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The short answer: Unusual options activity means options trading far above normal for a stock. If you trade the options themselves, a dedicated flow tool such as Unusual Whales shows every order by strike, expiration and premium. If you trade stocks, Trade Ideas flags heavy options volume inside a real-time stock scanner, next to price and volume events. Its options data is limited to volume-based filters, and coverage is U.S.-listed stocks.
Written by Daniel Mirkin, CEO of Trade Ideas, which makes one of the tools compared here.
Options activity is unusual when it is far above normal for that stock or contract. Tools measure it in different ways.
Volume against normal. A stock trades many more option contracts today than it usually does in a full day.
Sweeps and blocks. A large order fills across several exchanges at once, or trades as one big block.
Side and size. Calls or puts dominate, or the premium paid is unusually large.
Be clear on the difference
Stock-level vs trade-level options data
Flow tools work at the trade level. You see each order with its strike, expiration and premium.
Trade Ideas works at the stock level. Its options coverage is limited to volume-based filters, such as options volume against normal, call and put volume and the put/call ratio. It does not replace a full options-flow tape.
The stock-level view has one advantage. You can require heavy options volume and a stock event, such as a new high or unusual share volume, in the same window.
Method
How we compared
The first split is simple. Does the tool show each options trade, or options volume per stock? After that, every tool answered the same 8 questions, one per table column.
What it is: Flow tape, stock scanner or news add-on.
Real-time data: Live or delayed flow, and on which plan.
Scans and alerts: Which unusual activity can it alert on: sweeps, blocks or volume against normal?
Backtesting: Can you test a setup built on options activity?
AI: The AI features, in each company's words.
Beginner-friendly: Free plans, trials, and how much options knowledge it assumes.
Price: What each company charges, per its own pricing page.
Best for: The trader each tool fits.
Company pages were our source, checked on October 6, 2026. See How we checked for sources.
At a glance
Unusual options activity scanners, side by side
Unusual options activity scanners compared. Prices checked October 6, 2026 on each company's own site.
News service with audio squawk and a real-time scanner
Real-time quotes (Nasdaq Basic) from Basic; Real-Time Scanner on Essential
UOA add-on: blocks, sweeps, history by strike
Not listed
Benzinga AI (Essential)
Yes. News shows why a stock moves; 14-day trial
UOA add-on $27.97/mo on top of a plan ($37, $147 or $197/mo)
News and catalyst traders
Anything marked "Not listed" was missing from the company's own pages when we looked.
The list
The 7 best unusual options activity scanners in 2026
1. Trade Ideas
Trade Ideas is a real-time stock scanner and screener that also watches unusual options activity across all stocks. A dedicated channel shows it in TI Pro and in the Web Dashboard. Coverage is U.S.-listed stocks.
Then the stock setup. Beyond the options channel, there are 310 alerts and 249 filters for the stock itself, each documented in our help. Any alert combines with any filters, each set with a min and max, and 191 alerts add a setting of their own, such as the minimum trade size on Block Trades. A 5-minute opening range breakout on a stock with heavy option volume is one scan you can build; opening range alerts also come at 1, 2, 10, 15, 30 and 60 minutes, as breakouts and breakdowns.
Options volume as a clue about the stock.Streaming Alerts check the options filters the moment each alert fires, and Top Lists can sort by them. A heavy options day shows up right next to a new high or a volume spike.
Test the stock setup. OddsMaker, on TI Premium, tests the stock setup you trade after spotting heavy options activity, with no code. Add TI Premium and Holly AI Signals join in. Each gives an entry, a stop and a target.
Easy to start. No configuration is needed. The Channel Bar is in TI Pro on every plan, and so is Holly AI Assistant. The Trading Room is free.
Price: TI Standard costs $127 per month; a year is $1,068. TI Premium: $254 for a month, $2,136 for a year.
Worth knowing: Trade Ideas covers U.S.-listed stocks. Its options data is limited to volume-based filters. TI Pro installs on Windows. On a Mac, the browser-based web Dashboard needs no download and still has the Unusual Options Activity channel, though Streaming Alerts stay in TI Pro.
Best for: Stock traders who want unusual options activity flagged next to the price and volume setup. For individual trades by strike, expiration and premium, a flow tool below goes deeper.
2. Unusual Whales
Unusual Whales is built around the options tape. Paid plans show the full tape with unusual activity indicators.
Real-time data
Paid plans have real-time flow, news and alerts. The free plan delays news by 15 minutes and alerts by 30 minutes.
Scans and alerts
The tape covers 100% of the market, with custom alerts, a stock and options screener, dark pool data and a real-time gamma exposure heatmap.
Backtesting
Not listed on the dashboard plans. Its separate API is pitched for building your own backtests.
AI
Mr. Whale is listed as an AI analyst and trade finder.
Beginner-friendly
Fair. A free delayed plan is offered, and reading flow takes options knowledge.
Price
Free with delays. Retail Basic is $50, Retail Pro $75 and Retail Max $120 a month, or $42, $63 and $102 a month billed annually.
Worth knowing: On the free plan, flow is delayed by two trading days.
Best for: Traders who read individual options trades and dealer positioning.
Cheddar Flow shows real-time options order flow, with dark pool data on Pro.
Real-time data
Every plan has real-time order flow.
Scans and alerts
Standard includes advanced filters, unusual volume data and flow overview insights. Pro adds gamma exposure, dark pool orders and levels, and AI Power Alerts.
Backtesting
Not listed. On-demand historical data is included.
AI
Cheddar AI is on Standard. AI Power Alerts are on Pro.
Beginner-friendly
Fair. Cheddar Flow pitches Standard at traders new to order flow, with a 7-day free trial.
Price
Standard is $85 a month after a 7-day free trial. Pro is $99 a month, or $75 a month on the annual plan.
Worth knowing: The pricing page showed a limited-time offer when we checked.
Best for: Traders who want flow, gamma exposure and dark pool levels together.
4. FlowAlgo
FlowAlgo alerts you to large orders in the options and stock markets.
Real-time data
FlowAlgo says it scans market-wide, in real time.
Scans and alerts
It tracks sweeps, option block trades, equity blocks and dark pool prints, with intraday and historical filters.
Backtesting
Not listed.
AI
Alpha AI Signals are listed on its plan page.
Beginner-friendly
Fair. It runs in a web browser, and you need to know what each order type means.
Price
$149 a month after a two-week trial for $37, or $99 a month billed annually.
Worth knowing: The two-week trial costs $37.
Best for: Traders who follow large block and sweep orders.
5. InsiderFinance
InsiderFinance combines options flow, dark pool prints and technical analysis.
Real-time data
Every plan includes real-time options order flow.
Scans and alerts
Unusual options and sweep activity, a market scanner with news, gamma exposure and open interest levels are listed.
Backtesting
Not listed. On-demand historical data is included.
AI
Not listed.
Beginner-friendly
Yes. A free options flow lets you try it, and trading courses are listed.
Price
$75 a month, $195 a quarter or $660 a year.
Worth knowing: Gamma exposure and open interest levels are listed alongside the flow.
Best for: Options traders who want flow next to charts and context.
6. BlackBoxStocks
BlackBoxStocks offers options flow and algo-based alerts for stocks and options.
Real-time data
Options plans include real-time options flow. Equities Plus adds real-time stock data.
Scans and alerts
Options Basic includes algo-based options alerts, daily open interest changes and an options volume ratio scanner. Options Plus adds dark pool data.
Backtesting
Not listed.
AI
Not listed. Alerts are described as algo-based.
Beginner-friendly
Fair. Options Plus includes live options trading rooms, and Equities Plus adds an education program and a Discord community.
Price
Options Basic is $59, Options Plus $79, Equities Plus $89 and Equities & Options Premium $149 a month.
Worth knowing: Premarket, post-market and market scanners start on Equities Plus.
Best for: Traders who want options flow, stock alerts and a community in one subscription.
7. Benzinga Pro
Benzinga Pro sells Unusual Options Activity as an add-on to its news service.
Real-time data
The real-time quotes on paid plans are from Nasdaq Basic.
Scans and alerts
Signals flag large block trades and aggressive sweeps near the bid or ask. The calendar keeps the history, filterable by strike, put or call, sweep or trade, volume and open interest.
Backtesting
Not listed.
AI
Benzinga AI is on Essential.
Beginner-friendly
Yes. A 14-day free trial is offered.
Price
The add-on is $27.97 a month, billed with a plan. Plans are $37, $147 and $197 a month.
Worth knowing: Essential, the $197 monthly plan, is required for the Real-Time Scanner.
Best for: News traders who want options activity beside the headlines.
How to find unusual options activity in Trade Ideas
Open the channel. Trade Ideas monitors unusual options activity across all stocks; the dedicated channel, built on the Unusual Options Volume % filter, is in TI Pro and the Web Dashboard.
Or add the filter. In a Streaming Alerts or Top List window, open the Window Specific Filters tab. Enter 200 in the minimum field of Options Volume Today (%).
Add a stock condition. Pair it with high relative volume, a new high or a VWAP reclaim.
Test it. On TI Premium, run the setup in OddsMaker before you trade it.
Past results, including backtests, don't guarantee future results.
Pick Trade Ideas if you trade the stock behind the options activity. The AI Assistant can set up an options-volume scan from plain English, or you can combine 310 alerts and 249 filters yourself with no code and add custom filters in the Formula Editor. For backtesting and AI trade plans, TI Premium includes OddsMaker and Holly AI Signals, which give an entry, stop and target on every signal.
Common question
Do you need options flow data to trade stocks?
No. Many stock traders work from price, volume and news alone. Options activity is one more clue about where traders are placing bets.
If you trade stocks, a volume-based options filter may be all you need. In Trade Ideas you can add Options Volume Today (%) to a stock scan, next to price and relative volume. That shows when a stock's options trade far above normal.
If you trade the options themselves, you likely want each order by strike, expiration and premium. A dedicated flow tool such as Unusual Whales, Cheddar Flow or FlowAlgo shows that. Trade Ideas does not replace a flow tape.
Honest take
Who Trade Ideas is not for
Trade Ideas reads options volume at the stock level. If you trade the contracts, you will want more.
You trade options from the tape. A dedicated flow tool shows every order by strike, expiration and premium.
You want dark pool prints or gamma levels. Trade Ideas does not list them.
You trade only crypto, forex or futures. Trade Ideas covers U.S.-listed stocks.
If you are okay with static non-refreshing data, Trade Ideas is probably not your best choice.
Method
How we checked
Options detail first. We noted whether each tool works at the trade level or the stock level.
Then the eight standard points. The eight table columns, applied to every tool.
Company sources. Trade Ideas options coverage comes from its help articles. If a company's pages leave something out, we mark it "Not listed".
Order. Trade Ideas is listed first because we make it and it fits stock traders. For dedicated options-flow tools, see the other picks on this list.
Past results, including backtests, don't guarantee future results.
What is the best unusual options activity scanner?
It depends on what you trade: Unusual Whales, Cheddar Flow and FlowAlgo are built for reading the options tape itself. For stock traders who want unusual options activity inside a real-time stock scanner, our pick is Trade Ideas, and since we make it, weigh our view.
What is unusual options activity?
Options trading far above normal for a stock or contract. Tools measure it as volume against normal, as large sweeps and blocks, or as a lopsided call or put mix. It can show where traders are placing larger bets than usual.
Does Trade Ideas show unusual options activity?
Yes, it monitors unusual options activity across all stocks, and you can watch it in a dedicated channel in TI Pro or the Web Dashboard. Coverage is U.S.-listed stocks, and the options filters are volume-based. You can also add Options Volume Today (%) to any stock scan in the Window Specific Filters tab.
Is Trade Ideas an options flow tool?
No. It works at the stock level, with options volume, call and put volume and the put/call ratio as filters. For each order by strike, expiration and premium, Unusual Whales, Cheddar Flow and FlowAlgo show that detail.
Is there a free unusual options activity scanner?
Partly. Unusual Whales has a free plan with flow delayed two trading days, InsiderFinance offers a free options flow and Cheddar Flow has a 7-day free trial. Check whether a free plan shows live or delayed data before you rely on it.
Does unusual options activity predict stock moves?
Not reliably on its own, because options volume shows interest, not a direction you can count on. Test any options filter in OddsMaker before you rely on it. Past results, including backtests, don't guarantee future results.
