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J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing vs Public.com 2026

StockBrokers.com

Written by StockBrokers.com

September 17, 2025

In this head to head comparison of J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing vs Public.com, we will compare the trading platforms, mobile apps, range of investments, costs, market research, and more. Let's dive in.

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
3.5/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $0.00
  • Stock Trades: $0.00
  • Options (Per Contract): $0.65
Public.com
3/5 Stars Overall
  • Minimum Deposit: $20.00
  • Stock Trades: $0.00 info
  • Options (Per Contract): $0.00 info

Range of investments

Bottom line: J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing and Public.com both cover the basics—stocks, options, margin, fractional shares, and OTC (over-the-counter) stocks—while skipping forex and futures. The key difference is focus: J.P. Morgan adds mutual funds and access to advisor services, whereas Public.com brings crypto trading (40 coins) but no mutual funds or advice. For Range of Investments, both earn 3.5 out of 5 stars, with StockBrokers.com ranking Public.com slightly higher (#12 of 14) than J.P. Morgan (#13 of 14).

What you can trade: J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing supports stocks, options, margin, fractional shares, OTC stocks, and mutual funds; it does not offer crypto, forex, or futures, and it provides advisor services if you want guidance. Public.com supports stocks, options, margin, fractional shares, OTC stocks, and crypto (40 coins); it does not offer mutual funds, forex, or futures, and it does not provide advisor services.

Account types: Both brokers offer Traditional and Roth IRAs, so retirement savers can use either. Choose J.P. Morgan if mutual funds and professional advice matter most; pick Public.com if crypto access is a priority alongside stock and options trading.

Feature J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing logoJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Public.com logoPublic.com
Stock Trading info Yes Yes
Account Feature - Margin Trading info Yes info Yes
Fractional Shares (Stocks) info Yes Yes
OTC Stocks info Yes Yes
Mutual Funds info Yes No
Options Trading info Yes Yes
Futures Trading info No No
Crypto Trading info No Yes
Crypto Trading - Total Coins info 0 40
Range of Investments 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Options Trading Platforms for 2026, Best Futures Trading Platforms for 2026

Trading platforms and tools

Bottom line: If you need more capable charting and richer watchlists, J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing edges out Public.com. Both are web-only with very basic toolsets, but J.P. Morgan includes 36 technical indicators, 10 drawing tools, and corporate events on charts, plus larger watchlists. Public.com is simpler with none of those charting features and minimal watchlist fields. StockBrokers.com rates both platforms 1 out of 5 stars, ranking J.P. Morgan 13th of 14 and Public.com 14th of 14 for trading platforms and tools.

Platform access is similar: neither broker offers a downloadable desktop platform for Windows or Mac, and both rely on a browser-based experience. Paper trading and trading journals are not available, and you can’t adjust open orders directly from charts on either platform. Watchlists are where they diverge—J.P. Morgan supports up to 20 columns (fields), while Public.com limits you to 3.

For charting, J.P. Morgan provides 36 indicators and 10 drawing tools, and you can display corporate events like earnings, splits, and dividends. Public.com offers 0 indicators and 0 drawing tools, and it doesn’t show corporate events on charts. On both brokers, you can’t add notes to charts, show your historical trades, set custom date ranges, run automated pattern recognition, save multiple chart layouts, or create custom studies. Editing a simple SMA study is also more flexible with J.P. Morgan (3 fields) versus Public.com (0 fields).

Feature J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing logoJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Public.com logoPublic.com
Web Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Desktop Trading Platform info No No
Desktop Platform (Mac) info No No
Paper Trading info No No
Watchlists - Total Fields info 20 3
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 36 0
Charting - Drawing Tools info 10 0
Advanced Trading 1/5 Stars 1/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Stock Brokers for 2026, Best Paper Trading Apps & Platforms for 2026

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Beginners and education

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing and Public.com both cater to beginners with clear lessons on stocks, ETFs, options, and bonds. Each offers educational videos and webinars to help you build core investing knowledge. J.P. Morgan adds coverage of mutual funds, which Public.com does not. Neither platform offers paper trading, educational quizzes, or tools to track your learning progress.

For education quality, StockBrokers.com rates J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing 4 out of 5 stars and ranks it 4th out of 14 brokers, while Public.com earns 3.5 out of 5 stars and ranks 8th. If mutual fund guidance or a higher education score matters to you, J.P. Morgan has the edge; if you want solid coverage of stocks, ETFs, options, and bonds with videos and webinars, both platforms deliver.

Feature J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing logoJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Public.com logoPublic.com
Education (Stocks) info Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) info Yes Yes
Education (Options) info Yes Yes
Education (Mutual Funds) info Yes No
Education (Fixed Income) info Yes Yes
Videos info Yes Yes
Webinars info Yes Yes
Education 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Platforms for Beginners of 2026

Stock trading apps

Bottom line: J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing generally offers a more capable mobile stock trading experience than Public.com. J.P. Morgan earned 4 stars and ranks #10 out of 14 brokers for stock trading apps, while Public.com earned 3 stars and ranks #13, according to StockBrokers.com. J.P. Morgan stands out for alerts, watch list tools, landscape charting, and 36 built-in technical studies, whereas Public.com trails on research depth but does let you compare stocks directly on a chart.

Both J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing and Public.com have iPhone and Android apps, and neither has an Apple Watch app. J.P. Morgan does not support after-hours trading on mobile; Public.com’s status for mobile after-hours trading was not specified. Both apps support mobile options trading. Neither app provides streaming quotes, streaming live TV, or videos on demand. J.P. Morgan offers stock alerts, while Public.com does not. J.P. Morgan lets you create custom watch lists; Public.com does not, though both let you customize watch list columns.

For charts, J.P. Morgan is better if you value technical analysis: it supports landscape view, multiple time frames, and 36 technical studies. Public.com also supports multiple time frames but lacks landscape mode and has no technical studies. If you like comparing symbols directly on a chart, Public.com includes that feature while J.P. Morgan does not. Neither app offers after-hours charting.

Feature J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing logoJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Public.com logoPublic.com
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple Watch App info No No
Stock Alerts info Yes No info
Charting - After-Hours info No No
Charting - Technical Studies info 36 0
Mobile Trading Apps 4/5 Stars 3/5 Stars

Dive deeper: Best Stock Trading Apps for 2026

Fees

Bottom line: J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing vs Public.com comes down to what you value. Public.com is the cheaper pick for options and margin borrowing, while J.P. Morgan is lighter on certain account-level charges and has no minimum to open. Public.com charges $0 per options contract and offers lower margin rates (5.65% under $50,000; 5.50% for $50,000–$99,999), beating J.P. Morgan’s $0.65 per contract and higher margin rates (12.25% under $25,000; 12% for $25,000–$49,999; 11.5% for $50,000–$99,999). J.P. Morgan pushes back with a $0 minimum deposit, lower ACAT fees, and a cheaper IRA closure fee.

Trading costs are simple: both brokers charge $0 for stock trades. Options pricing differs—Public.com is $0 per contract while J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing is $0.65 per contract; both list $0 for option exercises and assignments. Margin is where Public.com stands out, with rates of 5.65% below $50,000 and 5.50% for $50,000–$99,999, compared with J.P. Morgan’s 12.25%, 12%, and 11.5% across the same tiers.

For account fees and other charges, J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing has a $0 minimum deposit, whereas Public.com requires $20. Both have $0 IRA annual fees, but closing an IRA costs $75 at J.P. Morgan and $150 at Public.com. Transfer fees also favor J.P. Morgan: ACAT partial is $0 and full is $75, versus Public.com’s $100 for partial and $100 for full transfers.

Feature J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing logoJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Public.com logoPublic.com
Minimum Deposit info $0.00 $20.00
Stock Trades info $0.00 $0.00 info
Options (Per Contract) info $0.65 $0.00 info
Options Exercise Fee info $0.00 $0.00
Options Assignment Fee info $0.00 $0.00
IRA Annual Fee info $0.00 $0.00
IRA Closure Fee info $75.00 $150.00

Dive deeper: Best Free Trading Platforms for 2026

Day Trading

When comparing J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing to Public.com for day trading capabilities, neither platform offers features typically desired by active traders. Both J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing and Public.com lack streaming time and sales for stocks, direct market routing, and the option to use trading hotkeys for faster trade entry. They also do not provide Level 2 quotes, which are essential for gaining deeper insight into market activities.

Furthermore, neither platform supports advanced trading tools such as ladder trading and strategy backtesting, whether basic or advanced. The absence of order liquidity rebates and a short locator tool, which helps traders identify available shares to short, further highlights the limitations of both platforms for day trading. These similarities indicate that individuals seeking a platform with comprehensive day trading features might need to explore alternatives beyond J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing and Public.com.

Feature J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing logoJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Public.com logoPublic.com
Streaming Time & Sales info No No
Streaming TV info No No
Direct Market Routing - Equities info No No
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks info No No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting info No No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv info No No
Short Locator info No No

Dive deeper: Best Day Trading Platforms of 2026 for Beginners and Active Traders

Market Research

For market research, J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing is the stronger pick. It covers more investment types, offers more tools, and earns higher marks: 4 stars and a #7 ranking out of 14 brokers from StockBrokers.com, compared with Public.com’s 2.5 stars and #12 ranking. If you want screeners, downloadable stock reports, and a clear view of how your portfolio is split by asset class, J.P. Morgan stands out. Public.com can work for basic stock and ETF research and Pink Sheets/OTC info, but it leaves notable gaps for deeper analysis.

Both brokers provide stock and ETF research, and both include Pink Sheets/OTC coverage. Neither platform offers ESG research, social media sentiment tools, or downloadable PDF reports for ETFs or mutual funds. J.P. Morgan adds two downloadable PDF research reports for individual stocks, while Public.com offers none. J.P. Morgan also supplies research on mutual funds and bonds, which Public.com does not.

Tools are another differentiator. J.P. Morgan includes screeners for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and bonds, plus a portfolio allocation view by asset class—features that are not available on Public.com. If your investing style benefits from screening ideas across markets and seeing how your holdings are distributed, J.P. Morgan provides a more complete toolkit.

Feature J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing logoJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Public.com logoPublic.com
Research - Stocks info Yes Yes
Screener - Stocks info Yes No
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Screener - ETFs info Yes No
Research - Mutual Funds info Yes No
Screener - Mutual Funds info Yes No
Research - Fixed Income info Yes No
Screener - Fixed Income info Yes No
Research 4/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars

Banking

When it comes to banking capabilities, J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing offers a broader range of services compared to Public.com. J.P. Morgan provides checking and savings accounts, debit and credit cards, mortgage loans, and Certificates of Deposit (CDs), making it a versatile choice for those seeking comprehensive financial services. On the other hand, Public.com does not offer these banking features, focusing solely on investment opportunities without traditional banking services like accounts, cards, or loans. For individuals who prioritize having access to extensive banking options as part of their online brokerage experience, J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing may be the more suitable choice.

Feature J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing logoJ.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing
Public.com logoPublic.com
Checking Accounts info Yes No
Savings Accounts info Yes No
Debit Cards info Yes No
Credit Cards info Yes No
Mortgage Loans info Yes No
Brokerage CDs info Yes No

Dive deeper: Best Brokerage Checking Accounts for 2026

Winner

After opening live accounts and testing 14 of the best online brokers, our research and live account testing finds that J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing is better than Public.com. J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing finished with an overall score of 67.5%, while Public.com finished with a score of 56.0%.

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing makes it easy for Chase Bank customers to invest and allows access to J.P. Morgan research. On the downside, the broker features are sparse compared to industry leaders.

FAQs

Can you trade cryptocurrency with J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing or Public.com?

Comparing J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing vs Public.com for crypto trading: J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing offers no cryptocurrency trading (0 coins), while Public.com supports crypto with 40 coins. Investors prioritizing crypto access will find Public.com more suitable than J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing.

Dive deeper: Best Online Brokers for Crypto Trading in 2026

Does J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing or Public.com offer IRAs?

J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing and Public.com both offer Traditional and Roth IRA accounts with $0 annual fees; however, J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing charges a $75 IRA closure fee versus $150 at Public.com, which can impact rollover or account transfer costs.

Dive deeper: Best IRA Accounts for 2026

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Compare

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Overall Rating J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
Overall 3.5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Range of Investments 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Advanced Trading 1/5 Stars 1/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 4/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Research 4/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Customer Service 4.0/5 Stars N/A
Education 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 3/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Review Public.com Review
Broker Screenshots J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
Broker Gallery (click to expand)
Trading Fees J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
Minimum Deposit info $0.00 $20.00
Stock Trades info $0.00 $0.00 info
Penny Stock Fees (OTC) info $0.00 $2.99
Mutual Fund Trade Fee info $0 n/a
Options (Per Contract) info $0.65 $0.00 info
Futures (Per Contract) info (Not offered) (Not offered)
Broker Assisted Trade Fee info Varies n/a
Margin Rates J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
Margin Rate Under $25,000 info 12.25% 5.65%
Margin Rate $25,000 to $49,999.99 info 12% 5.65%
Margin Rate $50,000 to $99,999.99 info 11.5% 5.50%
Margin Rate $100,000 to $249,999.99 info 11.25% 5.25%
Margin Rate $250,000 to $499,999.99 info 11.25% 5.25%
Margin Rate $500,000 to $999,999.99 info 10.5% 5.25%
Margin Rate Above $1,000,000 info 10% info 5.05%
Account Fees J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
IRA Annual Fee info $0.00 $0.00
IRA Closure Fee info $75.00 $150.00
Account Transfer Out (Partial) info $0.00 $100.00
Account Transfer Out (Full) info $75.00 $100.00
Options Exercise Fee info $0.00 $0.00
Options Assignment Fee info $0.00 $0.00
Investment Options J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
Stock Trading info Yes Yes
Account Feature - Margin Trading info Yes info Yes
Fractional Shares (Stocks) info Yes Yes
OTC Stocks info Yes Yes
Options Trading info Yes Yes
Complex Options Max Legs info 1 4
Futures Trading info No No
Forex Trading info No No
Crypto Trading info No Yes
Crypto Trading - Total Coins info 0 40
Fixed Income (Treasurys) info Yes Yes
Fixed Income (Corporate Bonds) info Yes Yes
Fixed Income (Municipal Bonds) info Yes No
Traditional IRAs info Yes Yes
Roth IRAs info Yes Yes
Advisor Services info Yes No
International Countries (Stocks) info 0 0
Order Types J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
Order Type - Market info Yes Yes
Order Type - Limit info Yes Yes
Order Type - After Hours info No Yes info
Order Type - Stop info Yes Yes
Order Type - Trailing Stop info No No
Order Type - OCO info No No
Order Type - OTO info No No
Order Type - Broker Assisted info Yes No
Beginners J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
Education (Stocks) info Yes Yes
Education (ETFs) info Yes Yes
Education (Options) info Yes Yes
Education (Mutual Funds) info Yes No
Education (Fixed Income) info Yes Yes
Education (Retirement) info Yes Yes
Retirement Calculator info Yes No
Investor Dictionary info No Yes
Paper Trading info No No
Videos info Yes Yes
Webinars info Yes Yes
Progress Tracking info No No
Interactive Learning - Quizzes info No No
Stock Trading Apps J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
iPhone App info Yes Yes
Android App info Yes Yes
Apple Watch App info No No
Trading - Stocks info Yes Yes
Trading - After-Hours info No Yes
Trading - Simple Options info Yes Yes
Trading - Complex Options info No No
Order Ticket RT Quotes info Yes Yes
Order Ticket SRT Quotes info No No
Stock App Features J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
Mobile Research - Market Movers info Yes Yes
Stream Live TV info No No
Videos on Demand info No No
Stock Alerts info Yes No info
Option Chains Viewable info Yes Yes
Watchlist (Real-time) info Yes Yes
Watchlist (Streaming) info No No
Mobile Watchlists - Create & Manage info Yes No
Mobile Watchlists - Column Customization info Yes Yes
Stock App Charting J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
Charting - After-Hours info No No
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally info Yes No
Charting - Multiple Time Frames info Yes Yes
Charting - Technical Studies info 36 0
Charting - Study Customizations info Yes No
Charting - Stock Comparisons info No Yes
Trading Platforms J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
Active Trading Platform info No n/a
Desktop Trading Platform info No No
Desktop Platform (Mac) info No No
Web Trading Platform info Yes Yes
Paper Trading info No No
Trade Journal info No No
Watchlists - Total Fields info 20 3
Stock Chart Features J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart info No No
Charting - Indicators / Studies info 36 0
Charting - Drawing Tools info 10 0
Charting - Notes info No No
Charting - Historical Trades info No No
Charting - Corporate Events info Yes No
Charting - Custom Date Range info No No
Charting - Custom Time Bars info No No
Charting - Automated Analysis info No No
Charting - Save Profiles info No No
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis info No No
Charting - Study Customizations info 3 0
Charting - Custom Studies info No No
Day Trading J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
Streaming Time & Sales info No No
Streaming TV info No No
Direct Market Routing - Equities info No No
Ladder Trading info No No
Trade Hot Keys info No No
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks info No No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting info No No
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv info No No
Short Locator info No No
Order Liquidity Rebates info No No
Research Overview J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
Research - Stocks info Yes Yes
Research - ETFs info Yes Yes
Research - Mutual Funds info Yes No
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB info Yes Yes
Research - Fixed Income info Yes No
Screener - Stocks info Yes No
Screener - ETFs info Yes No
Screener - Mutual Funds info Yes No
Screener - Fixed Income info Yes No
Portfolio Asset Allocation info Yes No info
Stock Research J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
Stock Research - PDF Reports info 2 0 info
Stock Research - Earnings info Yes Yes
Stock Research - Insiders info No No
Stock Research - Social info No No
Stock Research - News info Yes Yes
Stock Research - ESG info No No
Stock Research - SEC Filings info No No
ETF Research J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
ETFs - Investment Objective info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Total Assets info Yes Yes
ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings info Yes Yes
ETFs - Top 10 Holdings info Yes Yes
ETFs - Sector Exposure info Yes No
ETFs - Risk Analysis info No No
ETFs - Ratings info Yes No
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap info Yes No
ETFs - PDF Reports info No No
Mutual Fund Research J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
Mutual Funds - Investment Objective info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Performance Chart info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Prospectus info No No
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation info Yes No
Mutual Funds - Country Allocation info Yes No
Mutual Funds - StyleMap info Yes No
Options Trading J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
Option Chains - Total Greeks info 0 5
Option Analysis - P&L Charts info No Yes
Banking J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
Bank (Member FDIC) info Yes No
Checking Accounts info Yes No
Savings Accounts info Yes No
Credit Cards info Yes No
Debit Cards info Yes No
Mortgage Loans info Yes No
Customer Service J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
Phone Support (Prospective Customers) info No No
Phone Support (Current Customers) info Yes No
Email Support info Yes Yes
Live Chat (Prospective Customers) info No Yes
Live Chat (Current Customers) info No Yes
24/7 Support info Yes No
Overall J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Public.com
Overall 3.5/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Range of Investments 3.5/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Advanced Trading 1/5 Stars 1/5 Stars
Mobile Trading Apps 4/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Research 4/5 Stars 2.5/5 Stars
Education 4/5 Stars 3.5/5 Stars
Ease of Use 3/5 Stars 3/5 Stars
Winner check_circle
Review J.P. Morgan Self-Directed Investing Review Public.com Review
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