Best Options Tools for Investing

Barchart cmdtyView

Barchart cmdtyView is built around physical and exchange-traded commodity markets. It combines futures data, physical prices, charts, news, economic data, and workflows for agriculture, energy, metals, procurement, trading, and risk teams. It is not aimed at ordinary stock research.

Benzinga

Benzinga is a real-time market-news and trading-data service for active traders, investors, developers, and data buyers. It covers alerts, scanners, calendars, squawk, options activity, analyst actions, filings, transcripts, and APIs. Real-time tools require a paid plan or add-on, and Benzinga does not provide portfolio accounting.

BMO InvestorLine

BMO InvestorLine is BMO's Canadian self-directed brokerage with web and mobile trading, research, registered accounts, and linked BMO funding. Standard stock and ETF trades cost $9.95, active traders may pay $3.95, and selected ETFs can be commission-free. FX and low-balance fees still affect the total cost.

Charles Schwab

Charles Schwab combines a U.S. brokerage, research, screeners, tax workflows, thinkorswim, paper trading, alerts, market data, and Trader API access. It suits investors who want one regulated account for long-term investing and active trading. It is a broker, not an open market-data API.

CIBC Investor's Edge

CIBC Investor's Edge is CIBC's Canadian bank brokerage with web and mobile trading, research, registered accounts, and linked-bank funding. Standard stock and ETF trades cost $6.95, active traders may pay $4.95, and selected ETFs can be commission-free. Options, FX, and account fees add to the real cost.

CommSec

CommSec is Commonwealth Bank's Australian self-directed broker. Domestic shares are CHESS-sponsored, while international trades use a separate custodied account. Domestic costs vary by settlement method, and international orders add market-based brokerage plus 0.55% FX.

Databento

Databento delivers normalized live and historical exchange data through APIs, files, and client libraries. It is aimed at developers, quants, and trading firms that need ticks, order books, bars, instrument definitions, corporate actions, or raw packets across supported equity, options, and futures venues.

E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley

E*TRADE from Morgan Stanley covers taxable, retirement, custodial, trust, estate, and business accounts. It offers $0 online US-listed stock and ETF trades, Power E*TRADE, options, mutual funds, bonds, research, selected fractional securities, and tax or transfer support. Its standard cash sweep pays 0.01% APY below $500,000 at the current variable rate.

Earnings Whispers

Earnings Whispers focuses on the gap between reported results and market expectations. It provides whisper estimates, calendars, sentiment, grades, options context, and post-earnings drift signals. Use it to frame an earnings setup, not to predict a guaranteed move.

Fidelity (Fidelity Brokerage Services LLC)

Fidelity combines a U.S. brokerage, research, mobile and active-trader apps, options, bonds, mutual funds, fractional shares, and a separate crypto account. It has no public trading API, and several products and data services have separate fees.

FinancialData.Net

FinancialData.Net provides market data, fundamentals, ownership, options, funds, ESG, calendars, and news through REST, Excel, and MCP interfaces. It covers stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, futures, crypto, foreign exchange, commodities, OTC securities, and indexes. The free plan is limited, and the homepage security claims are not supported by a public audit report.

Fintel

Fintel brings short interest, off-exchange volume, institutional ownership, insider trades, ETF exposure, options sentiment, filings, screens, alerts, APIs, and AI research into ticker pages. It is useful for studying positioning and crowding before deeper fundamental work. Premium data, exports, options flow, AI, and portfolio tools depend on the plan, and the signals are inputs rather than recommendations.

Firstrade

Firstrade is an online brokerage for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, options, and fixed income, with web and mobile access for U.S. and supported international users. It advertises $0 online commissions for stocks, ETFs, mutual funds, and options, while regulatory, fund, borrow, fixed-income, transfer, and service costs still apply. International eligibility follows its 27-country matrix.

FlowAlgo

FlowAlgo monitors unusual options activity, sweeps, blocks, equity blocks, dark-pool prints, alerts, and historical flow. It provides order-flow context, not brokerage, fundamentals, backtesting, or portfolio accounting. There is no free tier, the introductory offer is paid, and flow does not prove intent or profitability.

GammaWins Calculator

GammaWins Calculator models option profit and loss, value, Greeks, volatility, and strategy changes across price and time. The core calculator is free. Calculator Pro costs $29 monthly or $299 annually and adds historical market snapshots, volatility-surface analysis, and multi-date or multi-price charts. Market data is delayed by 15 minutes, and the service does not execute trades.

Godel Terminal

Godel Terminal is a web workspace for real-time quotes, news, SEC filings, company financials, institutional holdings, comparisons, options, and charts. It starts at $996 per seat annually and offers a 14-day trial. Its API, portfolio analytics, deeper screening, and dedicated ETF and mutual fund research are still in development.

Groww

Groww is an India-based self-directed broker for NSE and BSE shares, ETFs, mutual funds, IPOs, equity derivatives, and MCX commodities. There is no account-opening or maintenance fee, while equity orders, derivatives, DP debits, and optional MTF each have their own charges.

Intrinio

Intrinio sells licensed market data for developers and data teams. APIs, WebSockets, MCP, files, Snowflake, S3, and selected FTP workflows cover markets, fundamentals, options, ETFs, funds, analysts, dividends, splits, and company news. Price, entitlements, redistribution rights, and delivery methods vary by plan and dataset.

MarketWatch

MarketWatch combines Dow Jones financial news with quotes, watchlists, screens, calendars, BigCharts, options chains, fund research, rates, newsletters, and Virtual Stock Exchange. It is a consumer market site, not a broker, professional terminal, API, or modeling system; delays and subscription boundaries still apply.

MarketXLS

MarketXLS puts market data, options, portfolio analytics, screens, and templates inside Excel. It covers stocks, ETFs, options, funds, crypto, forex, fundamentals, FRED, ETF holdings, and broker order tickets. It is personal-use spreadsheet software, not a redistributable data API; real-time coverage and exchange access are tiered.

Merrill Edge

Merrill Edge is Bank of America's self-directed brokerage with $0 online stock and ETF commissions, options, funds, bonds, retirement accounts, research, MarketPro, and linked banking. Its standard cash sweep pays 0.01% below $1 million.

MesoSim

MesoSim is an options backtesting service with low-code strategies, multi-leg simulations, risk graphs, Greeks, volatility surfaces, margin models, and paper or live workflow paths. It is options research, not general stock research or portfolio accounting.

Monex Securities

Monex Securities serves Japan residents with Japanese and U.S. stocks, ETFs, funds, bonds, and derivatives. Domestic per-order fees range from ¥55 to ¥1,070; U.S. stock and ETF trades cost 0.495% up to $22, and One Share supports eligible Japanese odd lots.

Nasdaq.com

Nasdaq.com offers exchange-branded quotes, news, screens, calendars, filings, options chains, watchlists, company financials, ownership, and IPO context. Its free My Quotes page lets account holders save up to 20 watchlist symbols. It is not Nasdaq Data Link, a licensed feed, broker, or professional API.

National Bank Direct Brokerage

National Bank Direct Brokerage gives Canadian residents $0 online stock and ETF commissions plus options, funds, fixed income, CAD/USD accounts, and registered accounts. Administration, options, FX, transfer, and service fees still affect total cost.

OpenBB

OpenBB combines an open-source data layer with Workspace dashboards, AI research, agents, and team tools. It connects your providers and internal data rather than supplying production market data. An August 2026 founder update announced a move to open-source releases, with timing and hosted-product terms still pending.

Option Alpha

Option Alpha helps retail options traders find ideas, backtest rule-based strategies, paper trade, and automate supported stock and defined-risk workflows through connected brokers. It is software, not a broker; live support depends on the broker, account, symbol, strategy, and country.

OptionCharts

OptionCharts visualizes option payoffs, Greeks, volatility skew, expected moves, gamma and delta exposure, contract history, and market-wide trends. It is for options research and chart exports, not brokerage, a public data API, or guaranteed real-time access on every plan.

Options Profit Calculator

Options Profit Calculator models payoffs, profit and loss, multi-leg strategies, probabilities, and what-if cases before trades. Membership adds calculators, comparisons, backtests, and ad-free use. It is not a broker, live terminal, adviser, or risk-management substitute.

OptionStrat

OptionStrat builds and compares options strategies with payoff diagrams, Greeks, probability estimates, event dates, saved trades, alerts, and unusual-flow scans. Free quotes and flow are delayed or limited; Live Tools and Live Flow add real-time features. It is not a broker or broad portfolio system.

ORTEX

ORTEX combines short interest, securities lending, options flow, and trading-signal data for active investors, analysts, and data teams. Deeper web and API access sits behind paid tiers. It is a signal service, not a broker or portfolio ledger.

Prospero.ai

Prospero.ai is a mobile signal app for US stocks and ETFs. It provides 10 relative scores, daily screens and picks, watchlists, and educational pages. Its app page labels signal alerts as coming soon; it does not provide trade execution or a public API.

Public.com

Public combines self-directed stocks, ETFs, bonds, options, recurring plans, and optional Premium. Regular-hours U.S.-listed equity trades are $0 commission, but extended hours, OTC, plan, transfer, and regulatory fees still matter. High-Yield Cash is a separate brokerage account.

Qtrade Direct Investing

Qtrade Direct Investing is a Canadian self-directed broker for stocks, ETFs, options, funds, and fixed income. Online equity, ETF, and fund commissions are $0, while options, account, product, FX, and service fees still apply.

QuantConnect

QuantConnect uses the open-source LEAN engine for research, backtesting, cloud deployment, broker connections, and live algorithmic trading. It is for technical Python and C# users building systematic strategies, not a simple charting app.

Rakuten Securities

Rakuten Securities serves Japan residents with domestic and overseas stocks, ETFs, funds, bonds, and derivatives. Zero Course can remove domestic commissions under conditions; U.S. securities cost 0.495% up to $22 and Kabumini supports eligible one-share odd lots.

RBC Direct Investing

RBC Direct Investing combines a Canadian bank brokerage with web and mobile trading, research, registered accounts, and RBC funding. Full-Suite stock and ETF trades cost $9.95, active traders may pay $6.95, and selected ETFs can be commission-free. Options and FX add cost.

Robinhood

Robinhood offers US stock, ETF, options, futures, and crypto trading through mobile and web apps. Gold adds cash, margin, IRA, and managed-account benefits; annual membership is required for Gold Card and mortgage offers. Subscription, routing, margin, staking, contract, exchange, and regulatory fees affect the total cost.

SBI Securities

SBI Securities is a Japan-resident brokerage for Japanese and overseas stocks, ETFs, funds, bonds, and derivatives. Zero Revolution can remove some domestic commissions under electronic-delivery conditions; U.S. stock and ETF trades cost 0.495% up to $22.

SoFi Invest

SoFi Self-Directed Invest offers stocks, ETFs, options, mutual funds, selected alternative funds, and thousands of fractional securities. Standard online commissions are $0, while fund, transfer, inactivity, regulatory, and service charges still apply. The brokerage sweep is separate from SoFi Checking and Savings.