VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
★ FINANCIAL TOOLS & SERVICES DIRECTORY ★
PRICE: 5 CENTS
Saturday, September 27, 2025
Investors comparing GuruFocus and Unusual Whales will find that Both GuruFocus and Unusual Whales concentrate on Screeners, Portfolio, and US Government Trades workflows, making them natural alternatives for similar investment research jobs. GuruFocus leans into Stock Ideas, Stock Comparison, and Backtesting, which can be decisive for teams that need depth over breadth. Unusual Whales stands out with Options & Derivatives, Paper Trading, and Dark Pool & Off-Exchange 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
GuruFocus vs Unusual Whales
Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.
Quick takeaways
- GuruFocus adds Stock Ideas, Stock Comparison, Backtesting, Investor Holdings, GDP, Interest Rates, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, Commitment of Traders (COT), Yield Curves, Financials, Valuation Models, Scores, Transcripts, ETF Overview, ETF Holdings, and Sheets / Excel Add-ins coverage that Unusual Whales skips.
- Unusual Whales includes Options & Derivatives, Paper Trading, Dark Pool & Off-Exchange, Data APIs, Education, and Dividends categories that GuruFocus omits.
- GuruFocus highlights: All-in-One Screener with hundreds of filters, historical screening, and custom filter creation., Backtesting with survivorship-bias-free data. Windows vary by plan: up to 3 years for Premium and up to 10 years for Premium Plus. Global coverage spans 80+ countries., and Guru portfolios tracking 13F and mutual fund holdings, real-time picks, and portfolio downloads to Excel..
- 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..
GuruFocus
gurufocus.com
A global equity research and value-investing platform with robust screening, backtesting, and portfolio tools. Features and data access depend on plan tier—Premium vs. Premium Plus—while enterprise-level users can license data directly via API. Add-ins for Excel and Google Sheets extend workflows, though usage caps apply to lower tiers. Alerts and mobile apps are included across paid plans.
Categories
Platforms
Pricing
Quick highlights
- All-in-One Screener with hundreds of filters, historical screening, and custom filter creation.
- Backtesting with survivorship-bias-free data. Windows vary by plan: up to 3 years for Premium and up to 10 years for Premium Plus. Global coverage spans 80+ countries.
- Guru portfolios tracking 13F and mutual fund holdings, real-time picks, and portfolio downloads to Excel.
- Specialty trackers for insider trading and U.S. politician trades.
- ETF profiles with current and historical holdings, including N-PORT data and timestamps.
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
GuruFocus
Distinct strengths include:
- All-in-One Screener with hundreds of filters, historical screening, and custom filter creation.
- Backtesting with survivorship-bias-free data. Windows vary by plan: up to 3 years for Premium and up to 10 years for Premium Plus. Global coverage spans 80+ countries.
- Guru portfolios tracking 13F and mutual fund holdings, real-time picks, and portfolio downloads to Excel.
- Specialty trackers for insider trading and U.S. politician trades.
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 | GuruFocus | Unusual Whales |
|---|---|---|
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets | Shared: Screeners, Portfolio, US Government Trades, News, Alerts, Calendar, Insider Data, 13F, APIs & SDKs Unique: Stock Ideas, Stock Comparison, Backtesting, Investor Holdings, GDP, Interest Rates, Inflation Rates, Unemployment Rates, Commitment of Traders (COT), Yield Curves, Financials, Valuation Models, Scores, Transcripts, ETF Overview, ETF Holdings, Sheets / Excel Add-ins | Shared: Screeners, Portfolio, US Government Trades, News, Alerts, Calendar, Insider Data, 13F, APIs & SDKs Unique: Options & Derivatives, Paper Trading, Dark Pool & Off-Exchange, Data APIs, Education, Dividends |
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes | Stocks, ETFs, 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, Mobile, 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 | Highlighted | Highlighted |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which workflows do GuruFocus and Unusual Whales both support?
Both platforms cover Screeners, Portfolio, US Government Trades, News, Alerts, Calendar, Insider Data, 13F, and APIs & SDKs workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.
Do GuruFocus and Unusual Whales require subscriptions?
Both GuruFocus and Unusual Whales keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.
How can you access GuruFocus and Unusual Whales?
Both GuruFocus and Unusual Whales support web and mobile access, making it easy to keep tabs on research away from the desk.
What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?
GuruFocus differentiates itself with All-in-One Screener with hundreds of filters, historical screening, and custom filter creation., Backtesting with survivorship-bias-free data. Windows vary by plan: up to 3 years for Premium and up to 10 years for Premium Plus. Global coverage spans 80+ countries., and Guru portfolios tracking 13F and mutual fund holdings, real-time picks, and portfolio downloads to Excel., 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.