Public.com is a commission-free stock trading platform and social investing community. The platform allows users to buy and sell stocks, ETFs, crypto, and alternative assets.
Public offers educational resources and tools for novice investors, such as market news and analysis, interactive investing courses, and a community forum for discussing investment strategies and ideas.
They also provide tools for tracking your investments and managing your portfolio, including real-time quotes, performance tracking, and alerts for significant changes.
Additionally, Public.com has a feature called “Social Investing” that allows users to see what stocks other members of the community are buying and selling.
Social Investing
Public.com’s social investing feature is a way for users to see what other members of the community are investing in, and to follow the portfolios of successful investors.
Users can browse the profiles of other investors and see their investment history, performance, and any notes they have shared about their investments.
This can be a helpful tool for novice investors who are looking for guidance on what to invest in. But it can also be beneficial for more experienced investors who want to see how their peers are positioning their portfolios.
They even give the option to invest in pre-built portfolios created by top investors.
Public.com’s social investing feature is designed to be transparent, so users can make informed decisions about which investments to follow.
Investments Available
Public.com offers a range of investment options, including stocks, ETFs, crypto, and alternative assets, and you can trade on your browser or in their investment app.
They allow you to invest in fractional shares, which lowers the cost per investment and makes it easier to diversify. They also don’t have a minimum investment, which makes their platform more accessible to beginner investors.
One limitation of Public.com is that they don’t have access to more advanced investments, like option contracts.
Another investment limitation is that the Public can’t open an IRA and trade alternative investments in it, like other platforms such as Alto IRA.
Membership Options
The public has a free option and a premium option.
The free option gives you access to the platform and you can trade commission-free. The premium option costs only $10/month and opens up additional data and analysis.
Some of the features of the Premium subscription include advanced stock metrics, expert analyst reviews, and VIP customer support.
You can find more on the membership options in this Public.com review.
How Much Does Public.com Cost?
The public is commission-free, which means that you can buy and sell stocks and ETFs without paying any trading fees. This is a major benefit of using Public.com, as traditional brokerage firms often charge fees that can add up over time, especially for active traders.
The educational resources on the platform are also available at no additional cost, making it a great site for beginning investors.
The public does charge a 2.5% commission per transaction on their alternative investments.
There are no membership fees or subscription charges to use Public’s site. However, like any other brokerage firm, Public.com does charge fees for certain services, such as outgoing wire transfers.
Who is public.com for?
Public.com is suitable for investors of all levels, from novice investors who are just starting and want to learn the basics of investing, to more experienced investors.
However, the platform is geared slightly more toward beginner investors. The educational resources are aimed at explaining the basics of investing. Also, the limited investment options will be more appealing to beginners so as not to get overwhelmed.
The Premium subscription has more detailed information, but it doesn’t provide the same level of detail as many other brokers or investment research companies, such as Seeking Alpha or Morningstar.
More serious day traders might find the level of detail in Public lacking and may look for other platforms to find the level of detail they need.
Public.com Pros and cons
The public has both some great features and some negative aspects. Here’s a summary of the pros and cons:
Pros of Public.com:
- Commission-free trading
- Social investing
- Educational resources
- No minimums
Cons of Public.com:
- Limited investment options
- Limited research and analysis tools
- Not ideal for day traders
Is Public.com Right for you?
The public is a unique brokerage firm with a variety of great features.
It’s free to use, and with no commissions and the ability to invest with fractional shares, you can try that platform out for yourself with low risk.
If you’re a day trader looking for serious detail on specific investments, screeners, charts, and other advanced features, then you may want to at least supplement Public with another research platform. Also, if you’re looking for harder-to-find alternatives, this may not be the platform for you.
However, if you want a platform that’s easy to use and get started Public is a great option.
Either way, you should check Public.com out by clicking here.
