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

Public.com and Fidelity 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 Fidelity (2026)
Feature Public.com Fidelity
Website https://www.public.com/ https://www.fidelity.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 US stocks/ETFs
Fractional Shares? Yes ($5 min outside plans; $1 in Investment Plans) Yes (7,000+ US stocks/ETFs, $1 min)
Percent Allocations? Yes (Investment Plans: custom 1% allocations; Direct Indexing weighting) Yes (Fidelity Basket Portfolios)
Crypto Trading? Yes (via zerohash; 60+ assets including BTC/ETH; 24/7; $1 min). Yes, via Fidelity Crypto® (BTC, ETH, SOL, LTC, FIDD) for US retail; also crypto ETPs in brokerage.
Crypto Fees zerohash: $0.49–$6.29 (≤$500); 1.25% (>$500). Recurring plans 1.25%. API volume-tiered (0.10–0.60%). 1% of executed market value on buys/sells (Fidelity Crypto®/IRAs); none on FIDD vs USD.
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 commission + $0.65/contract online; $0 for buy-to-close ≤$0.65. Extra fees for some indexes/pros.
Bond Trading Available? Yes (fractional Treasury/corporate from $100; Bond Account; municipals coming soon). Yes; $0 online for new issues/US Treasuries; $1 per bond secondary (caps apply).
Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? Yes (receives PFOF on options and wholesale equity routing). Yes (receives PFOF on equities from wholesalers and on options).
Interface: Web trading? Yes (full web platform plus iOS/Android apps). Yes (Fidelity.com web; Fidelity Investments iOS/Android app; Fidelity Trader+).
Desktop trading? No. Web platform and mobile apps only; no native downloadable desktop trading software. Yes (Fidelity Trader+ Desktop, PC/Mac; Active Trader Pro Classic also available)
API Trading? Yes. Public Trading API (stocks, ETFs, options, crypto, bonds) available to all members; no approval required. No (no official public retail trading API)
Mutual Funds: Offered? No Yes
Total Mutual Funds None Over 10,000
NTF Mutual Funds None Thousands (all Fidelity funds plus many NTF third-party)
Non-NTF Fund Fee N/A $49.95 per purchase (some up to $100); $0 redemption
Early Redemption Fee? N/A No ($49.95 Fidelity short-term fee on most NTF funds held <60 days)
Redemption Hold (Days) N/A 60 days (NTF FundsNetwork non-Fidelity funds)
Early Redemption Fee N/A $49.95 online (NTF funds held <60 days)
Accounts: Margin Accounts? Yes Yes
IRAs Offered? Yes (Traditional and Roth); no SEP Yes (traditional, Roth, SEP)
HSAs Offered? No Yes
Money Market Sweep? Yes (High-Yield Cash Account bank sweep) Yes
CDs Offered? No Yes (brokered CDs)
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) Fidelity Go
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 under $25,000; 0.35%/yr for $25,000+
Basics: Headquarters New York, NY Boston, MA
Year Founded 2019 1946
Clearing Firm Apex Clearing Corporation National Financial Services LLC
Local Branches? No Yes, ~215 U.S. Investor Centers
New Account Minimum $0 (no account minimums; as little as $1 to start) $0

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