Is Lightspeed better than Robinhood? After testing 11 of the best online brokers over three months, Robinhood (62.62%) is better than Lightspeed (61.3%). Robinhood used to shine thanks to its easy-to-use mobile app and $0 trades. However, today, all of the largest online brokers offer free stock and ETF trades. As a result, it is much more difficult for Robinhood to outduel the competition.
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Robinhood vs Lightspeed 2021
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Overall Rating
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
| Overall | ||
| Commissions & Fees | ||
| Offering of Investments | ||
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Mobile Trading | ||
| Research | ||
| Education | ||
| Ease of Use | ||
| Robinhood Review | Lightspeed Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
Trading Fees
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
| Minimum Deposit | $0.00 | $10,000.00 |
| Stock Trades | $0.00 | $4.50 |
| ETF Trade Fee | $0.00 | $4.50 |
| Mutual Fund Trade Fee | N/A | N/A |
| Options (Base Fee) | $0.00 | $0.00 |
| Options (Per Contract) | $0.00 | $0.60 |
| Futures (Per Contract) | N/A | $1.29 |
| Broker Assisted Trade Fee | N/A | $25.00 |
Margin Rates
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
| Under $24,999.99 | 2.50% | 7.50% |
| $25,000.00 to $49,999.99 | 2.50% | 7.50% |
| $50,000.00 to $99,999.99 | 2.50% | 6.50% |
| $100,000.00 to $249,999.99 | 2.50% | 6.50% |
| $250,000.00 to $499,999.99 | 2.50% | 5.75% |
| $500,000.00 to $999,999.99 | 2.50% | 5.25% |
| Above $1,000,000.00 | 2.50% | 5.00% |
Account Fees
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
| IRA Annual Fee | N/A | $35.00 |
| IRA Closure Fee | N/A | $95.00 |
|
Account Transfer Out (Partial) |
$75.00 | $95.00 |
|
Account Transfer Out (Full) |
$75.00 | $95.00 |
Investment Options
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
|
Stock Trading |
Yes | Yes |
|
Fractional Shares |
Yes | No |
|
OTCBB / Pink Sheets |
No | Yes |
|
Options Trading |
Yes | Yes |
|
Complex Options Max Legs |
4 | 4 |
|
Futures Trading |
No | Yes |
|
Forex Trading |
No | No |
|
Crypto Trading |
Yes | No |
|
Crypto Trading - Total Coins |
7 | 0 |
|
Mutual Funds (No Load) |
0 | 0 |
|
Mutual Funds (Total) |
0 | 0 |
|
Bonds (US Treasury) |
No | Yes |
|
Bonds (Corporate) |
No | No |
|
Bonds (Municipal) |
No | No |
|
Advisor Services |
No | No |
|
International Trading |
No | No |
Order Types
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
|
Order Type - Market |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - Limit |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - After-Hours |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - Stop |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - Trailing Stop |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Type - OCO |
No | Yes |
|
Order Type - OTO |
No | Yes |
|
Order Type - Broker Assisted |
No | Yes |
Beginners
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
|
Education (Stocks) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Education (ETFs) |
No | No |
|
Education (Options) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Education (Mutual Funds) |
No | No |
|
Education (Bonds) |
No | No |
|
Education (Retirement) |
No | No |
|
Retirement Calculator |
No | No |
|
Investor Dictionary |
Yes | Yes |
|
Paper Trading |
No | Yes |
|
Videos |
No | Yes |
|
Webinars (Monthly Avg) |
0 | 1 |
|
Webinars (Archived) |
No | Yes |
|
Progress Tracking |
No | No |
|
Interactive Learning - Quizzes |
No | No |
Stock Trading Apps
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
|
iPhone App |
Yes | Yes |
|
Android App |
Yes | Yes |
|
Apple Watch App |
Yes | No |
|
Trading - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
|
Trading - After-Hours |
Yes | No |
|
Trading - Simple Options |
Yes | Yes |
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Trading - Complex Options |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Ticket RT Quotes |
Yes | Yes |
|
Order Ticket SRT Quotes |
Yes | Yes |
Stock App Features
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
|
Market Movers (Top Gainers) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Stream Live TV |
No | No |
|
Videos on Demand |
Yes | No |
|
Stock Alerts |
No | Yes |
|
Option Chains Viewable |
Yes | Yes |
|
Watch List (Real-time) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Watch List (Streaming) |
No | Yes |
|
Watch Lists - Create & Manage |
Yes | Yes |
|
Watch Lists - Column Customization |
Yes | No |
|
Watch List - Column Filtering |
Yes | Yes |
Stock App Charting
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
|
Charting - After-Hours |
Yes | No |
|
Charting - Can Turn Horizontally |
No | Yes |
|
Charting - Multiple Time Frames |
Yes | Yes |
|
Charting - Technical Studies |
0 | 0 |
|
Charting - Study Customizations |
No | No |
|
Charting - Stock Comparisons |
No | No |
Trading Platforms
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
|
Desktop Trading Platform |
No | Yes |
|
Web Trading Platform |
Yes | Yes |
|
Paper Trading |
No | Yes |
|
Trade Journal |
No | No |
|
Watch Lists - Total Fields |
7 | 141 |
Stock Chart Features
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
|
Charting - Adjust Trades on Chart |
No | Yes |
|
Charting - Indicators / Studies |
5 | 20 |
|
Charting - Drawing Tools |
0 | 8 |
|
Charting - Notes |
No | No |
|
Charting - Index Overlays |
No | Yes |
|
Charting - Historical Trades |
No | Yes |
|
Charting - Corporate Events |
No | No |
|
Charting - Custom Date Range |
No | No |
|
Charting - Custom Time Bars |
No | No |
|
Charting - Automated Analysis |
No | No |
|
Charting - Save Profiles |
No | Yes |
|
Trade Ideas - Technical Analysis |
No | No |
|
Charting - Study Customizations |
2 | 4 |
|
Charting - Custom Studies |
No | No |
Day Trading
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
|
Streaming Time & Sales |
No | Yes |
|
Streaming TV |
No | No |
|
Direct Market Routing - Stocks |
No | Yes |
|
Ladder Trading |
No | No |
|
Trade Hot Keys |
No | Yes |
|
Level 2 Quotes - Stocks |
No | Yes |
|
Trade Ideas - Backtesting |
No | No |
|
Trade Ideas - Backtesting Adv |
No | No |
|
Short Locator |
No | Yes |
|
Order Liquidity Rebates |
No | Yes |
Research Overview
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
|
Research - Stocks |
Yes | Yes |
|
Research - ETFs |
Yes | Yes |
|
Research - Mutual Funds |
No | No |
|
Research - Pink Sheets / OTCBB |
No | No |
|
Research - Bonds |
No | No |
|
Screener - Stocks |
No | Yes |
|
Screener - ETFs |
No | No |
|
Screener - Mutual Funds |
No | No |
|
Screener - Options |
No | No |
|
Screener - Bonds |
No | No |
|
Misc - Portfolio Builder |
No | No |
|
Misc - Portfolio Allocation |
Yes | No |
Stock Research
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
|
Stock Research - PDF Reports |
0 | 0 |
|
Stock Research - Earnings |
Yes | No |
|
Stock Research - Insiders |
No | Yes |
|
Stock Research - SEC Filings |
No | No |
|
Stock Research - Social |
No | Yes |
|
Stock Research - Balance Sheet |
No | No |
|
Stock Research - Cash Flows |
No | No |
|
Stock Research - News |
Yes | Yes |
|
Stock Research - ESG |
No | No |
ETF Research
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
|
ETFs - Strategy Overview |
Yes | No |
|
ETF Fund Facts - Inception Date |
No | No |
|
ETF Fund Facts - Expense Ratio |
No | No |
|
ETF Fund Facts - Net Assets |
No | No |
|
ETF Fund Facts - Total Holdings |
No | No |
|
ETFs - Top 10 Holdings |
No | No |
|
ETFs - Performance Analysis |
Yes | No |
|
ETFs - Sector Exposure |
No | No |
|
ETFs - Risk Analysis |
No | No |
|
ETFs - Ratings |
No | No |
|
ETFs - Morningstar StyleMap |
No | No |
|
ETFs - PDF Reports |
No | No |
Mutual Fund Research
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
|
Mutual Funds - Strategy Overview |
No | No |
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Mutual Funds - Performance Chart |
No | No |
|
Mutual Funds - Performance Analysis |
No | No |
|
Mutual Funds - Prospectus |
No | No |
|
Mutual Funds - PDF Reports |
No | No |
|
Mutual Funds - Fees Breakdown |
No | No |
|
Mutual Funds - Top 10 Holdings |
No | No |
|
Mutual Funds - Asset Allocation |
No | No |
|
Mutual Funds - Sector Allocation |
No | No |
|
Mutual Funds - Country Allocation |
No | No |
|
Mutual Funds - StyleMap |
No | No |
|
Mutual Funds - 3rd Party Ratings |
No | No |
Options Trading
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
|
Option Chains - Basic View |
Yes | Yes |
|
Option Chains - Strategy View |
No | No |
|
Option Chains - Streaming |
Yes | Yes |
|
Option Chains - Total Columns |
17 | 60 |
|
Option Chains - Greeks |
5 | 5 |
|
Option Positions - Greeks Streaming |
Yes | Yes |
|
Option Chains - Quick Analysis |
Yes | Yes |
|
Option Analysis - P&L Charts |
Yes | Yes |
|
Option Probability Analysis |
No | No |
|
Option Probability Analysis Adv |
No | No |
|
Option Positions - Greeks |
Yes | Yes |
|
Option Positions - Adv Analysis |
No | No |
|
Option Positions - Rolling |
No | Yes |
|
Option Positions - Grouping |
No | Yes |
Banking
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
|
Bank (Member FDIC) |
No | No |
|
Checking Accounts |
No | No |
|
Savings Accounts |
No | No |
|
Credit Cards |
No | No |
|
Debit Cards |
Yes | No |
|
Mortgage Loans |
No | No |
Customer Service
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
|
Phone Support (Prospect Customers) |
No | Yes |
|
Phone Support (Current Customers) |
Yes | Yes |
|
Email Support |
Yes | Yes |
|
Live Chat (Prospect Customers) |
No | No |
|
Live Chat (Current Customers) |
No | No |
|
24/7 Support |
No | No |
Overall
| Feature | Robinhood | Lightspeed |
| Overall | ||
| Commissions & Fees | ||
| Offering of Investments | ||
| Platforms & Tools | ||
| Mobile Trading | ||
| Research | ||
| Education | ||
| Ease of Use | ||
| Robinhood Review | Lightspeed Review | |
| Winner | check_circle |
Comparing brokers side by side is no easy task. For our 2021 annual broker review, we spent hundreds of hours assessing 11 brokerages to find the best online broker. Let's compare Lightspeed vs Robinhood.
Is Lightspeed or Robinhood better for beginners?
Robinhood is better for beginner investors than Lightspeed. Robinhood offers investors access to Education (Stocks) and Education (Options).
What about Lightspeed vs Robinhood pricing?
Lightspeed, with its regular stock trades costing $4.50, is more expensive than Robinhood's rate of $0 per trade. For options trading, both Lightspeed and Robinhood charge the same base fee of $0. Option contracts are pricier at Lightspeed, costing $0.60 versus $0 at Robinhood. For a complete commissions summary, see our best discount brokers guide.
Does Lightspeed or Robinhood offer a wider range of investment options?
Robinhood offers a more diverse selection of investment options than Lightspeed. Robinhood offers investors access to Stock Trading, Fractional Shares and Options Trading. Looking at Mutual Funds, both brokers offer clients access to the same number of mutual funds, 0.
Which trading platform is better: Lightspeed or Robinhood?
To compare the trading platforms of both Lightspeed and Robinhood, we tested each broker's trading tools, research capabilities, and mobile apps. For trading tools, Robinhood offers a better experience. With research, Robinhood offers superior market research. Finally, we found Robinhood to provide better mobile trading apps.
Does either broker offer banking?
Online banking can be a benefit for investors, and some brokerages do provide banking services to customers. Clients can have Debit Cards at Robinhood while customers at Lightspeed can have none of these.
Overall winner: Robinhood
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All pricing data was obtained from a published web site as of 01/19/2021 and is believed to be accurate, but is not guaranteed. For stock trade rates, advertised pricing is for a standard order size of 500 shares of stock priced at $30 per share. For options orders, an options regulatory fee per contract may apply.
