Public.com vs TD Ameritrade 2024

Comparing brokers side by side is no easy task. We spend hundreds of hours each year testing the platforms, mobile apps, trading tools and general ease of use among online brokerages, as well as comparing commissions and fees, to find the best online broker.

Though many U.S. brokers offer basic trading features, such as an app, charting tools, stock research and educational content, the depth of those features can vary widely. Let's compare Public.com vs TD Ameritrade.

In stock trading, the more you know, the better you’ll do. Taking advantage of resources like articles, webinars, videos and interactive elements is a great way to shorten the learning curve. In our analysis, we examine the availability of several different types of educational materials.

For 2024, our review finds that Public.com offers more comprehensive new investor education for beginning investors than TD Ameritrade. Public.com offers investors access to Videos, Education (Stocks), Education (ETFs), Education (Options) and Education (Retirement), while TD Ameritrade offers investors access to Paper Trading, Videos, Education (Stocks), Education (ETFs), Education (Options), Education (Mutual Funds), Education (Bonds) and Education (Retirement).

Public.com and TD Ameritrade charge the same amount for regular stock trades, $0.00. Option contracts are pricier at TD Ameritrade, costing $0.65 per contract versus $0.00 per contract at Public.com. For futures, TD Ameritrade charges $2.25 per contract and Public.com charges (Not offered) per contract. For a deeper dive, see our best brokers for free stock trading or options trading guides.

Looking at a full range of investment options, including order types and international trading, our research has found that Public.com offers a more comprehensive offering than TD Ameritrade. Public.com ranks #15 out of 18 brokers for our Investment Options category, while TD Ameritrade ranks #N/A.

Public.com offers investors access to Stock Trading, Fractional Shares, Options Trading and OTC Stocks, while TD Ameritrade offers investors access to Stock Trading, Options Trading, OTC Stocks, Mutual Funds, Futures Trading, Forex Trading and Advisor Services. Looking at Mutual Funds, Public.com trails TD Ameritrade in its offering of no transaction fee (NTF) mutual funds, with TD Ameritrade offering 3610 and Public.com offering 0.

In our analysis of top U.S. brokerages, we research whether each broker offers the ability to trade cash cryptocurrency, such as bitcoin and ethereum. Though crypto has risen steadily in popularity, availability still varies from broker to broker. Our review finds that Public.com offers crypto trading, while TD Ameritrade does not.

To compare the day trading platforms of Public.com and TD Ameritrade, we focused on trading tools and functionality across both web and desktop-based platforms. Popular day trading platform tools include streaming real-time quotes, stock alerts, trading hotkeys, direct market routing, streaming time and sales, customizable watch lists, backtesting, and fully functional charting packages, among many others. For day trading, Public.com offers a better experience.

After testing 25 features across the stock trading apps of Public.com and TD Ameritrade, we found Public.com to be better overall. The best stock market apps are easy to use, have excellent design, and deliver a fully featured online trading experience. Public.com ranks #14 out of 18 brokers, while TD Ameritrade ranks #N/A.

Public.com Trading App Gallery

TD Ameritrade Trading App Gallery

For research, Public.com offers superior market research than TD Ameritrade. Public.com ranks #17 and TD Ameritrade ranks #N/A.

Over the years, we've found that the best brokers provide rich market commentary, a variety of third-party research reports, and thorough quote screens that are not just easy to navigate, but that also include a comprehensive selection of fundamental data. Robust stock, ETFs, and mutual fund screeners are also must-haves for trade idea generation.

Public.com requires a minimum deposit of $20.00, while TD Ameritrade requires a minimum deposit of $0.00. From our testing, we found that SoFi is the only broker that requires a minimum deposit.

Public.com charges Not offered for accounts under $25,000 while TD Ameritrade charges a margin rate of 14.75%. The industry average of the 18 brokers we track is 9%.

While Public.com offers fractional shares, TD Ameritrade does not. Our research has found that 54% of brokers offer fractional shares investing. Fractional shares allow traders to buy a part of a whole share of stock. For example, if Amazon is trading at $1,000, you could buy half a share for $500.

Both Public.com and TD Ameritrade allow you to trade penny stocks. Public.com charges $2.99 per trade while TD Ameritrade charges $6.95. Penny stocks are companies whose shares trade for under $5 and are listed over the counter (OTC). For brokers that do offer penny stock trades, the average commission is $3.

Online banking can be a benefit for investors, and some brokerages do provide banking services to customers. neither of these are offered by Public.com, while TD Ameritrade offers Checking Accounts, Debit Cards and Credit Cards. Neither have Savings Accounts and Mortgage Loans.

StockBrokers.com partners with customer experience research group Confero to conduct phone tests from locations across the United States to thoroughly evaluate the quality and speed of brokerage customer service. (Read more about How We Test.) Here are the results of our current testing.

We do not have current testing results for Public.com’s customer service.

TD Ameritrade was rated 1st out of 14 brokers, with an overall score of 9.3 out of 10.

Public is easy to use and offers a fascinating array of investment options. Along with stocks, ETFs, and crypto, there are managed Treasury bill accounts and alternative investments, such as shares in comic books and Banksy art. On the downside, Public uses its refusal to accept payment for order flow as justification for some startlingly high fees and spreads.

In the 2024 StockBrokers.com 2024 Annual Awards, Public.com placed among Best in Class for Investor Community.

TD Ameritrade delivers $0 trades, fantastic trading platforms, excellent market research, industry-leading education for beginners and reliable customer service, making it one of our top overall brokers in 2023. Note, however, that TD Ameritrade was acquired in 2020 by Charles Schwab and TD Ameritrade client accounts are currently being migrated in batches to Schwab, which has retained the standout thinkorswim platform.

In the 2023 StockBrokers.com Annual Review, TD Ameritrade was rated No. 1 for Platforms & Tools, Mobile Trading Apps, Ease of Use, Beginners, and Customer Service. It also ranked among Best in Class for Commissions & Fees, Research, Investment Options, Education, Active Trading and Overall. TD Ameritrade also won two StockBrokers.com Industry Awards: No. 1 for Phone Support and Trader App.