Sofi Active Investing vs Lightyear : Fees, Safety & Trading Conditions Compared (2026)

Broker Name

Sofi Active Investing

Lightyear

Broker Overview

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

Market maker

STP

Years of Existence / Established Year

2019

2020

Customer Base / Number of Accounts

6.2+ Million

Info not available

Regulation & Security

Regulations (governing bodies)

SEC, FINRA

FCA EFSA

Awards Won (count for the last 2 years)

No major awards listed

Security Measures

SIPC

SIPC, EIPSF Upto Euro 20,000

SSL Encryption / 2FA

Yes

Segregated Funds

Yes

Negative Balance Protection

Trading Instruments/Products Offered

Assets Types / Trading Instruments (total count and breakdown)

IPO, IRA, Shares

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

Currency Pairs

Commodities

Indices

Cryptocurrencies

Yes

CFDs

ETFs

Yes

Stocks

Yes

Options

Yes

Futures

Bonds

Yes

Mutual Funds

Yes

Fractional Shares

Yes

Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs)

Precious Metals

Yes - through Exchange Traded Commodities

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

Yes - through REIT stocks

Equities

Yes

Trading Platforms & Technology

Trading Platform Availability

Yes

MT4

MT5

cTrader

Social Trading

Yes

Copy Trading

Other Trading Platforms (proprietary, etc.)

Mobile and Web app

Lightyear's proprietary platform

Platform Compatibility (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)

Yes

Account Types & Conditions

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

Individual brokerage, IRA (Traditional, Roth, SEP)

Personal Business

Demo Account (Yes/No)

Islamic Accounts (Yes/No)

Minimum Deposit

Leverage Available

Trade Limit (maximum per trade)

Account Equity < $25,000: No Day Trades

Varies for each product

Commission (per account type)

Euro 0

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

Passive investors

Beginners

Deposit & Withdrawal Options

Deposit Methods

Bank transfers (ACH), direct deposit from linked bank accounts

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 transfer back to linked bank accounts

Bank Transfers

Other E-Wallets Supported

Tools & Educational Resources

Economic Calendar

Yes

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

Learn (Investing Education), Market Insights and Analysis, Webinars, Investing Guides, Financial Planning Tools, Sofi Insights (Market News)

Savings interest calculator Inflation calculator Ticker time machine Rate comparison calculator

Fees & Commissions

Trading-Related Fees

Stocks, ETFs-$0,Commission -$0

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)

Per Lot Fees

Options Contract Fees

$0- $5

Futures Contract Fees

Markup Fees on Spread

Guaranteed Stop Loss Fees

Maximum Leverage

Info not available

Non-Trading Fees

Dormant Fees

$25

Subscription Fees (for premium features, data feeds)

Advisory Fees

Depending on assets type, Professional charges- 1% , annual advisory fees as low as 0.25%

Swap Fees (Overnight Financing)

Statement or Document Fee

$5 paper statement 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

Outgoing ACAT transfers $100

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)

Depends on the instrument offer

Vary for each asset class

Customer Support

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

Monday - Friday 5am-5pm PT

24/7

Customer Support Methods (phone, email, live chat)

Live chat, Phone: 855-456-7634, Virtual assistant

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

Support Languages

20+

Additional Information

Headquarters Location

San Francisco, California.

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.

Both Sofi Active Investing and Lightyear offer affordable fee structures, but Sofi Active Investing generally edges out with no inactivity fees and lower commissions on standard trades, whereas Lightyear shines with bundled research and platform access.

Sofi Active Investing offers a quick and paperless account setup that appeals to traders on the go, whereas Lightyear more involved onboarding process adds an extra layer of safety and regulatory checks.

New traders may find Sofi Active Investing interface more welcoming, while Lightyear appeals to experienced users looking for tools like heatmaps, screeners, and market sentiment overlays.

Sofi Active Investing caters to serious traders who value advanced features, whereas Lightyear appeals to beginners due to its user-friendly platform.

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