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Interactive Brokers vs Lightyear : Fees, Safety & Trading Conditions Compared (2026)
Broker Name
Interactive Brokers
Lightyear
Broker Overview
Broker Type (e.g., Market Maker, ECN/STP)
Market maker
STP
Years of Existence / Established Year
1993
2020
Customer Base / Number of Accounts
3.12M
Info not available
Regulation & Security
Regulations (governing bodies)
SEC, FINRA, NYSE, FCA, FINMA, CFTC, MAS, SFC, CBI, IIROC, JFSA, MiFiD
FCA EFSA
Awards Won (count for the last 2 years)
Best Online Broker for Advanced Traders in 2024, Professional Trading 2024, #1 Best Online Broker in 2023, Best for Advanced Traders, Best Online Broker in 2024, Best Stock Broker for International Trading
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
Yes
No
Trading Instruments/Products Offered
Assets Types / Trading Instruments (total count and breakdown)
150 Markets including Forecast and event contracts, Spot currencies,US spot Gold, Hedge funds
US / EU / UK Stocks (3500+) Interest Money Market Funds Baltic Stocks Baltic Bonds
Currency Pairs
Yes
No
Commodities
No
No
Indices
No
No
Cryptocurrencies
Yes
No
CFDs
No
No
ETFs
Yes
Yes
Stocks
Yes
Yes
Options
Yes
No
Futures
Yes
No
Bonds
Yes
Yes
Mutual Funds
Yes
No
Fractional Shares
Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs)
No
No
Precious Metals
Yes
Yes - through Exchange Traded Commodities
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
No
Yes - through REIT stocks
Equities
No
Yes
Trading Platforms & Technology
Trading Platform Availability
Yes
Yes
MT4
No
No
MT5
No
No
cTrader
No
No
Social Trading
Yes
Copy Trading
Yes
No
Other Trading Platforms (proprietary, etc.)
IBKR global Trader, Client Portal, Desktop, Mobile, Trader workstation, APIs, Forecast Trader, IMPACT
Lightyear's proprietary platform
Platform Compatibility (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)
Yes
Yes
Account Types & Conditions
Account Types (Retail, Pro, VIP, etc.)
Individual, Joint, Trust, IRA and UGMA/UTMA Accounts, Non-Professional Advisor Accounts, Family Office Accounts, Small Business Accounts, Advisor Accounts, Money Manager Accounts, Broker & FCM Accounts, Proprietary Trading Group Accounts, Hedge Fund & Mutual Fund Accounts, Compliance Officers, Administrators, Institutional Hedge Fund Investors
Personal Business
Demo Account (Yes/No)
Yes
No
Islamic Accounts (Yes/No)
Yes
No
Minimum Deposit
$0
$0
Leverage Available
10:1 to 50:1
No
Trade Limit (maximum per trade)
EUR 5,000,000
Varies for each product
Commission (per account type)
$0
Euro 0
Best Suited For (e.g., beginners, experienced traders)
Beginner to advanced traders
Beginners
Deposit & Withdrawal Options
Deposit Methods
ACH transfer, Link a new bank account, Bank wire, Transfer from wise balance, Scan a check , Mail a check, SEPA
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
ACH, Check, Direct debit, Transfer to wise balance, Canadian ETF transfer, SEPA
Bank Transfers
Other E-Wallets Supported
No
No
Tools & Educational Resources
Economic Calendar
Yes
No
Tools & Educational Resources (tutorials, webinars, market news, etc.)
Traders' Academy (Online Courses), IBKR Webinars, Market Insights and Analysis, Trader's University (Video Tutorials), IBKR Quant Blog (Quantitative Trading), Customer Education (Trading Guides)
Savings interest calculator Inflation calculator Ticker time machine Rate comparison calculator
Fees & Commissions
Trading-Related Fees
IBKR Lite: Commission-free U.S. stocks, ETFs, and specific mutual funds, IBKR Pro: $0.005 per share, minimum $1 per trade
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)
Fixed spread
NA
Per Lot Fees
NA
NA
Options Contract Fees
$0.65/contract
NA
Futures Contract Fees
$0.85
NA
Markup Fees on Spread
$1.50
NA
Guaranteed Stop Loss Fees
NA
NA
Maximum Leverage
50:1
Info not available
Non-Trading Fees
Dormant Fees
$0
$0
Subscription Fees (for premium features, data feeds)
NA
NA
Advisory Fees
It depends up on the account type
NA
Swap Fees (Overnight Financing)
over $10 million free
NA
Statement or Document Fee
NA
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
$0.03
0.35%
Withdrawal Fee
$10 outgoing wire transfer fee
$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)
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM ET, Monday through Friday Overnight trading hours: 8:00 PM ET - 3:50 AM ET, Sunday through Friday
Vary for each asset class
Customer Support
Support Hours (e.g., 24/7, weekdays only)
24/7
24/7
Customer Support Methods (phone, email, live chat)
Phone: 1 (888) 919-0022, E-mail: [email protected], Live chat
Email: mailto:[email protected], Live chat Phone number:+1 332-333-4220.
Support Languages
33
20+
Additional Information
Headquarters Location
Greenwich, Connecticut
Volta 1 Tallinn 10412 Estonia
Complaints (for crypto brokers)
No
No
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