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Firstrade vs Lightyear : Fees, Safety & Trading Conditions Compared (2026)
Broker Name
Firstrade
Lightyear
Broker Overview
Broker Type (e.g., Market Maker, ECN/STP)
STP broker
STP
Years of Existence / Established Year
1985
2020
Customer Base / Number of Accounts
1Million
Info not available
Regulation & Security
Regulations (governing bodies)
FINRA, SEC
FCA EFSA
Awards Won (count for the last 2 years)
Best Online Brokers, Best for Options Traders award.
No major awards listed
Security Measures
SIPC
SIPC, EIPSF Upto Euro 20,000
SSL Encryption / 2FA
Yes
Yes
Segregated Funds
Yes
Yes
Negative Balance Protection
No
No
Trading Instruments/Products Offered
Assets Types / Trading Instruments (total count and breakdown)
2200+ ETFs including CDs, Treasury bills, Notets and bonds, Primary market CDs, Zeros and strips and more
US / EU / UK Stocks (3500+) Interest Money Market Funds Baltic Stocks Baltic Bonds
Currency Pairs
No
No
Commodities
No
No
Indices
Yes- Through ETFs
No
Cryptocurrencies
Yes- Through ETFs
No
CFDs
No
No
ETFs
Yes
Yes
Stocks
Yes
Yes
Options
Yes
No
Futures
No
No
Bonds
Yes
Yes
Mutual Funds
Yes
No
Fractional Shares
Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs)
Yes
No
Precious Metals
No
Yes - through Exchange Traded Commodities
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
Yes
Yes - through REIT stocks
Equities
No
Yes
Trading Platforms & Technology
Trading Platform Availability
Yes
Yes
MT4
No
No
MT5
Yes
No
cTrader
No
No
Social Trading
Yes
Copy Trading
No
No
Other Trading Platforms (proprietary, etc.)
Firstrade platform
Lightyear's proprietary platform
Platform Compatibility (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)
Yes
Yes
Account Types & Conditions
Account Types (Retail, Pro, VIP, etc.)
Brokerage account- Individual, Joint, Custodial, Retirement- Retirement (Traditional IRA, Roth IRA, SEP IRA), Corporate, Trust, International, Education Planning, Business Planning
Personal Business
Demo Account (Yes/No)
No
No
Islamic Accounts (Yes/No)
No
No
Minimum Deposit
$0
$0
Leverage Available
No
No
Trade Limit (maximum per trade)
Depends on asset class
Varies for each product
Commission (per account type)
$0
Euro 0
Best Suited For (e.g., beginners, experienced traders)
Both beginners and experienced traders
Beginners
Deposit & Withdrawal Options
Deposit Methods
Wire Fund Transfer, Check deposit, Asset transfer, ACH electronic transfer
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
Wire Fund Transfer, Check Deposit, Asset transfer, ACH electronic transfer, Withdrawal of sales proceed
Bank Transfers
Other E-Wallets Supported
No
No
Tools & Educational Resources
Economic Calendar
Yes
No
Tools & Educational Resources (tutorials, webinars, market news, etc.)
Education Center, Investment Education Videos, Option Guide, Margin Guide, Webinars, Tax center, Blogs, Upcoming IPOs
Savings interest calculator Inflation calculator Ticker time machine Rate comparison calculator
Fees & Commissions
Trading-Related Fees
Commission for stocks, ETFs, Options, Mutual funds- $0, Fixed income- Treasury Bills, Notes & Bonds, Municipal Bonds, Agency Bonds, Secondary Market CDs, Zeros & Strips- Net yield basis, Primary Market CDs- $30, Broker-Assisted Stock & Options Trades- $19.95 (+$0.50/Contract)
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
NA
Per Lot Fees
NA
NA
Options Contract Fees
$0
NA
Futures Contract Fees
NA
NA
Markup Fees on Spread
NA
NA
Guaranteed Stop Loss Fees
NA
NA
Maximum Leverage
No
Info not available
Non-Trading Fees
Dormant Fees
$0
$0
Subscription Fees (for premium features, data feeds)
NA
NA
Advisory Fees
0.20-0.30%
NA
Swap Fees (Overnight Financing)
NA
NA
Statement or Document Fee
$2-$5
NA
Account Opening Fee
$0
$0
Account Maintenance Fee
$0
$0
Deposit Fee
$0
In EUR & GBP Debit Card / ApplePay / Google Pay - First Euro500 lifetime free, 0.5% after In USD FedWire & Swift - $6.11
Currency Conversion Fee
3%
0.35%
Withdrawal Fee
$25-$75
$0
Bonuses, Promotions & Benefits
Bonuses, Promotions, and Referrals
Yes
Yes
Customer Benefits (e.g., Retirement Plan)
Yes
Yes
Trading Hours
Trading Hours (for each asset class if applicable)
Pre-Market: 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM ET Regular Market: 9:30 AM to 4:00 PM ET After-Hours: 4:05 PM to 8:00 PM ET
Vary for each asset class
Customer Support
Support Hours (e.g., 24/7, weekdays only)
Monday - Friday,10am - 4pm ET
24/7
Customer Support Methods (phone, email, live chat)
Phone: U.S. Toll Free: 1-800-869-8800, Outside the US: 1-718-961-6600, E-mail, FAQ, Fax: 1-718-961-3919
Email: mailto:[email protected], Live chat Phone number:+1 332-333-4220.
Support Languages
3
20+
Additional Information
Headquarters Location
30-50 Whitestone Expwy. Ste. A301 Flushing, NY 11354
Volta 1 Tallinn 10412 Estonia
Complaints (for crypto brokers)
No
No
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