E*TRADE vs Public options fees (2026)
Public is cheaper per contract ($0.00 vs $0.65). Exercise/assignment fees can't be compared because Public doesn't publish one we could verify. At the smallest balance tier each lists, E*TRADE charges 12.7% (<$10,000) and Public charges 5.15% (Up to $50,000).
| E*TRADE | Public | |
|---|---|---|
| Per-contract commission | $0.65 Source: us.etrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 | $0.00 Source: public.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 |
| Exercise / assignment fee | $0.00 Source: us.etrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 | unverified (not listed in fee schedule) Source: public.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 |
| Index option fees | SPX $0.54, NDX $0.66, VIX $0.30, RUT $0.17 Source: us.etrade.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 | $0.35/contract + exchange fees Source: public.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 |
| Margin rates | <$10,000: 12.7% $10,000-$24,999: 12.45% $25,000-$49,999: 12.2% $50,000-$99,999: 11.7% $100,000-$249,999: 11.2% $250,000-$499,999: 10.7% Source: us.etrade.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 E*TRADE and Public.