Public and Robinhood are neck and neck when it comes to their trading features and tools. Both offer commission-free trading for stocks, exchange-traded funds (ETFs) and options, with no per-contract fees on options. Both also offer IRAs and user-friendly apps that traders of all experience levels can enjoy.
Public stands out for having a wider array of tradable assets, offering rebates on options and providing AI-powered trading tools, while being among the few mobile-first trading platforms that does not rely on payment for order flow (PFOF). However, Robinhood is known for offering 24/5 market access, broader cryptocurrency selection and an IRA match.
To decide which platform is right for you, compare their features and trading and research tools.
Here is a table comparing the key features of Public.com and Robinhood to help you decide which platform suits your investment needs best.
Public
Robinhood
Robo-advisor
No
No
Human financial advisor
No
No
Fractional shares
Yes
Yes
IRA match
No
3% year-round match but requires a $5 monthly Gold membership, or get a 1% match without Gold
Cash sweep rate
4.1% APY
4% APY, but requires a $5 monthly Gold subscription
IPO access
No
Yes
Instant buying power
Yes
Yes
Paper trading
No
No
24/5 trading
No
Yes
Educational resources
Yes
Yes
How the platforms compare
Both Public and Robinhood have user-friendly, commission-free trading platforms, with different advanced trading tools.
Public’s platform is more advanced but still user-friendly.
Public offers a user-friendly trading platform with features designed for both new and experienced investors. For beginners, its social investing feature and curated themes and collections help investors discover new investment opportunities.
The platform also provides in-app access to research, news and company insights. When you subscribe to Public Premium, you get access to enhanced data and trading features, including advanced charts, key metrics, analyst outlook history and bull versus bear commentary.
Robinhood’s trading platform is highly accessible and user-friendly
Robinhood has a mobile-first design with a highly intuitive and easy-to-use app. The platform’s interface makes it simple for anyone to open an account and start trading, regardless of their experience level.
Additionally, Robinhood offers features like price alerts and watchlists, along with more advanced features, like fractional share, 24/5 trading, charts with indicators, analyst ratings and earnings information. Its “Trading Trends” feature highlights activity from other Robinhood users, hedge funds and insiders. With a premium subscription service — Robinhood Gold for $5 a month — you’ll get access to Morningstar research and Level 2 market data.
The similarities
Both Public and Robinhood are mobile-first platforms. They offer commission-free trading on stocks, ETFs and options, with no per-contract fees on options trades. Both allow you to trade major cryptocurrencies like bitcoin (BTC), ether (ETH) and some popular altcoins, though Robinhood offers a more robust lineup of tradable coins.
The mobile apps for Public and Robinhood are highly user-friendly, offering a seamless trading experience that is perhaps better than their web interfaces. While the platforms provide robust options trading, neither have automated investing services, so you’ll have to explore other platforms if you want a robo-advisor.
Both platforms allow you to invest in a traditional or Roth IRA, with a few differences. Both allow you to invest in stocks, options and ETFs, but only Public offers IRA investing in bonds. However, Robinhood provides an IRA match of up to 3%, while Public offers no match.
Which broker is better for beginners?
While both have user-friendly apps and desktop features, Robinhood is more cost-effective, making it a slightly better choice for beginners.
Robinhood and Public each have commission-free trading for stocks, options and ETFs. However, Robinhood additionally offers lower crypto fees, a lower premium subscription price of $5 a month and no inactivity fees.
Robinhood also features educational resources and articles to help users grasp investing and personal finance. Its intuitive, mobile-first design makes trading effortless, and it offers incentives such as a 3% IRA match for new investors.
Which broker is better for advanced traders?
Public is a better choice for advanced traders. Public stands out with its advanced features such as analyst outlook history, bull versus bear commentary, revenue segments, a comprehensive view of your earnings and financials and TradingView-powered advanced charts. Plus, it offers more tradable assets than Robinhood.
Like Robinhood, Public paywalls its more advanced research tools through an $8 per month Public Premium plan, which includes extended trading hours and expert reports.
Which one’s safer and more reliable?
Both Public and Robinhood are members of the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) and the Securities Investor Protection Corporation (SIPC), offering SIPC insurance to protect investors up to $500,000 and $250,000 for cash claims.
However, while both brokers are safe and reliable, Robinhood has a broader range of financial protections, including additional insurance. Plus, it lets you handle your crypto directly, unlike Public.
Robinhood is slightly better in terms of security.
Cash sweep insurance
Public offers FDIC insurance through its cash sweep program with coverage up to $5 million, or $250,000 per program bank, by sweeping uninvested cash into accounts maintained by Apex Clearing at various program banks.(1)
This high level of insurance provides substantial protection for your cash balances, but any cash swept into these accounts is no longer protected by SIPC. Public partners with 20 FDIC-insured banks to provide this coverage.
Robinhood’s cash sweep program ensures uninvested brokerage cash in your account is covered by FDIC insurance, with up to $2 million in total coverage provided across its network of partner banks.(2) This program automatically sweeps idle cash into deposits at these banks, ensuring customers receive robust FDIC protection and interest earnings.
To supplement its SIPC insurance, Robinhood offers an additional insurance policy for Robinhood Markets, Inc., Robinhood Financial LLC and Robinhood Securities, LLC. This additional insurance protects securities and cash up to an aggregate of $1 billion.
Cryptocurrency
Public keeps your cryptocurrency safe by working with Bakkt Crypto, a licensed virtual currency business and regulated company. Your crypto is held in a separate Bakkt Crypto account, not in your Public Investing account, which is used for cash and stock investments.
Public Investing is a registered broker-dealer and FINRA member but does not offer cryptocurrency trading or custodial services directly. Public utilizes two-factor authentication and cold storage for its crypto assets but does not offer a specific crime insurance policy.
Robinhood secures cryptocurrency through a mix of cold and hot storage and provides a crime insurance policy to protect against theft and cybersecurity breaches. You can also transfer crypto from Robinhood to your own wallet, meaning you have full control over your crypto.
Fines
Public seems to have stayed out of legal trouble since its launch.
In June 2021, the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA) fined Robinhood $70 million for significant issues, including system outages, misleading information and inadequate controls over options trading, which collectively impacted millions of its users.(3)
Robinhood vs. Public: Which one’s better?
Robinhood and Public are very similar, so the choice may ultimately hinge on your specific trading needs. Both offer intuitive and sleek mobile experiences, plus commission-free trading on stocks, ETFs and options with no per-contract fees.
Choose Public if you’re looking for a supportive, community-based experience with simplicity and transparency. With Public, you can learn from other traders using their social investing network and you can build a diverse portfolio without needing multiple broker accounts. It also offers a wider range of trading assets.
Public has a cleaner regulatory history, and it moved away from payment for order flow (PFOF) for equities in 2021 in favor of optional tipping.(4)
On the flip side, choose Robinhood if you want to get matching IRA contributions, trade a broader range of crypto cheaply and enjoy added features like 24/5 market access, IPO access and 24/7 customer support.
Ultimately, the choice may come down to whether you want a more diverse lineup of tradable assets with Public or if you want Robinhood’s simplicity, IRA matching contributions and low-cost approach to crypto.
Alternatives to Public and Robinhood
While Public and Robinhood are great for beginners, if you’re seeking more advanced features or additional investment tools, such as a robo-advisor, consider exploring these alternative options.
Fidelity Investments. Fidelity Investments is a strong alternative to Robinhood and Public due to its extensive research tools and educational resources, which cater to both new and experienced investors. Unlike Robinhood and Public, Fidelity offers a no-advisory-fee robo-advisor, Fidelity Go, for portfolios under $25,000. Additionally, its mobile app is user-friendly for beginners, while advanced traders can benefit from the customizable Fidelity Active Trader Pro platform.
Charles Schwab. Charles Schwab offers features such as a no-advisory-fee robo-advisor and access to various asset classes, including futures and forex. It stands out with its thinkorswim platform, a professional-grade trading platform available for mobile and desktop. Thinkorswim is ideal for experienced traders seeking more advanced capabilities.
We analyze top online trading platforms and rate them one to five stars based on factors that are most important to you. These factors include fees, securities available for trade, customer support, customer feedback, platform resources and overall reliability. For a complete breakdown of how we score each category, read the full methodology of how we rate trading platforms.
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Finder is not an advisor or brokerage service. Information on this page is for educational purposes only and not a recommendation to invest with any one company, trade specific stocks or fund specific investments. All editorial opinions are our own.
Sarah Barness is the Head of Content at O.school and freelance writer at Finder, keeping up with the latest products in the industry to present readers with unbiased reviews and guides. She has over eight years of digital media industry experience in fast-paced newsrooms in New York City and Los Angeles. Before Finder, Sarah was ranked as a top-viewed HuffPost editor and writer. She was also a lifestyle senior editor for A Plus, a digital media publication founded by Ashton Kutcher. Sarah holds an MFA in creative nonfiction from The New School, as well as a certificate in editing from Poynter ACES. See full bio
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