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

Public.com and SoFi 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 SoFi Invest (2026)
Feature Public.com SoFi Invest
Website https://www.public.com/ https://www.sofi.com/invest/
Broker Type Discount (self-directed online retail brokerage) Discount (self-directed online brokerage + robo-advisor)
Trading: Stock & ETF? Yes Yes
ETF & Stock commission $0 regular hours (US-listed); $2.99 extended/OTC (waived for Premium) $0 commissions
Fractional Shares? Yes ($5 min outside plans; $1 in Investment Plans) Yes ($5 min on select stocks/ETFs)
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). Yes. SoFi Crypto offers 28 cryptocurrencies (as of May 2026); requires SoFi Checking & Savings.
Crypto Fees zerohash: $0.49–$6.29 (≤$500); 1.25% (>$500). Recurring plans 1.25%. API volume-tiered (0.10–0.60%). Tiered 1.90%/1.50%/1.25%/0.90% of trade value by monthly volume (<$1k/$1-5k/$5-10k/$10k+); possible ≤0.10% spread.
Options Trading? Yes (stock, ETF, and index options; multi-leg strategies). Yes. Options trading available (long calls/puts, covered calls, cash-secured puts; 0DTE and IRAs).
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 commissions and $0 contract fees. Regulatory fees apply (e.g., ORF $0.02, OCC $0.025 per contract).
Bond Trading Available? Yes (fractional Treasury/corporate from $100; Bond Account; municipals coming soon). No. Individual bonds not offered; exposure via bond ETFs and mutual funds only.
Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? Yes (receives PFOF on options and wholesale equity routing). Yes. Receives payment-for-order-flow revenue share via Apex Clearing.
Interface: Web trading? Yes (full web platform plus iOS/Android apps). Yes. Full trading on SoFi mobile app (iOS/Android) and sofi.com website.
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 6,800+
NTF Mutual Funds None 6,800
Non-NTF Fund Fee N/A 0.2% of purchase (max $20); 2% for interval/tender funds
Early Redemption Fee? N/A Yes (no SoFi short-term fee)
Redemption Hold (Days) N/A Fund-specific (CDSC varies by fund); no SoFi-imposed hold.
Early Redemption Fee N/A Fund-specific CDSC (varies); SoFi charges none (purchase tx fee 0.2% max $20).
Accounts: Margin Accounts? Yes Yes (Self-Directed; apply, $2,000 min).
IRAs Offered? Yes (Traditional and Roth); no SEP Yes: Traditional, Roth, and SEP IRAs.
HSAs Offered? No No
Money Market Sweep? Yes (High-Yield Cash Account bank sweep) Yes (optional FDIC bank sweep via Apex).
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) SoFi Automated Investing (Robo Investing)
Robo-Advisor Fees Direct Indexing 0.19% AUM annual; Generated Assets 0.49%; Treasury Accounts tiered 0.09%-0.29%. Brokerage fees may apply. 0.25% annual wrap/advisory fee plus fund expenses; $50 min.
Basics: Headquarters New York, NY San Francisco, CA
Year Founded 2019 2011
Clearing Firm Apex Clearing Corporation Apex Clearing Corporation
Local Branches? No No
New Account Minimum $0 (no account minimums; as little as $1 to start) $0

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