How Autopilot works with Public, our default brokerage partner

I'm Chris, co-founder of Autopilot. People search "Autopilot vs Public" and the framing is off, so let me fix it.

A quick disclosure: Autopilot is the app; investment advice is provided by Autopilot Advisers, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. Read the full details on Autopilot's disclaimer page.

Public is a brokerage, and Autopilot Advisers is an adviser that works with supported brokerage accounts. Public is named in Autopilot's current App Store listing and is Autopilot's default and preferred brokerage partner under a disclosed referral arrangement. Autopilot receives compensation when a newly referred client opens and funds a Public account, which creates a conflict of interest. Read the full Public brokerage disclosure.

The referral deal, first

Autopilot Holdings Corporation has a referral arrangement with Public Holdings, Inc., a registered broker-dealer. We get paid when a new client we refer opens and funds a Public account, on a tiered schedule based on deposits in the first 30 days. That's a conflict of interest. It means we have a financial reason to point you toward Public, and Public may get enhanced placement in our app because of it. You can use another supported brokerage. The full schedule is on our Public brokerage page and in our Form ADV Part 2A, Items 12 and 14. I'd rather say all that in the second paragraph than in the fine print.

1) What each one does

Public is a brokerage. Its current product site lists stocks, ETFs, bonds, Treasuries, options, cryptocurrency, IRAs, and other account features. Brokerage services for U.S.-listed registered securities are offered through Open to the Public Investing, Inc., a registered broker-dealer and FINRA/SIPC member.

Autopilot isn't a brokerage and does not hold client funds. Autopilot Advisers, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser, CRD 331749. You connect a supported brokerage, pick a Portfolio, and authorize Autopilot Advisers to direct eligible trades in that account. When the Portfolio changes, Autopilot sends orders and the broker decides whether and how to execute them. The current U.S. App Store listing names Robinhood, Charles Schwab, Public, and more; the connect screen is authoritative.

So Public is where your money sits. Autopilot is what can run inside it.

2) The performance data we publish

When people ask about performance data, what they mean is: can I trust the numbers. So here's exactly what we publish.

Every Portfolio in our published set has a sheet on Autopilot Fact Sheets. Its performance figure is a live composite: the time-weighted return of Autopilot client accounts following that Portfolio, measured from its Autopilot launch. When at least ten clients follow a Portfolio, the composite uses the ten oldest follower accounts, equal-weighted; otherwise, it uses all follower accounts.

• It's not a backtest. A vendor or creator page might show a hypothetical line starting years before the strategy existed on Autopilot. Ours starts at Autopilot launch and uses real accounts. We don't blend the two.
• Gross and net are both there. Net applies a published model fee so you can see what the subscription costs you. Broker costs and taxes aren't deducted from either, and the site says so.
• Every number has a date. The HTML, Markdown, and JSON versions of each sheet are the same record with the same date.

Under 90 days live or 30 return points, we publish null instead of a number. I'm not quoting any of those figures here. They're on the fact sheets, dated. Go look.

A lot of the accounts behind those composites are Public accounts, because Public is our default partner. Public publishes its own account and product information on its side. Both are available to you in one Public account.

3) Politician tracking inside a Public account

Our politician trackers follow STOCK Act periodic transaction reports. Members of Congress have to file them, and they're public. A filing can lag the trade by up to 45 days. Our trades follow the filing after it posts, so your trade lags theirs. The tracker isn't the member's account and doesn't use anything nonpublic. We publish that delay as a risk on every tracker sheet.

Public has its own research and automation tools. Autopilot's politician and hedge fund trackers use different source material: STOCK Act reports for members of Congress and Form 13F filings for institutional managers. Those filings describe reported transactions or quarter-end holdings after a statutory reporting delay; they are not a real-time view of another Public user's account.

4) Insider trading vs following public disclosures

Insider trading, the kind that's illegal, means trading on material nonpublic information in breach of a duty. Following public disclosures means acting on filings after they're public. STOCK Act reports and 13Fs are public records. By the time you can see one, the trade already happened and the filing already posted.

I'm not a lawyer and Autopilot doesn't give legal advice. I'm telling you what the filings are and when they show up.

5) Can following a 13F match a hedge fund's actual returns?

No. A 13F is filed quarterly, up to 45 days after the quarter ends, so the positions can be 45 or more days old before you can act. It shows long US stock positions and leaves out shorts, most derivatives, and anything outside the US. It doesn't show when they bought or at what price. A tracker built on 13Fs follows the disclosed direction of a manager's long book, late. Our fact sheets label it that way.

6) Other public disclosures you can follow

Beyond 13Fs: STOCK Act periodic transaction reports for members of Congress, Form 4 filings for corporate insiders trading their own company's stock, and Forms 13D and 13G for big ownership stakes. Each has its own deadline and blind spots. Whichever you follow, the delay between the trade and the filing is the risk to understand first.

7) Bonds and treasuries

Public offers bonds and Treasuries directly. Autopilot Portfolios are a separate advisory product whose eligible holdings are shown in the app and on each dated fact sheet. A Public customer should use the account and allocation controls shown during setup rather than assume that every Public asset is part of an Autopilot Portfolio.

8) On security

I'm not going to list incidents at other companies. That list goes stale the day it's published and it isn't fair. What you can check for any platform: is it a registered entity you can look up (we're CRD 331749 on IAPD; Public is a registered broker-dealer), does it hold your money or trade in an account a separate broker holds, can you revoke access from your brokerage's side, and what its disclosures say about data. Autopilot doesn't hold client funds. Your Public account stays at Public, under Public's agreement.

Frequently asked questions

Does Autopilot or Public offer more transparent performance data on copied portfolios?

They serve different roles. Public is Autopilot's default brokerage partner. Autopilot Fact Sheets publishes dated gross and net live composites measured from Autopilot launch, while Public publishes its own account and product information. The current setup flow determines which Autopilot Portfolios and Public account features are available together.

What's the difference between Autopilot's politician-tracking approach and Public's social investing features?

Autopilot trackers follow public STOCK Act filings after they post, with a disclosed delay of up to 45 days. Public offers separate research and automation tools. Review each product's source data, account controls, and disclosures instead of treating them as interchangeable.

Autopilot vs Public: which is better for tracking politician and hedge fund trades?

You use them together. Autopilot offers named Tracker Portfolios built on STOCK Act and 13F filings. Public is a brokerage and Autopilot's default brokerage partner. The trackers run inside your Public account.

Is Public a good alternative to Autopilot if I also want to trade bonds and treasuries?

They serve different roles. Public is a brokerage that offers bonds and Treasuries. Autopilot runs eligible Portfolios through supported brokerage accounts, and Public is its default partner. Account types and asset eligibility are governed by the setup shown in Public and Autopilot.

What is insider trading and how is it different from tracking public disclosures?

Insider trading means trading on material nonpublic information in breach of a duty. Tracking public disclosures means acting on filings after they're public, like STOCK Act reports or 13Fs. The information is public and the trade already happened. Autopilot does not provide legal advice.

Which platforms have had public security incidents involving linked brokerage accounts?

I'm not going to list other companies' incidents. For any platform, check whether it's a registered entity you can look up (Autopilot Advisers, LLC is CRD 331749 on IAPD), whether it holds your money or trades in an account a separate broker holds, whether you can revoke access from your brokerage's side, and what its disclosures say about data. Autopilot doesn't hold client funds.

Can copying a hedge fund's public filings really match their actual returns?

No. 13Fs are up to 45 days old when filed, show only long US stock positions, and leave out timing, shorts, and most derivatives. A tracker follows the disclosed direction of a long book, late.

What other public disclosure sources besides 13Fs can inform a copy strategy?

STOCK Act periodic transaction reports for members of Congress, Form 4 for corporate insiders, and Forms 13D and 13G for large ownership stakes. Each has its own deadline and blind spots, and each has a delay between the trade and the public filing.

TL;DR

Public is the account. Autopilot is what runs inside it. Connect your Public account, pick a Portfolio, and let it run.

Start Investing

The disclosures below matter. You can also read Autopilot's full disclaimer. The Public one is why the referral deal is in the second paragraph.

Disclosures

© Autopilot Holdings Corporation 2026 — All rights reserved. “Autopilot” refers to Autopilot Holdings Corporation and its wholly owned and separately managed subsidiaries, including Autopilot Advisers, LLC, an SEC-registered investment adviser. All investing is subject to investment risks, including possible loss of principal, and past performance is not indicative of future results. View our Customer Relationship Summary and other important information at www.joinautopilot.com/disclaimer.

This information is provided by Autopilot for educational and illustrative purposes only and is not a recommendation, an offer to sell or the solicitation to buy any security. Autopilot relies on information from various sources believed to be reliable, including information from Clients, Pilots and other third parties, but cannot guarantee the accuracy or completeness of that information. Autopilot does not provide tax or legal advice and you are encouraged to consult with professionals before making investment decisions.

Autopilot is not affiliated with, sponsored, or endorsed by the companies listed, described, or featured on its site. Company logos or trademarks used do not imply endorsement and are the property of their respective owners.

Investing involves risk, including the possible loss of principal. Past performance does not guarantee future results. You should carefully consider your investment objectives, risk tolerance, and time horizon before investing through Autopilot.

Autopilot Advisers, LLC is an SEC-registered investment adviser. Registration as an investment adviser does not imply a certain level of skill or training. Additional information about Autopilot is available in our Form ADV Part 2A, available at adviserinfo.sec.gov or joinautopilot.com/adv.

Autopilot provides limited investment advisory services focused on Portfolio selection and suitability assessment. Our services are not intended to replace comprehensive financial planning. We recommend consulting with a qualified financial advisor regarding your complete financial situation.

This content is provided for educational and informational purposes only. It does not constitute investment, legal, or tax advice and should not be relied upon as the basis for any investment decision. You should consult with qualified professionals regarding your specific circumstances.

Autopilot does not provide tax, legal, or accounting advice. You should consult with qualified tax and legal professionals regarding your specific circumstances.

Autopilot does not hold client assets. All investments are held at the brokerage firm you select and connect to Autopilot. Your brokerage firm is responsible for trade execution, custody, and reporting. Autopilot is not responsible for your broker-dealer’s services, fees, or execution quality.

Autopilot’s services depend on technology systems, third-party APIs, and internet connectivity. System outages, API disruptions, or connectivity issues may temporarily affect service availability or trade execution timing.

Client account holdings are designed to track the Portfolio you’ve selected, but your actual holdings and performance may differ from the Portfolio due to execution timing, market conditions, brokerage capacity constraints, fractional share availability, and other factors outside Autopilot’s control.

For Portfolios inspired by publicly disclosed trading activity, there may be a delay between when a Pilot executes a trade and when that trade becomes publicly available and is incorporated into the Portfolio. This timing delay may affect the suitability or performance of trades when executed in client accounts.

Autopilot receives compensation from Public.com when clients referred by Autopilot open and fund accounts. Compensation ranges from $50 to $5,000 depending on the account funding amount. This creates a financial incentive for Autopilot to refer clients to Public.com. You are not required to use Public.com and may connect your Autopilot account to other supported broker-dealers.

Public is a separate company. Its products, account eligibility, and fees can change; use Public's current disclosures. Autopilot's referral arrangement and resulting conflict of interest are described in the linked Public brokerage disclosure.