| 1498 | Portuguese | Calicut (arrival) | Trade entry (temporary success) | Zamorin | Arab opposition limited growth |
| 1500 | Portuguese | Calicut factory | ❌ Failed | Zamorin | Factory attacked by locals + Arab traders |
| 1503 | Portuguese | Cochin factory + fort | ✅ Successful | Raja of Cochin | Alliance against Zamorin |
| 1505 | Portuguese | Cannanore fort | ✅ Successful | Local ruler | Strategic naval base |
| 1510 | Portuguese | Goa (territorial base) | ✅ Successful | Bijapur Sultanate | Captured → capital formed |
| 1534 | Portuguese | Bassein | ✅ Successful | Bahadur Shah (Gujarat) | Treaty-based cession |
| 1535 | Portuguese | Diu | ✅ Successful | Gujarat Sultan | Naval base allowed |
| 1559 | Portuguese | Daman | ✅ Successful | Local rulers | Expansion |
| Late 1500s | Portuguese | Hooghly (Bengal) | ✅ Successful (later lost) | Mughal permission | Major trade centre |
| 1602 | Dutch | Entry (VOC formed) | — | — | Beginning of Dutch trade |
| 1605–06 | Dutch | Masulipatnam | ✅ Successful | Golconda | First Dutch factory in India |
| 1610 | Dutch | Pulicat | ✅ Successful | Local ruler | Dutch HQ in India |
| 1611 | English | Masulipatnam | ✅ Successful | Golconda | First English factory |
| 1612 | English | Surat (after battle) | ✅ Successful | Mughal Empire | Portuguese defeated |
| 1613 | English | Surat factory | ✅ Successful | Jahangir | First permanent English base |
| 1616 | Dutch | Surat | ✅ Successful | Mughal Empire | Western trade |
| 1619 | English | Agra, Ahmedabad, Broach | ✅ Successful | Mughal Empire | Inland expansion |
| 1633 | English | Balasore, Hariharpur | ✅ Successful | Mughal Empire | Odisha trade |
| 1639 | English | Madras (Fort St. George) | ✅ Successful | Local Nayak | Strong base created |
| 1651 | English | Hugli (Bengal) | ✅ Successful | Mughal Empire | Bengal trade begins |
| 1653–58 | Dutch | Kasimbazar, Patna, Balasore | ✅ Successful | Mughal Empire | Textile + saltpetre trade |
| 1661 | English | Bombay (received) | ✅ Successful | Portuguese (dowry) | Strategic port |
| 1668 | English | Bombay to Company | ✅ Successful | English Crown | Major presidency |
| 1664 | French | Company formed | — | — | Entry begins |
| 1667 | French | Surat | ✅ Successful | Mughal Empire | First French factory |
| 1669 | French | Masulipatnam | ✅ Successful | Golconda | Trade rights |
| 1673 | French | Chandernagore | ✅ Successful | Mughal (Shaista Khan) | Bengal centre |
| 1674 | French | Pondicherry | ✅ Successful | Bijapur (Sher Khan Lodi) | Main HQ |
| Late 1600s | French | Mahe, Karaikal, Balasore | ✅ Successful | Local rulers | Coastal trade |
| 1690 | English | Sutanuti (Calcutta start) | ✅ Successful | Bengal Nawab | Foundation of Calcutta |
| 1698 | English | Calcutta villages (zamindari) | ✅ Successful | Mughal authority | Expansion |
| 1700 | English | Fort William (Calcutta) | ✅ Successful | Mughal Empire | Bengal HQ |
| Early 1700s | French | Surat, Masulipatnam | ❌ Lost / abandoned | — | European wars |
| 1693 | French | Pondicherry | ❌ Lost (temporary) | Dutch | Captured by Dutch |
| 1697 | French | Pondicherry restored | ✅ Restored | Treaty of Ryswick | Returned to French |
| 1632 | Portuguese | Hooghly | ❌ Lost | Shah Jahan | Mughal attack |
| 1663 | Portuguese | Cochin | ❌ Lost | Dutch | Dutch expansion |
| 1759 | Dutch | Bengal factories | ❌ Decline | English | After Battle of Bidara |
| 1761 | French | Pondicherry | ❌ Lost | English | Third Carnatic War |
| 1763 | French | Factories restored | ⚠️ Only trade allowed | Treaty of Paris | No political power |