Public.com Investing and Trading
With a brokerage account through Public.com, it’s possible to trade the following investment vehicles:
- Cryptocurrencies
- Options
- Stocks
- Corporate and Treasury bonds
- Exchange-traded funds
- Closed-end funds
- Alternative assets
Public’s equity category includes over-the-counter (OTC) stocks. Alternative assets include items such as fine art and comic books.
Many products at Public are self-directed. However, Public Advisors offers investment advisory services through Treasury Accounts, Direct Index Accounts, and Generated Assets Accounts. Public also offers investment
plans.
An Investment Plan at Public is a basket of assets, which may include stocks, cryptocurrencies, and ETFs, that can be purchased together. Customers can create their own Investment Plans or invest in one of the plans listed on the Public platform.
Public offers individual taxable cash and margin brokerage accounts, Traditional and Roth IRAs, Crypto IRAs, and separate High-Yield Cash, Bond, Treasury, Direct Index, and Generated Assets accounts.
To enable investing on Public, applicants must be at least 18 years old, have a valid Social Security Number and legal U.S. residential address, and be a U.S. citizen, permanent resident, or holder of an accepted valid visa.
Public Premium provides advanced data and research, fee-free extended-hours stock and ETF trades, fee-free stock and ETF Investment Plan purchases, price alerts, and a waived Bond Account maintenance fee. Premium costs $10 per month, and the fee is waived for accounts with a balance of at least $50,000.
Cash Management
Public also offers a High-Yield Cash Account. Currently, this account yields
3.3%. The account has no fees, subscription requirement, or minimum balance, and Public allows unlimited transfers and withdrawals. However, it is not a checking account and does not include check-writing or debit-card services. Technically, it is a secondary brokerage account with an FDIC sweep. Cash is moved to participating partner banks. Eligible balances can receive up to $5 million in aggregate FDIC insurance, subject to the $250,000 limit at each partner bank and any other deposits the customer holds at the same bank in the same ownership category.
Besides the lack of check-writing services, another downside of Public’s High-Yield Cash Account is the lack of a debit card.
Margin
A brokerage account at Public can operate on a cash or margin basis. A margin account comes with added features, including leveraged positions and eligible options spreads. Public now permits short selling of eligible stocks in approved margin accounts. Short selling requires at least $2,000 in usable margin equity, and stock-borrow fees may apply.
Borrowing money always comes at a cost, and margin is no exception. Currently, Public
charges 4.9% to 3.95% for margin debit balances. Public publishes separate margin-rate tiers for balances above $1 million; these loans do not automatically receive individually negotiated rates.
An existing cash brokerage account at Public can switch to margin through the Settings menu in the Public app.
Public.com Fees
| Investments | Commissions |
|---|
| US-listed stocks and ETFs | $0 during regular market hours; $2.99 per trade during extended market hours for regular members, $0 for Premium members |
| OTC stocks | $2.99 per trade for regular members, $0 for Premium members |
| Options | $0 for stock and ETF options; $0.50 per contract for index options for regular members, $0.35 per contract for Premium members |
| Mutual funds | not offered |
| Cryptocurrencies | $0.49 to $6.29 on orders up to $500; 1.25% on orders above $500 |
| Treasury bonds | $0.10 to $0.25 per $100 of par value, depending on maturity |
| Corporate bonds | $0.35 to $0.50 per $100 of par value, depending on maturity |
| Investments | US-listed stocks, OTC stocks, cryptocurrencies, options, corporate bonds, Treasury bonds, and ETFs |
| Minimum deposit to open an account | $0 |
Public charges $0 commissions on online trades of U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs during regular market hours and $0 commissions on stock and ETF options. A standard self-directed brokerage account has no minimum balance or recurring account fee, although regulatory, order-routing, subscription, transfer, and other fees may apply.
Index options, for example, cost 50¢ per contract for non-Premium members and 35¢ per contract for Premium members. An extended-hours stock or ETF trade costs $2.99 for non-Premium customers. Non-API crypto trades have either a flat fee of up to $6.29 or a percentage-based charge of 1.25%.
Treasury Accounts have tiered annual advisory fees ranging from 0.29% to 0.09%, depending on the account balance. Separate Treasury transaction fees may also apply.
Trades of stock and ETF Investment Plans cost $0.49 for plans with 1–3 symbols, $0.99 for plans with 4–10 symbols, and $1.99 for plans with 11–20 symbols. Premium customers pay no transaction fee for stock and ETF Investment Plans. Cryptocurrency purchases within a plan are still subject to a 1.25% fee.
Public’s High-Yield Cash Account has no minimum balance requirement or account fee.
Website
The Public website has its main menu on the left-hand side in a vertical format. Here, we found links for the various products available through the firm, such as bonds and cryptocurrencies. The link for Investment Plans produces a fairly extensive list of possibilities. Examples we found include:
- Artificial intelligence
- Dividend growth
- Energy
- Cybersecurity
- Real estate
- Core income
It’s possible to open an Investment Plan and see which assets it holds. Clicking on a position brings up the asset’s profile.
Stock profiles on Public.com contain a considerable amount of information, although some advanced data is available only to Premium members. A basic chart sits at the top of a profile. An Advanced button opens a full-screen chart with several additional tools; advanced charts on the web are available to Premium members.
One button on a stock profile brings up a list of bonds offered by the company being researched. Another button displays options on the security. Here, we found a strategy-building tool with integrated spreads. Public’s Queue feature lets customers line up multiple equity and options orders, edit them using live price data, and submit several orders in one move.
Mobile App
Public’s mobile app has many of the same tools we have just seen. The watchlist on the app syncs with the list on the website; it can be found by tapping the Portfolio icon in the bottom menu.
There is a Feed icon at the bottom of the app that recreates the same digital bulletin board available on the website. Here, traders can discuss market news and individual assets.
A Trade icon also sits at the bottom. Tapping this button opens the app’s order ticket. During our test drive, we found market, limit, and stop orders for equities. For options, Public offers market and limit orders.
The Markets hub has a great deal of financial news. We found bond yields, popular Investment Plans on the Public platform, and options contracts with high trading volume.
The mobile app has a yellow-green icon in the upper-right corner for Public’s artificial-intelligence research tool. Called Alpha, it can answer investment-related questions but is not designed to provide investment advice. Public cautions that it can make mistakes.
This time, there is no advanced charting for Premium or non-Premium customers.
Add-On Features
Dividend Reinvestment Plan: Public offers a DRIP for eligible stocks and ETFs.
Periodic Mutual Fund Investing: Although mutual funds aren’t available at Public, the brokerage firm offers recurring purchases of stocks, ETFs, cryptocurrencies, and Investment Plans.
IPO Access: Public customers can request shares in IPOs when an offering is available. IPO requests must be made in whole shares through an eligible taxable brokerage account, not an IRA, and allocations are not guaranteed.
Fully-Paid Securities Lending Program: Public customers can earn money by lending out eligible shares.
Individual Retirement Accounts: Public offers self-directed Traditional and Roth IRAs, along with Crypto IRAs provided and custodied by Alto Trust Co.
Extended Hours: Pre-market and after-hours trading are both available. Non-Premium customers pay an additional fee, while Premium customers receive fee-free extended-hours stock and ETF trades.
Fractional-Share Trading: Customers can place eligible market orders using whole-dollar amounts or whole-share quantities.
Our Recommendations
Frequent Equity Trading: Public offers a browser-based trading platform, although it may not
be ideal for every advanced trader. Charles Schwab is another option.
Mutual Funds: Charles Schwab would be a good choice.
Beginners: Public offers advisory accounts through Public Advisors, including Treasury, Direct Index, and Generated Assets accounts.
Robinhood also offers managed accounts.
Long-Term Investors & Retirement Savers: Public offers IRAs, Treasury Accounts, Direct Index Accounts, and Generated Assets Accounts. Charles Schwab also offers human advisors, annuities, lifecycle mutual funds, retirement calculators, branch locations, and many other retirement-planning resources.
Small Accounts: With its Premium membership, Public obviously favors large accounts. Many
of the services on Premium can be found at Charles Schwab without a paid membership.
Public.com Review Summary
Although Public customers receive some useful services, the broker falls short in some key areas and may not provide the best value for every investor.
Updated on 6/18/2026.
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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