VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★
PRICE: 5 CENTS
Saturday, September 27, 2025
Investors comparing Alpha Vantage and Unusual Whales will find that Both Alpha Vantage and Unusual Whales concentrate on Data APIs, News, and Calendar workflows, making them natural alternatives for similar investment research jobs. Alpha Vantage leans into News Sentiment, Splits, and IPO, which can be decisive for teams that need depth over breadth. Unusual Whales stands out with Screeners, Portfolio, and Paper Trading that the competition lacks. Use the feature-by-feature table to inspect unique capabilities and confirm which roadmap best maps to your process.
Head-to-head
Alpha Vantage vs Unusual Whales
Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.
Quick takeaways
- Alpha Vantage adds News Sentiment, Splits, IPO, Delisted, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, GDP, Interest Rates, ETF Holdings, Transcripts, and Sheets / Excel Add-ins coverage that Unusual Whales skips.
- Unusual Whales includes Screeners, Portfolio, Paper Trading, Dark Pool & Off-Exchange, Alerts, US Government Trades, 13F, and Education categories that Alpha Vantage omits.
- Alpha Vantage highlights: Equity time series for global stocks (intraday down to 1-minute, plus daily/weekly/monthly) with 20+ years of history, including pre- and post-market support and adjustment toggles for splits and dividends., US options coverage with real-time and historical data spanning over 15 years, including optional greeks and implied volatility outputs in JSON or CSV., and Fundamentals and corporate actions such as company overviews, financials, dividends, splits, plus ETF profiles and holdings..
- Unusual Whales is known for: Live options flow across all US options exchanges, with a status indicator so you know the feed is healthy., Dark-pool tape plus ‘Dark Pool Levels’ to surface recent prints and ticker-specific liquidity zones., and Options and stock screeners with filters for premium, volume, open interest, IV rank, and common technicals..
- Unusual Whales offers mobile access, which Alpha Vantage skips.
Alpha Vantage
alphavantage.co
REST APIs delivering global market data in JSON and CSV. The free tier allows 25 requests per day, while premium plans remove limits and unlock real-time and 15-minute delayed US equities plus real-time US options. Entitlements and account management are handled through the Alpha X Terminal.
Categories
Platforms
Pricing
Quick highlights
- Equity time series for global stocks (intraday down to 1-minute, plus daily/weekly/monthly) with 20+ years of history, including pre- and post-market support and adjustment toggles for splits and dividends.
- US options coverage with real-time and historical data spanning over 15 years, including optional greeks and implied volatility outputs in JSON or CSV.
- Fundamentals and corporate actions such as company overviews, financials, dividends, splits, plus ETF profiles and holdings.
- Corporate calendars: earnings announcements, IPO schedules, listings, and delisting status.
- Alpha Intelligence datasets with market news and sentiment, earnings call transcripts, insider transactions, and daily gainers/losers.
Unusual Whales
unusualwhales.com
Real-time options flow and dark-pool analytics built for active traders. Free plans view delayed data; paid tiers stream live flow, with annual plans unlocking data downloads. The public API is sold separately, and “Periscope” (market-wide SPX exposure) is available as an add-on.
Categories
Platforms
Pricing
Quick highlights
- Live options flow across all US options exchanges, with a status indicator so you know the feed is healthy.
- Dark-pool tape plus ‘Dark Pool Levels’ to surface recent prints and ticker-specific liquidity zones.
- Options and stock screeners with filters for premium, volume, open interest, IV rank, and common technicals.
- Options Profit Calculator to model multi-leg strategies, Greeks, and payoff P/L.
- Paper trading for both stocks and options to test ideas without risk.
Shared focus areas
Both platforms align on these research themes, so you can stay within one workflow when your use case involves them.
Where they differ
Alpha Vantage
Distinct strengths include:
- Equity time series for global stocks (intraday down to 1-minute, plus daily/weekly/monthly) with 20+ years of history, including pre- and post-market support and adjustment toggles for splits and dividends.
- US options coverage with real-time and historical data spanning over 15 years, including optional greeks and implied volatility outputs in JSON or CSV.
- Fundamentals and corporate actions such as company overviews, financials, dividends, splits, plus ETF profiles and holdings.
- Corporate calendars: earnings announcements, IPO schedules, listings, and delisting status.
Unusual Whales
Distinct strengths include:
- Live options flow across all US options exchanges, with a status indicator so you know the feed is healthy.
- Dark-pool tape plus ‘Dark Pool Levels’ to surface recent prints and ticker-specific liquidity zones.
- Options and stock screeners with filters for premium, volume, open interest, IV rank, and common technicals.
- Options Profit Calculator to model multi-leg strategies, Greeks, and payoff P/L.
Feature-by-feature breakdown
| Attribute | Alpha Vantage | Unusual Whales |
|---|---|---|
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets | Shared: Data APIs, News, Calendar, Dividends, Options & Derivatives, Insider Data, APIs & SDKs Unique: News Sentiment, Splits, IPO, Delisted, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, GDP, Interest Rates, ETF Holdings, Transcripts, Sheets / Excel Add-ins | Shared: Data APIs, News, Calendar, Dividends, Options & Derivatives, Insider Data, APIs & SDKs Unique: Screeners, Portfolio, Paper Trading, Dark Pool & Off-Exchange, Alerts, US Government Trades, 13F, Education |
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes | Stocks, ETFs, Options, Currencies, Cryptos, Commodities, Mutual Funds | Stocks, ETFs, Options |
Experience levels Who each product is built for | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced | Beginner, Intermediate, Advanced |
Platforms Where you can access the product | Web, API | Web, Mobile, API |
Pricing High-level pricing models | Free, Subscription | Free, Subscription |
Key features Core capabilities called out by each vendor | Unique
| Unique
|
Tested Verified by hands-on testing inside Find My Moat | Yes | Yes |
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists | Standard listing | Highlighted |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which workflows do Alpha Vantage and Unusual Whales both support?
Both platforms cover Data APIs, News, Calendar, Dividends, Options & Derivatives, Insider Data, and APIs & SDKs workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.
Do Alpha Vantage and Unusual Whales require subscriptions?
Both Alpha Vantage and Unusual Whales keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.
Which tool has mobile access?
Unusual Whales ships a dedicated mobile experience, while Alpha Vantage focuses on web or desktop access.
What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?
Alpha Vantage differentiates itself with Equity time series for global stocks (intraday down to 1-minute, plus daily/weekly/monthly) with 20+ years of history, including pre- and post-market support and adjustment toggles for splits and dividends., US options coverage with real-time and historical data spanning over 15 years, including optional greeks and implied volatility outputs in JSON or CSV., and Fundamentals and corporate actions such as company overviews, financials, dividends, splits, plus ETF profiles and holdings., whereas Unusual Whales stands out for Live options flow across all US options exchanges, with a status indicator so you know the feed is healthy., Dark-pool tape plus ‘Dark Pool Levels’ to surface recent prints and ticker-specific liquidity zones., and Options and stock screeners with filters for premium, volume, open interest, IV rank, and common technicals..
Curation & Accuracy
This directory blends AI‑assisted discovery with human curation. Entries are reviewed, edited, and organized with the goal of expanding coverage and sharpening quality over time. Your feedback helps steer improvements (because no single human can capture everything all at once).
Details change. Pricing, features, and availability may be incomplete or out of date. Treat listings as a starting point and verify on the provider’s site before making decisions. If you spot an error or a gap, send a quick note and I’ll adjust.