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Interactive Brokers vs Public.com 2026

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

September 17, 2025

In this head to head comparison of Interactive Brokers vs Public.com, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.

Interactive Brokers
5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0.00
  • Stock Trades: $0.00
  • Options (Per Contract): $0.65 info
Public.com
3/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $20.00
  • Stock Trades: $0.00 info
  • Options (Per Contract): $0.00 info

Range of investments

Bottom line: For the broadest range of investments, Interactive Brokers wins. It supports stocks, options, mutual funds, forex, futures, crypto, OTC stocks, margin, fractional shares, and both Traditional and Roth IRAs. That scope helps it earn 5 stars for Range of Investments and the #1 ranking out of 14 brokers from StockBrokers.com. Public.com covers many essentials—stocks, options, margin, fractional shares, OTC stocks, crypto, and IRAs—but skips mutual funds, forex, and futures. It does lead on crypto choice with 40 coins versus 11 at Interactive Brokers. Neither broker provides advisor services.

Where they match: both Interactive Brokers and Public.com let you trade stocks and options, use margin, buy fractional shares, and access OTC stocks. Each offers crypto trading and supports tax-advantaged retirement saving through Traditional and Roth IRA accounts.

Key differences: Interactive Brokers adds mutual funds, forex, and futures, making it better if you want to branch into more markets from one platform. Public.com lacks those categories but appeals to crypto-minded investors with its larger coin list. On overall range, Public.com holds a 3.5-star rating and ranks #12 out of 14, while Interactive Brokers stands at the top.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Public.com logoPublic.com
Stock Trading info Yes Yes
Account Feature - Margin Trading info Yes Yes
Fractional Shares (Stocks) info Yes Yes
OTC Stocks info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds info Yes No
Options Trading info Yes Yes
Futures Trading info Yes No
Crypto Trading info Yes info Yes
Crypto Trading - Total Coins info 11 info 40
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Options Trading Platforms for 2026, Best Futures Trading Platforms for 2026

Trading platforms and tools

Bottom line: Interactive Brokers clearly outperforms Public.com for trading platforms and tools. Interactive Brokers earns 4.5/5 stars and ranks #2 out of 14 brokers for platforms and tools (StockBrokers.com), while Public.com scores 1/5 stars and ranks #14. If you want deep features, analytics, and control, choose Interactive Brokers. Public.com is better suited to very simple, browser-based investing.

Platform access and core tools favor Interactive Brokers. It offers downloadable desktop platforms for both Windows and Mac plus a browser-based platform; Public.com only offers a browser-based platform. Interactive Brokers also includes paper trading and a built-in trading journal; Public.com offers neither. Watch lists are far more detailed at Interactive Brokers (up to 659 columns/fields versus 3 at Public.com), and you can adjust open orders directly on a stock chart with Interactive Brokers, which Public.com does not support.

Charting and analysis is another clear win for Interactive Brokers. It provides 155 technical indicators, 85 drawing tools, the ability to add chart notes, show historical trades, display corporate events, set custom date ranges, run automated chart pattern recognition, and save multiple chart profiles; even a basic SMA study has six customization fields. Public.com offers none of these charting features (0 indicators, 0 drawing tools, and no customization). Neither broker supports creating custom studies.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Public.com logoPublic.com
Web Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Trading Platform info Yes No
Desktop Platform (Mac) info Yes No
Paper Trading info Yes No
Watchlists - Total Fields info 659 3
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 155 0
Charting - Drawing Tools info 85 0
Advanced Trading 4.5/5 Stars 1/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Stock Brokers for 2026, Best Paper Trading Apps & Platforms for 2026

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Beginners and education

Both Interactive Brokers and Public.com offer beginner-friendly education on stocks, ETFs, options, and bonds. Interactive Brokers also teaches mutual funds, which Public.com does not. Each provides educational videos and live webinars. The big differences show up in hands-on learning: Interactive Brokers includes paper trading, knowledge quizzes, and tools to track your learning progress. Public.com does not offer paper trading, quizzes, or progress tracking.

If you want structured practice and a clear way to build skills, Interactive Brokers stands out: it earns 4 stars for education and ranks #3 out of 14 brokers on StockBrokers.com. Public.com works well for simple, watch-and-learn content; it earns 3.5 stars and ranks #8 of 14. Prefer practice accounts and feedback while you learn? Go with Interactive Brokers. Want straightforward videos and webinars without extras? Public.com can fit the bill.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Public.com logoPublic.com
Education (Stocks) info Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) info Yes Yes
Education (Options) info Yes Yes
Education (Mutual Funds) info Yes No
Education (Fixed Income) info Yes Yes
Videos info Yes Yes
Webinars info Yes Yes
Education 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Platforms for Beginners of 2026

Stock trading apps

Bottom line: Interactive Brokers delivers a feature-packed stock trading app with the highest marks—5 stars and ranked #2 of 14 by StockBrokers.com—while Public.com offers a simpler experience at 3 stars and ranked #13. If you value deep market data, advanced charting, alerts, and extras like Apple Watch support and streaming market media, Interactive Brokers stands out. Public.com can handle core trading needs, but its toolkit is leaner.

Both Interactive Brokers and Public.com have iPhone and Android apps, and both support mobile options trading. Interactive Brokers also supports an Apple Watch app, which Public.com does not. Mobile after-hours stock trading is available with Interactive Brokers; the data provided does not confirm whether Public.com supports mobile after-hours trading. For live data, Interactive Brokers includes streaming quotes, while Public.com does not.

Charting is a key separator. Interactive Brokers offers after-hours charting, landscape mode, multiple time frames, and 97 technical studies; Public.com provides multiple time frames but no after-hours charting and 0 technical studies. Both let you compare stocks on charts. For watchlists, Interactive Brokers supports custom lists and column customization, while Public.com only supports column customization. Media and alerts also favor Interactive Brokers, which includes streaming live TV, videos on demand, and stock alerts; Public.com offers none of these.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Public.com logoPublic.com
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple Watch App info Yes No
Stock Alerts info Yes No info
Charting - After-Hours info Yes No
Charting - Technical Studies info 97 0
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps for 2026

Fees

Bottom line: Public.com is cheaper for options traders and borrowers, while Interactive Brokers is friendlier for account flexibility. Public.com charges $0 per options contract and offers lower margin rates, but it has a $20 minimum deposit and steep exit costs. Interactive Brokers has a $0 minimum deposit and $0 fees for transfers and IRA closures, though it charges $0.65 per options contract and higher margin rates.

Core trading costs are similar for stock investing: both Interactive Brokers and Public.com have $0 commissions for regular stock trades, and both charge $0 for options exercise and assignment. The biggest trading difference is options pricing—Interactive Brokers is $0.65 per contract, while Public.com is $0. Minimum deposit also differs: Interactive Brokers requires $0; Public.com requires $20.

Margin and account-level fees favor Public.com on borrowing but favor Interactive Brokers on account changes. Margin interest rates: below $25,000, Interactive Brokers 6.83% vs Public.com 5.65%; $25,000–$49,999, 6.83% vs 5.65%; $50,000–$99,999, 6.83% vs 5.50%. IRA annual fees are $0 at both brokers, but IRA closure is $0 at Interactive Brokers vs $150 at Public.com. For account transfers (ACAT), Interactive Brokers charges $0 for partial and full transfers, while Public.com charges $100 for partial and $100 for full transfers.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Public.com logoPublic.com
Minimum Deposit info $0.00 $20.00
Stock Trades info $0.00 $0.00 info
Options (Per Contract) info $0.65 info $0.00 info
Options Exercise Fee info $0.00 $0.00
Options Assignment Fee info $0.00 $0.00
IRA Annual Fee info $0.00 $0.00
IRA Closure Fee info $0.00 $150.00

Dive deeper: Best Free Trading Platforms for 2026

Day Trading

When it comes to day trading, Interactive Brokers stands out with a comprehensive set of tools and features that cater to active traders. It offers streaming time and sales for stocks, allowing users to monitor transactions in real time. It also provides streaming live TV to keep traders informed with up-to-date financial news. Interactive Brokers supports direct market routing, ladder trading, and trading hotkeys for quick trade entries, enhancing the overall trading experience. Additionally, the platform provides level 2 quotes, which give traders a deeper insight into market movements. For those interested in testing and refining their strategies, Interactive Brokers offers both basic and advanced strategy backtesting. A short locator tool is available to help users identify the availability of shares for shorting. Lastly, the platform provides order liquidity rebates that incentivize effective trading practices.

In contrast, Public.com might appeal to newer investors or those seeking a simpler experience, as it does not offer the advanced day trading features that Interactive Brokers does. The absence of streaming time and sales, live TV, or direct market routing can limit a trader's ability to engage deeply with market dynamics. Public.com also lacks ladder trading and trading hotkeys, which are beneficial for executing trades quickly and efficiently. Without level 2 quotes, detailed strategy backtesting, a short locator tool, or order liquidity rebates, active day traders might find Public.com less suited to their needs when compared to the more feature-rich Interactive Brokers.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Public.com logoPublic.com
Streaming Time & Sales info Yes No
Streaming TV info Yes No
Direct Market Routing - Equities info Yes No
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks info Yes No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting info Yes No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv info Yes No
Short Locator info Yes No

Dive deeper: Best Day Trading Platforms of 2026 for Beginners and Active Traders

Market Research

Overall takeaway: For market research, Interactive Brokers clearly outclasses Public.com. StockBrokers.com rates Interactive Brokers 4.5/5 stars (ranked #5 of 14) versus Public.com’s 2.5/5 stars (#12 of 14). If you want wide coverage, screeners, and downloadable reports to guide decisions, choose Interactive Brokers; if you mainly need quick checks on stocks and ETFs, Public.com can be enough.

Coverage and reports: Both Interactive Brokers and Public.com offer stock and ETF research and even Pink Sheets/OTCBB research. Only Interactive Brokers adds mutual fund research and bond research. It also supplies 17 downloadable PDF research reports for stocks plus PDF reports for ETFs and mutual funds, while Public.com provides no downloadable research reports. Interactive Brokers lets you see your portfolio allocation by asset class; Public.com does not.

Tools and data: Interactive Brokers includes screeners for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and bonds to help find trade ideas. It also offers stock research that factors in social media sentiment and provides ESG (Environmental, Social, and Governance) research. Public.com lacks these screeners and does not offer sentiment or ESG research. In short, Interactive Brokers fits investors who want comprehensive research and planning tools; Public.com suits those with simple, lightweight research needs.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Public.com logoPublic.com
Research - Stocks info Yes Yes
Screener - Stocks info Yes No
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Screener - ETFs info Yes No
Research - Mutual Funds info Yes No
Screener - Mutual Funds info Yes No
Research - Fixed Income info Yes No
Screener - Fixed Income info Yes No
Research 4.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars

Banking

Comparing the banking capabilities of online brokers Interactive Brokers and Public.com, both lack traditional bank accounts: neither offers checking or savings accounts, and neither provides debit cards or mortgage loans. The key difference is that Interactive Brokers offers a credit card and access to certificates of deposit (CDs), while Public.com does not offer credit cards or CDs. If you need everyday banking like a checking account, savings account, or debit card, you’ll need a separate bank for either platform; but if having a credit card and CDs through your brokerage matters, Interactive Brokers has the edge over Public.com.

Feature Interactive Brokers logoInteractive Brokers
Public.com logoPublic.com
Checking Accounts info No No
Savings Accounts info No No
Debit Cards info No No
Credit Cards info Yes No
Mortgage Loans info No No
Brokerage CDs info Yes No

Dive deeper: Best Brokerage Checking Accounts for 2026

Winner

After opening live accounts and testing 14 of the best online brokers, our research and live account testing finds that Interactive Brokers is better than Public.com. Interactive Brokers finished with an overall score of 90.6%, while Public.com finished with a score of 56.0%.

Interactive Brokers is a go-to choice for professionals because of its institutional-grade desktop trading platform, high-quality trade executions and low margin rates.

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with Interactive Brokers or Public.com?

Comparing online brokers, both Interactive Brokers and Public.com offer crypto trading, but Public.com provides a wider selection.

Interactive Brokers supports 11 cryptocurrencies, while Public.com supports 40.

Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers for Crypto Trading in 2026

Does Interactive Brokers or Public.com offer IRAs?

Interactive Brokers vs. Public.com: both brokers offer Traditional and Roth IRA accounts with $0 annual IRA fees.

The key difference is closure costs—Interactive Brokers charges $0 to close an IRA, while Public.com charges $150.

Dive deeper: Best IRA Accounts for 2026

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Compare

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Overall Rating Interactive Brokers Public.com
Overall 5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Advanced Trading 4.5/5 Stars 1/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Research 4.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Customer Service 3.5/5 Stars N/A
Education 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review Public.com Review
Broker Screenshots Interactive Brokers Public.com
Broker Gallery (click to expand)
Trading Fees Interactive Brokers Public.com
Minimum Deposit info $0.00 $20.00
Stock Trades info $0.00 $0.00 info
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) info $0.01 $2.99
Mutual Fund Trade Fee info $14.95 info n/a
Options (Per Contract) info $0.65 info $0.00 info
Futures (Per Contract) info $0.85 info (Not offered)
Broker Assisted Trade Fee info Varies info n/a
Margin Rates Interactive Brokers Public.com
Margin Rate Under $25,000 info 6.83% info 5.65%
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 info 6.83% info 5.65%
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 info 6.83% info 5.50%
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 info 6.83% info 5.25%
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 info 6.83% info 5.25%
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 info 6.83% info 5.25%
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 info 6.83% info 5.05%
Account Fees Interactive Brokers Public.com
IRA Annual Fee info $0.00 $0.00
IRA Closure Fee info $0.00 $150.00
Account Transfer Out (Partial) info $0.00 $100.00
Account Transfer Out (Full) info $0.00 $100.00
Options Exercise Fee info $0.00 $0.00
Options Assignment Fee info $0.00 $0.00
Investment Options Interactive Brokers Public.com
Stock Trading info Yes Yes
Account Feature - Margin Trading info Yes Yes
Fractional Shares (Stocks) info Yes Yes
OTC Stocks info Yes Yes
Options Trading info Yes Yes
Complex Options Max Legs info 6 4
Futures Trading info Yes No
Forex Trading info Yes No
Crypto Trading info Yes info Yes
Crypto Trading - Total Coins info 11 info 40
Fixed Income (Treasurys) info Yes Yes
Fixed Income (Corporate Bonds) info Yes Yes
Fixed Income (Municipal Bonds) info Yes No
Traditional IRAs info Yes Yes
Roth IRAs info Yes Yes
Advisor Services info No No
International Countries (Stocks) info 36 0
Order Types Interactive Brokers Public.com
Order Type - Market info Yes Yes
Order Type - Limit info Yes Yes
Order Type - After Hours info Yes Yes info
Order Type - Stop info Yes Yes
Order Type - Trailing Stop info Yes No
Order Type - OCO info Yes No
Order Type - OTO info Yes No
Order Type - Broker Assisted info Yes No
Beginners Interactive Brokers Public.com
Education (Stocks) info Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) info Yes Yes
Education (Options) info Yes Yes
Education (Mutual Funds) info Yes No
Education (Fixed Income) info Yes Yes
Education (Retirement) info Yes Yes
Retirement Calculator info Yes No
Investor Dictionary info Yes Yes
Paper Trading info Yes No
Videos info Yes Yes
Webinars info Yes Yes
Progress Tracking info Yes No
Interactive Learning - Quizzes info Yes No
Stock Trading Apps Interactive Brokers Public.com
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple Watch App info Yes No
Trading - Stocks info Yes Yes
Trading - After-Hours info Yes Yes
Trading - Simple Options info Yes Yes
Trading - Complex Options info Yes No
Order Ticket RT Quotes info Yes Yes
Order Ticket SRT Quotes info Yes No
Stock App Features Interactive Brokers Public.com
Mobile Research - Market Movers info Yes Yes
Stream Live TV info Yes No
Videos on Demand info Yes No
Stock Alerts info Yes No info
Option Chains Viewable info Yes Yes
Watchlist (Real-time) info Yes Yes
Watchlist (Streaming) info Yes No
Mobile Watchlists - Create & Manage info Yes No
Mobile Watchlists - Column Customization info Yes Yes
Stock App Charting Interactive Brokers Public.com
Charting - After-Hours info Yes No
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally info Yes No
Charting - Multiple Time Frames info Yes Yes
Charting - Technical Studies info 97 0
Charting - Study Customizations info Yes No
Charting - Stock Comparisons info Yes Yes
Trading Platforms Interactive Brokers Public.com
Active Trading Platform info IBKR Desktop and Trader Workstation (TWS) n/a
Desktop Trading Platform info Yes No
Desktop Platform (Mac) info Yes No
Web Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Paper Trading info Yes No
Trade Journal info Yes No
Watchlists - Total Fields info 659 3
Stock Chart Features Interactive Brokers Public.com
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart info Yes No
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 155 0
Charting - Drawing Tools info 85 0
Charting - Notes info Yes No
Charting - Historical Trades info Yes No
Charting - Corporate Events info Yes No
Charting - Custom Date Range info Yes No
Charting - Custom Time Bars info Yes No
Charting - Automated Analysis info Yes No
Charting - Save Profiles info Yes No
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis info Yes No
Charting - Study Customizations info 6 0
Charting - Custom Studies info No No
Day Trading Interactive Brokers Public.com
Streaming Time & Sales info Yes No
Streaming TV info Yes No
Direct Market Routing - Equities info Yes No
Ladder Trading info Yes No
Trade Hot Keys info Yes No
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks info Yes No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting info Yes No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv info Yes No
Short Locator info Yes No
Order Liquidity Rebates info Yes No
Research Overview Interactive Brokers Public.com
Research - Stocks info Yes Yes
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Research - Mutual Funds info Yes No
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB info Yes Yes
Research - Fixed Income info Yes No
Screener - Stocks info Yes No
Screener - ETFs info Yes No
Screener - Mutual Funds info Yes No
Screener - Fixed Income info Yes No
Portfolio Asset Allocation info Yes No info
Stock Research Interactive Brokers Public.com
Stock Research - PDF Reports info 17 info 0 info
Stock Research - Earnings info Yes Yes
Stock Research - Insiders info Yes No
Stock Research - Social info Yes No
Stock Research - News info Yes Yes
Stock Research - ESG info Yes No
Stock Research - SEC Filings info Yes No
ETF Research Interactive Brokers Public.com
ETFs - Investment Objective info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Total Assets info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings info Yes Yes
ETFs - Top 10 Holdings info Yes Yes
ETFs - Sector Exposure info Yes No
ETFs - Risk Analysis info Yes No
ETFs - Ratings info Yes No
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap info Yes No
ETFs - PDF Reports info Yes No
Mutual Fund Research Interactive Brokers Public.com
Mutual Funds - Investment Objective info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Performance Chart info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Prospectus info Yes No
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Country Allocation info Yes No
Mutual Funds - StyleMap info Yes No
Options Trading Interactive Brokers Public.com
Option Chains - Total Greeks info 5 5
Option Analysis - P&L Charts info Yes Yes
Banking Interactive Brokers Public.com
Bank (Member FDIC) info No No
Checking Accounts info No No
Savings Accounts info No No
Credit Cards info Yes No
Debit Cards info No No
Mortgage Loans info No No
Customer Service Interactive Brokers Public.com
Phone Support (Prospective Customers) info Yes No
Phone Support (Current Customers) info Yes No
Email Support info Yes Yes
Live Chat (Prospective Customers) info No Yes
Live Chat (Current Customers) info Yes Yes
24/7 Support info Yes No
Overall Interactive Brokers Public.com
Overall 5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Range of Investments 5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Advanced Trading 4.5/5 Stars 1/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Research 4.5/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Education 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review Interactive Brokers Review Public.com Review
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