Key Points
• Robinhood and Public.com are two low-cost brokerage firms with a lot to offer.
• Public has the most exotic assets, like artwork and sports cards.
• Both firms offer premium services that cost a little extra but deliver additional features.
Public.com vs. Robinhood Introduction
If you’re looking for a brokerage firm with very low trading fees, Robinhood and Public.com
are worth considering. Premium features cost extra, though, so you need to know beforehand what
services you’re going to want.
Comparison Table
|
|
|
| Rating |
|
 |
| Stocks |
$0 |
$0 |
| Options (per contract) |
$0 for stock and ETF options |
$0 for stock and ETF options; $0.50 for index options |
| Mutual Funds |
na |
na |
| Initial Funding Requirement |
$0 |
$0 |
| Inactivity Fee |
$0 |
$3.99/month in limited cases |
| IRA Annual Fee |
$0 |
$0 |
| Full Account Transfer |
$100 |
$100 |
| Partial Account Transfer |
$100 |
$100 |
| Account Closing Fee |
$0 |
$0 |
| Trading Experience & Technology |
|
|
| Mobile |
|
|
| Research Amenities |
|
|
| Portfolio & Analysis Reports |
|
|
| Customer Service and Education |
|
|
| Open an account |
Free stock + 3% IRA match or 2% transfer match at Robinhood.
|
1% IRA match bonus at Public.com.
|
Investing and Trading
Both brokerage houses in this investigation offer self-directed accounts. Robinhood also offers managed accounts through Robinhood Strategies, while Public offers advisory-style products such as Direct Index, Generated Assets, and Treasury accounts.
Self-directed traders at Robinhood can buy and sell equities, option contracts, exchange-traded funds,
futures, and cryptocurrencies.
Public offers stocks, ETFs, options, cryptocurrencies, bonds, and Treasuries. It does not offer futures.
Public also offers some managed and advisory-style products, including Direct Index, Generated Assets, and Treasury accounts.
As for tax structures, Robinhood and Public customers can open fully taxable accounts or Individual Retirement Accounts.
Winner: Robinhood
Banking
Robinhood customers can sign up for a cash-management service called Cash Card. As
the title suggests, it comes with a debit card and the ability to send checks through the mail.
It’s possible to earn bonuses on round-ups and invest those round-ups in stocks or crypto.
Robinhood also offers an FDIC-sweep program for uninvested cash that pays up to
3.35% APY right now.
Public has a similar FDIC-insured cash program that pays 3.3%
annually without a subscription. However, none of the other perks available to Robinhood customers,
including a debit card, are available.
Winner: Robinhood
Premium Services
Robinhood traders can sign up for Gold, which is the broker-dealer’s premium service. It costs $5 per month and comes with added benefits, like Morningstar research, Level II quotes, and the first $1,000 of margin borrowed interest-free.
Public’s premium service is called Premium, conveniently enough. It delivers charting tools, advanced data and insights, enhanced trading features, expanded portfolio tools, VIP customer service, and better research tools. It costs $10 per month, although the fee can be waived for accounts over $50,000.
Winner: Robinhood
Promotions
Robinhood:
Free stock + 3% IRA match or 2% transfer match at Robinhood.
Public:
1% IRA match bonus at Public.com.
Margin
For self-directed brokerage accounts, it is possible to set up margin access where available and approved.
Robinhood clients who want to trade on margin can select between two pricing schedules. The first is
the somewhat standard system of simply paying interest on borrowed funds. The current cost is
5% per year on debit balances under $50K.
Public.com margin rates are from 4.9% to 3.95%.
Winner: Robinhood
Computer Trading
Robinhood’s website is pretty basic, although this emphasis on simplicity does mean the platform is easy to use. Robinhood also has Robinhood Legend, a browser-based desktop platform for stocks, options, and crypto trading.
The Robinhood website has an order ticket with multiple trade types like stop, trailing, and limit. There is a unique one called Recurring Investing, which will set up a recurring purchase schedule for stocks and ETFs.
Charts on Robinhood’s site are pretty elementary, but Robinhood Legend adds more advanced charting and analysis tools. A graph can be expanded the full width of the computer screen. In this mode, there are technical studies and multiple plot styles.
On Public.com, we found simpler charting. Basic customers only get a small graph with one plot style. Premium customers get full-screen charts with tools.
Public’s order ticket has three trade types (stop, market, and limit), which is a little simpler than Robinhood’s. Public has a web platform and mobile app, although it does not have a desktop platform comparable to Robinhood Legend. Public does have something that Robinhood doesn’t: a community forum. Traders at Public can chat about market news and individual assets.
Winner: Robinhood
Mobile Trading
The second trading platform available at both firms is the mobile app. Robinhood’s incorporates the same order form and charting tools we saw on the broker’s website.
Public’s app also has watchlists and alerts, which show up on Robinhood’s app. The community bulletin board on the website makes an appearance.
Winner: Robinhood
Supplementary Services
IRAs: Tax-sheltered accounts will be found at both brokers in Roth and Traditional formats.
Fully-Paid Stock Lending: Both brokerage firms offer it.
Fractional-share Trading: Robinhood and Public.com both deliver whole-dollar trading.
DRIP: Both firms have it.
Extended Hours: Both firms offer early-morning and after-hours trading in securities, although Public traders have to pay a fee for extended-hours trades unless they have Premium. Robinhood also offers 24 Hour Market trading from 8 PM ET Sunday until 8 PM ET Friday for eligible stocks and ETFs. Cryptocurrencies trade nearly 24/7 at both firms.
IPO Access: Available at both firms when offerings are available and eligibility requirements are met.
Winner: Robinhood
Promotions
Robinhood:
Free stock + 3% IRA match or 2% transfer match at Robinhood.
Public:
1% IRA match bonus at Public.com.
Our Recommendations
Small Accounts: Neither firm has any account minimums, so either would be a good pick, although very small inactive Public accounts can face an inactivity fee.
Long-Term Investing and Retirement Planning: Because Robinhood has a stronger IRA match and a broader retirement pitch, it gets the edge here.
Beginning Traders: New traders with IRAs may benefit from Robinhood’s retirement tools and match. For taxable accounts, investors who want full-service advice may still want to compare other brokers that offer broader advisory programs.
Active Stock Trading: Robinhood has a more advanced platform.
Public vs Robinhood Verdict
Although Public has added more products and tools, they’re not enough to overcome Robinhood overall.
Updated on 5/29/2026.
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