Head to head
Public.com vs Sarwa — which broker is better?
Public.com or Sarwa? Fees, regulation, platform and product range compared side by side — with a verdict drawn from the data.
Risk warning: CFDs and leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly. Investments can fall in value. Past performance is not an indicator of future results.
Public.com
The only US broker in this comparison that pays you to trade options — plus fractional corporate bonds and Treasury ladders in the same app.
- Stocks (per order)
- Free
- Minimum deposit
- None
- 5,000 order
- €0
Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Sarwa
A UAE-regulated app for US shares, robo-portfolios and money market savings, priced in percent rather than at zero.
- Stocks (per order)
- 0.25 %
- Minimum deposit
- US$500
- 5,000 order
- €12.50
Risk warning: investing in securities involves risk. You may lose some or all of the capital you invest.
Advertising disclosure: where a partnership is active, we may earn a commission through broker links. The provider’s terms apply. Commissions do not influence our ratings; paid placements are separately labelled as sponsored.
The verdict in numbers
Four decision axes, each derived from the recorded data.
Overall Public.com takes it, 3.9 against 3.4 out of 5. Public.com is the cheaper of the two: a reference EUR 5,000 stock order costs €0.00 there against €12.50. Public.com scores 68 against 32 out of 100 on the group index. Your account's protection depends on its legal entity. Public.com covers more ground with 6 of 14 asset classes against 5. On platform and app Public.com is ahead, 4.1 against 3.9 out of 5. Which one is right depends on which of these axes matters for your trading profile.
- Public.com
- 3.9 — Better
- Sarwa
- 3.4
- Public.com
- €0.00 — Better
- Sarwa
- €12.50
- Public.com
- 68 of 100
- Sarwa
- 32 of 100
- Public.com
- 6/14 — Better
- Sarwa
- 5/14
- Public.com
- 4.1 — Better
- Sarwa
- 3.9
Compare brokers side by side
Up to four brokers at once — every row a decision point.
Data as of: 02 Nov 2026
| Criterion | Public.com 3.9 Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money. | Sarwa 3.4 Risk warning: investing in securities involves risk. You may lose some or all of the capital you invest. |
|---|---|---|
| Overall score | 3.9 — Better | 3.4 |
| Group index | 68 of 100 | 32 of 100 |
| Best for | US options income tradersBond and Treasury investorsMargin borrowersMulti-asset simplicityDesign-led beginners | UAE residents funding in dirhamsUS shares and a robo-portfolio in one appGulf investors wanting an optional Sharia screenerOccasional US stock orders from about USD 400 up to a few thousand |
| Regulation | FINRASECFINRACFTCNYDFS | FSRA |
| Top-tier licences | 4 — Better | 0 |
| Investor protection | US$500,000 | n/a |
| Listed group | No | No |
| Banking licence | No | No |
| Segregated client accounts | Yes | Yes |
| Negative balance protection | No | No |
| Audited financials | Yes | No |
| Disclosed regulatory actions | 3 | 5 |
| Founded | 2019 | 2017 |
| Headquarters | New York, US | Abu Dhabi, AE |
| Fees | 4.2 — Better | 3.3 |
| Safety & regulation | 3.7 — Better | 3.3 |
| Trading platform | 3.8 — Better | 3.5 |
| Product range | 3.5 — Better | 2.9 |
| Mobile app | 4.4 — Better | 4.2 |
| Research | 3.8 — Better | 2.6 |
| Customer support | 3.3 — Better | 3.2 |
| Deposit & withdrawal | 3.6 | 3.6 |
| Account opening | 4.4 — Better | 4.2 |
| Education | 3.4 — Better | 3.2 |
| Reference order EUR 5,000 | €0.00 — Better | €12.50 |
| Minimum deposit | None — Better | US$500 |
| Stocks (per order) | Free | 0.25 % |
| US stocks | Free | 0.25 % |
| ETFs | Free | 0.25 % |
| Options | Free — Better | US$4 |
| Futures | Not offered | Not offered |
| Crypto | 1.25 % — Better | 1.5 % |
| Bonds (order) | 0.5 % | Not offered |
| Funds (order) | n/a | Not offered |
| EUR/USD spread | n/a | n/a |
| Index CFD spread | n/a | n/a |
| FX conversion | 0.3 % | n/a |
| Inactivity fee | US$3.99 · after 6 months | None — Better |
| Custody fee | None | None |
| Withdrawal fee | free | free |
| Deposit fee | free | free |
| Overnight financing | n/a | n/a |
| Other fees |
|
|
| Asset classes (of 14) | 6 — Better | 5 |
| Exchanges | n/a | n/a |
| Stocks | Yes | Yes |
| ETFs | Yes | Yes |
| Options | Yes | Yes |
| Futures | No | No |
| Forex | No | No |
| CFDs | No | No |
| Crypto | Yes | Yes |
| Bonds | Yes | No |
| Funds | No | No |
| Commodities | No | No |
| Indices | Yes | No |
| Warrants | No | Yes |
| Spread betting | No | No |
| Social trading | No | No |
| Crypto access | Broker, real coins; coins to your own wallet: possible | Broker, real coins; coins to your own wallet: not possible according to the provider |
| Platforms | Public mobile appPublic WebPublic API / Agentic API | Sarwa appSarwa web platform |
| Demo account | No | No |
| Fractional shares | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum leverage | 1:4 | No leverage: Sarwa Trade accounts are margin accounts set to a margin of 1, so buying power equals the cash deposited and cannot be increased. |
| Account opening | Minutes; US residents with a Social Security number, no minimum deposit | Digital sign-up in the app or on the website with a passport (Emirates ID or GCC ID for residents), a proof of address and a live selfie; trading on Sarwa Trade unlocks after a net deposit of USD 500 |
| Account types | Individual brokerage accountMargin accountTraditional and Roth IRACrypto IRA (custodied by Alto Trust Co.)Bond AccountTreasury Account (Public Advisors)High-Yield Cash Account | Sarwa TradeSarwa InvestSarwa SaveJoint account (Invest or Save)Corporate account (Invest or Save) |
| Payment methods | Bank transfer | Bank transferDebit cardApple PayGoogle Pay |
| Account currencies | USD | USD |
| Deposit time | ACH typically 1–3 business days; incoming wires same or next business day and free | Synced UAE bank account 5 minutes to 1 business day; bank wire 5 minutes to 2 business days; debit card, Apple Pay, Google Pay and Instant Funding instantly |
| Withdrawal time | 1–3 business days by ACH; instant withdrawal available for up to 3.5% of the amount | Sarwa Trade about 1–2 business days; Sarwa Invest 4–6 business days (6–9 for the Islamic portfolios); Sarwa Save 3–5 business days (Save+) or 4 (Islamic option); USD and international transfers can take a few days longer |
| Free withdrawals | n/a | n/a |
| Languages | English | English |
| Channels | EmailLive chat | EmailWhatsAppTicket system |
| Availability | US business hours, Monday to Friday | WhatsApp Monday to Friday 9:00–1:00 UAE time while the US is on standard time (November to March) and 9:00–24:00 while the US is on daylight saving time (March to November); Saturday and Sunday 9:00–18:00 UAE time |
Strengths and weaknesses side by side
Editorial assessment based on the recorded data.
Public.com
The only US broker in this comparison that pays you to trade options — plus fractional corporate bonds and Treasury ladders in the same app.
Pros
- Options Rebate Program pays USD 0.06–0.18 per stock or ETF contract, typically more than the roughly USD 0.05 per contract of regulatory fees — a net-negative transaction cost that no competitor here matches
- Cheapest margin of the three: 5.15% base (Fed Funds Target Rate + 1.15%, with FFTR at 4.00% as of 17 September 2026), tiering to 4.20% above USD 50 million
- A real bond desk — fractional corporate bonds at 0.35%–0.50% of par, Treasuries at 0.10%–0.25%, plus customisable Treasury ladders (the separate Jiko 6-month T-bill account stops taking new deposits after 31 October 2026)
- Genuinely multi-asset in one login: stocks, ETFs, options, bonds, Treasuries, 60+ crypto assets, IRAs, Crypto IRAs and a high-yield cash account quoted at 3.30% APY in mid-2026
- Free ACH in and out, free incoming wires and free incoming ACAT transfers, with no minimum deposit
- Transparent, well-maintained public fee schedule — the version used for this record was updated 13 October 2026 and states every line item including the awkward ones
- Index options at USD 0.35 per contract for every customer, plus the exchange fees Public passes on
Cons
- US residents only — no international entity, so European, UK or DACH investors cannot open an account
- USD 100 to transfer securities out, plus USD 115 per security for a DRS transfer; both are the highest in this comparison
- No futures, no spot forex, no mutual funds and no desktop application — active traders will find the charting and depth-of-market shallow next to Webull or moomoo
- The options rebate is funded by payment for order flow, so you are accepting a routing model in exchange for the payment; the free Wholesale route is the default, and choosing Smart Order or Lit-Exchange routing costs USD 0.003 per share
- A USD 3.99 monthly inactivity fee applies to accounts under USD 70 with no six-month activity, and there is no paper-trading environment to practise in
Best for
Sarwa
A UAE-regulated app for US shares, robo-portfolios and money market savings, priced in percent rather than at zero.
Pros
- Free local AED transfers from UAE banks, with Sarwa's own published conversion rates (AED 3.6823 per USD in, AED 3.6639 per USD out as of 02.11.2026; about 0.5% apart)
- No custody, inactivity, account opening or account closing fee and no withdrawal fee to UAE banks, according to Sarwa; a withdrawal from Sarwa Trade to a Saudi bank costs USD 35
- One app for self-directed trading (Sarwa Trade), managed ETF portfolios (Sarwa Invest) and money market funds (Sarwa Save)
- US stocks and ETFs almost around the clock in four sessions from Sunday evening to Friday, plus fractional shares, IPO Access and Auto Trading
- Trade assets are held in a fully disclosed account at Alpaca Securities LLC, which Sarwa names as a SIPC member (USD 500,000 including USD 250,000 cash)
- An optional Shariah Screener with compliance reports from Musaffa, plus an Islamic portfolio line and an Islamic money market option, as Sarwa describes them
- Licensed by the FSRA in the ADGM under permission 190037 since 20 February 2020, shown on the public register
- Website in English and Arabic; WhatsApp support seven days a week, on weekends from 9:00 to 18:00 UAE time
Cons
- Four FSRA penalties since 2022: three for CRS and FATCA reporting failures (AED 36,000, AED 50,000 and AED 40,000) and USD 122,500 for offering shares in its own holding company without an approved prospectus; the DFSA fined the former Dubai company USD 191,100 over the same offer
- Percentage commission with no cap: the greater of USD 1 or 0.25% per stock or ETF order, so a USD 10,000 order costs USD 25
- Options at USD 4 per contract and crypto with a 1.5% spread on every buy and sell
- Only US-listed securities on Sarwa Trade: no bonds, futures, mutual funds or listings outside the US such as UCITS ETFs
- Not a bank, and Brokaro classes its regulator, the FSRA, as tier 2; we found no ADGM investor compensation scheme, and the SIPC cover belongs to Alpaca, not to Sarwa
- Card deposits cost 2.99% + AED 1 (UAE cards) or 3.99% + AED 1 (other cards), and Sarwa Invest charges at least USD 7 a month: in Sarwa's own example, USD 7 for a month on a USD 1,000 balance
Best for
Open an account with either
A demo account costs nothing and answers the platform question in ten minutes.
Risk warning: CFDs and other leveraged products are complex instruments and come with a high risk of losing money rapidly due to leverage. You should consider whether you understand how these products work and whether you can afford to take the high risk of losing your money.
Risk warning: investing in securities involves risk. You may lose some or all of the capital you invest.
Advertising disclosure: where a partnership is active, we may earn a commission through broker links. The provider’s terms apply. Commissions do not influence our ratings; paid placements are separately labelled as sponsored.
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