ORTEX adds Short Interest, Quant, Data Visualizations, Index Rebalancing, Money Flow, Options, Analyst Recommendations, Analyst Price Targets, and Blogs coverage that Unusual Whales skips.
VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
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Tuesday, November 11, 2025
Tool Comparison
ORTEX vs Unusual Whales comparison
Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.
Quick takeaways
Unusual Whales includes Portfolio, Paper Trading, Dark Pool & Off-Exchange, Alerts, 13F, APIs & SDKs, Education, and Dividends categories that ORTEX omits.
In depth comparison
ORTEX
public.ortex.com
Hands-on review
Analytics platform focused on short interest and securities lending, with additional coverage of options flow, insider trades, analyst views, and index rebalances. Offers a free tier with limited features, plus paid plans (Basic $39/mo, Advanced $129/mo). Options data is sourced from OPRA and requires agreeing to OPRA terms. API access is available with key-based authentication, and an Excel Add-in (beta) supports short interest data.
Categories
Platforms
WebMobileAPI
Pricing
FreeSubscription
Quick highlights
- Short interest and lending analytics including utilization, cost to borrow, shares on loan, and percentage of free float on loan, with intraday and real-time estimates from a large pool of lenders and brokers.
- Official U.S. exchange-reported short interest (bi-monthly) and European flagged shorts, alongside lending-based estimates.
- Options coverage with unusual activity and flow detection; OPRA-sourced data gated by user agreement to OPRA terms.
- Alpha trading signals across themes like Short Squeeze, EPS, RSI, MACD, and Company Events, each with back-tested stats and intraday updates.
- Configurable stock screener including short-interest columns; results can be exported.
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Unusual Whales
unusualwhales.com
Editor’s pick Hands-on review
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
WebMobileAPI
Pricing
FreeSubscription
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.
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Where they differ
ORTEX
Distinct strengths include:
Short InterestQuantData VisualizationsIndex RebalancingMoney FlowOptionsAnalyst RecommendationsAnalyst Price Targets
- Short interest and lending analytics including utilization, cost to borrow, shares on loan, and percentage of free float on loan, with intraday and real-time estimates from a large pool of lenders and brokers.
- Official U.S. exchange-reported short interest (bi-monthly) and European flagged shorts, alongside lending-based estimates.
- Options coverage with unusual activity and flow detection; OPRA-sourced data gated by user agreement to OPRA terms.
- Alpha trading signals across themes like Short Squeeze, EPS, RSI, MACD, and Company Events, each with back-tested stats and intraday updates.
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 | ORTEX | Unusual Whales |
|---|---|---|
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets | Shared: Insider Data, Options & Derivatives, News, Calendar, Data APIs, US Government Trades, Screeners Unique: Short Interest, Quant, Data Visualizations, Index Rebalancing, Money Flow, Options, Analyst Recommendations, Analyst Price Targets, Blogs | Shared: Insider Data, Options & Derivatives, News, Calendar, Data APIs, US Government Trades, Screeners Unique: Portfolio, Paper Trading, Dark Pool & Off-Exchange, Alerts, 13F, APIs & SDKs, Education, Dividends |
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes | Stocks, ETFs, Options | 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 | Standard listing | Highlighted |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which workflows do ORTEX and Unusual Whales both support?
Both platforms cover Insider Data, Options & Derivatives, News, Calendar, Data APIs, US Government Trades, and Screeners workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.
Do ORTEX and Unusual Whales require subscriptions?
Both ORTEX and Unusual Whales keep freemium access with optional paid upgrades, so you can trial each platform before committing.
How can you access ORTEX and Unusual Whales?
Both ORTEX 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?
ORTEX differentiates itself with Short interest and lending analytics including utilization, cost to borrow, shares on loan, and percentage of free float on loan, with intraday and real-time estimates from a large pool of lenders and brokers., Official U.S. exchange-reported short interest (bi-monthly) and European flagged shorts, alongside lending-based estimates., and Options coverage with unusual activity and flow detection; OPRA-sourced data gated by user agreement to OPRA terms., 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..
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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.