Public Review

Public is one of the few brokers that doesn't sell your order flow to market makers. Most "free" brokers like Robinhood and Webull make money by routing your trades to high-frequency trading firms who pay for that privilege.

Critics argue payment for order flow (PFOF) can result in slightly worse execution prices for retail investors. Public avoids this entirely, instead offering an optional tipping model.

This transparency-first approach appeals to investors who want to know their broker isn't profiting from their trades at their expense.

Public supports automatic dividend reinvestment for any dividend-paying stock or ETF that supports fractional trading. Dividends are reinvested into additional shares of the same security.

This combination of DRIP and fractional shares is relatively rare—Fidelity, Schwab, and Robinhood offer both, but many brokers don't. It's excellent for compounding dividend returns over time.

You can enable or disable DRIP per security, choosing which dividends to reinvest and which to take as cash.

Public allows fractional share investments starting at just $1. This makes it easy to build a diversified dividend portfolio even with very limited capital.

With the Investment Plan feature, you can set up recurring investments on a schedule for as little as $1. This is excellent for dollar-cost averaging into dividend stocks.

Most popular stocks and ETFs support fractional trading. Check the minimum investment when viewing each security.

Public's social feed lets you see what other investors are buying, selling, and thinking about. You can follow investors, share your own moves, and learn from the community.

This social aspect is unique among serious brokers. While some find it distracting or gamification-like, others appreciate the transparency and learning opportunities.

You control your privacy—you can participate in the community or keep your portfolio completely private.

For $10/month, Public Premium unlocks extended features including commission-free extended hours trading, free penny stock trades, and more comprehensive market data.

Premium members get access to detailed company metrics, advanced stock data, and additional research tools not available on the free tier.

For casual dividend investors, the free tier is sufficient. Premium makes more sense for active traders who need extended hours access or trade OTC stocks.

Public doesn't offer mutual funds, which limits portfolio options for investors who prefer funds over individual stocks or ETFs.

Research and screening tools are basic compared to Fidelity or Schwab. You won't find sophisticated dividend screeners or in-depth analyst reports.

International accounts and custodial accounts aren't available, limiting its usefulness for some investor situations.