AvaTrade vs Lightyear : Fees, Safety & Trading Conditions Compared (2026)

Broker Name

AvaTrade

Lightyear

Broker Overview

Broker Type (e.g., Market Maker, ECN/STP)

Market maker

STP

Years of Existence / Established Year

2006

2020

Customer Base / Number of Accounts

4 Million

Info not available

Regulation & Security

Regulations (governing bodies)

FFAJ, CySEC, ISA, IIROC, ADGM, FSRA, CBI,BVI FSC, FSCA, ASIC

FCA EFSA

Awards Won (count for the last 2 years)

Best Forex Trading App in Europe- 2024, Best Affiliate program LATAM -2024, Most Trusted Trading Platform -2024, Most Trusted Broker -2024, Top 10 Hot Brand of the year -2024

No major awards listed

Security Measures

Avaprotect

SIPC, EIPSF Upto Euro 20,000

SSL Encryption / 2FA

Yes

Segregated Funds

Yes

Negative Balance Protection

Yes

Trading Instruments/Products Offered

Assets Types / Trading Instruments (total count and breakdown)

1000+ trading instruments

US / EU / UK Stocks (3500+) Interest Money Market Funds Baltic Stocks Baltic Bonds

Currency Pairs

Yes

Commodities

Yes

Indices

Yes

Cryptocurrencies

Yes

CFDs

Yes

ETFs

Yes

Stocks

Yes

Options

Yes

Futures

Bonds

Yes

Mutual Funds

Fractional Shares

Yes

Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs)

Yes

Precious Metals

Yes

Yes - through Exchange Traded Commodities

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

Yes - through REIT stocks

Equities

Yes

Trading Platforms & Technology

Trading Platform Availability

Yes

MT4

Yes

MT5

Yes

cTrader

Social Trading

Yes

Copy Trading

Yes

Other Trading Platforms (proprietary, etc.)

Ava trade app

Lightyear's proprietary platform

Platform Compatibility (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)

Yes

Account Types & Conditions

Account Types (Retail, Pro, VIP, etc.)

Retail, standard, and professional

Personal Business

Demo Account (Yes/No)

Yes

Islamic Accounts (Yes/No)

Yes

Minimum Deposit

$100

Leverage Available

1:10 to 1:400

Trade Limit (maximum per trade)

Depends on the asset type

Varies for each product

Commission (per account type)

Euro 0

Best Suited For (e.g., beginners, experienced traders)

Beginners to experienced

Beginners

Deposit & Withdrawal Options

Deposit Methods

Credit card, debit card, wire transfer, and e-wallets

EUR - SEPA, Debit Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay GBP - FPS, CHAPS, BACS, SWIFT, Apple Pay, Google Pay USD - ACH, FedWire, SWIFT HUF - Bank transfers within Hungary

Withdrawal Methods

Credit card, debit card, wire transfer, and e-wallets

Bank Transfers

Other E-Wallets Supported

Skrill, Neteller, WebMoney,

Tools & Educational Resources

Economic Calendar

Yes

Tools & Educational Resources (tutorials, webinars, market news, etc.)

Trading platform tutorials, Trading rules, Webniars, Blogs, Trading online strategies

Savings interest calculator Inflation calculator Ticker time machine Rate comparison calculator

Fees & Commissions

Trading-Related Fees

Spread: 0.9 pips

US Shares per order - 0.1% upto $1 maximum EU Shares per order - Euro 1 UK Shares per order - Euro 1 Money Market Funds - 0.25% annually Nasdaq Baltic - Euro 1 ETFs -Euro 0 Multi-currency account -Euro 0

Spread (typical, fixed, variable)

Typical

Per Lot Fees

Options Contract Fees

Futures Contract Fees

Markup Fees on Spread

Guaranteed Stop Loss Fees

Maximum Leverage

1:400

Info not available

Non-Trading Fees

Dormant Fees

$50 inactive for 3 month

Subscription Fees (for premium features, data feeds)

Advisory Fees

Swap Fees (Overnight Financing)

Yes

Statement or Document Fee

Account Opening Fee

Account Maintenance Fee

Deposit Fee

In EUR & GBP Debit Card / ApplePay / Google Pay - First Euro500 lifetime free, 0.5% after In USD FedWire & Swift - $6.11

Currency Conversion Fee

0.35%

Withdrawal Fee

Bonuses, Promotions & Benefits

Bonuses, Promotions, and Referrals

Yes

Customer Benefits (e.g., Retirement Plan)

Yes

Trading Hours

Trading Hours (for each asset class if applicable)

Sunday Night (GMT) until Friday night (GMT)

Vary for each asset class

Customer Support

Support Hours (e.g., 24/7, weekdays only)

24/7

Customer Support Methods (phone, email, live chat)

Phone: +1 212 9419609, E-mail upon request , Live chat

Email: mailto:[email protected], Live chat Phone number:+1 332-333-4220.

Support Languages

14+

20+

Additional Information

Headquarters Location

Five Lamps Place Amien Street Dublin 1, IE

Volta 1 Tallinn 10412 Estonia

Complaints (for crypto brokers)

At TradingCritique, we don't just list brokers. We test, compare, and simplify your decision-making. Whether you're a beginner or a pro, our data-driven comparisons are built to match your trading style and region. Learn how we Evaluate a broker.

AvaTrade is known for competitive pricing on basic trades, especially for beginners. However, Lightyear fee structure, though slightly higher, covers a broader range of services, making it more suitable for active traders.

New users will likely find AvaTrade sign-up process more intuitive. Meanwhile, Lightyear takes a more regulated path to onboarding, which could benefit traders seeking high capital limits and detailed agreements.

If you're trading on-the-go, AvaTrade mobile platform is fluid and intuitive. Lightyear desktop and web apps are more robust, making them suitable for in-depth trading sessions.

AvaTrade supports complex strategies and asset diversity, while Lightyear offers clarity and low-cost access for long-term holders.

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