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The comparison reads the same evidence fields used by broker profiles, so users can scan scores, regulation, costs, platforms, withdrawals, and caveats side by side.
Broker 1
Broker 2
| VS field |  |  |
|---|---|---|
Decision summary | ||
| Overall score | 84 | 91 |
| Trust score | 87 | 100 |
| Cost score | 78 | 92 |
| Platform score | 80 | 92 |
| Withdrawal score | 74 | 89 |
| Best for | UK and EU retail investors · Cost-conscious ETF and stock investors · Investors wanting EUR/GBP/USD multi-currency support | European self-directed investors seeking low-cost access to stocks and ETFs · Investors who prefer web/mobile platforms and exchange-traded products |
| Watch out | Needs verification | Needs verification |
Trust & regulation | ||
| Regulators | Regulated in the EU by EFSA/Finantsinspektsioon and in the UK by the FCA. Source | Primarily supervised by BaFin and Bundesbank in Germany; Dutch branch registered with DNB and supervised by AFM and DNB. Source |
| License numbers | EFSA licence 4.1-1/31, EFSA crypto-asset services permission 4.1-1/147, FCA FRN 987226. Source | Financial licence number not disclosed in reviewed official sources. Commercial registrations found: flatexDEGIRO Bank SE HRB 141330 on flatexDEGIRO Bank SE imprint; DEGIRO UK footer states HRB 105687; Dutch Branch KvK 82510245. Source |
| Regulated entities | EU services are provided by Lightyear Europe AS; UK services by Lightyear U.K. Ltd. Source | DEGIRO is operated by flatexDEGIRO Bank Dutch Branch, a branch of flatexDEGIRO Bank SE; flatexDEGIRO Bank SE is a licensed German bank headquartered in Frankfurt am Main. Source |
| Negative balance protection | No negative balance protection statement found; Lightyear appears to be cash/investment-only without leverage or short-selling. Source | No negative balance protection found. Official account-profile page warns losses can exceed deposit and result in a negative Balance for derivatives, margin and short-selling services; margin profiles are legacy-only. Source |
| Investor compensation | EU investor protection up to €20,000; US securities held with Alpaca are SIPC protected up to $500,000; UK client money/assets covered by FSCS subject to limitations. Source | Cash in flatexDEGIRO Bank SE Cash Account protected up to €100,000 per customer under German Deposit Guarantee Scheme; investor compensation covers up to 90% of non-returned assets, max €20,000 per customer; UK FSCS does not apply. Source |
| Restricted countries | Personal accounts are available only in listed UK/EEA countries; unavailable outside the service area and for US tax residents/citizens or where restrictions apply. Source | Available via listed country selector in Europe/UK; US persons are not accepted; UK onboarding for new clients was temporarily unavailable on the reviewed UK page. Source |
Costs & account conditions | ||
| Minimum deposit | No general minimum deposit was disclosed. Savings/Vaults states no minimums/no maximums and 'From 1€ to infinity'. Source | No fixed minimum deposit identified; DEGIRO homepage says users can add any amount of money to the account for free. Bank-account verification search result states minimum EUR 0.01 for linking a new bank account. Source |
| Spread from | Lightyear does not disclose a spread-from trading model for stocks/ETFs; pricing lists fixed/percentage order fees and 0.35% FX conversion fee. Source | Not a quoted-spread CFD/FX broker field. DEGIRO discloses that bid-ask spreads are implicit market costs and not direct broker costs. Source |
| Commission | ETFs free; US shares 0.10% ($0.10 min/$1 max); UK shares £1; EUR-denominated stocks/bonds/ETNs/ETCs €1; other European shares 0.10% with local minimums; crypto 0.45%; MMFs 0.10%-0.15% annual Lightyear fee. Source | Examples from UK fee page: US stocks €1 + €1 handling; LSE £1.75 + £1 handling; selected ETFs €0 + €1 handling; global ETFs €2 + €1 handling; options €0.75 commission. Currency, connectivity, external product and spread costs may apply. Source |
| Maximum leverage | Lightyear does not offer leveraged CFD/futures/options trading; no maximum leverage applies. Source | DEGIRO currently does not allow new changes to margin-trading profiles; legacy Active/Trader/Day Trader accounts may have Debit Money / derivatives risk but maximum leverage was not disclosed in reviewed sources. Source |
| Deposit fee | Local bank deposits are generally free; fast card/Apple Pay/Google Pay deposits cost 0.6%; USD FedWire and USD SWIFT receiving fee is $6.11. Source | No deposit fee disclosed on UK fee page and homepage; deposits listed as FEE €0 / no deposit-withdrawal fees. Source |
| Withdrawal fee | Local withdrawals are free from Lightyear; SWIFT withdrawals have no Lightyear fee but intermediary fees may apply. Source | No withdrawal fee disclosed on UK fee page and homepage; withdrawals listed as FEE €0 / no deposit-withdrawal fees. Source |
| Inactivity fee | No monthly/account/custody fee; no inactivity fee found in official pricing/help pages reviewed. Source | No inactivity fee; UK fee page lists inactivity fee as €0. Source |
Markets, platforms & payments | ||
| Tradable assets | 6,000+ stocks/funds including US, European and UK stocks, ETFs, money market funds, Baltic stocks, Baltic bonds and EU crypto assets. Source | Shares, ETFs, bonds and derivatives such as options and futures; DEGIRO product pages also describe investment funds availability. Source |
| Trading platforms | Available on Android and iOS mobile apps and Lightyear web application; no API offered. Source | DEGIRO provides a web/desktop trading platform (Webtrader) and mobile apps for iOS and Android. Source |
| Account types | Personal and business accounts; UK GIA, Cash ISA and Stocks & Shares ISA; local tax-advantaged Estonian Investeerimiskonto and Hungarian TBSZ. Source | DEGIRO account/profile types include Basic, Active, Trader, Day Trader and Custody. Active, Trader and Day Trader are legacy-only and new margin profiles are no longer available. Source |
| Deposit methods | EUR SEPA and cards/wallets; GBP FPS/CHAPS/BACS/cards/wallets/SWIFT; USD ACH/FedWire/SWIFT; HUF local bank transfers. Source | Manual bank transfer from a verified linked/reference bank account; deposits must use the account base currency. Source |
| Withdrawal methods | Local withdrawals for EUR/GBP/USD subject to prior bank details; GBP and USD SWIFT withdrawals may be available after bank statement verification. Source | Withdrawals go back to the primary registered/linked bank account; only uninvested cash in the Cash Account can be withdrawn. Source |
| Withdrawal processing time | Most withdrawals paid out within 2 business days; arrival depends on method/currency. Source | Withdrawals may take up to 2-4 working days; transfers can take up to 2-3 working days to complete. Source |
BrokerVS provides broker comparison research only. Scores and evidence can vary by country, account type, and legal entity; users should verify source links before opening an account.