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

Public.com and Charles Schwab 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 Charles Schwab (2026)
Feature Public.com Charles Schwab
Website https://www.public.com/ https://www.schwab.com/
Broker Type Discount (self-directed online retail brokerage) Full-service
Trading: Stock & ETF? Yes Yes
ETF & Stock commission $0 regular hours (US-listed); $2.99 extended/OTC (waived for Premium) $0 online (listed stocks/ETFs)
Fractional Shares? Yes ($5 min outside plans; $1 in Investment Plans) Yes (most U.S.-listed stocks/ETFs, from $1)
Percent Allocations? Yes (Investment Plans: custom 1% allocations; Direct Indexing weighting) Yes (Personalized Portfolio Builder)
Crypto Trading? Yes (via zerohash; 60+ assets including BTC/ETH; 24/7; $1 min). Yes, via Schwab Crypto (BTC/ETH currently; not NY/LA/territories)
Crypto Fees zerohash: $0.49–$6.29 (≤$500); 1.25% (>$500). Recurring plans 1.25%. API volume-tiered (0.10–0.60%). 0.75% of notional value (min $0.01) per buy/sell
Options Trading? Yes (stock, ETF, and index options; multi-leg strategies). Yes
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. $0 online commission + $0.65 per contract
Bond Trading Available? Yes (fractional Treasury/corporate from $100; Bond Account; municipals coming soon). Yes
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. Yes, thinkorswim desktop (Windows/Mac; free for brokerage clients)
API Trading? Yes. Public Trading API (stocks, ETFs, options, crypto, bonds) available to all members; no approval required. Yes, Trader API (Individual) for self-directed retail accounts (orders, data; via developer.schwab.com)
Mutual Funds: Offered? No Yes
Total Mutual Funds None ~14,500 from 600+ families (incl. 4,000+ NTF)
NTF Mutual Funds None 4,000+ (no-load via OneSource & others)
Non-NTF Fund Fee N/A Up to $74.95/buy online ($0 sell); some $49.95; 8.5% cap, <$100 exempt
Early Redemption Fee? N/A No; $49.95 Schwab fee on NTF funds held ≤90 days (some exemptions)
Redemption Hold (Days) N/A 90 days (NTF/OneSource funds; some Schwab Funds exempt)
Early Redemption Fee N/A $49.95 online/automated phone; $49.95 + $25 broker-assisted
Accounts: Margin Accounts? Yes Yes ($2,000 min. cash or marginable securities)
IRAs Offered? Yes (Traditional and Roth); no SEP Yes (Traditional, Roth, SEP, Rollover, Inherited, Custodial, SIMPLE)
HSAs Offered? No Yes (HSBA via participating HSA providers; no standalone Schwab HSA)
Money Market Sweep? Yes (High-Yield Cash Account bank sweep) Yes (Cash Features Program: Bank Sweep or Schwab One Interest)
CDs Offered? No Yes (brokered CDs via Schwab CD OneSource)
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) Schwab Intelligent Portfolios® (Premium also offered)
Robo-Advisor Fees Direct Indexing 0.19% AUM annual; Generated Assets 0.49%; Treasury Accounts tiered 0.09%-0.29%. Brokerage fees may apply. $0 advisory (standard); $300 one-time + $30/mo (Premium); ETF OERs 0.02–0.15%. Mins $5k/$25k.
Basics: Headquarters New York, NY Westlake, TX
Year Founded 2019 1971
Clearing Firm Apex Clearing Corporation Charles Schwab & Co., Inc. (self-clearing)
Local Branches? No Yes, more than 420 branches in 48 U.S. states
New Account Minimum $0 (no account minimums; as little as $1 to start) $0

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