Schwab 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, Schwab charges 12.075% ($100-$24,999.99) and Public charges 5.15% (Up to $50,000).
| Charles Schwab | Public | |
|---|---|---|
| Per-contract commission | $0.65 Source: www.schwab.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 | $0.00 Source: public.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 |
| Exercise / assignment fee | $0.00 Source: www.schwab.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 | unverified (not listed in fee schedule) Source: public.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 |
| Index option fees | $0.65/contract + exchange proprietary index fee passed through as Industry Fee (amount not stated by Schwab) Source: www.schwab.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 | $0.35/contract + exchange fees Source: public.com, retrieved 2026-10-25 |
| Margin rates | $100-$24,999.99: 12.075% $25,000-$49,999.99: 11.575% $50,000-$99,999.99: 10.625% $100,000-$249,999.99: 10.575% $250,000-$499,999.99: 10.325% Source: www.schwab.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 Schwab and Public.