We may earn a commission if you open an account or buy a challenge through links on this page. Commissions never change our scores. How we make money

eToro vs Lightyear: fees, markets and protection

Facts for both companies from their official pages; each was checked on the date shown in its review.

Facts verified on October 18, 2026

Key differences

Only eToro lists SIX Swiss Exchange, Toronto Stock Exchange, Hong Kong Exchanges (HKEX), Saudi Exchange (Tadawul), Dubai Financial Market (DFM), and Abu Dhabi Securities Exchange (ADX).
Only eToro is licensed by CySEC, FSRA (ADGM), ASIC, FSA, MAS, and SEC.
Only Lightyear is licensed by EFSA.
Only eToro supports Visa / Mastercard, PayPal, Neteller, and Skrill for deposits and withdrawals.

Criterion	eToro	Lightyear
Rating	4.0/5 on other platforms 175K ratings	4.6/5 on other platforms 5.5K ratings
Regulators	CySEC, FCA, FSRA (ADGM), ASIC, FSA, MAS, SEC	EFSA, FCA
Markets	US exchanges (NYSE, Nasdaq), London Stock Exchange, Euronext, Xetra (Deutsche Börse), SIX Swiss Exchange +5	US exchanges (NYSE, Nasdaq), Euronext, London Stock Exchange, Xetra (Deutsche Börse)
Products	stocks, ETFs, fractional shares	stocks, ETFs, fractional shares, bonds, funds
US stock or ETF order	$1 per order	0.1% of the order, minimum $0.10, maximum $1
Investor protection	FSCS, Cyprus Investor Compensation Fund (ICF), SIPC	Estonian Investor Protection Sectoral Fund, SIPC (US securities held with Alpaca)
Deposits and withdrawals	Visa / Mastercard, Bank transfer, PayPal, Neteller +1	Bank transfer, Visa / Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay
Founded	2007	—
Currency conversion fee	—	0.35%
Available only in	—	Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark +20
	Read review	Read review

Which regulators license eToro and Lightyear?

eToro is licensed by CySEC, FCA, FSRA (ADGM), ASIC, FSA, MAS, and SEC; Lightyear by EFSA and FCA.