Written by StockBrokers.com
In this head to head comparison of tastytrade vs Public.com, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.
When comparing tastytrade and Public.com, tastytrade stands out with a broader selection of investment options, earning a 4-star rating for its range of investments, compared to Public.com’s 3.5-star rating. This is further validated by their StockBrokers.com ranking, where tastytrade is placed 10th out of 14 brokers, while Public.com ranks 13th. Although both platforms offer a variety of trading options, tastytrade's ability to provide futures and a wider array of retirement accounts gives it an edge in catering to diverse investment strategies.
Tastytrade and Public.com both provide opportunities for stock trading, margin trading, fractional shares, options, and crypto trading, appealing to wide-ranging investor interests. However, tastytrade doesn't support OTC stocks while Public.com does, potentially attracting those interested in that specific niche market. Conversely, tastytrade offers traditional and Roth IRA accounts, which Public.com doesn’t, giving tastytrade a distinct advantage for those prioritizing retirement planning through tax-advantaged accounts.
For crypto enthusiasts, both platforms cater to digital currency trading, with Public.com offering slightly more choices by supporting 22 different coins compared to tastytrade’s 17. Nevertheless, neither platform offers mutual funds, forex trading, or advisor services, indicating a focus on self-directed trading. In sum, the comparison shows that while both platforms provide solid foundations for various trading activities, tastytrade’s broader investment spectrum and features position it as a more versatile option for diverse investor needs.
| Feature |
tastytrade
|
Public.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Stock Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Account Feature - Margin Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Fractional Shares (Stocks) | Yes | Yes |
| OTC Stocks | No | Yes |
| Mutual Funds | No | No |
| Options Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Futures Trading | Yes | No |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | Yes |
| Crypto Trading - Total Coins | 17 | 22 |
| 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
When comparing the trading platforms and tools of tastytrade and Public.com, it becomes clear that tastytrade offers a more comprehensive suite of features for traders. With both Windows and Mac desktop downloadable platforms, tastytrade caters to a wide audience. In contrast, Public.com lacks downloadable platforms and primarily operates through a browser-based platform, which limits its versatility. From a trading capability perspective, tastytrade significantly outperforms Public.com, particularly due to its extensive range of technical indicators and drawing tools for chart analysis.
Tastytrade stands out in areas like chart adjustability and visualization features. Traders can modify open orders directly on stock charts, access a vast library of 308 technical indicators, and utilize 31 drawing tools to refine their strategies. Furthermore, tastytrade supports the display of historical trades and corporate events on charts, enhancing its appeal for data-driven investors. Unfortunately, these options are absent from Public.com's offerings, which limits its functionality for those looking for in-depth chart analysis.
When considering additional platform features like creating custom studies and saving multiple chart profiles, tastytrade excels, further solidifying its status as a powerful tool for serious traders. Customization is a significant advantage of tastytrade, providing traders with seven fields to adjust an SMA study, compared to none in Public.com. As per StockBrokers.com ratings, tastytrade scores four stars for its trading platforms and tools, securing the 8th spot among 14 brokers, whereas Public.com lags behind with two stars and a 14th place ranking. Overall, tastytrade emerges as the superior choice for traders seeking a feature-rich platform.
| Feature |
tastytrade
|
Public.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Web Trading Platform | Yes | Yes |
| Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No |
| Desktop Platform (Mac) | Yes | No |
| Paper Trading | No | No |
| Watch Lists - Total Fields | 33 | 3 |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 308 | 0 |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 31 | 0 |
| Platforms & Tools |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers & Trading Platforms for 2025, Best Paper Trading Apps & Platforms for 2025
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When it comes to educating beginner investors, tastytrade and Public.com both offer strong resources for learning about stocks, ETFs, and options. However, neither provides mutual fund or bond education. While both platforms support webinars to help investors understand market dynamics, Public.com takes a step further by offering educational videos, a feature not found on tastytrade. On the flip side, tastytrade allows users to track their learning progress, giving them an organizational edge as they develop their investing knowledge. However, neither platform offers paper trading or educational quizzes to provide practical experience or self-assessment opportunities.
In terms of education quality, both brokerages perform admirably but with slight differences. Tastytrade is rated higher with four stars for education, as compared to the 3.5 stars Public.com receives. When evaluated by StockBrokers.com, tastytrade is ranked 9th out of 14 brokers, indicating a slightly better educational offering than Public.com, which holds the 11th spot. Both platforms have unique strengths, so the best choice depends on the specific learning style and needs of the investor.
| Feature |
tastytrade
|
Public.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Education (Stocks) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (ETFs) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Options) | Yes | Yes |
| Education (Mutual Funds) | No | No |
| Education (Fixed Income) | No | No |
| Paper Trading | No | No |
| Videos | No | Yes |
| Webinars | Yes | Yes |
| Education |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Platforms for Beginners of 2025
When comparing tastytrade and Public.com, tastytrade stands out with a higher user rating of 4.5 stars versus Public.com’s 3.5 stars for their stock trading apps. As ranked by StockBrokers.com, tastytrade holds the #10 spot out of 14 brokers, showcasing its competitive edge. Public.com, on the other hand, ranks at #14, suggesting there may be areas for improvement in its stock trading app capabilities.
Both tastytrade and Public.com offer iPhone and Android apps, catering to a wide range of users. However, neither provides an app experience on the Apple Watch, meaning investors on both platforms will need to rely on their phones for trading on the go. Additionally, both apps offer mobile options trading, although tastytrade offers mobile after-hours stock trading, while the availability of this feature on Public.com is unspecified.
For customization and display features, tastytrade offers a more comprehensive setup, including the ability to create custom watch lists and customizing watch list columns. It also supports viewing charts in landscape mode, after-hours charting, and accessing multiple time frames on charts. Public.com allows customized watch list columns and displays stock comparisons on charts, although it lacks certain features that tastytrade users might enjoy, like landscape mode and after-hours charting. Neither app provides technical studies or streaming live TV, and both lack stock alert capabilities.
| Feature |
tastytrade
|
Public.com
|
|---|---|---|
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes |
| Android App | Yes | Yes |
| Apple Watch App | No | No |
| Stock Alerts | No | No |
| Charting - After-Hours | Yes | No |
| Charting - Technical Studies | 0 | 0 |
| Mobile Trading Apps |
|
|
Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps for 2025
When comparing tastytrade and Public.com, it becomes clear that each platform has its advantages depending on the type of investor you are. Tastytrade impresses with a $0 minimum deposit and free regular stock trades, leveling the playing field for entry-level investors. However, Public.com also offers free trades but requires a $20 minimum deposit. They provide a competitive edge in options contracts with zero charges, compared to tastytrade's $0.50 per contract. Both platforms excel with free IRA annual fees, but tastytrade maintains affordability with smaller IRA closure fees and reduced costs on account transfer services.
Looking into margin borrowing costs, Public.com maintains a distinct advantage with lower rates across various balance tiers. For balances below $25,000, Public.com charges 8.75%, while tastytrade charges 11%. As balances increase, Public.com continues to offer better rates, peaking at 6.75% for amounts between $50,000 and $99,999, in contrast to tastytrade's 10%. This makes Public.com a more attractive choice for investors considering utilizing margin for larger trades.
Both platforms offer free regular stock trades, yet Public.com stands out for those focusing on options trading due to its $0 charges for options-related exercises and assignments, compared to tastytrade. These differences might seem minor at first, but they can accumulate significantly for active traders. Public.com becomes increasingly compelling with its lower fees on certain services, while tastytrade provides enticing options for those who prioritize a zero-minimum deposit and slightly lower account transfer fees. Consider what aspects align best with your investment strategy to determine which broker meets your needs effectively.
| Feature |
tastytrade
|
Public.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $20.00 |
| Stock Trades | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Options (Per Contract) | $0.50 | $0.00 |
| Options Exercise Fee | $5.00 | $0.00 |
| Options Assignment Fee | $5.00 | $0.00 |
| IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| IRA Closure Fee | $60.00 | $150.00 |
Dive deeper: Best Free Trading Platforms for 2025
When evaluating tastytrade and Public.com for day trading, both platforms offer distinct features suited for different needs. Tastytrade stands out with its streaming live TV feature and its ladder trading, which can be beneficial for day traders seeking constant market insights and quick order placements. Additionally, tastytrade provides a short locator tool, allowing users to view real-time availability of shares available for shorting. In contrast, Public.com does not provide these features, which could be a limitation for traders who rely heavily on detailed market analysis and rapid trade execution tools.
Both tastytrade and Public.com share several limitations for day traders as neither offers streaming time and sales data, direct market routing for stocks, trading hotkeys, or level 2 quotes. Also, both platforms do not provide options for strategy backtesting or offer order liquidity rebates. This could be a drawback for traders wanting comprehensive features typically associated with more advanced trading strategies. Overall, for traders looking for specific tools like ladder trading and a short locator, tastytrade might be the more appealing choice, while Public.com would suit those who prioritize simplicity and are less focused on advanced trading features.
| Feature |
tastytrade
|
Public.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Streaming Time & Sales | No | No |
| Streaming TV | Yes | No |
| Direct Market Routing - Equities | No | No |
| Level 2 Quotes - Stocks | No | No |
| Trade Ideas - Backtesting | No | No |
| Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv | No | No |
| Short Locator | Yes | No |
Dive deeper: Best Day Trading Platforms for 2025
When comparing the market research capabilities of tastytrade and Public.com, it's clear that Public.com slightly edges out tastytrade. Both platforms offer stock and ETF research, but neither provides mutual fund or bond research. Public.com stands out by offering research for Pink Sheets and OTCBB stocks, which tastytrade does not support. Despite limited research tools, both brokers lack downloadable PDF reports, screeners for trade ideas, and ESG research, making them less appealing for users seeking comprehensive market insights.
Tastytrade does offer users the ability to see portfolio allocation by asset class, a feature that Public.com does not provide. However, neither platform offers social media sentiment data for stock research. Both tastytrade and Public.com receive below-average ratings for market research, with tastytrade earning 1.5 stars and Public.com earning 2 stars out of five. This suggests that investors looking for in-depth research tools might need to look elsewhere.
According to StockBrokers.com, tastytrade is ranked 13th out of 14 brokers for market research, while Public.com comes in slightly higher at 12th position. This ranking underscores the limited scope of market research tools available on both platforms. Investors relying heavily on market research might find more value in exploring other brokers with robust capabilities. Nonetheless, Public.com holds a small edge over tastytrade due to its additional research on Pink Sheets and OTCBB stocks.
| Feature |
tastytrade
|
Public.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Research - Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| Screener - Stocks | No | 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 it comes to banking features, both tastytrade and Public.com provide limited options as neither offers traditional banking services such as checking or savings accounts. Additionally, you won't find debit or credit cards available at either platform. If you're looking for mortgage loans or CDs, neither tastytrade nor Public.com will meet your needs in those areas. It's clear that both platforms focus on trading and investment services rather than banking solutions.
| Feature |
tastytrade
|
Public.com
|
|---|---|---|
| Checking Accounts | No | No |
| Savings Accounts | No | No |
| Debit Cards | No | No |
| Credit Cards | No | 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 tastytrade is better than Public.com. tastytrade finished with an overall score of 80.1%, while Public.com finished with a score of 69.6%.
tastytrade isn’t for every investor, but its platform is ideal for frequent options and futures traders, offering efficient workflow, useful risk management tools, killer design, and online content that makes you feel like you’re on a trading desk.
When comparing online brokers, both tastytrade and Public.com offer crypto trading; however, Public.com provides a wider selection with 22 available coins, surpassing tastytrade, which offers 17 coins.
Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers for Crypto Trading in 2025
tastytrade offers both traditional and Roth IRA accounts with no annual fee, but charges a $60 closure fee, unlike Public.com, which does not provide IRA accounts but imposes a $150 closure fee on such accounts managed elsewhere.
Dive deeper: Best IRA Accounts for 2025
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0 of 5| Overall Rating | tastytrade | Public.com | |
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| Review | tastytrade Review | Public.com Review |
| Broker Screenshots | tastytrade | Public.com | |
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| Broker Gallery (click to expand) |
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| Trading Fees | tastytrade | 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) | $0.50 | $0.00 | |
| Futures (Per Contract) | $1.00 | (Not offered) | |
| Broker Assisted Trade Fee | $0 | n/a |
| Margin Rates | tastytrade | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Margin Rate Under $25,000 | 11% | 8.75% | |
| Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 | 10.5% | 8.75% | |
| Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 | 10% | 6.75% | |
| Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 | 9.5% | 6.75% | |
| Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 | 9% | 5.75% | |
| Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 | 8.5% | 5.75% | |
| Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 | 8% | 5.75% |
| Account Fees | tastytrade | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| IRA Annual Fee | $0.00 | $0.00 | |
| IRA Closure Fee | $60.00 | $150.00 | |
| Account Transfer Out (Partial) | $75.00 | $100.00 | |
| Account Transfer Out (Full) | $75.00 | $100.00 | |
| Options Exercise Fee | $5.00 | $0.00 | |
| Options Assignment Fee | $5.00 | $0.00 |
| Investment Options | tastytrade | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Account Feature - Margin Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Fractional Shares (Stocks) | Yes | Yes | |
| OTC Stocks | No | Yes | |
| Options Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Complex Options Max Legs | 4 | 0 | |
| Futures Trading | Yes | No | |
| Forex Trading | No | No | |
| Crypto Trading | Yes | Yes | |
| Crypto Trading - Total Coins | 17 | 22 | |
| Fixed Income (Treasurys) | No | Yes | |
| Fixed Income (Corporate Bonds) | No | Yes | |
| Fixed Income (Municipal Bonds) | No | No | |
| Traditional IRAs | Yes | No | |
| Roth IRAs | Yes | No | |
| Advisor Services | No | No | |
| International Countries (Stocks) | 0 | 0 |
| Order Types | tastytrade | 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 | No | No | |
| Order Type - OCO | Yes | No | |
| Order Type - OTO | Yes | No | |
| Order Type - Broker Assisted | Yes | No |
| Beginners | tastytrade | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Education (Stocks) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (ETFs) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Options) | Yes | Yes | |
| Education (Mutual Funds) | No | No | |
| Education (Fixed Income) | No | No | |
| Education (Retirement) | No | Yes | |
| Retirement Calculator | No | No | |
| Investor Dictionary | Yes | Yes | |
| Paper Trading | No | No | |
| Videos | No | Yes | |
| Webinars | Yes | Yes | |
| Progress Tracking | Yes | No | |
| Interactive Learning - Quizzes | No | No |
| Stock Trading Apps | tastytrade | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| iPhone App | Yes | Yes | |
| Android App | Yes | Yes | |
| Apple Watch App | No | 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 | tastytrade | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Market Movers (Top Gainers) | Yes | Yes | |
| Stream Live TV | No | No | |
| Videos on Demand | No | No | |
| Stock Alerts | No | 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 | tastytrade | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charting - After-Hours | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Can Turn Horizontally | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Multiple Time Frames | Yes | Yes | |
| Charting - Technical Studies | 0 | 0 | |
| Charting - Study Customizations | No | No | |
| Charting - Stock Comparisons | No | Yes |
| Trading Platforms | tastytrade | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active Trading Platform | tastytrade | n/a | |
| Desktop Trading Platform | Yes | No | |
| Desktop Platform (Mac) | Yes | No | |
| Web Trading Platform | Yes | Yes | |
| Paper Trading | No | No | |
| Trade Journal | No | No | |
| Watch Lists - Total Fields | 33 | 3 |
| Stock Chart Features | tastytrade | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Indicators / Studies | 308 | 0 | |
| Charting - Drawing Tools | 31 | 0 | |
| Charting - Notes | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Historical Trades | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Corporate Events | Yes | No | |
| Charting - Custom Date Range | No | No | |
| Charting - Custom Time Bars | No | No | |
| Charting - Automated Analysis | No | No | |
| Charting - Save Profiles | Yes | No | |
| Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis | No | No | |
| Charting - Study Customizations | 7 | 0 | |
| Charting - Custom Studies | Yes | No |
| Day Trading | tastytrade | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Streaming Time & Sales | No | No | |
| Streaming TV | Yes | No | |
| Direct Market Routing - Equities | No | No | |
| Ladder Trading | Yes | No | |
| Trade Hot Keys | No | No | |
| Level 2 Quotes - Stocks | No | No | |
| Trade Ideas - Backtesting | No | No | |
| Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv | No | No | |
| Short Locator | Yes | No | |
| Order Liquidity Rebates | No | No |
| Research Overview | tastytrade | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Research - Stocks | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - ETFs | Yes | Yes | |
| Research - Mutual Funds | No | No | |
| Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB | No | Yes | |
| Research - Fixed Income | No | No | |
| Screener - Stocks | No | No | |
| Screener - ETFs | No | No | |
| Screener - Mutual Funds | No | No | |
| Screener - Fixed Income | No | No | |
| Portfolio Asset Allocation | Yes | No |
| Stock Research | tastytrade | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stock Research - PDF Reports | 0 | 0 | |
| Stock Research - Earnings | No | Yes | |
| Stock Research - Insiders | No | No | |
| Stock Research - Social | No | No | |
| Stock Research - News | Yes | Yes | |
| Stock Research - ESG | No | No | |
| Stock Research - SEC Filings | No | No |
| ETF Research | tastytrade | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ETFs - Investment Objective | No | Yes | |
| ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date | No | Yes | |
| ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio | No | Yes | |
| ETF Fund Facts - Total Assets | No | Yes | |
| ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings | No | No | |
| ETFs - Top 10 Holdings | No | No | |
| ETFs - Sector Exposure | No | No | |
| ETFs - Risk Analysis | Yes | No | |
| ETFs - Ratings | No | No | |
| ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap | No | No | |
| ETFs - PDF Reports | No | No |
| Mutual Fund Research | tastytrade | 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 | tastytrade | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Option Chains - Total Greeks | 5 | 5 | |
| Option Analysis - P&L Charts | Yes | Yes |
| Banking | tastytrade | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bank (Member FDIC) | No | No | |
| Checking Accounts | No | No | |
| Savings Accounts | No | No | |
| Credit Cards | No | No | |
| Debit Cards | No | No | |
| Mortgage Loans | No | No |
| Customer Service | tastytrade | Public.com | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Phone Support (Prospect Customers) | Yes | No | |
| Phone Support (Current Customers) | Yes | No | |
| Email Support | Yes | Yes | |
| Live Chat (Prospect Customers) | Yes | Yes | |
| Live Chat (Current Customers) | Yes | Yes | |
| 24/7 Support | No | No |
| Overall | tastytrade | Public.com | |
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| Winner | check_circle | ||
| Review | tastytrade Review | Public.com Review |
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