United States
United Kingdom
Germany
Netherlands
Australia
United Arab Emirates
Canada
Italy
Spain
Austria
Croatia
Serbia
Portugal
CyprusPublic vs Robinhood
What each one charges, who licenses it, and how they rank against each other country by country.
The short version
The United States is the one country where we rank both for stocks, and Robinhood comes out ahead there.
We score each country separately, based on the company that would actually hold your account there, so check your own country in the table below.
On the one fee we could check for both, they charge the same.
Both hold top-tier (tier-1) licences: Public from SEC / FINRA, Robinhood from SEC / FINRA and NYDFS.
- Both charge the same for US stock orders: $0 per order.
- We list Public in 1 of the 14 countries we cover and Robinhood in 9. They overlap in 1.Edge: Robinhood
- Robinhood gets more search attention than Public (Market Signal 80 vs 64). That tells you how well known it is, not how good it is.
Where you can use each one
Where each one ranks on our list in every country we cover, its Coinish Score there, and the company that would hold your account. If a broker isn't allowed to take clients from a country, it isn't on that country's list.
Stock brokers & investing apps
| Country | Public | Robinhood |
|---|---|---|
| United States | #7 of 968/100Locally licensed Open to the Public Investing, Inc. (Public Investing) · SEC / FINRA | #1 of 980/100Locally licensed Robinhood Financial LLC · SEC / FINRA |
Crypto exchanges
| Country | Public | Robinhood |
|---|---|---|
| Austria | Not listed | #5 of 2172/100EU passport Robinhood Europe UAB · Bank of Lithuania |
| Croatia | Not listed | #5 of 1972/100EU passport Robinhood Europe UAB · Bank of Lithuania |
| Cyprus | Not listed | #5 of 1972/100EU passport Robinhood Europe UAB · Bank of Lithuania |
| Germany | Not listed | #5 of 2172/100EU passport Robinhood Europe UAB · Bank of Lithuania |
| Italy | Not listed | #5 of 1972/100EU passport Robinhood Europe UAB · Bank of Lithuania |
| Netherlands | Not listed | #5 of 1972/100EU passport Robinhood Europe UAB · Bank of Lithuania |
| Portugal | Not listed | #5 of 1972/100EU passport Robinhood Europe UAB · Bank of Lithuania |
| Spain | Not listed | #5 of 1972/100EU passport Robinhood Europe UAB · Bank of Lithuania |
| United States | Not listed | #2 of 674/100Locally licensed Robinhood Crypto, LLC · NYDFS |
Fees and features side by side
| Public | Robinhood | |
|---|---|---|
| Products | Stocks & ETFs, Options, Crypto | Stocks & ETFs, Options, Crypto |
| Owner | Public Holdings, Inc. | Robinhood Markets, Inc. |
| US stock commission | $0 per order | $0 per order |
| Crypto trading fee | Not verified yet | 0.95%, base-tier taker fee on the order book |
| Currency conversion fee | Not verified yet | 0.1% |
| Inactivity fee | $10 charged on accounts under $70 with no activity in the last 6 months | None |
| Withdrawal fee | Not verified yet | None |
| Minimum deposit | Not verified yet | $0 (Robinhood Financial LLC) |
| Instruments | 9,000+ | Not verified yet |
| Fractional shares | Yes | Yes |
| Platforms | Public app, Public web | Robinhood app, Robinhood Legend (desktop) |
| Deposit methods | Bank wire, Linked bank account | Bank transfer |
| Withdrawal time (stated) | standard: 3–5 business days | standard bank transfer: 1 day on Robinhood (bank may take longer) |
| Demo account | Not verified yet | Not verified yet |
| Support | live chat, email |
Every figure comes from the broker's own pages or its regulator. You'll find the sources in each review (Public, Robinhood).
Licences
Public
- Open to the Public Investing, Inc. (Public Investing): SEC / FINRA (Tier 1)
Robinhood
- Robinhood Financial LLC: SEC / FINRA (Tier 1)
- Robinhood Europe UAB: Bank of Lithuania (Tier 2)
- Robinhood Crypto, LLC: NYDFS (Tier 1)
Public vs Robinhood: common questions
Which is better, Public or Robinhood?
The United States is the one country where we rank both for stocks, and Robinhood comes out ahead there. For reference, Public's best ranking is #7 of 9 stock brokers & investing apps in the United States, and Robinhood's best ranking is #1 of 9 stock brokers & investing apps in the United States.
Is Public cheaper than Robinhood?
Both charge the same for US stock orders: $0 per order.
Is Public or Robinhood better regulated?
Both hold top-tier (tier-1) licences: Public from SEC / FINRA, Robinhood from SEC / FINRA and NYDFS. Which company you actually sign up with depends on where you live; the country table on this page names it for each one.
Can I use both Public and Robinhood where I live?
We list Public in 1 of the 14 countries we cover and Robinhood in 9. They overlap in 1. For stocks, you'll find both on our lists in United States.