Public Bonus
Bring AI into every part of
your investing experience at Public.
Overview of Public Investing Offer
Public.com is a multi-asset investing platform with fractional-share trading, a mobile app, and a web-based investing experience. Its pricing is competitive for regular-hours U.S.-listed stock and ETF trades, although some services and trade types carry fees. Public has a broader product lineup than it used to have, but it still lacks some features found at large full-service brokers.
Public Pros
• Competitive pricing on many self-directed trades
• Fractional-share and whole-dollar investing
• Mobile and web access
• Stocks, ETFs, options, crypto, bonds, Treasuries, IRAs, margin, and cash-management options
Public Cons
• No standalone downloadable desktop platform
• No mutual funds, futures, or forex
• Limited account types compared with larger full-service brokers
• Some services and products have extra fees
Is Public.com Safe?
Brokerage services are offered through Open to the Public Investing, Inc., a registered broker-dealer and member of FINRA and SIPC. FINRA BrokerCheck lists the firm’s CRD number as 127818 and its SEC number as 8-66049.
Public Investing is also a member of SIPC, which protects covered cash and securities in a brokerage account up to $500,000. Cryptocurrency is not protected by FDIC or SIPC.
What Brokerage Services Does Public.com Offer?
The Public platform offers access to the following investment vehicles and services:
- Stocks
- ETFs
- Closed-end funds
- Options
- Corporate bonds
- Treasuries
- OTC stocks, where available
- Cryptocurrencies
- Margin accounts
- Traditional and Roth IRAs
- Crypto IRAs
- Direct Indexing
- High-Yield Cash Account
- Bond Account
The following assets are not yet available:
- Futures
- Mutual funds
- Forex
Public’s available list is now much longer than it used to be. The company has expanded from a simple fractional-share app into a broader investing platform.
Public.com New Account Promotion
To trade the investments that are available, Public.com clients can open individual brokerage accounts. Public offers cash and margin brokerage accounts, as well as Traditional and Roth IRAs. Public also offers related products such as High-Yield Cash, Treasury Accounts, Bond Accounts, Direct Indexing, and Crypto IRAs.
The following accounts are not available as standard account choices at Public.com:
- Joint accounts
- Education accounts
- Custodial accounts
- Trust accounts
- Corporate accounts
Public is not a traditional full-service advisory firm, but it does offer managed or automated features through products such as Direct Indexing, Investment Plans, and Generated Assets.
How Much Does it Cost?
This is one area where Public.com is competitive. Regular-hours trades of U.S.-listed stocks and ETFs are commission-free, and there is no basic account maintenance fee for active accounts. This can make Public attractive to smaller investors.
There are still some fees to know about. For example, regular members pay $2.99 for extended-hours stock and ETF trades and $2.99 for OTC stock trades. The outgoing ACAT transfer fee is $100. Public also charges fees for some other services, such as outgoing domestic wires, DRS transfers, some recurring Investment Plans, index options, bond transactions, and crypto trades.
How Good Is the Software?
Public.com does not have a downloadable desktop trading program. However, it does offer a mobile app and a web-based investing experience. The broker’s website can be used to log in, view an account, manage a portfolio, research investments, and access many of the same basic features found in the app.
The order ticket is simple compared with advanced trading platforms. Public offers market, limit, and stop orders. Fractional-share trades have some restrictions; for example, selling fractional shares requires a market order.
Public.com Research
Public’s research tools are stronger than they used to be. A security’s profile can include helpful information such as:
- News reports
- Analyst ratings
- Company events
- Earnings information
- Trade stats like volume and market cap
- AI-powered research and earnings information
To find stocks and funds, the Public app and website offer themes and other discovery tools. These lists can include companies and ETFs grouped around industries, trends, or ideas. The exact investments shown in a theme can change over time.
Public.com New Account Bonus
Public used to be known largely as a social investing app, but it has shifted away from its legacy social-trading features. Today, the platform is positioned more as a multi-asset investing platform with web access, AI-powered research, and a wider product lineup.
Written by Alex Bost
Updated on 7/29/2026.
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