ICICI Prudential Balanced Advantage Fund vs HDFC Balanced Advantage Fund
These are balanced-advantage comparisons, not a guaranteed defensive-versus-growth classification. Read each fund's allocation process and distinguish gross equity from net unhedged equity. Two portfolios with similar gross equity can have different market exposure because of hedging, debt and derivatives.
By Ash · Comparison framework revised 1 October 2026. Product documents below identify the source; this is not a personalized quote or a performance ranking.
The decision that matters for this pair
Compare monthly portfolio disclosures for the same dates. Inspect net equity exposure, debt credit quality and duration, expense ratio and drawdowns over the same period. Do not label either fund as deposit-like merely because it changes allocation dynamically; the investment can still lose value.
Compare these fields side by side
Save both source documents with their effective date. Populate the fields below from those documents, and write down a question wherever a condition is unclear. Do not substitute an advertisement for a missing contractual term.
- Exact scheme, plan and option
- Mandate and benchmark
- Same-date portfolio and riskometer
- Current expense ratio
- Same-period returns and drawdown
- Exit-load and subscription conditions
A worked example: risk and recovery
Consider a hypothetical ₹2 lakh equity holding that falls 25% to ₹1.5 lakh. It needs a 33.3% gain—not 25%—to return to ₹2 lakh. This is a risk illustration, not either fund's historical drawdown. A recent winning return does not remove that exposure; keep money needed soon outside a strategy that can experience such a fall.
When the comparison is not like for like
A direct growth plan cannot be compared fairly with a regular distribution option by looking at one NAV or one return percentage. If mandates differ, decide the portfolio role first. If switching existing units, include any tax and exit-load effects separately from the choice of where to invest new money.
Official product documents
- ICICI Prudential Balanced Advantage Fund: issuer documents
- HDFC Balanced Advantage Fund: issuer documents
Questions before you decide
Which one should I choose?
Compare monthly portfolio disclosures for the same dates. Inspect net equity exposure, debt credit quality and duration, expense ratio and drawdowns over the same period. Do not label either fund as deposit-like merely because it changes allocation dynamically; the investment can still lose value.
Why is there no recent-return winner?
A fair return comparison needs identical dates, plan and option, with its benchmark and risk context. This page does not publish unsupported performance numbers or predict which fund will outperform.