Public Review (2026)

Build your portfolio and get essential market insights for your strategies

3,180 Reviews

What Does Public Offer to Stock Traders?

Public is an investing platform built to give users the tools, insights, and transparency needed to make smarter financial decisions. With its focus on educational content, community-driven features, and a wide variety of assets, Public is a top choice for investors who want to learn, grow, and diversify their portfolios in one user-friendly space.

What’s Included in Public’s Trading Platform?

Public delivers a robust and accessible trading experience packed with essential features for modern investors:

  • Bond Account with yields around 5.5%* (yield to worst across ten bonds before fees)
  • User-friendly mobile app with strong educational tools and community features
  • Access to stocks, ETFs, treasuries, bonds, options, tokenized assets, and fractional shares
  • Fractional shares available, allowing low dollar-amount investing
  • FINRA/SIPC-licensed brokerage services
  • Investment products including High-Yield Cash Account and IRA accounts

  • Bond Account yielding around 5.5%* for a diversified portfolio
  • Fractional share investing available to start with low capital
  • Beginner-friendly mobile app with strong educational features
  • Transparent pricing and commission-free standard trades
  • Access to a wide variety of assets in one account
  • Desktop/web functionality is more limited compared to mobile
  • Bond yields are shown before fees and actual yield may vary
  • Some advanced tools (options trading, fractional bonds) have eligibility requirements

FAQs

Is Public good for new investors?

Yes. Public’s design — including fractional shares, low-dollar access, educational content, and community features — makes it very suitable for beginners.

What can I trade on Public?

You can invest in U.S. stocks, ETFs, fractional shares, treasuries, corporate bonds, options (for eligible users), and tokenized/alternative assets.

Does Public offer commission-free trading?

Yes. Public offers zero commission on standard U.S. stock and ETF trades, with transparent pricing across all products.

How does the Bond Account work and what yield can I expect?

The Bond Account invests your deposits into a portfolio of corporate bonds. Yields are around 5.5% (yield to worst) before fees, and actual returns may vary depending on when bonds are held and market conditions.

Does Public support IRA or retirement investing?

Yes. Public offers self-directed IRA accounts, including a match program for transfers and contributions subject to eligibility and holding requirements.

Are there limitations or special conditions I should know?

Some features are only available to eligible users (e.g., options trading, direct indexing). Fractional bonds are only tradable on the Public platform, and yields are not guaranteed.


Disclosure

All investing involves risk. Brokerage services for US listed securities, options and bonds in a self-directed brokerage account are offered by Open to the Public Investing Inc, member FINRA & SIPC. Not investment advice. *A Bond Account is a self-directed brokerage account with Public Investing, member FINRA/SIPC. Deposits into this account are used to purchase 10 investment-grade and high-yield bonds. The 5.7%+ yield is the average, annualized yield to worst (YTW) across all ten bonds in the * Bond Account, before fees, as of 7/24/25. A bond’s yield is a function of its market price, which can fluctuate; therefore, a bond’s YTW is not “locked in” until the bond is purchased, and your yield at time of purchase may be different from the yield shown here. The “locked in” YTW is not guaranteed; you may receive less than the YTW of the bonds in the * Bond Account if you sell any of the bonds before maturity or if the issuer defaults on the bond. Public Investing charges a markup on each bond trade. See our Fee Schedule. * Bond Accounts are not recommendations of individual bonds or default allocations. The bonds in the * Bond Account have not been selected based on your needs or risk profile. See * Bond Account Disclosures to learn more. As part of the IRA Match Program, Public Investing will fund a 1% match of: (a) all eligible IRA transfers and 401(k) rollovers made to a Public IRA; and (b) all eligible contributions made to a Public IRA up to the account’s annual contribution limit. The matched funds must be kept in the account for at least 5 years to avoid an early removal fee. Match rate and other terms of the Match Program are subject to change at any time. See full terms here

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Reviews & Ratings

See what some customers are saying about Public

Excellent • 3,180 Reviews

  • Excellent
    76%
  • Great
    8%
  • Average
    3%
  • Poor
    4%
  • Bad
    9%

We upload user reviews to our website daily, displaying them by default from 'best' to 'worst'.

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Sarah Martinez

1 day ago

Great investing platform

Public makes investing so simple and transparent. Love the community features and no commission fees!

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James Chen

2 days ago

Best app for beginners

The interface is clean and easy to navigate. Customer support responded quickly to my questions. Highly recommend for new investors!

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Maya Patel

5 days ago

Transparent and user-friendly

Finally an investing app that's transparent about how they make money. No hidden fees and the social aspect helps me learn from others.

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David

1 week ago

Smooth experience

Account setup was quick and straightforward. Trading is seamless and I appreciate the educational content.

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Lisa Thompson

2 weeks ago

Very satisfied with the platform

The app is intuitive and makes investing accessible. Only minor issue is occasional delays during market hours, but overall excellent service.