Firstrade vs Public.com Comparison: Fees, Features, and More (2026)

Firstrade 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.

Head-to-Head Comparison: Firstrade vs Public.com (2026)
Feature Firstrade Public.com
Website https://www.firstrade.com/ https://www.public.com/
Broker Type Discount (self-directed online brokerage) Discount (self-directed online retail brokerage)
Trading: Stock & ETF? Yes Yes
ETF & Stock commission $0 online ($19.95 broker-assisted) $0 regular hours (US-listed); $2.99 extended/OTC (waived for Premium)
Fractional Shares? Yes (most U.S. stocks/ETFs; $5 min) Yes ($5 min outside plans; $1 in Investment Plans)
Percent Allocations? No Yes (Investment Plans: custom 1% allocations; Direct Indexing weighting)
Crypto Trading? No Yes (via zerohash; 60+ assets including BTC/ETH; 24/7; $1 min).
Crypto Fees N/A 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 commission and $0/contract; plus pass-through ORF (~$0.02/contract from Jul 2026) and SEC sell 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 (web only; net yield basis/markup) Yes (fractional Treasury/corporate from $100; Bond Account; municipals coming soon).
Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? Yes Yes (receives PFOF on options and wholesale equity routing).
Interface: Web trading? Yes Yes (full web platform plus iOS/Android apps).
Desktop trading? No No. Web platform and mobile apps only; no native downloadable desktop trading software.
API Trading? No Yes. Public Trading API (stocks, ETFs, options, crypto, bonds) available to all members; no approval required.
Mutual Funds: Offered? Yes No
Total Mutual Funds 11,000+ None
NTF Mutual Funds 11,000+ None
Non-NTF Fund Fee $0 online; $19.95 broker-assisted (no-load) N/A
Early Redemption Fee? No ($19.95 if held <90 days) N/A
Redemption Hold (Days) 90 days N/A
Early Redemption Fee $19.95 N/A
Accounts: Margin Accounts? Yes (approval; $2,000 min assets; not IRAs/custodial/ESA) Yes
IRAs Offered? Yes (Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, Rollover) Yes (Traditional and Roth); no SEP
HSAs Offered? No No
Money Market Sweep? Yes (FDIC sweep via Apex; 0.15%; not margin/SIMPLE IRA/ESA) Yes (High-Yield Cash Account bank sweep)
CDs Offered? Yes (primary $30; secondary net yield) No
Robo-Advisor: Offered No Yes, via Public Advisors LLC automated Direct Indexing, Generated Assets, and Treasury Accounts.
Robo-Advisor Service N/A Public Advisors (Direct Indexing, Generated Assets, Treasury Accounts)
Robo-Advisor Fees N/A Direct Indexing 0.19% AUM annual; Generated Assets 0.49%; Treasury Accounts tiered 0.09%-0.29%. Brokerage fees may apply.
Basics: Headquarters Flushing, NY New York, NY
Year Founded 1985 2019
Clearing Firm Apex Clearing Corporation Apex Clearing Corporation
Local Branches? Yes (Flushing, NY HQ office, Mon-Fri 10am-4pm ET); no nationwide network No
New Account Minimum $0 $0 (no account minimums; as little as $1 to start)

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