Public App Review: Stock Trading Made Social
Review
Updated
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The Public investing app might be for you if: You want a diversified portfolio with easy fractional investing in stocks and bonds. Public is a low-cost investing platform that offers multi-asset portfolios of stocks, bonds, ETFs, and options. In this Public app review, we'll dive into the details to help you see if Public is the right brokerage for you.
On Public's Secure Website.
2025 Award Winner
Public is an investing platform that simplifies trading stocks, bonds, ETFs, options, and crypto. With zero fees on many trades, Public stands out as a low-cost brokerage, while also providing yield-focused products to help you earn returns on your cash.
$0 commissions, 1%-2% crypto markups
$1
On Public's Secure Website.
We recommend comparing brokerage options to ensure the account you're selecting is the best fit for you. To make your search easier, here's a short list of our best trading platforms of 2025.
| Broker | Best For | Commissions | Learn More |
|---|---|---|---|
5.0/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor |
Full-service investing at every experience level | $0 commission for online U.S. stock and ETFs*. No account fees****. |
Learn More for Fidelity
On Fidelity's Secure Website. |
4.5/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor |
Managing your finances under one roof | $0 for stocks, $0 for options contracts |
Learn More for SoFi Active Investing
On SoFi Active Investing's Secure Website. |
4.5/5
Our ratings are based on a 5 star scale.
5 stars equals Best.
4 stars equals Excellent.
3 stars equals Good.
2 stars equals Fair.
1 star equals Poor.
We want your money to work harder for you. Which is why our ratings are biased toward offers that deliver versatility while cutting out-of-pocket costs.
= Best
= Excellent
= Good
= Fair
= Poor |
Low fees on stocks, ETFs, crypto, and options | $0 for stocks, ETFs, and options |
Learn More for Robinhood
On Robinhood's Secure Website. |
Author's note: I've been investing for about twenty years, and I'm not a Public app customer; I prefer passive investing in low-cost index funds. But one thing I like about the Public investing platform is its exceptionally low fees. And unlike some other zero-commission online brokerages, Public does not earn money based on payment for order flow (PFOF). This helps the Public app keep its fees low and improves transparency for investors.
The Public app makes it easy to invest in a range of assets -- from fractional shares of stocks and bonds, to ETFs and options. Want to invest in bonds? Public makes it easier than most brokerages, with fractional bond investing -- you can buy corporate bonds or U.S. Treasury bonds with as little as $100.
Public also has automated Investment Plans for diversified portfolios of up to 20 stocks, ETFs, or crypto assets. Public does not offer mutual funds.
The Public app is one of the lowest-cost brokerages we've found. Instead of trading fees, commissions, or payment for order flow (PFOF), Public offers optional tipping -- if you want, you can add a tip to your trading order to "tip your brokerage."
Public Premium, a paid subscription tier, costs $10 per month or $96 per year. Public also charges a few other miscellaneous account service fees and regulatory fees; for example, it costs $75 to close your Public account and transfer money out.
| Investment product | Cost |
|---|---|
| Bonds | $0.100-$0.500 per $100 of par value (based on type of bond and maturity date) |
| Crypto | $0.49-$6.29 for orders up to $500.00; 1.25% of order amount for larger orders |
| ETFs |
$0 during regular market hours During extended market hours: $0 for Public Premium members; $2.99 for non-Premium members |
| Investment Plans | $0 for Public Premium members; $0.49-$1.99 per recurring purchase for non-Premium members |
| Options | $0; earn rebates up to $0.18 per contract traded |
| OTC stocks | $0 for Public Premium members; $2.99 for non-Premium members |
| Stocks |
$0 during regular market hours During extended market hours: $0 for Public Premium members; $2.99 for non-Premium members |
Public offers margin accounts, where you can borrow against the value of your investment portfolio and invest with borrowed money. But as of May 25, 2024, no margin rates were listed on the Public website. Contact Public for more details on margin rates.
Keep in mind that margin investing can be risky; you can lose more than the value of your initial investment, and you can be required to sell investments on short notice, or make additional cash deposits, to cover your market losses.
Public intends to be a good investing platform for beginner investors, and it offers a wide range of educational content to help people learn more about investing and how markets work. A few recent topics include:
Want a higher level of professional-grade investor research? No problem -- Public offers advanced research features if you sign up for Public Premium. A membership with Public Premium gives you access to Morningstar research, enhanced data analysis and insights to help you make better-informed investment decisions.
The Public investing platform has some unique features that make it more user-friendly and educational, especially for beginning investors.
The Public app serves millions of investors, and the Public Pulse program is a "social media"-style community -- people can share their latest investment ideas, pose questions to the community, and more. Public Pulse also hosts announcements from publicly traded companies, Town Hall Q&A sessions with CEOs, expert commentary, and more.
Buying stocks can be risky, and Public makes a proactive effort to help investors understand the risks. The Public app offers "Safety Labels" as a special tool to show you which stocks might pose higher risk. You can still buy whatever stocks you choose, but Safety Labels help you see the additional context.
Public recently launched a new experimental feature called "Alpha," a generative AI investing "co-pilot" that can help people do research, analyze data, and get insights on how to invest. Alpha is free for all Public members. It can help you quickly uncover real-time and historical data and analysis about thousands of stocks, bonds, ETFs, and crypto assets.
The Public app is available for iOS and Android, and it gets generally favorable reviews on the App Store (4.7 stars) and Google Play (4.1 stars). The Public app gives you full access to the capabilities of the Public investing interface, including:
Whether you want to make changes to your automated Investment Plan, buy stocks, do research, or withdraw money from your High-Yield Cash Account, you can do it all from the Public app on your mobile device.
Public gets an A+ rating from the Better Business Bureau. The Public app has a long track record on BBB.org of promptly reaching out and solving problems for customers who complain.
You can read Public's responses to complaints on BBB.org, seeing exactly how Public's representatives take action to apologize for mistakes, explain why delays or errors might have happened, and otherwise provide gentle-spirited, discreet, useful customer service. Most of the complaints are quickly resolved.
This is an impressive sign of just how serious Public is about providing excellent customer service. Many companies say that they care about customer service; the Public app seems to actually make it a priority.
Here are a few ways that people can contact customer service at the Public app:
Phone support is currently not available.
The Public app offers several advanced security protocols and features to help keep your account safe, including:
Public was launched in 2019 with a mission to make investing work better for all people -- putting the "public" in "public markets." This investing platform offers unique new ways to build a diversified multi-asset portfolio, with a wide range of assets, from stocks and bonds to crypto.
Public made a principled stand in 2021 to stop making money from payment for order flow (PFOF). Some other no-commission brokers have been criticized for using PFOF as a kind of hidden "commission" that gives everyday investors an incentive to trade too frequently for their own good. Instead of PFOF, Public offers optional "tipping" to help keep fees low -- while giving investors a (hopefully) fairer, more transparent experience.
Keep reading about the Public investing platform on these pages:
At Motley Fool Money, brokerages are rated on a scale of one to five stars. We primarily focus on fees, available assets, and account types; however, we also take into account features like research, education, tax-loss harvesting, and highly rated mobile apps. Our highest-rated brokerages generally include low fees, a diverse range of assets and account types, and useful platform features.
See our full methodology here: Ratings Methodology
We're firm believers in the Golden Rule, which is why editorial opinions are ours alone and have not been previously reviewed, approved, or endorsed by included advertisers. Motley Fool Money does not cover all offers on the market. Motley Fool Money is 100% owned and operated by The Motley Fool. Our knowledgeable team of personal finance editors and analysts are employed by The Motley Fool and held to the same set of publishing standards and editorial integrity while maintaining professional separation from the analysts and editors on other Motley Fool brands. Terms may apply to offers listed on this page.
Fidelity disclosure
Investing involves risk, including risk of loss
* - $0.00 commission applies to online U.S. equity trades and exchange-traded funds (ETFs) in a Fidelity retail account only for Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC retail clients. Sell orders are subject to an activity assessment fee (historically from $0.01 to $0.03 per $1,000 of principal). Other exclusions and conditions may apply. A limited number of ETFs are subject to a transaction-based service fee of $100. See full list at Fidelity.com/commissions. Employee equity compensation transactions and accounts managed by advisors or intermediaries through Fidelity Institutional® are subject to different commission schedules.
**Fidelity Crypto® is offered by Fidelity Digital Assets®. Investing involves risk, including risk of total loss. Crypto as an asset class is highly volatile, can become illiquid at any time, and is for investors with a high risk tolerance. Crypto may also be more susceptible to market manipulation than securities. Crypto is not insured by the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation or the Securities Investor Protection Corporation. Investors in crypto do not benefit from the same regulatory protections applicable to registered securities. Fidelity Crypto® accounts and custody and trading of crypto in such accounts are provided by Fidelity Digital Asset Services, LLC, which is chartered as a limited purpose trust company by the New York State Department of Financial Services to engage in virtual currency business (NMLS ID 1773897). Brokerage services in support of securities trading are provided by Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC (“FBS”), and related custody services are provided by National Financial Services LLC (“NFS”), each a registered broker-dealer and member NYSE and SIPC. Neither FBS nor NFS offer crypto as a direct investment nor provide trading or custody services for such assets. Fidelity Crypto and Fidelity Digital Assets are registered service marks of FMR LLC.
***Options trading entails significant risk and is not appropriate for all investors. Certain complex options strategies carry additional risk. Before trading options, please read Characteristics and Risks of Standardized Options. Supporting documentation for any claims, if applicable, will be furnished upon request.
****Zero account minimums and zero account fees apply to retail brokerage accounts only. Expenses charged by investments (e.g., funds, managed accounts, and certain HSAs) and commissions, interest charges, or other expenses for transactions may still apply. See Fidelity.com/commissions for further details.
Robinhood disclosure
All investments involve risk and loss of principal is possible.
Securities are offered through Robinhood Financial LLC, member FINRA/SIPC. Cryptocurrency services are offered through an account with Robinhood Crypto, LLC (NMLS ID 1702840). Robinhood Crypto is licensed to engage in virtual currency business activity by the New York State Department of Financial Services. Cryptocurrency held through Robinhood Crypto is not FDIC insured or SIPC protected. For more information see the Robinhood Crypto Risk Disclosure.
Trades of stocks, ETFs and options are commission-free at Robinhood Financial LLC. Other fees may apply. Please see Robinhood Financial’s Fee Schedule to learn more.
Fractional shares are illiquid outside of Robinhood and are not transferable. Not all securities available through Robinhood are eligible for fractional share orders. For a complete explanation of conditions, restrictions and limitations associated with fractional shares, see the Fractional Shares section of our Customer Agreement.
Robinhood Gold is an account offering premium services available for a $5 monthly fee. Not all investors will be eligible to trade on Margin. Margin investing involves the risk of greater investment losses. Additional interest charges may apply depending on the amount of margin used. Bigger Instant Deposits are only available if your Instant Deposits status is in good standing.
Investing is risky. Bonus offers subject to terms and conditions, visit robinhood.com/hoodweek for more information. Margin is not suitable for all investors. Robinhood Gold is offered through Robinhood Gold LLC and is a subscription offering services for a fee. Brokerage services offered through Robinhood Financial LLC (member SIPC), a registered broker dealer.
