QuantRocket adds Quant, Backtesting, Auto-Trading & Bots, Advanced Order Types, and Broker Connectors coverage that Unusual Whales skips.
VOL. XCIV, NO. 247
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Sunday, October 5, 2025
Head-to-head
QuantRocket vs Unusual Whales comparison
Compare pricing, supported platforms, categories, and standout capabilities to decide which tool fits your workflow.
Quick takeaways
Unusual Whales includes Options & Derivatives, Portfolio, Dark Pool & Off-Exchange, Alerts, News, US Government Trades, Insider Data, 13F, APIs & SDKs, Education, Calendar, and Dividends categories that QuantRocket omits.
QuantRocket highlights: Includes survivorship-bias-free US minute-bar data (from 2007 onward) for Zipline backtests and live trading, with optional real-time feeds from brokers like IBKR and Alpaca., Supports point-in-time screening and ranking pipelines, and integrates with Alphalens and Pyfolio for in-notebook analysis inside Jupyter., and Global coverage through Interactive Brokers’ historical and real-time data across 60+ exchanges, plus optional feeds like EDI global EOD, Sharadar fundamentals, and Brain sentiment datasets..
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 QuantRocket skips.
QuantRocket
quantrocket.com
A Docker-based research, backtesting, and live-trading platform built around Jupyter. The free tier is limited to research, while paid plans unlock live and paper trading along with bundled US minute-bar data. Broader global datasets are available via third-party providers. Its tight IBKR integration brings advanced order types, while real-time market data can be streamed from IBKR, Polygon, or Alpaca.
Categories
Platforms
Pricing
Quick highlights
- Includes survivorship-bias-free US minute-bar data (from 2007 onward) for Zipline backtests and live trading, with optional real-time feeds from brokers like IBKR and Alpaca.
- Supports point-in-time screening and ranking pipelines, and integrates with Alphalens and Pyfolio for in-notebook analysis inside Jupyter.
- Global coverage through Interactive Brokers’ historical and real-time data across 60+ exchanges, plus optional feeds like EDI global EOD, Sharadar fundamentals, and Brain sentiment datasets.
- Deep IBKR integration enabling advanced order types such as algorithmic, parent-child, and bracket orders, as well as combos/spreads, margin 'what-if' checks, option greeks, and auction imbalance data.
- Streams tick-level data into TimescaleDB with WebSocket access, and allows flexible bar aggregation.
Community votes (overall)
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.
Community votes (overall)
Shared focus areas
3 overlapsMutual strengths include Screeners, Paper Trading, and Data APIs.
Where they differ
QuantRocket
Distinct strengths include:
- Includes survivorship-bias-free US minute-bar data (from 2007 onward) for Zipline backtests and live trading, with optional real-time feeds from brokers like IBKR and Alpaca.
- Supports point-in-time screening and ranking pipelines, and integrates with Alphalens and Pyfolio for in-notebook analysis inside Jupyter.
- Global coverage through Interactive Brokers’ historical and real-time data across 60+ exchanges, plus optional feeds like EDI global EOD, Sharadar fundamentals, and Brain sentiment datasets.
- Deep IBKR integration enabling advanced order types such as algorithmic, parent-child, and bracket orders, as well as combos/spreads, margin 'what-if' checks, option greeks, and auction imbalance data.
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 | QuantRocket | Unusual Whales |
---|---|---|
Categories Which research workflows each platform targets | Shared: Screeners, Paper Trading, Data APIs Unique: Quant, Backtesting, Auto-Trading & Bots, Advanced Order Types, Broker Connectors | Shared: Screeners, Paper Trading, Data APIs Unique: Options & Derivatives, Portfolio, Dark Pool & Off-Exchange, Alerts, News, US Government Trades, Insider Data, 13F, APIs & SDKs, Education, Calendar, Dividends |
Asset types Supported asset classes and universes | Stocks, ETFs, Futures, Currencies, 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, 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 | Not yet | Yes |
Editor pick Featured inside curated shortlists | Standard listing | Highlighted |
Frequently Asked Questions
Which workflows do QuantRocket and Unusual Whales both support?
Both platforms cover Screeners, Paper Trading, and Data APIs workflows, so you can research those use cases in either tool before digging into the feature differences below.
Do QuantRocket and Unusual Whales require subscriptions?
Both QuantRocket 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 QuantRocket focuses on web or desktop access.
What unique strengths set the two platforms apart?
QuantRocket differentiates itself with Includes survivorship-bias-free US minute-bar data (from 2007 onward) for Zipline backtests and live trading, with optional real-time feeds from brokers like IBKR and Alpaca., Supports point-in-time screening and ranking pipelines, and integrates with Alphalens and Pyfolio for in-notebook analysis inside Jupyter., and Global coverage through Interactive Brokers’ historical and real-time data across 60+ exchanges, plus optional feeds like EDI global EOD, Sharadar fundamentals, and Brain sentiment datasets., 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.