Public.com

Public.com offers commission-free stock, ETF, and options trading with a social feed showing other users' trades and investing rationale, and has positioned itself against payment-for-order-flow (PFOF) practices that some competitors rely on, offering an optional tipping model instead. It runs a sign-up bonus program, commonly searched as "Public.com referral code."

What Makes Public.com Stand Out

Explicit stance against payment-for-order-flow, with an alternative tipping-based revenue model. Social feed lets users see and discuss others' investment rationale, not just copy trades

Direct access to Treasury bonds alongside stocks and ETFs, less common among competitors

Pricing and Plans

Public.com is completely free to use — no subscription or payment required, making it accessible to anyone who needs it.

Who Should Use Public.com

Public.com is best for teams and individuals who need investing platforms capabilities and where explicit stance against payment-for-order-flow, with an alternative tipping-based revenue model. It may not be the right fit when smaller asset selection than larger, more established brokerages.

Verdict

Public.com delivers on its core promise as a investing platforms tool. Public.com offers commission-free stock, ETF, and options trading with a social feed showing other u... For teams evaluating investing platforms options, Public.com is worth considering based on its specific strengths and how they align with your requirements.

Who Uses Public.com

Public.com fits investors who want to learn alongside peers — beginning investors who benefit from community discussion, and experienced investors who want to share their reasoning. The social layer makes it a platform for learning-oriented investing rather than pure execution.

Overall rating: 3.8 / 5

Public.com is the social investing platform focused on long-term wealth building — offering commission-free stocks, ETFs, bonds, crypto, and alternative assets with a community layer where investors share their portfolios, discuss investment theses, and learn from one another.

Long-Term Investing with a Social Layer

Public.com positions itself against the "gamification" criticism levied at Robinhood — emphasizing long-term investing education, community discussion of investment rationale, and portfolio sharing as learning tools rather than competitive status displays. The platform redesigned features to reduce impulsive trading triggers (no stock confetti animations, clear tax implication visibility) while retaining the social engagement that makes investing feel connected.

The community feed enables discovering how other investors are positioned, reading investment theses behind holdings, and following investors whose philosophy and performance you respect — democratizing access to the informal investment discussion previously limited to finance professionals and well-connected circles.

Alternative Assets

Public.com has expanded into alternative asset classes beyond traditional stocks and ETFs: Treasury bills and bonds (earning yield on cash not invested in stocks), high-yield savings, and fractional shares of fine art, collectibles, and other alternative investments. This multi-asset model enables retail investors to build more diversified portfolios including yield and inflation-hedge assets previously inaccessible at small investment sizes.

Alpha: Premium Subscription

Public Alpha ($8/month) provides AI-powered investment analysis, earnings call summaries, analyst ratings aggregation, and advanced portfolio analytics — a research layer that competes with the premium features that Fidelity and Schwab include in standard accounts. The subscription model reflects Public's positioning away from payment for order flow revenue.

Overall rating: 3.9 / 5