Why is Kite Connect Paid while Kite is not?

Algos, strategies, code
1

Hi,

As I understand, the price of Kite connect is Rs 2000 for live data and another 2000 for Historical Data. And for startups it’s free.

I was wondering why Kite Web and Mobile are free but the API is paid.

Because when you use Kite, you are not only using Zerodha’s servers and their webapp, but that webapp is calling the same APIs in the background.

Here if I am calling the APIs myself, without using Kite web servers and Web/Mobile app (which needs to be developed and maintained by Zerodha at a cost), I have to pay a substantial amount.

It should be reverse. There are many people (myself included when I was learning) who just use Kite Web/Mobile to watch charts but dont actually place any trades. For them also the APIs are almost free.

I think its a detriment for quants like myself who would just like to directly call the API without using Zerodha’s frontends. Zerodha can still get commissions from trades.

Regards.

2 Likes
2

Found an old thread on Kite Dev Forum which talks about the same issue (with inputs from @Matti)

Kite Connect is a premium service offered above and beyond our broking services, and charged as such. Originally, the idea with the APIs was to find new ways to get more retail participants to enter the markets. In order to encourage people with ideas to do this, APIs for startups are free.

3

Upstox it completely free and to be honest it is developer friendly as well. Many other brokers are providing it free

4

A pricing model like that of Dhan would be appreciated, with trading APIs being free and data APIs costing 500 INR/month.

The current cost is prohibitive for small traders and individuals as it amounts to almost 50k INR per year. :smiling_face_with_tear: