|
Robinhood vs Public in 2026
|
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 add more 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 a look. Some premium features cost extra, though, so you should know ahead of time which
services you’ll actually want.
Public and Robinhood Cost
| Broker Fees |
Stock/ETF
Commission |
Mutual Fund
Commission |
Options
Commission |
Maintenance
Fee |
Annual IRA
Fee |
|
Robinhood
|
$0
|
na
|
$0 per contract
|
$0
|
$0
|
|
Public
|
$0
|
na
|
$0.50 per contract
|
$0
|
$0
|
Public and Robinhood Services
| Broker Review |
Cost |
Investment Products |
Trading Tools |
Customer Service |
Research |
Overall Rating |
|
Robinhood
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Public
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Investing and Trading
Both firms in this comparison offer self-directed accounts only. Neither one provides ongoing investment-advisory services, although Robinhood (and Robinhood only) has a one-time investment-advice feature that suggests an ETF portfolio for retirement accounts. It isn’t ongoing management, but the service is free.
With a Robinhood account, self-directed traders can buy and sell stocks, option contracts, exchange-traded funds,
futures, and cryptocurrencies.
Public offers these same assets except futures, but it adds closed-end funds. For cryptocurrencies, Public supports 7 coins, while Robinhood offers 15.
For the most unusual assets, Public has an alternative-investment program that allows fractional investing in unique items like sneakers and paintings.
For tax treatment, both Robinhood and Public customers can open taxable brokerage accounts or Individual Retirement Accounts.
Winner: Robinhood
Banking
Robinhood customers can enroll in a useful cash-management program called Cash Card. As
the name suggests, it includes a free debit card (plus the ability to send checks by mail).
It also lets customers earn fractional crypto and fractional shares of stock. There is also a cash-back
program.
Robinhood also has an FDIC sweep program for uninvested cash that currently pays up to
3.25% APY (with a premium subscription).
Public has a similar FDIC-insured cash program that pays 3.35%
per year without a subscription. However, Public does not include the other perks Robinhood offers,
such as a debit card.
Winner: Robinhood
Premium Services
Robinhood traders can sign up for Gold, the broker’s premium plan. It costs $5 per month and includes extra benefits like Morningstar research, Level II quotes, and free margin borrowing up to $1,000.
Public’s premium plan is called Premium. It adds charting tools that standard customers do not receive. Premium also includes VIP customer service and stronger research tools. The plan costs $10 per month.
Winner: Robinhood
Promotions
Robinhood:
3% deposit match and FREE stock worth up to $200 at Robinhood.
Public:
Get $20 of stock when you deposit $1,000 at Public.
Margin
Even though self-directed accounts are the only option at both firms, you can set an account
up as either margin or cash, and an existing cash account can be upgraded to margin on either
broker’s website.
Robinhood clients who want to trade on margin can choose between two pricing setups. The first is
the more common method of paying interest on borrowed funds. The current rate is
5% per year on debit balances under $50K.
Public.com margin rates range from 4.9% to 0.9%.
Winner: Robinhood
Computer Trading
Robinhood’s website is fairly basic, but that simplicity makes it easy to use. It’s also the only web-based option, because Robinhood does not offer a desktop platform or a separate browser-based trading platform.
The Robinhood website includes an order ticket with multiple order types like stop, trailing, and limit. It also has a feature called Recurring Investing, which sets up scheduled purchases of stocks and ETFs.
Charts on Robinhood’s site are pretty basic. A chart can be expanded to fill the full width of the screen. In that view, there are a few technical indicators and two chart styles.
On Public.com, we found even simpler charts. Standard customers only see a small chart with one style. Premium customers get full-screen charts with tools.
Public’s order ticket supports three order types (stop, market, and limit), which is a little simpler than Robinhood’s. Like Robinhood, Public does not have a desktop platform or a separate browser platform. Even so, Public does offer something Robinhood doesn’t: a community forum. Public users can chat about market news and specific assets.
Winner: Robinhood
Mobile Trading
The second and final trading platform at both firms is the mobile app. Robinhood’s app uses the same order form and charting tools found on the website. However, on the app, charts cannot be rotated horizontally.
Public’s charts also can’t be rotated. Public does have watchlists and alerts, which are also available on Robinhood’s app. The community bulletin board from the website is included in the app as well.
Winner: Robinhood
Supplementary Services
IRAs: Both brokers offer IRAs (Roth and Traditional formats).
Fully-Paid Stock Lending: Both brokerage firms offer it.
Fractional-share Trading: Robinhood and Public.com both provide whole-dollar trading.
DRIP: Both firms offer it.
Extended Hours: Both firms provide early-morning and after-hours trading in securities, although Public traders do have to sign up for Premium. Cryptocurrencies trade 24/7 at both firms.
IPO Access: Only at Robinhood.
Winner: Robinhood
Promotions
Robinhood:
3% deposit match and FREE stock worth up to $200 at Robinhood.
Public:
Get $20 of stock when you deposit $1,000 at Public.
Our Recommendations
Small Accounts: Neither firm has account minimums, so either could be a good fit.
Long-Term Investing and Retirement Planning: Since Robinhood is the only broker here with IRAs, it’s the clear choice.
Beginning Traders: New traders using IRAs may benefit from Robinhood’s one-time portfolio suggestions. For taxable accounts, neither firm is ideal because there is no ongoing investment advice. We would look at a broker like Ally Invest or Vanguard, which offers robo and traditional advisory accounts.
Active Stock Trading: Robinhood has the more advanced platform.
Public vs Robinhood Verdict
Even though Public offers alternative assets, they are not enough to beat Robinhood overall.
|
|
Updated on 1/5/2026.
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.
|