The Best Unusual Whales Alternatives in 2026: 6 Tools by Job
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The short answer: Pick based on whether you want another flow tape or a wider tool. For unusual options activity inside a full stock scanner with AI and testing, Trade Ideas. For another options flow tape, compare FlowAlgo and Cheddar Flow on their own sites. For stock charts, TradingView. Trade Ideas makes one of the tools on this page.
This page is on Trade Ideas' own website. See our Trade Ideas vs Unusual Whales page for a head-to-head view.
Unusual Whales alternatives, by what you need
- Unusual options activity plus equity stack: Trade Ideas.
- Another options flow tape: FlowAlgo.
- Another options flow tape: Cheddar Flow.
- Equity charts: TradingView.
- Quick equity screens: Finviz Elite.
- Configurable equity scanner: Scanz.
- Stay with Unusual Whales if you live in an options flow tape and do not need a full equity scanner stack.
What Unusual Whales does well
Unusual Whales is built around options flow. Its feeds cover unusual options activity and dark pool prints, with alerts on both.
Real-time flow is listed on paid plans. A free plan exists too, with delayed data.
If you live in a flow tape, it is a focused product.
See every feature in Trade Ideas vs Unusual Whales.
Why options traders add Trade Ideas as an Unusual Whales alternative
- Full equity stack. Unusual Whales is options-flow first. Some traders also want Streaming Alerts, Top Lists, Holly and OddsMaker.
- Help for stock beginners. Trade Ideas offers ready-made Channel Bar channels and a free Trading Room.
- AI equity signals. Holly AI Signals on equities are not the Unusual Whales framing.
- One subscription for stocks and options activity. Trade Ideas monitors unusual options activity across stocks and adds the equity scanner stack.
How we compared Unusual Whales alternatives
We ran each Unusual Whales alternative through six points. Sources appear in How we checked.
- Replaces: the flow, alert or stock job each tool could take over from Unusual Whales.
- Real-time data: live or delayed flow and quotes, plan by plan.
- Backtesting: if a stock setup can be checked against history.
- AI: AI the vendor describes on its own site.
- List price: retail prices as listed, monthly and annual.
- Best for: the kind of options or stock trader each tool fits.
Unusual Whales alternatives, side by side
| Tool | Replaces which part of Unusual Whales | Real-time data | Backtesting | AI | List price | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Trade Ideas | Options activity plus equity stack | Yes. Live market data on Standard (Core) and Premium (Apex) | OddsMaker, no code (TI Premium) | TI Premium has Holly AI Signals; every TI Pro plan has the Holly AI Assistant | $127/month or $1,068/year for Standard; $254/month or $2,136/year for Premium | UOA plus full equity tools |
| FlowAlgo | Options flow tape | Paid plans list real-time flow | Not listed | Not listed | Check flowalgo.com for current pricing | Options flow traders |
| Cheddar Flow | Options flow tape | Paid plans list real-time flow | Not listed | Not listed | Check cheddarflow.com for current pricing | Options flow traders |
| TradingView | Equity charts | Screener auto-refresh on paid plans | Strategy backtesting; Bar Replay | AI screener requests | Basic $0; paid plans from $12.95/mo billed annually | Chart-first traders |
| Finviz Elite | Equity web screens | Elite: real-time | Not listed | Not listed | Free; Elite $39.50/mo or $299.50/yr | After-hours screens |
| Scanz | Equity real-time scanner | Yes, all plans | Not listed | Not listed | Starter $89, Pro $199, Ultra $999 a month | Fixed playbook scanners |
Swipe sideways to see all of the table.
"Not listed": missing from the company's own pages when we checked.
The 6 best Unusual Whales alternatives
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1. Trade Ideas
Best for unusual options activity plus a full equity scanner stack
A flow tape tells you where options money went. Trade Ideas monitors unusual options activity across stocks, then shows you the stock side too. Streaming Alerts are the scanner. Top Lists are the screener. Learn more on Unusual Options Activity and in the best unusual options activity scanner roundup.
Replaces: Options activity discovery, plus the equity scanner, AI and backtesting stack.
- Real-time data
- Live market data on both plans. Stock alerts can fire on every trade.
- Scans and alerts
- 310 alerts and 249 filters, with options activity filters among them. Stock-side Channel Bar presets in TI Pro, with any plan. The Holly AI Assistant builds a scan when you describe it in plain English.
- Backtesting
- OddsMaker checks how a stock setup did across Trade Ideas history. It needs TI Premium but no code.
- AI
- On TI Premium, Holly AI Signals cover stocks, and every signal lists where to enter, where to stop out and the target.
- Beginner-friendly
- Yes, for the stock side. Presets need no setup. The free Trading Room has Barrie Einarson trading live.
- Price
- TI Standard: $127 a month, or $1,068 a year. TI Premium: $254 a month, or $2,136 a year. No fee for the Trading Room.
The stock side, in numbers. Next to the options channel sit 310 alerts and 249 filters, each documented in our help. Pair any alert with any filters and give each filter a floor, a ceiling or both; 191 alerts also take their own setting, such as the minimum ratio over normal volume on a 1-minute volume spike. Opening range breakouts and breakdowns fire at 1, 2, 5, 10, 15, 30 and 60 minutes (here is the 5-minute breakout), and technical alerts such as a 15-minute bearish engulfing can confirm or contradict what the flow suggests. The scans you can put together are effectively unlimited.
Worth knowing: Trade Ideas covers US-listed stocks. Keep a flow tape if dark pool prints drive your trades. TI Premium is required for Money Machine, Holly AI Signals and OddsMaker. Options traders on a Mac can use the browser-based web Dashboard with no download, and it includes the Unusual Options Activity channel; TI Pro, where Streaming Alerts run, is for Windows.
Stock scans to go with the flow. Ask the AI Assistant for a scan, or set one up from 310 alerts and 249 filters in a menu that needs no code, and add custom filters in the Formula Editor. Those ideas can be tested in OddsMaker on TI Premium, a plan that also includes Holly AI Signals with stop and target levels and a suggested entry.
Best fit: Options traders who also want a live stock scanner and AI, and beginners on the stock side who want the premium experience.
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2. FlowAlgo
Best for options flow tape
FlowAlgo is an options flow service. It focuses on unusual options activity and related prints.
Replaces: Options flow monitoring.
- Real-time data
- Paid plans list real-time flow. Check their site for current plan details.
- Scans and alerts
- Options flow and related alerts are the product.
- Backtesting
- Not listed.
- AI
- Not listed.
- Beginner-friendly
- Fair. Check their site for trial options.
- Price
- Check their site for current pricing.
Worth knowing: It is options-flow focused. Confirm current prices on flowalgo.com.
Best fit: Traders who want a dedicated options flow tape.
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3. Cheddar Flow
Best for options flow
Cheddar Flow is an options flow service with alerts and related tools.
Replaces: Options flow monitoring.
- Real-time data
- Paid plans list real-time flow. Check their site for current plan details.
- Scans and alerts
- Options flow and alerts are the product.
- Backtesting
- Not listed.
- AI
- Not listed.
- Beginner-friendly
- Fair. Check their site for trial options.
- Price
- Check their site for current pricing.
Worth knowing: It is options-flow focused. Confirm current prices on cheddarflow.com.
Best fit: Traders who want another options flow tape.
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4. TradingView
Best for charting the underlying stock
Options flow shows where the money went. TradingView helps you study the chart behind it. Its screeners cover stocks, ETFs and crypto on 150+ exchanges in 50+ countries, and Pine Script handles custom studies.
Replaces: Charting and screening, including non-US markets.
- Real-time data
- Pay for a plan and the screener refreshes on a 10-second or 1-minute cycle. Real-time data for certain exchanges is a separate purchase.
- Scans and alerts
- Its stock screener has more than 500 fields, technical and fundamental. Pine Screener and alerts are listed.
- Backtesting
- Listed features include strategy backtesting and Bar Replay.
- AI
- The AI screener allows 100 to 500 requests on paid tiers.
- Beginner-friendly
- Yes. The Basic plan is $0.
- Price
- Basic is free. Paid plans billed annually: Essential at $12.95, Plus at $29.95, Premium at $59.95 a month (special price on Oct 5, 2026).
Worth knowing: Free users don't get auto-refresh. Custom studies are built in Pine Script, not Python.
Best fit: Options traders who want a separate charting tool.
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5. Finviz Elite
Best for stock screens next to your options work
Finviz is a stock screener on the web, with heat maps. It is not an options flow tool. It has a free version and a paid Elite plan.
Replaces: The stock-picking screens you check once a day.
- Real-time data
- Free quotes run delayed. Pay for Elite and quotes turn real time from 4:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. ET.
- Scans and alerts
- Advanced filters are an Elite feature, along with alerts and saved presets. Elite screens auto-refresh every 10 seconds.
- Backtesting
- Elite page: not listed.
- AI
- Not listed.
- Beginner-friendly
- Yes. The page is simple, and the basic version costs nothing.
- Price
- No cost for the free version. Elite is $39.50 a month or $299.50 per year.
Worth knowing: Free users see screens refresh at 3-minute intervals. Finviz lists no live event scanner.
Best fit: Traders who want a fundamental stock screen to pair with their options tools.
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6. Scanz
Best for stock scans with news and filings
Scanz is a stock scanner, not an options flow tool. Real-time scans cover four areas: data, signals, news and SEC filings.
Replaces: Stock-side scanning and Level 2 data.
- Real-time data
- Each plan carries real-time data, including premarket and after hours.
- Scans and alerts
- Scans built from 400+ filters. Starter: one at a time. Pro: as many as you like.
- Backtesting
- Not listed.
- AI
- Not listed.
- Beginner-friendly
- Fair. Know your setup before you scan. The trial is free for 7 days.
- Price
- $89 (Starter), $199 (Pro) or $999 (Ultra) a month. You can try a free plan, though its data is delayed.
Worth knowing: Starter runs a single scan. A live teaching room is not listed.
Best fit: Stock day traders who want filings and headlines in their scanner.
Who should stay with Unusual Whales
For many options traders, Unusual Whales is enough. Stay if one of these fits.
- You live in an options flow tape all day. Unusual Whales is built for that.
- Dark pool and flow alerts are your only need. A focused flow service can be enough.
- You want Unusual Whales' specific flow UI. Stay if that layout matches how you trade.
- Cost points to Retail Basic. It was $50 a month on October 6, 2026.
Switching from Unusual Whales: what carries over
Trade Ideas leads with unusual options activity plus a full equity stack. Unusual Whales leads with an options flow tape. The table shows where each Unusual Whales habit lands.
| If you use this in Unusual Whales | In Trade Ideas |
|---|---|
| Unusual options activity / flow tape | Trade Ideas monitors unusual options activity across stocks. See Unusual Options Activity and our best unusual options activity scanner roundup. |
| Dark pool prints | Trade Ideas focuses on equity discovery plus options activity filters. Keep a flow tape if dark pool is your main signal. |
| Options-only workflow | Streaming Alerts and Top Lists for the equity side of the same idea. |
| Added when you switch | Holly AI Signals on TI Premium, with an entry, a stop and a target on each. |
| Added when you switch | OddsMaker, for no-code backtests on TI Premium. |
| Added when you switch | Every plan includes Channel Bar presets. |
| Added when you switch | Free entry to the Trading Room with Barrie Einarson. |
Swipe to compare each Unusual Whales habit with Trade Ideas.
Channel Bar and Streaming Alerts
The stock side doesn't require setup. The Channel Bar is in TI Pro whatever you pay. Click Big Momentum Movers, or S&P 500 stocks moving up quickly, to see live stock lists. Trade Ideas for beginners walks you through it.
On the stock side, Streaming Alerts are the scanner and Top Lists are the screener. Both run on live market data.
Holly AI Signals and OddsMaker
TI Premium adds Holly AI Signals for stocks during market hours. You get the entry, stop and target with each one. Exit that day or hold.
OddsMaker lets you test a stock setup on Trade Ideas history before acting on the next flow alert.
Past results, including backtests, don't guarantee future results.
Bringing Trade Ideas into an options workflow in six steps
- Choose your plan. For the stock side, TI Standard brings paper trading, the Holly AI Assistant, Top Lists and Streaming Alerts. Stock signals and history tests come with TI Premium, which adds OddsMaker, Money Machine and Holly AI Signals.
- Look at the stock side. A single click on Big Momentum Movers shows which stocks are moving right now.
- Turn a flow idea into a stock scan. Ask the AI Assistant for a stock scan in plain English, or work from a new high alert.
- Paper trade the stock. Paper trading uses live prices.
- Check history. On TI Premium, OddsMaker shows how the setup did.
- Learn the stock side live. Join the free Trading Room. Start with Trade Ideas for beginners if you are new.
What Unusual Whales and Trade Ideas cost
Unusual Whales
- Retail Basic: $50 a month (about $42 a month billed annually)
- Retail Pro: $75 a month (about $63 a month billed annually)
- Retail Max: $120 a month (about $102 a month billed annually)
On the free plan, options flow shows up two trading days late. We checked these prices on unusualwhales.com/pricing on October 6, 2026.
Trade Ideas
- TI Standard: $127 a month, or $1,068 per year (around $89 a month)
- TI Premium: $254 a month, or $2,136 per year (around $178 a month)
Options traders who want stock signals too will need TI Premium for Holly AI Signals, along with OddsMaker and Money Machine. On the stock side, both plans carry the Holly AI Assistant and the Channel Bar in TI Pro. The Trading Room costs nothing to join.
Prices as checked on October 6, 2026. They change, so look at each site before you buy.
For options flow alone, Unusual Whales costs less. The Trade Ideas price covers stock scanning on a database built and improved in-house for more than two decades, with alerts that can go off on every trade and 310 alerts to combine with 249 filters.
How we checked
- Vendor-sourced. Unusual Whales facts come from unusualwhales.com, and each other tool's facts from its own site.
- Our meaning of "not listed." We didn't find it on the vendor's pages. That does not rule it out.
- Why Trade Ideas is first here. Options traders who widen out from Unusual Whales usually want unusual options activity inside a full stock scanner with AI and testing. Trade Ideas fits. Weigh that we build it, and test the alternatives.
- The rest follow by job. Options activity plus equity stack first, then other flow tapes, charts and equity scanners.
- No stars handed out. We don't score the tools.
Pages checked October 6, 2026: trade-ideas.com/pricing; unusualwhales.com/pricing; tradingview.com/pricing; finviz.com/elite; scanz.com/pricing; flowalgo.com; cheddarflow.com.
Log: this page first appeared October 6, 2026, with each Unusual Whales price and feature checked that day.
Unusual Whales alternatives: FAQ
What is the best alternative to Unusual Whales?
For unusual options activity plus a full stock scanner, our pick is Trade Ideas. It's our product, so compare it. If you want a dedicated options flow tape, Unusual Whales remains a good fit.
Is there a free alternative to Unusual Whales?
A few, with limits. Unusual Whales has a free plan with delayed flow. TradingView Basic costs $0 and Finviz has a free version. Stock traders can join the Trade Ideas Trading Room free of charge and decide on a paid plan later.
What is the cheapest Unusual Whales alternative?
On October 6, 2026, TradingView Essential was $12.95 a month on annual billing and Finviz Elite was $39.50 a month. Unusual Whales Retail Basic was $50 a month. For FlowAlgo and Cheddar Flow, check their sites.
Is Trade Ideas good for beginners?
Yes, on the stock side. For an options trader who has never run a stock scanner before, Trade Ideas is a good fit for a beginning trader who wants the premium experience. The presets on the Channel Bar in TI Pro work without configuration. Any TI Pro plan adds the Holly AI Assistant to help with the stock side. See Trade Ideas for beginners.
Is Trade Ideas more expensive than Unusual Whales?
Yes, at list price. On October 6, 2026, Unusual Whales listed Retail Basic at $50, Pro at $75 and Max at $120 a month. For options traders adding a stock scanner, Trade Ideas was $127 monthly or $1,068 yearly on TI Standard and $254 monthly or $2,136 yearly on TI Premium.
Is Trade Ideas just for day trading?
No. Holly AI Signals fire during the trading day, but a stock position can be held as long as you like. Even buy-and-hold investors check Streaming Alerts and Top Lists for entry timing.
Does Trade Ideas have unusual options activity?
Yes. Trade Ideas monitors unusual options activity across stocks, with a dedicated channel in TI Pro and the Web Dashboard that is built on the Unusual Options Volume % filter. See Unusual Options Activity and our best unusual options activity scanner page.
Can I keep Unusual Whales and add Trade Ideas?
Yes. Some traders keep a flow tape for options. Trade Ideas fills in the stock side with Streaming Alerts, plus Holly AI Signals and OddsMaker on TI Premium.