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Public.com Review

Jessica Inskip

Written by Jessica Inskip
Edited by Hannah Smith
Reviewed by Blain Reinkensmeyer

June 30, 2025
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Jessica Inskip Jessica Inskip

Jessica Inskip is Director of Investor Research at StockBrokers.com, bringing 15 years of experience in brokerage and trading strategy. Jessica focuses on investor education and brokerage industry research.

Public.com is one of the most frequently recommended platforms in the financial influencer space, and after spending time using it myself, I get the appeal. The app is sleek, intuitive, and designed in a way that makes investing in stocks and ETFs feel almost effortless. It’s one of the cleanest user experiences I’ve seen.

But as someone who digs into platforms and the markets for a living, I quickly hit limitations. Many tools I consider essential, like analyst ratings, earnings forecasts, and key fundamental data, are locked behind a premium subscription. While Public shines as a beginner-friendly space to build a simple portfolio, it doesn’t offer enough depth for anyone who wants to analyze investments or trade beyond the basics.

  • Minimum Deposit: $20.00
  • Stock Trades: $0.00 info
  • Options (Per Contract): $0.00 info
3.5
3.5/5 Stars
OVERALL SCORE
Range of Investments3.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps3.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools2/5 Stars
Research2/5 Stars
Education3.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use4.5/5 Stars
Customer ServiceN/A

Check out StockBrokers.com's picks for the best stock brokers in 2025.

2025#13
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Table of Contents


Pros & cons

thumb_up_off_alt Pros

  • Sleek, minimalist platform that's easy to navigate.
  • Well-written educational content with helpful graphics.
  • Daily five-minute market podcast, The Rundown, for quick updates.

thumb_down_off_alt Cons

  • High-yield bonds include risky, below-investment-grade options.
  • Options trading lacks key data, making decisions harder.
  • Limited research tools compared to other platforms.

My top takeaways for Public.com in 2025:

  • Great place to start your investing journey, but not necessarily beyond. Public makes basic investing easy, especially for stocks and ETFs. But once you want to analyze, diversify, or dig deeper into your research, the tools fall short.
  • Innovative features need stronger guardrails. Whether it’s AI-driven research, fixed income portfolios, or alternative assets, Public is trying new things. But innovation needs transparency, especially when risk is involved. Investors shouldn’t have to be experts to spot what’s missing.
  • The education is excellent but needs to meet you where you are. The revamped learning center is full of value, but it lives separately from the platform. Integrated, in-the-moment education could transform how people learn and invest at the same time.

Range of investments

Public.com offers access to a range of investment options like stocks, ETFs, options, crypto, corporate bonds, and even alternative assets. On paper, the list is impressive. But in practice, I found the experience to be a mix of thoughtful innovation and frustrating gaps.

Portfolio accounts

Let’s start with what works. Public’s portfolio-style accounts, the High-Yield Cash Account, Bond Account, and Treasury Account, are genuinely interesting, with the Treasury Account standing out most to me. It lets you build a portfolio of U.S. Treasury bonds with maturities ranging from 3 months to 30 years, and you get to choose the structure. You can even set up automatic reinvestments, which feels like a modern spin on a traditional treasury ladder. But here’s the catch: there’s a monthly fee based on your balance, plus a markup/markdown on trades.

While the feature itself is solid, you can build a similar ladder on platforms like Fidelity or Schwab with lower fees and far more built-in education around interest rates, yield curves, and Fed policy. Public has an opportunity here to bridge that educational gap but so far, they haven’t.

Limited disclosures

The Bond Account, however, is where I started to feel uneasy. I’ve seen it recommended by more than a few financial influencers, and frankly, I’m concerned. I couldn’t find any disclosures about whether they were being paid to promote it, but what really bothered me was what they weren’t saying. The account is built using corporate bonds and is marketed as having an “average” investment grade. But when I looked closer, I found below-investment-grade bonds in the mix. These are speculative-grade, or companies with poor credit ratings.

There’s no warning on the trade screen, and unless you know to click into each bond and check the ratings manually, you’d have no idea. As someone who’s worked in the industry for years, it took me a few steps to spot it. That’s a red flag. Recommending these accounts without proper context is irresponsible, and makes me question how many of these influencers understand the products they’re promoting.

Alternative asset investments

Public also offers alternative assets like fractional shares of art, collectibles, and luxury handbags. Items that, in some cases, can act as inflation hedges (not investment advice, of course). I was curious enough to try the luxury handbag investing feature, but after nearly two hours of back and forth with a customer service rep, I gave up. The feature is only available on the mobile app, and even then, the rep couldn’t walk me through how to enable it. If I can’t get this resolved as someone with years of platform experience, I can only imagine how confusing it must be for a new investor.

Public is clearly trying to build something unique. But when it comes to investment options, execution and transparency matter just as much as innovation, and that’s where this platform still has work to do.

Feature Public.com logoPublic.com
Stock Trading info Yes
Margin Trading info Yes
Fractional Shares info Yes
OTC Stocks info Yes
Options Trading info Yes
Complex Options Max Legs info 0
Bonds (US Treasury) info Yes
Futures Trading info No
Forex Trading info No
Mutual Funds (Total) info 0
Crypto Trading info Yes
Crypto Trading - Total Coins info 22
Traditional IRAs info No
Roth IRAs info No
Advisor Services info No

Public.com fees

Like most modern brokerages, Public.com offers commission-free trading on stocks and ETFs, which is great. But dig a little deeper, and the pricing structure gets more complex. Extended hours trading will cost you $2.99 per trade unless you’re a premium member, and many research tools that come standard elsewhere are locked behind a paywall.

Premium subscription: Public has carved out a unique, if unusual, pricing model. You’re nudged toward a premium subscription to access basic features — things like analyst reports and reinvestment options that other brokers offer for free. A Public Premium subscription costs $10 per month (or $96 annually) after a 7-day free trial, although this cost is waived if you maintain an account balance over $50,000 (subject to terms and conditions). There’s also a fee for small, inactive accounts, which feels a bit out of step with the low-cost brokerage trend.

Options rebate program: They return up to 50% of order flow revenue to traders, depending on activity levels. It’s a clever and more transparent approach to payment for order flow (PFOF), which I don’t mind when done right. If there are regulations in place to protect order quality, the cost savings can be meaningful. But the rebate tiers are clearly built to incentivize frequent trading, which is something newer investors should approach with caution.

Jessica's take:

"Their bond and Treasury accounts, while innovative, come with markups, markdowns, and a monthly fee based on your balance. I have found that you can build similar structures on other platforms for less. Plus, competitors offer much stronger educational support to help you understand what you're buying."

Jessica Inskip

jessica_inskip_170.png

In short: Public’s pricing looks simple at first but quickly reveals itself as a maze of paywalls. For a platform that markets itself as accessible, the cost structure can feel surprisingly gated.

Feature Public.com logoPublic.com
Minimum Deposit info $20.00
Stock Trades info $0.00 info
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) info $2.99
ETF Trade Fee info $0.00 info
Options (Per Contract) info $0.00 info
Options Exercise Fee info $0.00
Options Assignment Fee info $0.00
Futures (Per Contract) info (Not offered)
Mutual Fund Trade Fee info n/a
Broker Assisted Trade Fee info n/a

Trading platforms

Public’s browser platform mirrors the mobile app almost exactly. It’s clean, easy to use, and approachable. But as someone who’s used a lot of platforms, it feels limited. There’s no advanced trader platform, no custom screeners, and no way to really dig into technical analysis or build out complex strategies. If you're looking for depth, you'll hit a ceiling fast.

That said, one thing I do appreciate is how seamlessly Public integrates community features across both desktop and mobile. Users can follow each other, share commentary, react to trades, and discuss financial news articles in a built-in feed. It adds a social element that’s unique, and for new investors, that kind of collaboration can be encouraging.

Mobile app markets tab with major indices and market movers

Public.com’s Markets screen on mobile looks nice. It has a clean layout, is easy to scan, and shows the major indices and top movers. That said, it’s definitely on the basic side. The earnings calendar is pretty limited, and if you’re looking for deeper insight or tools, you might find yourself wanting more. Still, it’s a nice starting point for a quick market check.

But here's my caveat: community doesn’t equal credibility. It’s important to be mindful of who you're following and where advice is coming from. Just because someone posts confidently about a trade doesn’t mean it’s sound investment advice. As always, do your own research and make sure the tools you’re using are helping you make informed decisions, not just popular ones.

Feature Public.com logoPublic.com
Active Trading Platform info n/a
Desktop Trading Platform info No
Desktop Platform (Mac) info No
Web Trading Platform info Yes
Paper Trading info No
Trade Journal info No
Watch Lists - Total Fields info 3
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 0
Charting - Drawing Tools info 0
Charting - Study Customizations info 0
Charting - Save Profiles info No
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis info No
Streaming Time & Sales info No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting info No

Research

Public has clearly put effort into making research feel accessible, and I genuinely appreciated the thought behind some of the tools. But after testing nearly every corner of the platform, I walked away feeling like most of the research features were more flash than function.

Fixed income

Let’s start with fixed income. I liked how the platform displays bond prices alongside their yields which is an elegant way to visualize the inverse relationship between price and yield, an element often confusing for new investors. The interface made that lesson click. But when I tried to screen for fixed income products, the default was high-yield (i.e., below investment grade) bonds and included a portfolio labeled “speculative.” No brokered CDs, no investment-grade filters, and no real risk disclosures. One portfolio even automatically reinvests your income once it hits $1,000, but I wasn’t shown bond ratings up front. A deeper dive revealed mostly junk bonds, and there’s a $3.99 monthly fee for that without a Premium subscription, by the way.

top gainers

Public.com’s top gainers screen gives you a quick look at what’s moving—simple, clean, and visually appealing. You won’t find a ton of detail here, just the basics like ticker, price, and percentage change. It gets the job done for a surface-level check.

Individual stocks and funds

Across the board, research on individual stocks and funds is minimal. Most ETFs show only the top 10 holdings and there’s no tracking error, sector exposure breakdown, or comparison tools. The “investment plans” feature (essentially baskets of stocks) has potential, but I wasn’t able to analyze them meaningfully. No benchmark comparisons, no sector weightings, just a list of tickers and a vague description.

Options data

Options data was even more disappointing. The chain was missing basic info like bid-ask spreads unless manually selected, and the strategy builder had me previewing the wrong side of a trade. I tried placing a cash-secured put on QQQ, and the tool tried to route a buy order instead. I wouldn’t trust this tool to execute even the simplest strategy.

options chain

Public.com’s options chain looks clean, but it’s missing a lot of the critical info needed to actually make informed trading decisions. There’s no bid-ask spread, no implied volatility, and no real sense of liquidity, just the bare bones. It’s a nice-looking interface, but for serious options traders, it falls short where it counts.

Macro research

Macro research is another blind spot. There’s no economic calendar, and while the AI chatbot was eager to help, it didn’t have real-time data. I asked about PCE, the day’s biggest market mover, and was told there was no data. When I reworded the question, it gave me a general market summary, but by then, I’d already checked a second platform. It has promise, but it’s not ready to stand on its own.

Feature Public.com logoPublic.com
Research - Stocks info Yes
Stock Research - ESG info No
Stock Research - PDF Reports info 0 info
Screener - Stocks info No
Research - ETFs info Yes
Screener - ETFs info No
Research - Mutual Funds info No
Screener - Mutual Funds info No
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB info Yes
Research - Bonds info No

Education

I was pleasantly surprised by Public’s education center, especially after its major revamp in March 2025. The content is comprehensive, well-written, and easy to follow. There are articles on everything from how short squeezes happen to how interest rates impact Treasury prices, all broken down in plain English. The visuals are sharp, and the tone strikes that perfect balance between informative and approachable.

What impressed me most wasn’t just the volume of content but the quality. Topics like market mechanics, options basics, retirement strategies, and alternative investments are all covered in depth. The information is up-to-date and thoughtfully categorized. Whether you’re looking to learn about IPOs, fixed income, or crypto, there’s a section for that.

landing page

Public.com’s education center is truly the standout feature of the platform, comprehensive, easy to read, and impressively broad in scope. From investing fundamentals to more advanced topics, the content is thoughtfully written and approachable for all experience levels. It’s one of the most user-friendly educational hubs in the brokerage space.

My only real feedback is that the education center feels a bit detached from the rest of the platform. While I loved seeing a carousel of timely articles on the homepage, the actual educational experience lives in its own corner. It’s not deeply integrated into the flow of using the app. For example, if I’m researching a stock or placing a trade, I’d love to see educational callouts or “learn more” links in context, especially for newer investors.

Still, if you’re the kind of investor who likes to read and learn independently, this is one of the stronger educational libraries I’ve seen from a mobile-first platform. I just hope Public eventually weaves this content more directly into the investing experience because it deserves to be seen.

Feature Public.com logoPublic.com
Education (Stocks) info Yes
Education (ETFs) info Yes
Education (Options) info Yes
Education (Mutual Funds) info No
Education (Bonds) info No
Education (Retirement) info Yes
Paper Trading info No
Videos info Yes
Webinars info Yes
Webinars (Archived) info Yes
Progress Tracking info No
Interactive Learning - Quizzes info No

Banking services

Public doesn’t offer traditional banking products, no checking, no debit card, but it does offer a high-yield cash account, launched in December 2023. And for what it is, it’s surprisingly solid.

The account currently pays 4.1% APY on uninvested cash (as of March 28, 2025), and funds are swept to a network of partner banks offering up to $5 million in combined FDIC insurance which is far above the typical $250,000 cap you'd get from a single bank. That’s a strong feature for those looking to park cash securely.

That said, it’s important to remember that APYs are variable. So while 4.1% sounds great today, it could look different tomorrow.

Feature Public.com logoPublic.com
Bank (Member FDIC) info No
Checking Accounts info No
Savings Accounts info No
Credit Cards info No
Debit Cards info No
Mortgage Loans info No

Final thoughts

Public.com is one of the most visually appealing platforms I’ve used. It’s clearly designed with the modern investor in mind — clean, approachable, and community-driven. But beneath the sleek surface, there are some important limitations worth noting.

Public has a lot of potential and it’s clear they’re listening to feedback. For newer investors who value simplicity and community, it’s a compelling place to begin. But for anyone looking to grow into a more active, informed investor, there’s still work to be done.

Public.com Star Ratings

Feature Public.com logoPublic.com
Overall 3.5/5 Stars
Range of Investments 3.5/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 3.5/5 Stars
Platforms & Tools 2/5 Stars
Research 2/5 Stars
Customer Service N/A
Education 3.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 4.5/5 Stars

FAQs

Does Public.com give free stocks?

Not anymore. Public.com used to offer a free stock promotion for new users, but that program has been phased out. These days, the incentive is aimed at larger investors: you can earn up to $10,000 if you transfer your assets to Public.com, though the bonus is tiered based on how much you bring over. For example, a $5,000 transfer earns you $150, while hitting the full $10,000 reward requires a $5 million transfer.

Is Public.com safe?

Yes, Public.com is a legitimate, regulated brokerage. It operates under the name Open to the Public Investing, Inc. and is a member of FINRA, the regulatory body that oversees U.S. brokers. Like other brokerages, accounts are protected by SIPC insurance up to $500,000, which covers losses in the event the brokerage fails, not if your investments lose value. Public uses Apex Clearing Corporation to hold customer assets and execute trades, a well-known custodian in the industry. So while no investment is risk-free, the platform itself is operating under all the standard protections for U.S. brokerage firms.

How much does Public.com cost per month?

Opening a Public.com account is free, but many of the more useful features like advanced data, better pricing on certain services, and premium research, require a subscription to Public Premium, which costs $10 per month (or $96 annually) after a 7-day free trial. That said, if your account balance is $50,000 or more, the premium tier is complimentary. So while you can get started at no cost, unlocking the full experience often comes with a price tag.

Is my money safe on the Public app?

As noted, Public is a member of FINRA and accounts are insured against broker insolvency for up to $500,000 by the SIPC. This, however, doesn’t protect you against losses from either your investment decisions or defaults from individual investments, as is true for all brokers.

StockBrokers.com Review Methodology

Why you should trust us

Jessica Inskip is Director of Investor Research at StockBrokers.com, bringing 15 years of experience in brokerage and trading strategy. A former FINRA-licensed rep, she held Series 7, 63, 66, and 4 licenses. Jessica focuses on investor education and brokerage industry research, appears regularly on CNBC, Bloomberg, The Schwab Network, Fox Business, and Yahoo! Finance, and hosts the Market MakeHer podcast.

Blain Reinkensmeyer, co-founder of StockBrokers.com, has been investing and trading for over 25 years. After having placed over 2,000 trades in his late teens and early 20s, he became one of the first in digital media to review online brokerages. Today, Blain is widely respected as a leading expert on finance and investing, specifically the U.S. online brokerage industry. Blain has been quoted in The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and Fast Company, among others. Blain created the original scoring rubrics for StockBrokers.com and oversees all testing and rating methodologies.

How we tested

  • We used our own brokerage accounts for testing.
  • We collected thousands of data points across the brokers we review.
  • We tested each online broker's website, desktop platforms, and mobile app, where applicable.
  • We maintained strict editorial independence; brokers cannot pay for inclusion or a higher rating.

Our research team meticulously collected data on every feature of importance to a wide range of customer profiles, including beginners, casual investors, passive investors, and active traders. We carefully track variables like margin rates, trading costs, fees, and platform features and use them to help rate brokers across a range of categories measuring ease of use, range of investments, research, education, and more.

At StockBrokers.com, our reviewers use a variety of computing devices to evaluate platforms and tools. Our reviews and data collection were conducted using the following devices: iPhone SE running iOS 17.5.1, MacBook Pro M1 with 8 GB RAM running the current MacOS, and a Dell Vostro 5402 laptop i5 with 8 GB RAM running Windows 11 Pro.

Each broker was evaluated and scored on over 200 different variables across seven key categories: Range of Investments, Platforms & Tools, Research, Mobile Trading, Education, Ease of Use, and Overall. Learn more about how we test.

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About Public.com

Public.com is the trade name for Open to the Public Investing, Inc., a brokerage firm headquartered in New York City. While the company was originally registered back in 2004, the Public brand as we know it today really took shape in 2019 with a mission to make investing more inclusive, transparent, and community-driven.


About the Editorial Team

Jessica Inskip

Jessica Inskip is Director of Investor Research at StockBrokers.com, bringing 15 years of experience in brokerage and trading strategy. A former FINRA-licensed rep, she held Series 7, 63, 66, and 4 licenses. Jessica focuses on investor education and brokerage industry research, appears regularly on CNBC, Fox Business, and Bloomberg, and hosts the Market MakeHer podcast.

Hannah Smith

Hannah Smith is a Staff Editor at StockBrokers.com. With a background in SEO and years of experience in digital media, Hannah is focused on creating high-quality, data-driven content that helps investors make informed decisions. With a master's degree in English from North Carolina State University, she brings a strong foundation in writing, research, and editorial strategy to her work.

Blain Reinkensmeyer

Blain Reinkensmeyer has 20 years of trading experience with over 2,500 trades placed during that time. He heads research for all U.S.-based brokerages on StockBrokers.com and is respected by executives as the leading expert covering the online broker industry. Blain’s insights have been featured in the New York Times, Wall Street Journal, Forbes, and the Chicago Tribune, among other media outlets.

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