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

Public.com and Axos Invest 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: Public.com vs Axos Invest (2026)
Feature Public.com Axos Invest
Website https://www.public.com/ https://www.axos.com/invest
Broker Type Discount (self-directed online retail brokerage) Discount
Trading: Stock & ETF? Yes Yes
ETF & Stock commission $0 regular hours (US-listed); $2.99 extended/OTC (waived for Premium) $0 per trade (other fees may apply)
Fractional Shares? Yes ($5 min outside plans; $1 in Investment Plans) No
Percent Allocations? Yes (Investment Plans: custom 1% allocations; Direct Indexing weighting) No (self-directed)
Crypto Trading? Yes (via zerohash; 60+ assets including BTC/ETH; 24/7; $1 min). No
Crypto Fees zerohash: $0.49–$6.29 (≤$500); 1.25% (>$500). Recurring plans 1.25%. API volume-tiered (0.10–0.60%). N/A
Options Trading? Yes (stock, ETF, and index options; multi-leg strategies). Yes (subject to approval)
Options Fee $0 commission/per-contract for stock/ETF options plus $0.06–$0.18 rebate/contract. Index: $0.35–$0.50/contract. Regulatory fees apply. $1.00 per contract ($0.80 with Axos Elite, $10/mo)
Bond Trading Available? Yes (fractional Treasury/corporate from $100; Bond Account; municipals coming soon). No
Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? Yes (receives PFOF on options and wholesale equity routing). Yes (receives PFOF rebates)
Interface: Web trading? Yes (full web platform plus iOS/Android apps). Yes
Desktop trading? No. Web platform and mobile apps only; no native downloadable desktop trading software. No
API Trading? Yes. Public Trading API (stocks, ETFs, options, crypto, bonds) available to all members; no approval required. No
Mutual Funds: Offered? No Yes
Total Mutual Funds None 10,000+
NTF Mutual Funds None 10,000+ (no-load)
Non-NTF Fund Fee N/A $0 (no-load)
Early Redemption Fee? N/A Yes (no broker short-term fee listed)
Redemption Hold (Days) N/A None listed by broker (fund-specific possible)
Early Redemption Fee N/A $0 (no broker fee listed)
Accounts: Margin Accounts? Yes Yes (self-directed; approval required, $2,000 min equity)
IRAs Offered? Yes (Traditional and Roth); no SEP Yes (Traditional, Roth, Rollover; SEP not listed)
HSAs Offered? No No
Money Market Sweep? Yes (High-Yield Cash Account bank sweep) Yes (Axos Clearing Insured Deposit Program)
CDs Offered? No No
Robo-Advisor: Offered Yes, via Public Advisors LLC automated Direct Indexing, Generated Assets, and Treasury Accounts. Yes
Robo-Advisor Service Public Advisors (Direct Indexing, Generated Assets, Treasury Accounts) Axos Managed Portfolios
Robo-Advisor Fees Direct Indexing 0.19% AUM annual; Generated Assets 0.49%; Treasury Accounts tiered 0.09%-0.29%. Brokerage fees may apply. Model fee 0.20–0.59% AUM (varies by model/AUM); $40 min annual if model fee <$10/qtr; +0.20% optional TLH ($25k+)
Basics: Headquarters New York, NY Las Vegas, NV
Year Founded 2019 2009 (as WiseBanyan); rebranded 2019
Clearing Firm Apex Clearing Corporation Axos Clearing LLC
Local Branches? No No
New Account Minimum $0 (no account minimums; as little as $1 to start) $0 (Self-Directed); $50 IRA; $500 Managed Portfolios

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