FundLens

Best Small Cap Funds

Highest growth potential and the deepest drawdowns. For long horizons only.

Data updated · 36 direct-growth funds ranked by a transparent 0–100 Smart Score

36
Funds
2
Strong Buys
Very High
Risk
36 funds
⚖Want to compare funds? Tick the checkbox in the first column — pick up to 5 and they'll go head-to-head in one view.
⚖ VSFund Score ↓Verdict1Y 3Y 5Y Sharpe Sortino Std Dev Alpha Beta VR★ P/E Expense AUM Age
Invesco India Small Cap
Invesco
83
Strong Buy14.2%23.2%20.2%0.931.2817.97.30.905★43.70.63%₹15.7k Cr7.9y
Bandhan Small Cap
Bandhan
81
Strong Buy9.7%24.8%19.6%0.981.4320.58.80.905★17.60.60%₹34.2k Cr6.6y
ITI Small Cap
ITI
77
Buy20.4%25.2%19.5%1.011.3019.99.30.875★42.30.86%₹3.6k Cr6.6y
Motilal Oswal Small Cap
Motilal Oswal
75
Buy21.0%——0.941.3017.411.00.84—33.80.85%₹8.2k Cr2.7y
Bank Of India Small Cap
Bank of India
73
Buy25.1%21.9%20.0%0.821.1121.96.20.945★36.00.72%₹3.3k Cr7.8y
Mirae Asset Small Cap
Mirae Asset
72
Buy9.7%——0.701.0215.56.10.82—31.40.67%₹5.7k Cr1.7y
Mahindra Manulife Small Cap
Mahindra Manulife
65
Buy16.1%20.6%—0.841.0419.75.70.874★27.80.96%₹5.5k Cr3.8y
Quant Small Cap Gr
Quant
63
Buy13.7%17.9%19.8%0.670.8620.22.80.875★31.00.94%₹35.8k Cr13.7y
DSP Small Cap
DSP
61
Hold17.2%17.8%18.4%0.660.9121.32.80.914★31.80.80%₹21.7k Cr13.7y
Axis Small Cap
Axis
59
Hold9.7%15.9%16.3%0.630.8614.90.90.755★31.90.73%₹31.4k Cr12.8y
Nippon India Small Cap
Nippon India
58
Hold8.3%15.4%18.9%0.540.7216.50.00.855★29.10.69%₹82.6k Cr13.7y
TrustMF Small Cap
Trust
58
Hold30.0%——0.700.9518.615.80.92—43.61.56%₹3.4k Cr1.9y
Union Small Cap
Union
56
Hold21.3%18.0%17.8%0.700.8219.43.30.834★42.91.11%₹2.7k Cr12.3y
Edelweiss Small Cap
Edelweiss
56
Hold8.3%15.8%17.2%0.570.7716.31.10.824★33.20.63%₹7.3k Cr7.6y
LIC MF Small Cap
LIC
53
Hold14.8%19.2%18.3%0.690.8821.83.40.94—24.81.32%₹832 Cr9.3y
HSBC Small Cap
HSBC
51
Hold12.2%15.1%17.9%0.450.6317.3———35.10.77%₹19.1k Cr12.4y
Sundaram Small Cap
Sundaram
47
Hold14.7%17.3%17.2%0.690.0319.52.90.853★28.40.95%₹4.2k Cr13.7y
PGIM India Small Cap
PGIM India
46
Hold13.4%17.1%14.2%0.730.9417.63.60.753★42.50.94%₹1.8k Cr5.1y
Quantum Small Cap
Quantum
44
Avoid9.2%——0.450.6214.4-1.40.69—21.60.85%₹265 Cr2.9y
Bajaj Finserv Small Cap
Bajaj Finserv
43
Avoid15.8%——0.360.5116.18.10.92—33.20.98%₹2.6k Cr1.2y
ABSL Small Cap Gr Dir
Aditya Birla Sun Life
38
Avoid17.4%15.7%14.1%0.540.7317.10.10.86——1.09%₹6.2k Cr13.7y
UTI Small Cap
UTI
37
Avoid4.7%14.1%15.4%0.450.6116.8-1.40.853★28.00.87%₹5.4k Cr5.7y
FranklIn India Small Cap
Franklin
36
Avoid4.6%13.2%15.9%0.410.5516.3-2.00.832★29.01.06%₹14.7k Cr13.7y
Canara Robeco Small Cap
Canara Robeco
36
Avoid5.3%13.0%15.2%0.400.5316.3-2.30.833★33.50.68%₹14.6k Cr7.6y
Helios Small Cap
Helios
36
Avoid—————————43.90.93%₹1.7k Cr0.9y
Kotak Small Cap Gr Dir
Kotak
35
Avoid5.8%12.8%13.1%0.410.5515.4-1.80.773★33.60.64%₹19.7k Cr13.7y
SBI Small Cap
SBI
35
Avoid6.5%12.0%14.5%0.390.5314.2-2.00.703★32.70.78%₹42.6k Cr17.0y
Tata Small Cap
Tata
32
Avoid-0.9%12.7%15.7%0.350.4817.6-2.90.872★28.90.51%₹13.1k Cr7.9y
Baroda BNP Paribas Small Cap
Baroda BNP Paribas
32
Avoid8.2%——0.470.6217.0-2.20.85—30.81.17%₹1.3k Cr2.9y
HDFC Small Cap
HDFC
28
Avoid-2.6%10.9%14.8%0.280.3716.0-4.00.813★21.10.75%₹41.9k Cr13.7y
Groww Small Cap
Groww
27
Avoid——————————0.94%₹764 Cr0.7y
JM Small Cap
JM
26
Avoid16.3%——0.130.1820.73.91.05—30.70.95%₹929 Cr2.3y
ICICI Pru Small Cap
ICICI Pru
24
Avoid2.2%11.4%14.5%0.340.4614.3-2.60.723★25.71.17%₹9.8k Cr13.7y
Abakkus Small Cap
Abakkus
20
Avoid—————————27.21.33%₹2.8k Cr0.6y
Samco Small Cap
Samco
4
Avoid—————————42.52.04%₹196 Cr0.9y
The Wealth Company Small Cap
The Wealth Company
1
Avoid—————————37.32.26%₹129 Cr0.5y
Reading the ratios: ↑ higher is better — Returns, Sharpe, Sortino, Alpha · ↓ lower is better — Std Dev, P/E, Expense · Beta ≈1 moves with the market (<1 swings less). Hover any column header for details.

Small Cap funds — quick answers

›Which is the best Small Cap mutual fund right now?

Invesco India Small Cap currently ranks #1 of 36 Small Cap funds with a FundLens Smart Score of 83/100 (Strong Buy). It returned 23.2% over 3 years and 20.2% over 5 years at a 0.63% expense ratio (direct plan). Rankings are recomputed from data updated 20 Sept 2026.

›Which Small Cap fund has the best risk-adjusted returns?

Bandhan Small Cap leads the category on the Sortino ratio at 1.43 (Sharpe 0.98) — meaning it has delivered the most return per unit of downside risk among Small Cap funds.

›Which Small Cap fund has the lowest expense ratio?

Tata Small Cap charges 0.51% a year (direct plan) — the lowest in the category. Lower fees compound in your favour over long holding periods.

›Which is the smallest Small Cap fund by AUM?

The Wealth Company Small Cap manages ₹129 Cr, the smallest in the category. Smaller funds can be nimbler, but check track record and costs before treating size alone as an edge.

›How long should I stay invested in a Small Cap fund?

Small Cap funds carry very high risk, so a horizon of 7+ years is generally sensible. Highest growth potential and the deepest drawdowns. For long horizons only. This is research, not investment advice.

Visitors also asked

Should I invest in a brand-new fund or NFO with no track record?How do I check whether two mutual funds hold the same stocks?Which small cap funds have the worst returns right now?Which is the best small cap fund right now?Which small cap funds have the lowest AUM?Which small cap fund has the best risk-adjusted returns?Can you give me the top 3 mutual funds to invest in?

Want these answers conversationally? Ask FundLens · New to the ratios? Sharpe vs Sortino, explained