Schwab vs. Public.com: Highlights
• Schwab offers robo and other advisory accounts, while Public.com now provides self-directed investing products, including IRAs and direct indexing.
• Schwab has stronger advanced trading software platforms.
• Public offers crypto trading, while Schwab offers products that Public does not, such as mutual funds, futures, forex, and annuities.
Public.com vs. Schwab Introduction
Before opening your next investment account, Public and Schwab are both worth reviewing. Here are the details on these two brokerage firms:
Public and Charles Schwab Cost
| Broker Fees |
Stock/ETF
Commission |
Mutual Fund
Commission |
Options
Commission |
Maintenance
Fee |
Annual IRA
Fee |
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Charles Schwab
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$0
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$49.95 ($0 to sell)
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$0.65 per contract
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$0
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$0
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Public
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$0
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na
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$0 per contract
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$0
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$0
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Public and Charles Schwab Services
| Broker Review |
Cost |
Investment Products |
Trading Tools |
Customer Service |
Research |
Overall Rating |
|
Charles Schwab
|
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|
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Public
|
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Open Account
Charles Schwab: $0 commissions + ACAT rebate + satisfaction guarantee at Charles Schwab.
Public: Get a 1% IRA contribution bonus at Public.com.
Available Assets and Accounts
Investors with a Public.com account can trade option contracts, stocks, ETFs, closed-end funds, bonds, Treasuries, and cryptocurrencies. Public also offers products such as high-yield cash, direct indexing, and Generated Assets. Schwab does not offer direct digital-currency trading, but it adds mutual funds, annuities, forex, and futures contracts.
This investment lineup applies only to self-directed brokerage accounts. Schwab goes much further with a broad selection of investment-advisory accounts. At the entry level is a robo service, and traditional human-managed programs are also available.
Across self-directed and advisory account types, Schwab offers many tax-advantaged and estate-planning account choices, including IRAs and trusts. Public also offers IRA products, including Traditional IRA and Crypto IRA options, although Schwab has the broader retirement and advisory lineup.
Winner: Schwab
Margin
A brokerage account at either firm can be opened as either a cash or margin account. Existing Public brokerage accounts can switch to margin through account settings in the Public app, while Schwab customers can also apply for margin access. Public margin can be used for borrowing against eligible stocks, bonds, and ETFs in an account. Short selling can also be available in approved Public margin accounts, although eligibility and margin requirements apply.
At Schwab, margin can also be used for leverage and borrowing, and this is a major
advantage for more advanced traders. Schwab’s interest rates start at 11.825% and use lower rates for larger debit balances.
Winner: Schwab
Websites
Both broker-dealers in this comparison have websites that are mostly easy to use. Schwab’s site has a much stronger equity screener with more search filters. Charts on the site include useful resources, such as drawing tools, comparisons, company events, and many plot styles. Stock profiles on the Schwab website have analyst reports in pdf format, which are missing in action on Public.com (Public does have trade recommendations, though).
Another strong tool we found at Schwab that we didn’t find at Public is a browser platform. Called thinkorswim, it has some very advanced order types, like OCO (one cancels the other). Simpler trade types such as limit and stop are available at Public.
Another drawback we see at Public is in charting. Schwab’s charting tools are free to use, which isn’t always the case at Public. A Premium subscription is required to access the most advanced graphing tools. Without this subscription, only line format on a small chart is shown.
Winner: Schwab
Mobile Apps
Schwab has two mobile apps: its main app and the thinkorswim app. The second platform is built for heavy-duty trading. It can submit orders for futures and forex, and it has very advanced charting tools, including hundreds of technical indicators. The main app is built more for account management and security research.
Public investors get one app, and like the website, it has digital bulletin boards for stocks, which is one advantage over Schwab in this category. Profiles also show key stats like dividend yield and Beta. Missing on the app is mobile check deposit and an AI, both of which are on Schwab’s main app.
Winner: Schwab
Desktop Programs
Schwab offers desktop trading through its thinkorswim platform. Public, by comparison, does not have desktop software.
Winner: Schwab
Bonus Services
DRIP: Both firms have a Dividend Reinvestment Plan.
Individual Retirement Accounts: Available at both firms, although Schwab has the broader IRA and retirement-account lineup.
Fully-Paid Stock Lending: Both firms offer it.
Fractional Shares: Public.com offers fractional investing in stocks and ETFs, and crypto can be traded in dollar amounts. Schwab provides fractional-share trading in S&P 500 stocks.
Extended Hours: Public offers crypto trading 24/7, along with pre-market and after-hours trading for eligible stocks. Schwab has 24/5 trading in more than 1,100 stocks and ETFs, plus regular pre-market and after-hours trading for other eligible securities.
Recurring Mutual Fund Purchases: Schwab customers can sign up for autopilot mutual-fund transactions.
IPO Access: Available at both firms when eligible offerings are available.
Winner: Schwab
Open Account
Charles Schwab: $0 commissions + ACAT rebate + satisfaction guarantee at Charles Schwab.
Public: Get a 1% IRA contribution bonus at Public.com.
Recommendations
Retirement Planning & Long-Term Investing: Schwab has the wider retirement and planning lineup, with tax-advantaged accounts, financial planners, annuities, branch locations, and much more.
Small Accounts: Schwab’s advisory accounts have minimums starting at $5,000, so they won’t work for every small account. Brokerage accounts at both firms have no minimums.
Frequent Stock Trading: Schwab is far ahead of Public.
Mutual Funds: Schwab is the only option.
Beginners: We suggest a robo account or a traditional advisory account with Schwab. Public may work for beginners who want a simple self-directed app, but Schwab has more guidance and planning options.
Schwab vs Public Verdict
Public.com has some unique investing services, but Schwab provides the better overall experience.
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Updated on 5/30/2026.
Chad Morris is a financial writer with more than 20 years experience
as both an English teacher and an avid trader. When he isn’t writing
expert content for Brokerage-Review.com, Chad can usually be found
managing his portfolio or building a new home computer.
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