How to subscribe to a smallcase on Zerodha

Subscribing to a smallcase on Zerodha involves three distinct actions: choosing a basket from the Smallcase marketplace, subscribing to the creator’s plan if the basket is paid, and placing the basket investment order through your linked Kite account. Each constituent stock is purchased as an individual equity order and credited directly to your demat account, giving you direct ownership of the underlying securities.

Conflict-of-interest disclosure. This guide is published by WebNotes Editorial Team for informational purposes. WebNotes has no commercial relationship with Smallcase Technologies, Zerodha, or any smallcase creator. No affiliate commission is earned from subscriptions or investments.

Market-risk disclosure. Smallcase investments involve market risk. The value of constituent stocks can fall below the invested amount. Past performance of a smallcase, including CAGR figures displayed on the platform, is not indicative of future returns. Rebalancing events can trigger capital gains tax. Consult a SEBI-registered investment adviser before making investment decisions.

Prerequisites

Before following this guide, confirm that:

• You hold an active Zerodha trading-and-demat account. If you have not opened one, see How to open a Zerodha account.
• Your Zerodha account has sufficient margin or funds to cover the minimum investment amount of the smallcase you intend to invest in. See How to add funds to Zerodha via UPI if your account balance is insufficient.
• You have reviewed your risk tolerance and investment horizon. Smallcase baskets are equity products; they carry full market risk.
• You understand that each rebalance notification will require your explicit approval, as smallcase does not execute discretionary trades on your behalf.

Step-by-step procedure

Step 1: Open the smallcase platform

Navigate to smallcase.com in a browser. Alternatively, log in to Kite at kite.zerodha.com and click Smallcase in the left-side navigation panel. Both paths lead to the same platform. If you are accessing via Kite, your Zerodha session carries over automatically, which streamlines the account-linking step later.

Step 2: Browse and select a smallcase

The Discover or Explore section displays baskets organised by category, minimum investment range, and curator type. Common categories include:

For each smallcase, the platform displays:

• Creator name and SEBI registration: The creator must hold a SEBI registration as either an Investment Adviser (IA) or a Research Analyst (RA). The registration type is disclosed on the smallcase detail page. IA-registered creators can provide personalised advice; RA-registered creators publish general research baskets applicable to all subscribers uniformly.
• Minimum investment: The minimum amount required to purchase at least one share of each constituent at current market prices.
• CAGR since inception: Past performance figure; not a guarantee of future returns.
• Rebalancing frequency: Monthly, quarterly, annually, or event-driven.
• Subscription fee: Nil for free smallcases; a disclosed monthly or quarterly fee for paid baskets.
• Constituent list: The stocks or ETFs in the basket and their target weights.

Review the rationale document that accompanies each smallcase. Evaluate whether the investment theme, risk profile, and expected holding period align with your goals. For sector or thematic smallcases, consider your existing portfolio’s exposure to the same sectors to avoid unintended concentration.

Step 3: Subscribe to the creator’s plan (paid smallcases only)

If the selected smallcase is a paid basket, click Subscribe. The platform displays the subscription fee (for example, Rs 499 per quarter or Rs 99 per month), the renewal date, the cancellation policy, and any free-trial period. Review these terms before proceeding.

Complete the subscription payment via the displayed payment gateway (UPI, net banking, or credit/debit card). The subscription fee is charged by Smallcase Technologies to the creator’s plan and is distinct from any Zerodha brokerage charges that apply at the time of investment.

For free smallcases, this step is skipped entirely. Click Invest directly from the smallcase detail page.

Step 4: Connect your Zerodha account

After subscribing (or clicking Invest on a free smallcase), the platform checks whether your Zerodha account is already linked. If it is not yet linked:

1. The platform redirects you to Kite’s OAuth screen at kite.zerodha.com.
2. Log in with your Zerodha client ID, password, and TOTP (or SMS OTP).
3. Grant the requested permissions, which allow Smallcase to place orders through your Kite Connect account on your behalf.
4. You are redirected back to the smallcase investment screen.

If your Zerodha session is already active (because you accessed smallcase from within Kite), this step happens silently or with a single confirmation click.

Step 5: Enter the investment amount

The investment screen shows the minimum investment amount for the smallcase at current market prices. This figure updates with market prices; check it on a market-open day for the most accurate figure.

Enter an amount at or above the minimum. The platform recalculates the approximate quantity of each constituent stock that will be purchased, showing the allocation breakdown. The allocation is proportional to the target weights set by the creator, adjusted for minimum lot sizes (which are 1 share for most NSE and BSE equities).

If the amount you enter does not allow full allocation to a constituent (because the stock’s price exceeds the proportional allocation), the platform adjusts quantities accordingly and displays the revised breakdown.

Step 6: Review and place the basket order

Before confirming, review the order summary:

• List of constituent stocks and approximate quantities
• Approximate total order value (subject to market-price variation between review and execution)
• Brokerage applicable: Zerodha’s equity delivery brokerage is nil for delivery orders; intraday brokerage of Rs 20 per executed order applies if the order is executed and squared off on the same day (which is not the intended use case for smallcase investments)
• SEBI transaction charges, stamp duty, and other statutory levies apply at standard rates

Click Invest now. The basket order is transmitted to Kite Connect and individual exchange orders are placed for each constituent on NSE or BSE. Orders execute at prevailing market prices during market hours (9:15 AM to 3:30 PM IST on trading days).

If you are placing the order outside market hours, the orders are queued and executed at the opening of the next trading session.

Step 7: Verify execution and demat credit

After order placement:

1. Open Kite and navigate to the Orders section (or Order book on the Kite mobile app). Each constituent stock appears as a separate order line with its execution status.
2. Return to the smallcase platform to view the Portfolio section, where the smallcase appears with the invested amount and current value.
3. Within T+1 settlement (the next business day after execution), constituent shares are credited to your Zerodha demat account. Verify in Zerodha Console under Portfolio > Holdings.

Note that the smallcase platform’s portfolio view shows smallcase-specific P&L tracking, while Zerodha Console’s holdings view shows all equity holdings co-mingled, without tagging by smallcase origin.

Subscription charges and brokerage

For detailed brokerage, see Zerodha’s equity delivery brokerage page.

What can go wrong

Kite Connect authorisation fails. If the OAuth redirect does not complete, try clearing browser cookies and logging into Kite fresh before returning to smallcase.com. Ensure that your Kite account is not locked due to failed login attempts.

Minimum investment amount is higher than expected. The minimum amount depends on live market prices of constituents. A high-priced constituent (such as a stock trading above Rs 5,000) can raise the minimum significantly. If the minimum exceeds your budget, consider a different smallcase with lower-priced constituents or a smaller number of constituents.

Partial fills on constituent orders. Constituent orders execute at market prices. If a constituent is in an upper or lower circuit at the time of order placement, the order for that constituent may be unexecuted or partially filled. The smallcase platform flags unexecuted legs and allows you to retry those specific orders after circuits are lifted.

Subscription payment failure. If the subscription payment gateway fails, retry using an alternative payment method. The investment flow is blocked until the subscription is active for paid smallcases.

Order placed outside market hours. Basket orders placed after 3:30 PM IST are queued for the next market session. The executed price may differ from the preview shown at the time of order placement.

Related guides

• How to invest in a smallcase via Kite
• How to set up an SIP on a smallcase
• How to exit a smallcase position
• Smallcases on Zerodha
• How to place your first equity buy order on Kite
• Zerodha equity delivery brokerage

References

1. Smallcase Technologies. “How to invest in a smallcase”. support.smallcase.com. Accessed May 2026.
2. SEBI. “SEBI (Investment Advisers) Regulations, 2013”. sebi.gov.in. Accessed May 2026.
3. SEBI. “SEBI (Research Analysts) Regulations, 2014”. sebi.gov.in. Accessed May 2026.
4. Zerodha Support. “Smallcase on Kite”. support.zerodha.com. Accessed May 2026.
5. Zerodha Z-Connect Blog. “Introducing smallcase, themed baskets on Kite”. z-connect.zerodha.com. Accessed May 2026.
6. NSE India. “Charges applicable on equity segment”. nseindia.com. Accessed May 2026.