Overview
Lightyear is an investing app for people in the UK and Europe who want to buy stocks and ETFs cheaply and leave them there. It's not a trading platform: there's no leverage, no margin and no CFDs. UK customers are with Lightyear UK Ltd, regulated by the FCA, and EU customers with Lightyear Europe AS, licensed by Estonia's financial regulator.
Accounts and costs
UK investors can open a Stocks & Shares ISA, a General Investment Account, a Cash ISA or a business account, with no minimum deposit. There's no commission and no account or custody fee. What you pay is a 0.1% FX fee when you convert currency, at the live interbank rate, and the GIA lets you hold pounds, dollars and euros so you aren't converting on every trade. Ready-made Plans from BlackRock and Vanguard carry the usual fund manager fees. EU pricing is a little different, with small per-order fees on stocks and no order fee on ETFs. Spare cash can sit in Vaults, money market funds run by BlackRock, which pay a variable rate.
Platforms and markets
Everything runs through Lightyear's own mobile and web app. It doesn't connect to TradingView or MetaTrader. You get 6,000+ instruments: 4,000+ US stocks, UK and European shares, ETFs, UK gilts and money market funds, and the EU help centre also covers crypto. You can buy fractional shares and set up auto-investing into a Plan.
Money in and out
Bank transfers in and out are free in GBP, EUR and USD. Card, Apple Pay and Google Pay deposits are quicker but cost 0.6%, and receiving a USD wire costs up to $8.50. There's no withdrawal fee.
Good
- No commission and no account fee for UK investors
- Low 0.1% FX fee at the interbank rate, with GBP, USD and EUR balances
- Stocks & Shares ISA and Cash ISA
- Interest on cash through BlackRock money market Vaults
- Free bank transfers in and out
Watch for
- No margin, options, futures, CFDs or forex
- 0.6% fee on card, Apple Pay and Google Pay deposits
- No TradingView or MetaTrader connection
- Narrower market list than the big global brokers
Accounts and costs
What each account needs to open and what you pay to trade on it.
| Account | Min deposit | Pricing | Max leverage |
|---|---|---|---|
| Stocks & Shares ISA (UK) | None | £0 commission and no account fee; 0.1% FX fee when you convert currency | — |
| General Investment Account (UK) | None | £0 commission, no account or custody fees; 0.1% FX fee; holds GBP, USD and EUR | — |
| Personal account (EU) | None | ETFs with no order fee; small per-order fees on stocks, e.g. €1 on EU stocks and 0.1% (max $1) on US stocks | — |
Regulation
Which entity holds which licence. Your protection depends on the entity you open an account with.
Investor protection: FSCS up to £120,000 for UK clients; Estonian Investor Protection Sectoral Fund up to €20,000 for EU clients
Platforms and markets
Platforms
Markets
Deposits and withdrawals
- Methods
- Bank transfer, Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay
- Minimum deposit
- None
What traders say
Scores from the sites traders use, and our summary of what they're saying, checked 6 October 2026.
Lightyear is one of the better-reviewed investing apps in Europe and the UK. Its Trustpilot page shows a 4-star rating from about 2,800 reviews, and several review sites quote its TrustScore at 4.7, with one counting about 81% five-star and 1% one-star reviews. User reviews on Good Money Guide average 4.9 from 676. Forex Peace Army has a page but no reviews in the evidence. Complaints are few and mostly about withdrawals or compliance checks.
What traders like
A clean, simple app. The most common praise on Trustpilot and Reddit is the interface: clear prices, quick to learn, good for people new to investing.
Low fees. Reviewers mention free ETF trades, low FX conversion costs (one says better than Revolut) and no account fees.
Interest on cash. Reddit users like earning interest on uninvested money, paid out monthly.
Local tax accounts. Hungarian users single out the TBSZ account and its clear instructions, and UK users mention the ISA.
Responsive support. Several long-term users say support answered quickly when they needed it.
Common complaints
Withdrawals held up. A small number of reviewers say withdrawals did not arrive or were frozen during a source-of-wealth review with little explanation. Others on Reddit report large withdrawals landing within a day.
Limited range. Some say the ETF selection is narrower than rivals and there is no out-of-hours trading or pension account.
Young company. A few Reddit users note Lightyear is a private startup with a short track record, and some see no reason to pick it over Trading 212 or XTB.
Technical glitches. Money To The Masses says the one-star reviews it read mostly cite technical issues.
Recently
October 2026: a Trustpilot reviewer this week says two withdrawals have not arrived; Lightyear replied that the case was escalated.
August to September 2026: review sites continue to quote a 4.7 TrustScore.
Where this comes from
Trustpilot: the main review page.
Good Money Guide: user reviews alongside an editorial review.
Forex Peace Army: a review page with little activity.
Reddit: a r/eupersonalfinance thread on reasons not to use Lightyear.
Money To The Masses: a review with a breakdown of Trustpilot ratings.
Verified reviews
Reviews from traders who've connected an account at Lightyear to Chartnaut, so you know they actually traded there. Opening soon.