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TradeStation vs Lightyear : Fees, Safety & Trading Conditions Compared (2026)
Broker Name
TradeStation
Lightyear
Broker Overview
Broker Type (e.g., Market Maker, ECN/STP)
ECN broker
STP
Years of Existence / Established Year
1982
2020
Customer Base / Number of Accounts
226506+ clients
Info not available
Regulation & Security
Regulations (governing bodies)
CFTC, NFA, FINRA, SEC
FCA EFSA
Awards Won (count for the last 2 years)
Best in Class awards in StockBrockers.com 2023 Online Broker Review, Best Brokerage App at the 2023 Benzinga Global Fintech Awards, TradingView's Best Broker in the AMER Region 2023 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)
Futures option
US / EU / UK Stocks (3500+) Interest Money Market Funds Baltic Stocks Baltic Bonds
Currency Pairs
No
No
Commodities
No
No
Indices
No
No
Cryptocurrencies
No
No
CFDs
No
No
ETFs
Yes
Yes
Stocks
Yes
Yes
Options
Yes
No
Futures
Yes
No
Bonds
No
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
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.)
Desktop, Web trading, Mobile app, Futures Plus
Lightyear's proprietary platform
Platform Compatibility (Windows, Mac, iOS, Android)
Yes
Yes
Account Types & Conditions
Account Types (Retail, Pro, VIP, etc.)
Individual, Retirement, Entity
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 asset 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
Wire transfer, Check, 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 transfer, Check, Electronic transfer
Bank Transfers
Other E-Wallets Supported
No
No
Tools & Educational Resources
Economic Calendar
Yes
No
Tools & Educational Resources (tutorials, webinars, market news, etc.)
Trading Education, Market Insights, Webinars, Online Trading Courses, Strategy Development and Backtesting
Savings interest calculator Inflation calculator Ticker time machine Rate comparison calculator
Fees & Commissions
Trading-Related Fees
Commission- Stocks and ETFs- $0, Stock options- $0 Commission + $0.60 per contract, Future options- $0 Commission + $0.60 per contract, Micro futures- $0 Commission + $0.50 per contract, per side, Futures- $0 Commission + $1.50 per contract, per side
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)
Variable
NA
Per Lot Fees
NA
NA
Options Contract Fees
$0 Commission + $0.60 per contract
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
$10 per month
$0
Subscription Fees (for premium features, data feeds)
TradeStation platform - $149.95 / month, Without Brokerage Account- $99.99 / month $199.99 for professionals, folio-level strategy back-testing tool - $59.95 / month
NA
Advisory Fees
$25
NA
Swap Fees (Overnight Financing)
NA
NA
Statement or Document Fee
$1 per page
NA
Account Opening Fee
$0
$0
Account Maintenance Fee
$35 per year
$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
Starts from $0.35
0.35%
Withdrawal Fee
Wire transfer- $25- $35
$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 ET to 4:00 pm ET
Vary for each asset class
Customer Support
Support Hours (e.g., 24/7, weekdays only)
8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. ET
24/7
Customer Support Methods (phone, email, live chat)
Phone: 800.822.0512, Live chat, E-mail: [email protected]
Email: mailto:[email protected], Live chat Phone number:+1 332-333-4220.
Support Languages
1
20+
Additional Information
Headquarters Location
8050 SW 10th Street, Suite 2000. Plantation, FL 33324
Volta 1 Tallinn 10412 Estonia
Complaints (for crypto brokers)
No
No
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