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

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

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