Robinhood vs Public.com Comparison: Fees, Features, and More (2026)
Robinhood and Public.com 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.
| Feature | Robinhood | Public.com |
|---|---|---|
| Website | https://robinhood.com/ | https://www.public.com/ |
| Broker Type | Online discount brokerage (mobile app, web, Legend) | Discount (self-directed online retail brokerage) |
| Trading: Stock & ETF? | Yes | Yes |
| ETF & Stock commission | $0 commissions (SEC/FINRA sell fees may apply) | $0 regular hours (US-listed); $2.99 extended/OTC (waived for Premium) |
| Fractional Shares? | Yes ($1 min; most NMS stocks/ETFs) | Yes ($5 min outside plans; $1 in Investment Plans) |
| Percent Allocations? | No | Yes (Investment Plans: custom 1% allocations; Direct Indexing weighting) |
| Crypto Trading? | Yes (US-wide via Robinhood Crypto, LLC; all states, DC, PR, USVI) | Yes (via zerohash; 60+ assets including BTC/ETH; 24/7; $1 min). |
| Crypto Fees | MM routing: $0 commissions (RH rebate in spread); exchange routing: 0.00-0.95% volume-tiered maker/taker; transfers $0 + network fees | zerohash: $0.49–$6.29 (≤$500); 1.25% (>$500). Recurring plans 1.25%. API volume-tiered (0.10–0.60%). |
| Options Trading? | Yes | Yes (stock, ETF, and index options; multi-leg strategies). |
| Options Fee | $0 commissions for stock/ETF options; $0.35 Gold/$0.50 non-Gold per index contract plus regulatory/exchange fees | $0 commission/per-contract for stock/ETF options plus $0.06–$0.18 rebate/contract. Index: $0.35–$0.50/contract. Regulatory fees apply. |
| Bond Trading Available? | No (individual bonds/fixed-income not supported; bond ETFs/CEFs available) | Yes (fractional Treasury/corporate from $100; Bond Account; municipals coming soon). |
| Receives payment for order flow (PFOF)? | Yes (receives PFOF/rebates from market makers for equities, options, and crypto) | Yes (receives PFOF on options and wholesale equity routing). |
| Interface: Web trading? | Yes (web including Legend browser platform; iOS/Android mobile apps) | Yes (full web platform plus iOS/Android apps). |
| Desktop trading? | No; Robinhood Legend is a free browser-based (web) platform, not downloadable. | No. Web platform and mobile apps only; no native downloadable desktop trading software. |
| API Trading? | Yes for crypto (official US Crypto Trading API); no official stocks/equities trading API. | Yes. Public Trading API (stocks, ETFs, options, crypto, bonds) available to all members; no approval required. |
| Mutual Funds: Offered? | No | No |
| Total Mutual Funds | 0 | None |
| NTF Mutual Funds | 0 | None |
| Non-NTF Fund Fee | N/A | N/A |
| Early Redemption Fee? | N/A | N/A |
| Redemption Hold (Days) | N/A | N/A |
| Early Redemption Fee | N/A | N/A |
| Accounts: Margin Accounts? | Yes | Yes |
| IRAs Offered? | Yes (Traditional and Roth; no SEP) | Yes (Traditional and Roth); no SEP |
| HSAs Offered? | No | No |
| Money Market Sweep? | Yes | Yes (High-Yield Cash Account bank sweep) |
| CDs Offered? | No | No |
| Robo-Advisor: Offered | Yes (Robinhood Strategies hybrid managed portfolios) | Yes, via Public Advisors LLC automated Direct Indexing, Generated Assets, and Treasury Accounts. |
| Robo-Advisor Service | Robinhood Strategies | Public Advisors (Direct Indexing, Generated Assets, Treasury Accounts) |
| Robo-Advisor Fees | 0.25% AUM/yr; Gold ($5/mo): 0% over $100k ($250/yr cap). $50 min. ETF expenses extra. | Direct Indexing 0.19% AUM annual; Generated Assets 0.49%; Treasury Accounts tiered 0.09%-0.29%. Brokerage fees may apply. |
| Basics: Headquarters | Menlo Park, CA | New York, NY |
| Year Founded | 2013 | 2019 |
| Clearing Firm | Robinhood Securities, LLC | Apex Clearing Corporation |
| Local Branches? | No | No |
| New Account Minimum | $0 | $0 (no account minimums; as little as $1 to start) |
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