When it comes to investing as a beginner, simplicity is key.
At least that belief is what Public.com and Robinhood were founded on. Both platforms make it easy for new investors to get involved with clean and crisp apps, no account minimums, and no commission fees.
Compared with many other investing apps out there, these two remain among the most beginner-friendly in 2025. This makes them a popular choice for those just getting into investing for the first time.
Robinhood pioneered commission-free trading and offers stocks, ETFs, options trading, and cryptocurrencies. Its clean, user-friendly interface remains ideal for beginners in 2025, balancing simplicity with advanced features like margin trading, retirement accounts with a 1% matching contribution, and a cash management account that includes a debit card and high-yield savings.
Public.com is a hybrid of investing and social media, allowing users not only to trade but also to engage with a community of investors. Beyond the standard stocks and ETFs, Public.com supports the trading of OTC stocks and over 22 cryptocurrencies, plus alternative investments like fine art, collectibles, and wine. Public.com now also offers IRA accounts competing with Robinhood by including a 1% match, facilitating rollovers, and covering transfer fees up to $100, thus making it a strong contender for retirement investing.
Both platforms empower everyday investors without deep financial backgrounds or large capital to access diverse asset classes and investing tools without commission fees or account minimums.
Innovations in investing apps continue to reshape the financial landscape, providing accessible and engaging options for modern investors.
Here's our updated full breakdown of Robinhood vs Public.com in 2025.
Don't forget to grab your free stock worth up to $200 from Robinhood today! Public.com offers new investors a $10 free stock slice plus IRA bonuses.
If you prefer watching, check out our video below!
Public.com is a social investing app designed for new and intermediate investors to easily enter the stock market with no account minimums and no commissions. The addition of OTC stocks and expanded cryptocurrency options sets it apart in 2025.
One of Public.com's standout features is its focus on the social experience. Investors can follow friends, celebrities, and expert investors, participate in discussions, and learn from community insights. The Pulse product deepens the company-investor relationship for enhanced transparency.
Public.com now offers IRA accounts, including a 1% match on contributions, rollovers, and covers transfer fees up to $100 for qualifying transfers, a feature that greatly enhances its retirement account offerings.
Fractional shares allow investing with as little as $5 in stocks, ETFs, and alternative assets, ensuring diversification even on a modest budget.
Alternative assets such as artwork, collectibles, and wine can be accessed uniquely through Public.com, opening doors previously limited to wealthier investors.
Public.com maintains no account minimums and zero commission fees, making investing accessible to all.
Investors can buy fractional shares and explore diverse asset classes, including stocks, ETFs, crypto, OTC stocks, and alternative investments like art and collectibles.
Dividend reinvestment is supported, helping investors benefit from compound growth over time.
Public.com is unique for its social features — chat, comments, following other investors, and Pulse, which fosters a closer investor-company relationship. These features create a community atmosphere that encourages learning and collaboration.
Public.com offers IRAs with features such as a 1% contribution match, rollover support, and covered transfer fees up to $100, making its retirement offerings competitive with Robinhood's.
Public Premium costs $8 per month and delivers access to extended market hours, enhanced insights, AI investing tools like Alpha, and VIP support. It also provides more detailed KPIs and metrics to support better investment decisions.
These fees are uncommon but important to know if you use these specific services.
Robinhood started in 2013 as a leader in commission-free trading and continues to serve investors with an intuitive app that balances ease of use with advanced investing features.
The interface remains one of the cleanest and most user-friendly, appealing to beginners while also supporting features that accommodate active investors.
Robinhood provides options and margin trading, cryptocurrency trading (supporting about 18 cryptocurrencies), retirement savings with traditional and Roth IRAs featuring a 1% matching contribution, and cash management accounts with debit cards and access to 90,000 ATMs nationwide.
Robinhood requires no minimum balance to open a basic account. However, margin accounts require a minimum of $2,000, consistent with industry regulatory requirements.
Robinhood offers zero commissions on stock, ETF, options, and cryptocurrency trades, supporting active trading strategies without trading fees.
At $5 per month, Robinhood Gold provides instant access to up to $1,000 for investing, reduced margin interest rates, professional Morningstar research on over 1,700 stocks, and Level II market data. All new users can try Gold free for 30 days via our signup link.
Robinhood’s recent addition of cash management with a debit card and high-yield savings is a key differentiator, allowing users to keep uninvested cash working with competitive interest rates, plus free ATM access.
Investors can buy fractional shares of stocks and ETFs in $1 increments, allowing for diversified portfolios with minimal funds.
Robinhood offers both traditional and Roth IRAs. Unlike Public.com, Robinhood’s IRAs include a 1% match, a rare feature among brokerages.
Robinhood supports cryptocurrency trading for about 18 coins. Note that Robinhood Crypto is a separate entity, not regulated by FINRA or insured by the FDIC, so users should understand the risks involved.
Robinhood provides a comprehensive online help center, plus email and phone callback support within the app, responding to inquiries within 1 business day or 30 minutes respectively.
The platform offers portfolio breakdowns by asset class and sector, customizable watch lists, and curated industry stock lists to help users diversify effectively.
Both Robinhood and Public.com are excellent choices for beginner investors seeking accessible, commission-free trading platforms that empower individual investors.
Robinhood is best suited for those who want an easy, user-friendly experience paired with advanced features like options trading, margin accounts, and retirement accounts with matching contributions. Its cash management account with debit card access is a valuable feature for investors wanting to manage cash flexibly.
Public.com stands out for investors interested in the social investing experience, alternative assets like artwork and collectibles, OTC stock trading, and IRAs with rollover assistance and matching. Its no payment for order flow policy also addresses certain trade execution concerns.
As both platforms are free to use with no account minimums, it’s worthwhile to try each and see which fits your investing style best.
