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

Broker Name

Lightyear

Lightyear

VS
Questrade

Questrade

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Broker Overview

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

STP

ECN

Years of Existence / Established Year

2020

1999

Customer Base / Number of Accounts

Info not available

Info not available


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Regulation & Security

Regulations (governing bodies)

FCA EFSA

CIRO

Awards Won (count for the last 2 years)

No major awards listed

DALBAR seal of service excellence in 2024 for the 6th consecutive year Canada's #1 rated online broker by MoneySense

Security Measures

SIPC, EIPSF Upto Euro 20,000

CIPF

SSL Encryption / 2FA

Yes

Yes

Segregated Funds

Yes

No

Negative Balance Protection

No

Yes


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Trading Instruments/Products Offered

Assets Types / Trading Instruments (total count and breakdown)

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

GICs IPOs

Currency Pairs

No

Yes

Commodities

No

Yes

Indices

No

Yes

Cryptocurrencies

No

Yes

CFDs

No

Yes

ETFs

Yes

Yes

Stocks

Yes

Yes

Options

No

Yes

Futures

No

No

Bonds

Yes

Yes

Mutual Funds

No

Yes

Fractional Shares

Yes

No

Exchange Traded Notes (ETNs)

No

No

Precious Metals

Yes - through Exchange Traded Commodities

Yes

Real Estate Investment Trusts (REITs)

Yes - through REIT stocks

No

Equities

Yes

Yes


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Trading Platforms & Technology

Trading Platform Availability

Yes

Yes

MT4

No

No

MT5

No

No

cTrader

No

No

Social Trading

Yes

No

Copy Trading

No

No

Other Trading Platforms (proprietary, etc.)

Lightyear's proprietary platform

All-in-One Platforms Questrade Trading Quest MobileAdvanced Trading Platforms Questrade Edge Mobile Questrade Edge Questrade Global

Platform Compatibility (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)

Yes

Yes


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Account Types & Conditions

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

Personal Business

Tax-Free Savings Account - TFSA Registered Retirement Savings Plan - RRSP First Home Savings Account - FHSA Registered Education Savings Plan - RESP

Demo Account (Yes/No)

No

Yes

Islamic Accounts (Yes/No)

No

No

Minimum Deposit

$0

$250

Leverage Available

No

NA

Trade Limit (maximum per trade)

Varies for each product

Varies by instrument

Commission (per account type)

Euro 0

Casual Traders (Basic) Stocks - $4.95 to $9.95 Options - $9.95 + $1 / contract ETFs - Free(sell 1c/share min $4.95 to max $9.95)Options and day traders (Fixed) Stocks - $4.95 to $9.95 Options - $4.95 + $0.75 / contract ETFs - Free (sell for $4.95 per trade)Volume traders (Variable) Stocks - $4.95 to $9.95 (min $0.01 to max $6.95) Options - $6.95 + $0.75 / contract ETFs - Buy for free (sell 1c/share min $4.95 to max $9.95)

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

Beginners

Beginners


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Deposit & Withdrawal Options

Deposit Methods

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

Instant deposit (Visa & Interac Debit cards) - CAD only Online banking bill payment - CAD only Pre-authorized deposit - CAD & USD Transfers from other brokers - CAD & USD Wire transfer - CAD & USD Non-certified cheque - CAD & USD Stock certificate

Withdrawal Methods

Bank Transfers

EFTs (CAD or USD) Wire transfers (CAD or USD)

Other E-Wallets Supported

No

No


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Tools & Educational Resources

Economic Calendar

No

Yes

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

Savings interest calculator Inflation calculator Ticker time machine Rate comparison calculator

TradingView TipRanks OptionsPlay Multileg options trading


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Fees & Commissions

Trading-Related Fees

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

Stocks 1C / share (min $4.95 to max $9.95) ETFs Buy Free. Sell 1C / share (min $4.95 to max $9.95) Mutual funds - $9.95 per trade International equities - 1% of trade value Precious metals - $19.95 / trade Notes & debentures - $0.10 per $1,000 par value FX & CFDs - pips as low as 0.08

Spread (typical, fixed, variable)

NA

Fixed

Per Lot Fees

NA

$1 per contract for options

Options Contract Fees

NA

$9.95 + $1 / contract

Futures Contract Fees

NA

NA

Markup Fees on Spread

NA

NA

Guaranteed Stop Loss Fees

NA

NA

Maximum Leverage

Info not available

NA


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Non-Trading Fees

Dormant Fees

$0

$0

Subscription Fees (for premium features, data feeds)

NA

$0

Advisory Fees

NA

$0

Swap Fees (Overnight Financing)

NA

Yes

Statement or Document Fee

NA

estatement - free Copy of statement - $20 Unclaimed property - $29.95 per quarter Regular mail - $10

Account Opening Fee

$0

$0

Account Maintenance Fee

$0

Portfolio fees 0.25% with a balance of $1000 - $99,999 0.20% with a balance of $100,000+

Deposit Fee

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

CAD EFT upto $50,000 - free USD EFT upto $25,000 - free CAD Wire transfer - $20 USD wire transfer - $30 International wire transfer - $40

Currency Conversion Fee

0.35%

1.50%

Withdrawal Fee

$0

EFTs - Free Wire transfer - $20 CAD for CAD wire $30 USD for USD wire $40 USD/CAD for international wires


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Bonuses, Promotions & Benefits

Bonuses, Promotions, and Referrals

Yes

Yes

Customer Benefits (e.g., Retirement Plan)

Yes

No


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Trading Hours

Trading Hours (for each asset class if applicable)

Vary for each asset class

North Americal Stock Markets 9:30am to 4pm ET Pre-market hours - 7am to 9:30am Post-market hours - 4pm to 8pm


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Customer Support

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

24/7

24x5

Customer Support Methods (phone, email, live chat)

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

Toll-free Canada - 1.866.980.9590 From US - 1.416.227.6911FX & CFDs Chat hours: Monday - Thursday 8:3-am to 8pm EST, Friday 8:30am to 5:30pm EST Ph: 416.227.6913 Toll-free Canada - 1.866.980.9591

Support Languages

20+

2


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Additional Information

Headquarters Location

Volta 1 Tallinn 10412 Estonia

Toronto, Ontario Canada

Complaints (for crypto brokers)

No

No


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.
If minimizing trading costs is your top priority, Lightyear might be more attractive due to its lower commissions. Meanwhile, Questrade justifies its moderate fees with more robust tools and professional-grade features.
While Lightyear prioritizes fast registration with minimal steps, Questrade focuses on a thorough vetting process that gives more flexibility in choosing account types and features.
Traders who value simplicity and execution speed may prefer Lightyear platform. Meanwhile, Questrade offers more flexibility through tools like advanced order types and multi-screen support.
Advanced users will enjoy Lightyear capabilities, but Questrade remains a favorite for its streamlined and beginner-centric approach.