Public.com Review: The Broker That Pays You to Trade Options
Public has quietly become one of the more interesting brokerages in the US — and not because it's trying to be the next Robinhood. While it started as a social-investing app for beginners, it's evolved into a legitimate multi-asset platform with a genuinely unique hook: it actually pays you rebates on options trades. That's not a typo. In an industry where everyone charges you per contract, Public shares its payment for order flow revenue back with you. The broker offers $0 commissions on stocks and ETFs, options trading with no per-contract fees (plus rebates of $0.06–$0.18 per contract), bonds starting at $100, crypto, Treasury accounts, a high-yield cash account at 3.3% APY, and IRAs with a 1% match. It's a lot. The question is whether Public delivers on all of these promises or spreads itself too thin. Public is best suited for active options traders who want to minimize costs, yield-seekers who want bonds and Treasuries alongside their stocks, and self-directed investors who appreciate AI-powered research tools. It's FINRA/SIPC regulated, headquartered in New York, and has built a surprisingly deep feature set. Let's dig into the details.