Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of Robinhood vs Public.com, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
Robinhood vs Public.com: both brokers deliver a similar mix for everyday investing, but the standout differences are that Robinhood adds futures and advisor services, while Public.com offers a wider list of cryptocurrencies. Neither supports mutual funds or forex. Each earns 3.5 stars for Range of Investments, with StockBrokers.com ranking Robinhood #12 of 14 and Public.com #13, putting Robinhood slightly ahead overall.
For trading products, both platforms support stock trading, options trading, margin trading, fractional shares, and OTC stocks. Futures are available on Robinhood only. Crypto trading is offered on both; Robinhood lists 22 coins, while Public.com lists 40, which can matter if you want access to more tokens. If you don’t need futures, the everyday trading lineup looks much the same across the two.
On account types and services, both brokers offer Traditional IRA and Roth IRA accounts. Robinhood also provides advisor services, which Public.com does not. In short, choose Robinhood if you want futures or advisor help; opt for Public.com if having more coin choices is the priority.
| Feature |
Robinhood
|
Public.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Stock Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Account Feature - Margin Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Fractional Shares (Stocks) | Yes | Yes |
| OTC Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| Mutual Funds | No | No |
| Options Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Futures Trading | Yes | No |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Crypto Trading - Total Coins | 22 | 40 |
| Range of Investments |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best Options Trading Platforms for 2025, Best Futures Trading Platforms for 2025: A Beginner-Friendly Guide to an Advanced Market
Robinhood vs Public.com: for trading platforms and tools, Robinhood clearly offers more for hands-on investors. It supplies deeper charting and watchlist customization, earning 3.5 out of 5 stars and a #9 ranking out of 14 brokers from StockBrokers.com. Public.com focuses on essentials and social-style investing, scoring 2 out of 5 stars and ranking #14 of 14. If you value richer charts and flexible layouts, Robinhood is the stronger pick; if you just need basic web trading, Public.com covers the basics.
Neither broker provides a downloadable desktop platform for Windows or Mac; both run in your web browser. Paper trading and built-in trading journals are not available on either service. Watchlists are far more detailed on Robinhood (34 columns/fields) than on Public.com (3).
Charting is where the gap widens. Robinhood lets you adjust open orders directly on charts, add notes, set custom date ranges, and save multiple chart profiles; Public.com lacks these. Robinhood includes 90 technical indicators and 2,326 drawing tools, plus 6 customization fields when editing an SMA study. Public.com offers 0 indicators, 0 drawing tools, and no SMA customization. Both brokers do not show historical trades on charts, do not display corporate events, and do not provide automated pattern recognition or custom study creation.
| Feature |
Robinhood
|
Public.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Trading Platform | No | No |
| Desktop Platform (Mac) | No | No |
| Paper Trading | No | No |
| Watch Lists - Total Fields | 34 | 3 |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 90 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 2326 | 0 |
| Platforms & Tools |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers & Trading Platforms for 2025, Best Paper Trading Apps & Platforms for 2025
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Both Robinhood and Public.com offer beginner-friendly investing education that covers stocks, ETFs, options, and bonds. Neither platform provides mutual fund education, paper trading, quizzes, or tools to track your learning progress. Each includes educational videos, making it easy to pick up the basics of the stock market and common investment products.
The main difference is live learning: Public.com hosts webinars, while Robinhood does not. However, Robinhood earns a higher overall education mark with 4 stars and an #8 ranking out of 14 brokers by StockBrokers.com. Public.com comes in at 3.5 stars and #11. If live sessions matter most, Public.com is appealing; if you want a slightly higher-rated education experience, Robinhood edges ahead.
| Feature |
Robinhood
|
Public.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Stocks) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (ETFs) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Options) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Mutual Funds) | No | No |
| Education (Fixed Income) | Yes | Yes |
| Paper Trading | No | No |
| Videos | Yes | Yes |
| Webinars | No | Yes |
| Education |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Platforms for Beginners of 2025
Bottom line: For most traders, Robinhood’s stock trading app is the stronger pick. It earns 4.5/5 stars and ranks #7 out of 14 on StockBrokers.com, while Public.com scores 3.5/5 stars and ranks #14. Robinhood shines with Apple Watch support, real-time streaming quotes, stock alerts, after-hours charting, custom watch lists, and a deep set of 90 technical studies. Public.com is simpler and uniquely lets you compare stocks on charts, but it skips several tools active traders often want.
Apps and trading access: Both Robinhood and Public.com offer iPhone and Android apps. Only Robinhood offers an Apple Watch app. Both support mobile options trading. Robinhood supports mobile after-hours trading; Public.com’s mobile after-hours access isn’t specified here. Neither app includes streaming live TV or videos on demand. Robinhood provides streaming quotes and stock alerts; Public.com does not. Both let you customize watch list columns, but only Robinhood lets you create custom watch lists.
Charting tools: Robinhood includes after-hours charting, multiple time frames, and 90 technical studies, though it doesn’t offer landscape charts or stock-to-stock comparisons on charts. Public.com also supports multiple time frames and does let you compare stocks on a chart, but it lacks after-hours charting, landscape view, and any built-in technical studies.
| Feature |
Robinhood
|
Public.com
|
|---|---|---|
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes |
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple Watch App | Yes | No |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | No |
| Charting - After-Hours | Yes | No |
| Charting - Technical Studies | 90 | 0 |
| Mobile Trading Apps |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps for 2025
Bottom line: Robinhood is the cheaper starter pick with a $0 minimum deposit and no IRA closure fee, while Public.com asks for a $20 minimum and charges $150 to close an IRA. Both brokers offer $0 stock trades, $0 per-options-contract pricing, and $0 fees to exercise or be assigned on options. If you plan to use margin, Public.com’s rates are a touch lower across the tiers shown. ACAT transfer fees are the same at both: $100 for partial or full transfers.
Key trading costs are even: Robinhood and Public.com both charge $0 for regular stock trades and $0 per options contract. Minimum deposit differs—Robinhood is $0; Public.com is $20. Margin interest favors Public.com slightly: below $25,000, Robinhood 5.75% vs Public.com 5.65%; $25,000–$49,999, Robinhood 5.75% vs Public.com 5.65%; $50,000–$99,999, Robinhood 5.55% vs Public.com 5.50%.
Account and IRA fees: both have $0 IRA annual fees, but IRA closure is $0 at Robinhood vs $150 at Public.com. Account transfers (ACAT) cost $100 for partial and $100 for full at both brokers. Options exercise and assignment fees are $0 at both.
| Feature |
Robinhood
|
Public.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $20.00 |
| Stock Trades | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Options (Per Contract) | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Options Exercise Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Options Assignment Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| IRA Closure Fee | $0.00 | $150.00 |
Dive deeper: Best Free Trading Platforms for 2025
For day trading, both Robinhood and Public.com lack many pro-grade tools. Neither platform offers streaming time and sales, streaming live TV, direct market routing, trading hotkeys, strategy backtesting (basic or advanced), a short locator for borrow availability, or maker/taker rebates. These omissions limit fast execution control, advanced testing, and short-selling insights that active traders often want.
The key differences: Robinhood provides ladder trading and level 2 quotes (deeper view of bids and asks), while Public.com offers neither. That gives Robinhood a slight edge for day trading, since ladder trading can speed up order placement and level 2 can help read near-term momentum. Still, with no direct routing, hotkeys, or time and sales on either platform, day trading on Robinhood or Public.com remains fairly limited compared with platforms built for active trading.
| Feature |
Robinhood
|
Public.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Streaming Time & Sales | No | No |
| Streaming TV | No | No |
| Direct Market Routing - Equities | No | No |
| Level 2 Quotes - Stocks | Yes | No |
| Trade Ideas - Backtesting | No | No |
| Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv | No | No |
| Short Locator | No | No |
Dive deeper: Best Day Trading Platforms of 2025 for Beginners and Active Traders
Bottom line: for market research, Robinhood edges out Public.com, but both are fairly basic. Each earns 2 out of 5 stars; Robinhood ranks 10th out of 14 brokers for research, while Public.com ranks 12th. Robinhood’s extra tools—a stock screener and a portfolio allocation view by asset class—give it a slight advantage, though neither platform offers deep reports or specialty data.
Coverage is similar across both brokers: they provide stock and ETF research and include Pink Sheets/OTC information. Neither offers research on mutual funds or bonds. You won’t find downloadable PDF research reports for stocks, ETFs, or mutual funds on either platform, and neither features ESG analysis or social media sentiment insights.
Where they differ is in idea generation and portfolio analytics. Robinhood supplies a basic stock screener to filter for trade ideas and lets you see your portfolio allocation by asset class; Public.com lacks both. ETF, mutual-fund, and bond screeners are unavailable on each. If you want simple equity and ETF research with a couple of helpful extras, Robinhood is the better fit; if you don’t need screeners or allocation tools, Public.com delivers a similar, stripped-down experience.
| Feature |
Robinhood
|
Public.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| Screener - Stocks | Yes | No |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Screener - ETFs | No | No |
| Research - Mutual Funds | No | No |
| Screener - Mutual Funds | No | No |
| Research - Fixed Income | No | No |
| Screener - Fixed Income | No | No |
| Research |
|
|
When comparing the banking capabilities of online brokers Robinhood and Public.com, there are some clear differences in their offerings. Both Robinhood and Public.com do not provide checking or savings accounts, nor do they offer CDs or mortgage loans. However, when it comes to card services, Robinhood holds an advantage. Robinhood offers both debit and credit cards to its users, which can enhance the convenience of managing your finances. On the other hand, Public.com does not provide either debit or credit cards. This distinction makes Robinhood a more versatile choice for those seeking some traditional banking-like features in an investment platform.
| Feature |
Robinhood
|
Public.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Checking Accounts | No | No |
| Savings Accounts | No | No |
| Debit Cards | Yes | No |
| Credit Cards | Yes | No |
| Mortgage Loans | No | No |
| Brokerage CDs | No | No |
Dive deeper: Best Brokerage Checking Accounts for 2025
After opening live accounts and testing 14 of the best online brokers, our research and live account testing finds that Robinhood is better than Public.com. Robinhood finished with an overall score of 77.3%, while Public.com finished with a score of 69.6%.
Robinhood is very easy to use and its educational content is a joy to read. But, in today’s competitive market for your investing dollars, there are several more compelling options among brokerages.
Robinhood vs. Public.com: both platforms offer crypto trading, with Robinhood supporting 22 cryptocurrencies and Public.com offering 40, giving Public.com a broader coin selection.
Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers for Crypto Trading in 2025
Robinhood vs Public.com: both online brokers offer traditional and Roth IRA accounts with $0 annual fees. The key difference is in closure costs—Robinhood charges $0 to close an IRA, while Public.com charges $150.
Dive deeper: Best IRA Accounts for 2025
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | Robinhood | Public.com | |
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| Customer Service | N/A | N/A | |
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| Review | Robinhood Review | Public.com Review |
| Broker Screenshots | Robinhood | Public.com | |
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| Trading Fees | Robinhood | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $20.00 | |
| Stock Trades | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| Penny Stock Fees (OTC) | N/A | $2.99 | |
| Mutual Fund Trade Fee | N/A | n/a | |
| Options (Per Contract) | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| Futures (Per Contract) | $0.75 | (Not offered) | |
| Broker Assisted Trade Fee | N/A | n/a |
| Margin Rates | Robinhood | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margin Rate Under $25,000 | 5.75% | 5.65% | |
| Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 | 5.75% | 5.65% | |
| Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 | 5.55% | 5.50% | |
| Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 | 5.25% | 5.25% | |
| Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 | 5.25% | 5.25% | |
| Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 | 5.25% | 5.25% | |
| Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 | 5% | 5.05% |
| Account Fees | Robinhood | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| IRA Closure Fee | $0.00 | $150.00 | |
| Account Transfer Out (Partial) | $100.00 | $100.00 | |
| Account Transfer Out (Full) | $100.00 | $100.00 | |
| Options Exercise Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| Options Assignment Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Investment Options | Robinhood | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Account Feature - Margin Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Fractional Shares (Stocks) | Yes | Yes | |
| OTC Stocks | Yes | Yes | |
| Options Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Complex Options Max Legs | 4 | 4 | |
| Futures Trading | Yes | No | |
| Forex Trading | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Crypto Trading - Total Coins | 22 | 40 | |
| Fixed Income (Treasurys) | No | Yes | |
| Fixed Income (Corporate Bonds) | No | Yes | |
| Fixed Income (Municipal Bonds) | No | No | |
| Traditional IRAs | Yes | Yes | |
| Roth IRAs | Yes | Yes | |
| Advisor Services | Yes | No | |
| International Countries (Stocks) | 1 | 0 |
| Order Types | Robinhood | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Order Type - Market | Yes | Yes | |
| Order Type - Limit | Yes | Yes | |
| Order Type - After Hours | Yes | Yes | |
| Order Type - Stop | Yes | Yes | |
| Order Type - Trailing Stop | Yes | No | |
| Order Type - OCO | No | No | |
| Order Type - OTO | No | No | |
| Order Type - Broker Assisted | No | No |
| Beginners | Robinhood | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Stocks) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (ETFs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Options) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Mutual Funds) | No | No | |
| Education (Fixed Income) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Retirement) | Yes | Yes | |
| Retirement Calculator | No | No | |
| Investor Dictionary | Yes | Yes | |
| Paper Trading | No | No | |
| Videos | Yes | Yes | |
| Webinars | No | Yes | |
| Progress Tracking | No | No | |
| Interactive Learning - Quizzes | No | No |
| Stock Trading Apps | Robinhood | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple Watch App | Yes | No | |
| Trading - Stocks | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading - After-Hours | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading - Simple Options | Yes | Yes | |
| Trading - Complex Options | Yes | No | |
| Order Ticket RT Quotes | Yes | Yes | |
| Order Ticket SRT Quotes | Yes | No |
| Stock App Features | Robinhood | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market Movers (Top Gainers) | Yes | Yes | |
| Stream Live TV | No | No | |
| Videos on Demand | No | No | |
| Stock Alerts | Yes | No | |
| Option Chains Viewable | Yes | Yes | |
| Watch List (Real-time) | Yes | Yes | |
| Watch List (Streaming) | Yes | No | |
| Watch Lists - Create & Manage | Yes | No | |
| Watch Lists - Column Customization | Yes | Yes |
| Stock App Charting | Robinhood | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charting - After-Hours | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Can Turn Horizontally | No | No | |
| Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Technical Studies | 90 | 0 | |
| Charting - Study Customizations | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Stock Comparisons | No | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | Robinhood | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Trading Platform | Robinhood Legend | n/a | |
| Desktop Trading Platform | No | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Mac) | No | No | |
| Web Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Paper Trading | No | No | |
| Trade Journal | No | No | |
| Watch Lists - Total Fields | 34 | 3 |
| Stock Chart Features | Robinhood | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 90 | 0 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 2326 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Historical Trades | No | No | |
| Charting - Corporate Events | No | No | |
| Charting - Custom Date Range | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Custom Time Bars | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Automated Analysis | No | No | |
| Charting - Save Profiles | Yes | No | |
| Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis | No | No | |
| Charting - Study Customizations | 6 | 0 | |
| Charting - Custom Studies | No | No |
| Day Trading | Robinhood | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streaming Time & Sales | No | No | |
| Streaming TV | No | No | |
| Direct Market Routing - Equities | No | No | |
| Ladder Trading | Yes | No | |
| Trade Hot Keys | No | No | |
| Level 2 Quotes - Stocks | Yes | No | |
| Trade Ideas - Backtesting | No | No | |
| Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv | No | No | |
| Short Locator | No | No | |
| Order Liquidity Rebates | No | No |
| Research Overview | Robinhood | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Stocks | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Mutual Funds | No | No | |
| Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Fixed Income | No | No | |
| Screener - Stocks | Yes | No | |
| Screener - ETFs | No | No | |
| Screener - Mutual Funds | No | No | |
| Screener - Fixed Income | No | No | |
| Portfolio Asset Allocation | Yes | No |
| Stock Research | Robinhood | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock Research - PDF Reports | 0 | 0 | |
| Stock Research - Earnings | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Research - Insiders | Yes | No | |
| Stock Research - Social | No | No | |
| Stock Research - News | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Research - ESG | No | No | |
| Stock Research - SEC Filings | No | No |
| ETF Research | Robinhood | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ETFs - Investment Objective | Yes | Yes | |
| ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date | Yes | Yes | |
| ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio | Yes | Yes | |
| ETF Fund Facts - Total Assets | Yes | Yes | |
| ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs - Top 10 Holdings | Yes | Yes | |
| ETFs - Sector Exposure | Yes | No | |
| ETFs - Risk Analysis | No | No | |
| ETFs - Ratings | No | No | |
| ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap | No | No | |
| ETFs - PDF Reports | No | No |
| Mutual Fund Research | Robinhood | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mutual Funds - Investment Objective | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Performance Chart | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Prospectus | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - Country Allocation | No | No | |
| Mutual Funds - StyleMap | No | No |
| Options Trading | Robinhood | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Option Chains - Total Greeks | 5 | 5 | |
| Option Analysis - P&L Charts | Yes | Yes |
| Banking | Robinhood | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank (Member FDIC) | No | No | |
| Checking Accounts | No | No | |
| Savings Accounts | No | No | |
| Credit Cards | Yes | No | |
| Debit Cards | Yes | No | |
| Mortgage Loans | No | No |
| Customer Service | Robinhood | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone Support (Prospective Customers) | No | No | |
| Phone Support (Current Customers) | Yes | No | |
| Email Support | Yes | Yes | |
| Live Chat (Prospective Customers) | No | Yes | |
| Live Chat (Current Customers) | Yes | Yes | |
| 24/7 Support | Yes | No |
| Overall | Robinhood | Public.com | |
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| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | Robinhood Review | Public.com Review |
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