Firstrade vs Public options fees (2026)
Both charge $0.00 per contract for stock/ETF options. Exercise/assignment fees can't be compared because Firstrade and Public doesn't publish one we could verify. At the smallest balance tier each lists, Firstrade charges 12.25% ($0-$24,999) and Public charges 5.15% (Up to $50,000).
| Firstrade | Public | |
|---|---|---|
| Per-contract commission | $0.00 Source: www.firstrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 | $0.00 Source: public.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 |
| Exercise / assignment fee | unverified (not on pricing page) Source: www.firstrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 | unverified (not listed in fee schedule) Source: public.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 |
| Index option fees | unverified (pricing page states $0/contract for options generally; index not mentioned) Source: www.firstrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 | $0.35/contract + exchange fees Source: public.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 |
| Margin rates | $0-$24,999: 12.25% $25,000-$49,999: 12.0% $50,000-$99,999: 11.5% $100,000-$249,999: 11.0% $250,000-$499,999: 10.75% $500,000-$999,999: 8.85% $1M+: 8.25% Source: www.firstrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 | Up to $50,000: 5.15% $50k-$100k: 5.0% $100k-$1M: 4.75% $1M-$10M: 4.5% $10M-$50M: 4.45% $50M+: 4.2% Source: public.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 |
Per-contract figures exclude regulatory pass-through fees. Estimate your yearly cost with the calculator. See full pages for Firstrade and Public.