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

Public.com and Interactive Brokers 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 Interactive Brokers (2026)
Feature Public.com Interactive Brokers
Website https://www.public.com/ https://www.interactivebrokers.com/
Broker Type Discount (self-directed online retail brokerage) Self-directed online discount broker
Trading: Stock & ETF? Yes Yes
ETF & Stock commission $0 regular hours (US-listed); $2.99 extended/OTC (waived for Premium) IBKR Lite: $0 US-listed stocks/ETFs (US residents); IBKR Pro: $0.005/share fixed (min $1) or $0.0005–$0.0035/share tiered (min $0.35)
Fractional Shares? Yes ($5 min outside plans; $1 in Investment Plans) Yes (eligible US/CA/EU stocks & ETFs, from $1)
Percent Allocations? Yes (Investment Plans: custom 1% allocations; Direct Indexing weighting) Yes (TWS Rebalance Portfolio sets custom target %)
Crypto Trading? Yes (via zerohash; 60+ assets including BTC/ETH; 24/7; $1 min). Yes (spot crypto via Paxos/Zero Hash for eligible US IB LLC clients; permissions required; also futures/ETPs)
Crypto Fees zerohash: $0.49–$6.29 (≤$500); 1.25% (>$500). Recurring plans 1.25%. API volume-tiered (0.10–0.60%). 0.12%–0.18% of trade value (monthly volume tiers), USD 1.75 min/order (capped at 1% of value); no added spreads/markups/custody fees; possible $0.15/mo Paxos fee
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. US: Lite $0.65/contract ($1 min; Pro rates after 1k contracts/mo); Pro $0.15–$0.65/contract (volume/premium tiers), $1 min/order + exchange/reg/clearing fees
Bond Trading Available? Yes (fractional Treasury/corporate from $100; Bond Account; municipals coming soon). Yes (US Treasuries, corporates, munis, CDs, 1M+ global bonds)
Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? Yes (receives PFOF on options and wholesale equity routing). Sometimes (Lite receives PFOF on US stocks/options; Pro generally avoids via SmartRouting)
Interface: Web trading? Yes (full web platform plus iOS/Android apps). Yes (Client Portal web; IBKR Mobile and GlobalTrader apps)
Desktop trading? No. Web platform and mobile apps only; no native downloadable desktop trading software. Yes; Trader Workstation (TWS) and IBKR Desktop.
API Trading? Yes. Public Trading API (stocks, ETFs, options, crypto, bonds) available to all members; no approval required. Yes; TWS API and Web API for retail algorithmic trading.
Mutual Funds: Offered? No Yes
Total Mutual Funds None 50,000+
NTF Mutual Funds None 20,000+
Non-NTF Fund Fee N/A Lesser of 3% of trade value or USD 14.95 per transaction (US).
Early Redemption Fee? N/A Yes (no IBKR fee); fund companies may charge per prospectus.
Redemption Hold (Days) N/A None by IBKR (0 days); fund prospectus may impose.
Early Redemption Fee N/A $0 from IBKR; funds may charge per prospectus.
Accounts: Margin Accounts? Yes Yes (Cash, Margin, or Portfolio Margin; typically $2,000 equity for margin).
IRAs Offered? Yes (Traditional and Roth); no SEP Yes (Traditional, Roth, SEP, SIMPLE, Inherited, Rollover).
HSAs Offered? No No
Money Market Sweep? Yes (High-Yield Cash Account bank sweep) Yes (Insured Bank Deposit Sweep Program).
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) Interactive Advisors
Robo-Advisor Fees Direct Indexing 0.19% AUM annual; Generated Assets 0.49%; Treasury Accounts tiered 0.09%-0.29%. Brokerage fees may apply. 0.10%–0.75% AUM/year (varies by portfolio; IA 0.10%–0.20%, managers 0.25%–0.75%); no commissions
Basics: Headquarters New York, NY Greenwich, CT
Year Founded 2019 1977
Clearing Firm Apex Clearing Corporation Self-clearing
Local Branches? No No
New Account Minimum $0 (no account minimums; as little as $1 to start) $0

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