Short answer — use trusted broker-comparison sites, the depositories’ DP lists, and the brokers’ own tariff sheets. Below are the best places to look and a short shortlist of commonly top Demat providers (so you know which names to compare).

Where to find curated lists and comparisons

• Financial/newspaper sites and broker‑review portals — they publish “best Demat account” roundups and charge comparisons (use these to compare features, AMC, brokerage and DP charges). Example resources: InvestSnow’s/top‑broker lists and comparison articles. (investsnow.in)
• Dedicated fee/comparison pages — show side‑by‑side AMC, account opening and per‑trade charges. (Good to check when comparing costs.) (dematdive.com)

Official sources you should check

• NSDL / CDSL (the two depositories) — they publish the list of Depository Participants (DPs) and explain how to open a demat account and what a DP is. Use the DP search on NSDL/CDSL to confirm a broker’s DP status and service centres. (nsdl.com)

Brokers’ own websites / tariff sheets

• Go to each broker’s official site and read the tariff sheet / account plan (AMC, debit charges, brokerage, levies). These are the source of truth for current pricing and offers — aggregator pages are helpful, but always confirm on the broker’s site. (Also see reporting on comparative fees in the press.) (m.economictimes.com)

Quick shortlist (names you’ll repeatedly see in “top” lists; start by comparing these)

• Zerodha, Upstox, Angel One, Groww, ICICI Direct, HDFC Securities, Kotak Securities, 5Paisa, Sharekhan, Paytm Money. (Market shares and popularity change quickly — e.g., Groww’s market share has been rising recently.) (investsnow.in)

What to compare (minimum checklist)

• AMC (annual maintenance charge for the demat), DP debit charges, account opening fee.
• Brokerage model (flat per order vs percentage), delivery (equity) brokerage, intraday/F&O rates.
• Platform (web/mobile UI), order execution speed, margin facilities, research/advice, IPO access.
• Customer support quality and grievance resolution (look up recent user reviews and SEBI complaints if needed).
• Whether you want a 3‑in‑1 (bank + trading + demat) account (convenient for some investors) and whether the broker supports NRI/NRP demat accounts. (nsdl.com)

Practical next steps

1. Pick 3 brokers from the shortlist.
2. Open their tariff sheets (on each broker’s site) and note AMC, per‑trade brokerage, DP debit charges and any first‑year offers. (dematdive.com)
3. Try the app/demo (many let you explore without funding).
4. Open the account with the DP/broker you prefer (online KYC is available with most). Use the NSDL/CDSL DP search if you want to confirm DP details. (nsdl.com)

If you want, I can:

• Pull and compare current AMCs/brokerage/AMC waivers for 3 specific brokers you name (I’ll fetch their latest tariff sheets and show a side‑by‑side).