does not alter. You have to ACT before investing but after investing. Sadly many do the in-depth research post investment not before investment.

Many may be comfortable with apps than websites. It is individual choice. However, my idea of avoiding 24*7 accessibility for your investment information is that it creates a NOISE and CONFUSION inside you. Due to this, probability of mistakes will be higher.

Then what is my views on these apps? I am not saying that you must not use apps. I am not saying that you must not look for best featured platforms. What I am trying to say is that don’t spend a lot of time in search of this least effecting exercise of your investment.

Personally as of today, I am not using any apps or I have any monthly SIPs. All I have is Kuvera.in account (that also I will use as long as they offer at free of cost) and MF Central account. I spend around not more than 30 minutes to execute my monthly investments. I will track my investments using the excel which I have created as per my comfort. As I have adopted index investing both in equity and debt funds, I no need to track the performance 24*7.

My choices for you to use the platforms for investing in mutual funds are as below –

  1. Mutual Fund Companies websites or apps – Direct connection. But you end up with so many user name and passwords and also tracking at one place not possible.
  2. CAMS and KFintech – Better than the first one. However, again you end in having two platforms than a single platform. Because few AMCs tied up with CAMS and few with KFintech as their R&T Agents. CAMS offers you an app called myCAMS mutual fund app.
  3. MFU India – Backed by all AMCs. Best, long-lasting, and free option for you. However, sadly the process is cumbersome and the mutual fund industry never bothered to make it user-friendly for common investors. If private players can develop the best user-friendly platforms or apps, then why are not all AMCs unable to develop MFU user-friendly?
  4. MF Central – Recently launched by CAMS and KFintech. There may be certain service-related issues. However, I felt better than MFU.
  5. Few apps like Kuvera, Groww, Zerodha, or ET Money – Use them cautiously. Few like Zerodha offer you to hold the units in Demat format and which is unnecessary (as I have explained above). Even though many of these platforms offer you the service at free (only for investing in direct mutual funds), they may change their color as and when they wish. The classic example is when Paytm Money declared that it is surrendering its RIA license and becoming a broker to offer direct funds through the BSE Star platform. Because of this, investors with Paytm Money were forced to open a lifetime free Demat Account (even though Paytm Money claimed that units will not be in a Demat account) and do the re-verification of KYC.

Considering all these important points, I don’t think APP is a NEED for your investment in mutual funds in India. Use the websites like AMCs, CAMS or KFintech, MFU India or MF Central. Avoid these private players app as much as possible. Even though they may be offering you INSTANT, FREE, DIRECT FUNDS and USER FRIENDLY features at your fingertip, one day or another day for their survival either they may charge you or they may change the colour.

My views may looks old to many young generations who are more comfortable with apps on their smartphones. However, my suggestion is that don’t be so fancy about apps. Instead fancy about saving, investing and doing it repeatedly for decades to create the wealth.

Refer our few posts realted to mutual funds which we wrote recently –

28 Responses

  1. Hello Basu,
    Since last 5 years I use to invest through Invezta(Now finzipp), but seems service degraded a lot. Initially they told service free till 75k but I don’t understand how they are charging. They never charge anything till now. Do you know how they charged as my investment crossed 10Lakh. And is it secured? I doubt because few weeks back I have done a transaction but now I realized money deducted but SIP payment not yet done. Now I have to verify my each and every transactions till now..

    1. Dear Megha,
      Rather than relying on these websites, better you move either to MFU or MF Central. Regarding the transaction charges, I found nothing is mentioned on their website. Check with them properly regarding charges and transactions which are not reflecting.

  2. I have invested in UTI nifty 50 index and Parag Parikh flexi cap fund through Groww app 1 year ago. If i will start using MF Central now then will i be able to invest in same folio or need to create new one?

    Money which i have invested through Groww can be redeemed through MF Central in future whenever needed?

  3. Sir,
    Can you advice on below index portfolio on equal allocation sip .
    Nifty 50 index, small cap index, NASDAQ and S &P.

    1. Dear AP,
      Hard for me to judge and say without knowing about your financial life and the purpose of investment.

  4. Hi Basu,

    Are you using Kuvera App for transacting Mutual funds SIP or tracking purpose only ?
    I tried to do SIP through MF central but it shows issue.

    1. Dear Patel,
      Don’t scratch your head on this aspect. Use the now which offers you DIRECT Funds at FREE of cost.

  5. Hi Sir
    I have been using Kuvera platform since last 4 years based on your article to invest in direct mutual funds is it safe now sir…???

    1. Dear Anjali,
      Let us assume that they shut the door today itself!! You do no need to bother. Because your money is with AMCs but not with Kuvera (who acts like a facilitator).

  6. As always a great article to know about mutual fund investing…. I have query wrt a particular mutual fund though this article is in general to all…
    I have a daughter whos is 2 year old and want to start investing in mutual fund and one of my friend suggested to go for UTI CCF mutual fund and choose scholarship option in which I will get tax benefit on maturity. I searched a lot but hardly found any article related to this MF. Can you suggest is this a good option? Should I invest in it only for tax saving or this MF is good in terms of returns also?
    Thanks

    1. Dear Pawan,
      It is a typical active flexi cap fund. However, no details are available about the scholarship option like whether it is part of fund holdings or from AMC side. Also, no clarity on how it will be tax free.

  7. yes, agree, MFCentral app has a lot of issues right now. I started a SIP using the app, but now it’s not showing the option to pause or cancel the SIP.
    Contacted their customer service, but they have no idea, how to do that. 🙂

    1. Dear Ashish,
      I think these are initial glitches. If cancellation is not allowed, then you can cancel the same at AMC level.

  8. Hello Basu,

    I have a question. I am currently making index investing through ET Money app. Can i keep adding money into the same through mf central now?

    1. Dear Vikesh,
      Yes. In fact the real truth is that CAMS and KFintech are the two agents who manage all our mutual fund industry data in India. Hence, you can do so. Always try to look for long term view even while choosing the apps also.

    1. Dear Ajay,
      If you think I should write where one can jump and start investing without bothering pros and cons of spending a lot of time for the search of best app, then I think this article is not for you.

  9. Worst blog ever the content iss totally different from the question.
    Niveshbasu atleast write genuine conent and short content

    1. Dear Vaibhav,
      Thanks for your review 🙂 If your idea is to directly need few apps to invest in few seconds and then invest your money using those apps in another few seconds, then sadly this post is not meant for you 🙂

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