Select Your Brokers to Compare
Fidelity vs Lightyear : Fees, Safety & Trading Conditions Compared (2026)
Broker Name
Fidelity
Lightyear
Broker Overview
Broker Type (e.g., Market Maker, ECN/STP)
STP broker
STP
Years of Existence / Established Year
1946
2020
Customer Base / Number of Accounts
51.4 million
Info not available
Regulation & Security
Regulations (governing bodies)
SEC, MSRB, FINRA
FCA EFSA
Awards Won (count for the last 2 years)
Best Online Broker for Beginning Investors 2024, Rated #1 for Overall Broker 2024, Best Online Broker 2023
No major awards listed
Security Measures
FDIC , SIPC
SIPC, EIPSF Upto Euro 20,000
SSL Encryption / 2FA
Yes
Yes
Segregated Funds
Yes* Restriction for some clients
Yes
Negative Balance Protection
No
No
Trading Instruments/Products Offered
Assets Types / Trading Instruments (total count and breakdown)
10000+ mutual funds including fixed income, CDs, Annuities, life insurance, long-term Care Planning, 529 Plans IRAs, Health Savings Account
US / EU / UK Stocks (3500+) Interest Money Market Funds Baltic Stocks Baltic Bonds
Currency Pairs
No
No
Commodities
No
No
Indices
No
No
Cryptocurrencies
Yes
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)
No
No
Precious Metals
No
Yes - through Exchange Traded Commodities
Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)
No
Yes - through REIT stocks
Equities
Yes
Yes
Trading Platforms & Technology
Trading Platform Availability
Yes
Yes
MT4
No
No
MT5
No
No
cTrader
No
No
Social Trading
Yes
Copy Trading
No
No
Other Trading Platforms (proprietary, etc.)
Trading dashboard, Fidelity mobile, Active Trader Pro
Lightyear's proprietary platform
Platform Compatibility (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)
Yes
Yes
Account Types & Conditions
Account Types (Retail, Pro, VIP, etc.)
Fidelity® Cash Management Account., The Fidelity Account, Individual Retirement Account (IRA), 529 College Savings Account., Fidelity HSA, Custodial Account (UGMA/UTMA)
Personal Business
Demo Account (Yes/No)
Yes
No
Islamic Accounts (Yes/No)
No
No
Minimum Deposit
$0
$0
Leverage Available
No
No
Trade Limit (maximum per trade)
Depends on assets class
Varies for each product
Commission (per account type)
$0
Euro 0
Best Suited For (e.g., beginners, experienced traders)
Beginners and experienced traders
Beginners
Deposit & Withdrawal Options
Deposit Methods
ATM/debit card, Deposits eligible for FDIC insurance, Cash Manager, Fidelity Mobile, Bill Pay, Check writing, Automatic investments, Automatic withdrawals, Direct deposit, Electronic funds transfer (EFT), 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
Electronic funds transfer (EFT), Bank wire, Paper check, Paper bill varies by account types
Bank Transfers
Other E-Wallets Supported
Venmo or PayPal
No
Tools & Educational Resources
Economic Calendar
No
No
Tools & Educational Resources (tutorials, webinars, market news, etc.)
Research and Tools, Investment Education, Webinars and Online Courses, Market News and Insights, Retirement and Planning Tools
Savings interest calculator Inflation calculator Ticker time machine Rate comparison calculator
Fees & Commissions
Trading-Related Fees
Commission for U.S stocks, ETFs, Options- $0, Mutual funds- $49.95, Crypto spread- 1.0 pip, Margin liquidation -$32.95 per liquidation, Stock certificate transfer and ship $10 Per Certificate
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)
NA
NA
Per Lot Fees
NA
NA
Options Contract Fees
$0.65/ Contract fee
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
NA
NA
Swap Fees (Overnight Financing)
NA
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
$50/ per trade
0.35%
Withdrawal Fee
Wire transfer-$3
$0
Bonuses, Promotions & Benefits
Bonuses, Promotions, and Referrals
No
Yes
Customer Benefits (e.g., Retirement Plan)
Yes
Yes
Trading Hours
Trading Hours (for each asset class if applicable)
Premarket session -7:00 a.m. to 9:28 a.m. ET.
Vary for each asset class
Customer Support
Support Hours (e.g., 24/7, weekdays only)
8:30 a.m. - 8:30 p.m. ET , Monday- Friday
24/7
Customer Support Methods (phone, email, live chat)
Phone: 800-343-0860, 800-835-5095, Live chat, Login for personalized help, FAQs
Email: mailto:[email protected], Live chat Phone number:+1 332-333-4220.
Support Languages
2
20+
Additional Information
Headquarters Location
Boston, MA
Volta 1 Tallinn 10412 Estonia
Complaints (for crypto brokers)
No
No
Explore More Broker Matchups
Here are more Comparisons to help you choose wisely
No