Systematic Investment Plans (SIPs) are among the most popular ways to invest in mutual funds. Most investors prefer monthly SIPs because they align well with their salary cycle. However, a common question often arises — what if you invest daily instead of monthly? Will your returns increase because your money gets more time in the market to grow?

While the idea sounds convincing, the reality may surprise many investors. A detailed analysis shows that long-term returns remain almost the same whether you invest daily, monthly, or quarterly.

To understand the real difference, a comparison was conducted using SIPs invested in the Nifty 50 Index over a long period of 15 years — from December 1, 2010 to December 1, 2025. The total investment amount across all three SIP styles was kept identical to ensure a fair comparison.

Here’s how the investment amounts were structured:

• Daily SIP: ₹1,000 per installment

  • Total installments: 3,719

• Monthly SIP: Adjusted SIP amount: ₹20,547

  • Total installments: 181

• Quarterly SIP: Adjusted SIP amount: ₹60,967

  • Total installments: 61

Even though the investment frequency differed, the overall invested capital remained the same in all three cases.

After 15 years of consistent investing, the outcome turned out to be almost identical:

As seen in the results, the difference in returns is extremely small — almost negligible.

The reason is simple:
All three SIP investments went through the same market cycles — bull phases, corrections, volatility, and recoveries.

In long-term investing, the real drivers of wealth creation are:

✔ Compounding over many years
✔ Overall market performance
✔ Staying invested through volatility

The frequency of investment has only a very minor impact on long-term returns.

Experts say that monthly SIPs are the most suitable option for most investors, because:

• They align well with monthly income patterns

• Tracking and managing investments becomes easier

• No complexity of daily transactions or monitoring

• Helps maintain financial discipline

Daily SIPs may seem attractive in theory, but they can be harder to manage and don’t significantly boost returns. Quarterly SIPs also work fine but may not suit regular savers as well as monthly plans.

The study clearly shows that daily, monthly, or quarterly — returns remain almost the same over the long term. Instead of trying to time the market through different SIP intervals, investors should:

✔ Start early
✔ Continue investing regularly
✔ Stay invested for the long term

That’s the true formula to build wealth through mutual funds.