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Freedom24 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 28, 2026

Key differences

Only Lightyear lists Euronext, London Stock Exchange, and Xetra (Deutsche Börse).
Only Freedom24 is licensed by CySEC.
Only Lightyear is licensed by EFSA and FCA.
Only Freedom24 supports Visa / Mastercard for deposits and withdrawals.

Criterion	Freedom24	Lightyear
Rating	4.1/5 on other platforms 5.8K ratings	4.6/5 on other platforms 5.5K ratings
Regulators	CySEC	EFSA, FCA
Markets	US exchanges (NYSE, Nasdaq)	US exchanges (NYSE, Nasdaq), Euronext, London Stock Exchange, Xetra (Deutsche Börse)
Products	stocks, ETFs, bonds, options	stocks, ETFs, fractional shares, bonds, funds
US stock or ETF order	$2 per order, $0.02 per share	0.1% of the order, minimum $0.10, maximum $1
Investor protection	Investor Compensation Fund (ICF)	Estonian Investor Protection Sectoral Fund, SIPC (US securities held with Alpaca)
Deposits and withdrawals	Bank transfer, Visa / Mastercard	Bank transfer, Visa / Mastercard, Apple Pay, Google Pay
Founded	2013	—
Headquarters	Cyprus	—
Currency conversion fee	—	0.35%
Available only in	—	Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Denmark +20
	Read review	Read review

Which regulators license Freedom24 and Lightyear?

Freedom24 is licensed by CySEC; Lightyear by EFSA and FCA.