Platform Features

Public has grown well beyond a basic stock trading app. Here's a full breakdown of what the platform offers today.

Fractional Shares

With traditional brokerage accounts, buying a share means paying the full share price. For companies like Google or Amazon, where a single share can cost thousands of dollars, that's a real barrier for new investors.

Public handles this differently. You can invest whatever you can afford — even $1 — and receive a proportional slice of a share. This makes it easy to build a diversified portfolio without needing a large amount of capital upfront.

Public also allows you to buy full shares and access market, stop, and limit order types when doing so.

Instant, Real-Time Fractional Stocks

Many brokerages batch fractional share orders and process them once a day or even less frequently — meaning you won't know the exact price you paid until after the fact.

Public executes fractional orders in real time, so you see the exact price you're getting at the moment of purchase. The platform also supports automatic dividend reinvestment — you can opt in to have dividends put straight back to work rather than sitting as idle cash.

High-Yield Cash Account (3.3% APY)

One of Public's most compelling newer offerings is its High-Yield Cash Account (HYCA). With a current APY of 3.3%, it outpaces most traditional savings accounts — and many high-yield savings accounts — without requiring a minimum balance or charging any fees.

The account is FDIC insured up to $5 million through a network of partner banks — 20x the standard FDIC limit. Interest accrues daily and is paid monthly, and withdrawals are typically processed the same day.

This makes the High-Yield Cash Account a great option for parking an emergency fund, short-term savings, or simply making sure uninvested cash isn't sitting idle while you decide where to put it.

Note: Public Investing is not a bank. APY is subject to change.

Treasury Account

Public also offers a Treasury Account through a partnership with Jiko Securities, allowing investors to buy U.S. Treasury bills (T-bills) directly within the platform for as little as $1,000.

T-bills are backed by the U.S. government, making them one of the safest places to put money. They offer a fixed rate for the duration of the term, and importantly, the interest earned is exempt from state and local income taxes — a meaningful benefit depending on where you live.

Treasury bills are a great complement to the High-Yield Cash Account for investors who want yield on their cash but prefer the predictability of a fixed rate. The tradeoff is that Treasury bills lock up your money until maturity, whereas the HYCA allows same-day withdrawals.

Generated Assets: Build Your Own AI-Powered Index

This is one of Public's most innovative features, launched in May 2025. Generated Assets lets you use AI prompting to create your own personalized, investable equity index — essentially building a custom index fund tailored to your interests, values, or investment thesis.

For example, you could prompt the AI to build a portfolio around "US companies leading in renewable energy" or "mid-cap tech companies with strong free cash flow" — and it will construct an investable index based on that prompt.

This is a genuinely novel feature that puts a level of portfolio customization in the hands of everyday investors that previously required institutional resources. It's worth keeping an eye on as it continues to develop.

Crypto

Public offers cryptocurrency trading through a partnership with Zero Hash, allowing users to buy, sell, and hold a range of popular cryptocurrencies directly within their brokerage account.

The available selection includes major coins like Bitcoin (BTC), Ether (ETH), and others. Trading is integrated seamlessly into the same app you use for stocks and bonds.

A few things to note about crypto on Public:

• You cannot transfer crypto to an external wallet — Public is for buying, holding, and selling only
• This makes it less flexible than a dedicated crypto exchange, but simpler for investors who just want exposure
• Public also offers access to staking-focused ETFs that hold crypto and distribute staking rewards as dividends — a creative workaround for investors interested in yield from crypto
• Public acquired the CryptoIRA business from Alto in late 2024, with plans to offer crypto trading within IRAs starting in early 2026

If you're looking to dabble in crypto without opening a separate exchange account, Public is a convenient option. If you need full wallet control or access to a wider range of coins and DeFi features, a dedicated exchange will serve you better.

Bond Account

Public offers a Bond Account that invests in a diversified set of corporate bonds, currently targeting a 5.5% yield. The account holds a mix of ten investment-grade and high-yield corporate bonds across various industries.

The platform also allows users to invest in individual corporate, Treasury, and municipal bonds through a modern, easy-to-navigate interface. Bonds can be purchased in fractional amounts, making fixed income accessible at any investment level.

Options Trading

Public offers commission-free options trading with no per-contract fees. In fact, Public is notably the only broker that offers an options rebate program — earning investors up to $0.18 per contract traded.

That said, options tools on the platform are on the simpler side, lacking some advanced data like bid/ask spreads and Greeks that active options traders typically rely on. It's a solid entry point, but dedicated options traders may find it limiting.

Social Investing

Social investing is the feature that originally defined Public, and it remains a genuine differentiator. Your portfolio is visible to other users by default (you can adjust privacy settings), and you can follow other investors to see what they're holding and how they're thinking about the market.

Public has a large community forum where traders can ask questions, share perspectives, and comment on companies and market trends. For new investors, this can be invaluable — investing can feel isolating, and having a community of people thinking out loud can help you learn faster and feel more confident.

As always, exercise judgment about whose advice you follow. But the social feed is a real differentiator compared to traditional brokerages.

Friendly Categorization of Stocks

Public organizes stocks into themes rather than just standard industry categories. This makes browsing much more intuitive for new investors — you can explore themes like "Biotech", "The Future is Female", "Cannabis", and more, rather than needing to already know how a company is classified.

Each company profile includes histories, trends, commentary, and even sub-brand breakdowns (e.g., which brands are owned by a parent company). It's a genuinely more investor-friendly presentation than you'll find at most brokerages.

IRAs

Public supports Traditional and Roth IRAs, with a 1% match on IRA contributions and a 1% match on IRA rollovers and transfers (limited time). Recurring contributions to stocks, ETFs, or crypto are supported and easy to set up.

Note that Public does not currently support SEP or SIMPLE IRAs, which is a meaningful gap for self-employed investors.

Referral Program

Public has a referral program that rewards both the referrer and the new user with a free stock slice when a new qualified account is opened. Check the Public app or website for current referral terms, as these change periodically.

The Pros and Cons of Public

The Pros

• Free Investing: Commission-free trades on stocks, ETFs, and options
• High-Yield Cash Account: 3.3% APY with no fees or minimums, FDIC insured up to $5M
• Treasury Account: T-bills accessible from $1,000, with state and local tax exemption on interest
• Generated Assets: AI-powered personalized investing via Generated Assets — genuinely innovative
• Crypto: Integrated crypto trading with no need for a separate exchange account
• Bond Account: Target 5.5% yield on a diversified bond portfolio
• Fractional Shares: Real-time fractional investing — invest any dollar amount in any stock
• Investment Community: Active community forum, social feed, and portfolio transparency
• User Experience: Clean, modern interface that's easy for beginners to navigate
• IRA Match: 1% IRA contribution and transfer match

The Cons

• Newer Platform: Still a relatively young company without a decades-long track record
• USA Only: Available to US residents only
• Limited Options Tools: Options tools lack advanced data (Greeks, bid/ask spreads)
• Limited IRA Types: No SEP or SIMPLE IRA support
• Crypto Limitations: Crypto cannot be transferred to external wallets
• Paywall on Some Features: Many standard analytical tools require a Premium subscription ($10/month)

Limited Asset Types: No mutual funds or futures trading

Getting Started

Getting started with Public is straightforward. The app is available for both Android and iOS. Visit Public.com, enter your phone number, and download the app.

You can do download it here:

Create a Profile

After downloading the app, you'll be asked for basic personal information: your name, Social Security number, bank details, and date of birth. You must be 18 or older to open an account.

Choose Stocks to Start Trading

Public has over 5,000 stocks organized into browsable themes. Each company profile includes histories, trends, sub-brand information, and community commentary to help you make informed decisions. Once your funds transfer clears, you can start trading immediately.

Investment Tracking

After making investments, you can track performance directly in the app. Dividends are deposited as cash by default; you can opt into automatic dividend reinvestment through your account settings or by messaging support.

Is Public a Good Option for You?

Public has grown from a simple, social investing app into one of the more comprehensive multi-asset platforms available to retail investors. Whether you're parking cash in a high-yield account, building a Treasury ladder, exploring bonds, or letting AI help you build a custom equity index — Public now offers tools that go well beyond what most free investing apps provide.

It's a particularly strong choice for:

• New investors who want an approachable, community-driven platform
• Investors who want commission-free trading across multiple asset classes in one app
• Anyone looking for a competitive yield on uninvested cash
• Curious investors who want to explore bonds, Treasuries, or AI-powered indexing without opening multiple accounts

It's probably not the best fit for:

• Active options traders who need advanced analytical tools
• Self-employed investors who need a SEP or SIMPLE IRA
• Crypto investors who want full wallet control or DeFi access
• Investors outside the United States

Overall, Public has become a genuinely impressive platform — and for most everyday investors, it's worth a serious look.