# Lightyear Low-cost UK and EU investing app with commission-free stocks, ETFs and ISAs Source page: https://trust.chartnaut.com/brokers/lightyear Website: https://lightyear.com Type: Stocks & ETFs Founded: — Based in: — Minimum deposit: None Markets: Stocks, ETFs, Crypto, Bonds Platforms: Own platform / app Deposits and withdrawals: Bank transfer, Card, Apple Pay, Google Pay ## 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 ## Regulation - FCA: Lightyear UK Ltd, licence FRN 987226 - Other (Estonian Financial Supervision Authority (Finantsinspektsioon)): Lightyear Europe AS, licence 4.1-1/31 Investor protection: FSCS up to £120,000 for UK clients; Estonian Investor Protection Sectoral Fund up to €20,000 for EU clients - Fractional shares: yes - Tax-advantaged accounts: yes - Segregated client funds: yes ## Accounts and costs | 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 | — | ## What traders say Checked 2026-10-06. - Trustpilot: 4 / 5 from 2,832 reviews (https://www.trustpilot.com/review/lightyear.com) - Good Money Guide (user reviews): 4.9 / 5 from 676 reviews (https://goodmoneyguide.com/review/lightyear/) - Forex Peace Army: no score (https://www.forexpeacearmy.com/forex-reviews/23061/lightyear-review) - Reddit: no score (https://www.reddit.com/r/eupersonalfinance/comments/1aim1i1/any_reasons_not_to_use_lightyear/) 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](https://www.trustpilot.com/review/lightyear.com): the main review page. - [Good Money Guide](https://goodmoneyguide.com/review/lightyear/): user reviews alongside an editorial review. - [Forex Peace Army](https://www.forexpeacearmy.com/forex-reviews/23061/lightyear-review): a review page with little activity. - [Reddit](https://www.reddit.com/r/eupersonalfinance/comments/1aim1i1/any_reasons_not_to_use_lightyear/): a r/eupersonalfinance thread on reasons not to use Lightyear. - [Money To The Masses](https://moneytothemasses.com/saving-for-your-future/investing/lightyear-review-2025-should-you-use-it-to-invest): a review with a breakdown of Trustpilot ratings. --- Information gathered from public sources (company websites, regulator registers, third-party review sites). Ratings are quoted from those sources and are not the opinion of Chartnaut.com. Not financial advice. Trading carries a high risk of loss. Questions or corrections: help@chartnaut.com. Methodology: https://trust.chartnaut.com/methodology