How to use the mutual fund screener: a step-by-step guide
Written and reviewed by Omm · Last reviewed · General information, not investment advice
The screener lists every active mutual fund scheme in India with returns, SIP returns and risk calculated from official NAV history. Here is how to get the most from it.
1. Start with the default view
The table opens with Direct plans and the Growth option only, sorted by 3-year return. This is the cleanest group, because Regular plans cost more and IDCW options pay out part of the value, which distorts NAV-based returns. See Direct vs Regular and Growth vs IDCW. Use the Plan and Option filters to change this.
2. Pick a category
Funds are only fairly comparable within the same SEBI category. Open Category and choose one, for example “Flexi Cap”. The default sort by 3-year return then ranks that group. See mutual fund categories.
3. Read several columns, not one
- 1Y, 3Y, 5Y: returns. 1 year and above are annualised (CAGR). See CAGR vs XIRR vs absolute return.
- SIP 3Y: the return of a monthly SIP over the last three years.
- Volatility and max drawdown: how bumpy the ride was. See risk measures.
Use Columns to add more, including 1-month to 10-year returns, Sharpe and Sortino ratios and rolling returns.
4. Narrow with ranges
Open Ranges to keep, for example, funds with 5-year return of at least 15% and volatility under 20%. Funds without a value for a metric are left out when you filter on it.
5. Open a fund
Click a fund name for its page: NAV chart, all returns with the fund’s rank among its peers, SIP returns, risk and a similar-funds list.
6. Compare
Use Compare to put two to four funds side by side with a chart that scales each to 100 at the start, so you can see which grew more over the same period.
7. Share or save
The page address holds your filters. Copy it to share. Export CSV downloads the current list.
Good habits
- Compare like with like: same category, same plan, same option.
- Look at more than one period; a fund can top one list by luck.
- Check risk next to return.
- Look at the TER and AUM columns too. A lower expense ratio means less cost every year, and a very small AUM can mean a fund is new or not popular. Neither is a verdict on its own.
- Remember what the screener cannot show: exit load, portfolio and fund manager. Check these in the fund’s own documents.
- Past performance does not indicate future returns. This site is educational and does not recommend any fund.
If you want to know how each number is calculated, read the methodology.