E*Trade vs Public.com Comparison: Fees, Features, and More (2026)
E*Trade and Public.com are two leading discount brokerages offering commission-free stock and ETF trading. Use this head-to-head comparison table to evaluate fees, features, trading tools, and account options to help you decide which broker is right for you in 2026.
| Feature | E*Trade | Public.com |
|---|---|---|
| Website | https://us.etrade.com/home | https://www.public.com/ |
| Broker Type | Online self-directed brokerage (Morgan Stanley; full-service advisors available) | Discount (self-directed online retail brokerage) |
| Trading: Stock & ETF? | Yes | Yes |
| ETF & Stock commission | $0 online US-listed stocks/ETFs (OTC $6.95; other fees may apply) | $0 regular hours (US-listed); $2.99 extended/OTC (waived for Premium) |
| Fractional Shares? | Yes, select listed stocks/ETFs (up to 3 decimals, $5 min notional; expanding) | Yes ($5 min outside plans; $1 in Investment Plans) |
| Percent Allocations? | No (Prebuilt templates with suggested allocations; Core Portfolios managed) | Yes (Investment Plans: custom 1% allocations; Direct Indexing weighting) |
| Crypto Trading? | Yes; BTC, ETH, SOL via linked zerohash account for US individual brokerage clients. | Yes (via zerohash; 60+ assets including BTC/ETH; 24/7; $1 min). |
| Crypto Fees | 0.50% of notional value (no spread/markup); charged by zerohash (E*TRADE receives a portion). | zerohash: $0.49–$6.29 (≤$500); 1.25% (>$500). Recurring plans 1.25%. API volume-tiered (0.10–0.60%). |
| Options Trading? | Yes | Yes (stock, ETF, and index options; multi-leg strategies). |
| Options Fee | $0.65/contract ($0.50 with 30+ trades/quarter) plus regulatory/exchange fees. | $0 commission/per-contract for stock/ETF options plus $0.06–$0.18 rebate/contract. Index: $0.35–$0.50/contract. Regulatory fees apply. |
| Bond Trading Available? | Yes; 50,000+ bonds/CDs from many issuers. | Yes (fractional Treasury/corporate from $100; Bond Account; municipals coming soon). |
| Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? | Yes (receives PFOF on NMS stocks, ETFs, and options). | Yes (receives PFOF on options and wholesale equity routing). |
| Interface: Web trading? | Yes; E*TRADE web/app and Power E*TRADE web/app/desktop. | Yes (full web platform plus iOS/Android apps). |
| Desktop trading? | Yes, Power E*TRADE Pro (Windows/Mac download) | No. Web platform and mobile apps only; no native downloadable desktop trading software. |
| API Trading? | Yes (Developer Platform REST API; unattended algo orders prohibited) | Yes. Public Trading API (stocks, ETFs, options, crypto, bonds) available to all members; no approval required. |
| Mutual Funds: Offered? | Yes | No |
| Total Mutual Funds | 5,000+ (6,000+ NTF listed on pricing) | None |
| NTF Mutual Funds | 6,000+ | None |
| Non-NTF Fund Fee | $0 online (no-load NTF); loads per prospectus | N/A |
| Early Redemption Fee? | Yes (no E*TRADE fee; fund fees may apply) | N/A |
| Redemption Hold (Days) | None (0 days); E*TRADE charges no short-term redemption fee (fund prospectus fees may apply) | N/A |
| Early Redemption Fee | $0 from E*TRADE; fund prospectus redemption fees may apply | N/A |
| Accounts: Margin Accounts? | Yes | Yes |
| IRAs Offered? | Yes (Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, others) | Yes (Traditional and Roth); no SEP |
| HSAs Offered? | No | No |
| Money Market Sweep? | Yes (Bank Deposit Program / BDP) | Yes (High-Yield Cash Account bank sweep) |
| CDs Offered? | Yes | No |
| Robo-Advisor: Offered | Yes | Yes, via Public Advisors LLC automated Direct Indexing, Generated Assets, and Treasury Accounts. |
| Robo-Advisor Service | Core Portfolios | Public Advisors (Direct Indexing, Generated Assets, Treasury Accounts) |
| Robo-Advisor Fees | 0.30% annual advisory fee ($500 min.) | Direct Indexing 0.19% AUM annual; Generated Assets 0.49%; Treasury Accounts tiered 0.09%-0.29%. Brokerage fees may apply. |
| Basics: Headquarters | Arlington, VA | New York, NY |
| Year Founded | 1982 | 2019 |
| Clearing Firm | Morgan Stanley Smith Barney LLC | Apex Clearing Corporation |
| Local Branches? | No | No |
| New Account Minimum | $0 | $0 (no account minimums; as little as $1 to start) |
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