Tradytics vs Barchart

By Faizan Ahmad. Updated 2026-11-01.

Pick Barchart if you want options screeners, unusual options activity and futures data at the lowest price: Premier is $29.95 a month or $239.95 a year as of October 2026, with 30 days free and historical options data back to 2017, though its options data is delayed. Pick Tradytics if you trade off options flow during the session and want it live to the second, with dark pool prints, dealer gamma and an AI analyst, for $39 a month on Live. If you already use Barchart for futures and screening, Tradytics adds the live options side rather than replacing it.

How do Tradytics and Barchart compare?

Barchart is a broad market-data site for stocks, futures and options; its Premier membership adds options screeners, unusual options activity, options flow, and time and sales. Tradytics covers US stocks and ETFs and their options, and goes deeper on the options and dark pool side, with an AI analyst that reads it all.

Prices checked October 31, 2026. Barchart's prices are from its membership comparison page as captured October 10, 2026.

Where Barchart wins

• Price. Premier is $29.95 a month, or $239.95 a year ($19.95 a month), and Plus is $9.99. Both come with 30 days free. That makes Premier the cheapest way we know of to get unusual options activity, options flow and options screeners in one membership.
• Breadth. Stocks, futures and options in one place, and futures are a real strength. Tradytics covers US stocks and ETFs.
• Screeners. More than 150 filters, plus advanced options strategy screeners on Premier.
• History. Historical options data downloads go back to 2017.
• Alerts. Unlimited alerts on Premier, plus real-time price alerts on Cboe BZX prices with SMS.
• A native app and member shows. The Barchart app runs on iOS and Android, and members get a weekly Market on Close show and webinars.
• Gamma pages. Barchart publishes gamma exposure pages per stock, built on delayed intraday data.

Where Tradytics wins

• Live flow. Barchart's options data is delayed. Tradytics Live and Pro show every large print from OPRA, the consolidated options tape, live to the second, with the side (above ask down to below bid), size against open interest, Vol/OI, IV, type (sweep, block, split) and tags such as Opening and Spread.
• Dark pools. About 12,000 off-exchange and block prints a session, within about 15 minutes of their report, with levels built from 10 sessions of prints. Barchart doesn't list dark pool data.
• One options page per stock. Net flow, calls and puts split into bought and sold, bets by strike and expiry, largest and unusual orders, expected move, implied volatility, open interest with max pain and dealer levels, all for the same ticker on the research options page.
• An AI analyst. Ask a question in plain words and it pulls the flow, dark pool prints, gamma, prices and news itself, then tells you what a trade likely is: a hedge, a spread or a fresh bet.
• A Free plan that does real work. Every page and tool on yesterday's session, no card, against Barchart Free's screener capped at 20 results.
• Portfolio and data access. Read-only broker linking on every plan, portfolio factors on Live and Pro, and an API plus MCP server on Pro.

Unusual activity, read properly: a real example

On October 30, 2026, at 1:03 PM ET, 4,481 Meta (META) February 19, 2027 $730 calls were bought at the ask for $10.59M, against open interest of 793. On a typical unusual-activity list that is a headline: volume more than five times open interest, a fresh bullish bet. But in the same minute, exactly 4,481 of the February $780 calls also traded, for $6.60M.

Matching size in the same minute points to two legs of one order, most likely a call spread. If the $780 calls were sold against the $730s, the net cost was about $3.99M, not $10.59M, and the gain stops growing above $780. Same headline, a much smaller and capped bet. That reading is what traders say flow tools can't do. Tradytics shows these rows live with their side chips and tags, and its AI analyst tells you when a big print is likely a spread (see how to read spreads in options flow). Barchart's unusual activity on delayed data works for review after the close, less so for acting while a trade is fresh. For what puts a trade on these lists in the first place, see what unusual options activity is.

Gamma on both: what the delay changes

Both tools show gamma exposure. For October 30, 2026, Tradytics put SPY's total dealer gamma at -$335.55M, with the put wall at $758, the call wall at $810 and the gamma flip at $738.08. Negative total gamma means dealers trade with the move, which tends to make swings bigger; SPY fell 1.59% that day to close at $757.12. Gamma levels come from open interest, which changes overnight rather than with each trade, so a delay matters much less for gamma than for flow. If gamma is all you need, Barchart's pages may be enough; the best gamma exposure tools compares the options.

Who should choose which

Choose Barchart if:

• You want options screeners, unusual activity and futures data at the lowest price.
• You review options after the close, so delayed data is fine.
• You want historical options downloads back to 2017 or a native phone app.

Choose Tradytics if:

• You act on options flow during the session and need it live.
• You want dark pool levels and gamma next to the flow for the same ticker.
• You want an AI analyst to read the flow and tell you what a trade likely is.
• You want to try everything free first, on yesterday's session.

Use both if you trade futures or lean on Barchart's screeners but also trade options intraday. Barchart Premier plus Tradytics Live is $68.95 a month at list prices as of October 2026. If you're still deciding whether to pay at all, where to see options flow for free covers the free routes.

Common questions

Is Barchart's options flow real time?

No. Barchart's options data, including unusual options activity, is delayed. Tradytics options flow is live to the second on Live and Pro; the Free plan shows yesterday's session.

Is Barchart cheaper than Tradytics?

Yes. Premier is $29.95 a month or $239.95 a year, against $39 a month or $299 a year for Tradytics Live, as of October 2026. Tradytics' price includes live flow, plus dark pool prints and an AI analyst, which Barchart doesn't list.

Does Barchart have dark pool data?

Dark pool prints aren't listed on Barchart's plans as of October 2026. Tradytics shows them within about 15 minutes of their report, with 10-session levels.

Does Barchart have gamma exposure?

Yes, on per-stock pages built from delayed intraday data. Tradytics shows gamma by strike with the call wall, put wall and gamma flip on every plan, including Free.

Which has a free trial?

Barchart gives the first 30 days free on Plus and Premier. Tradytics has no trial; its Free plan shows every page and tool on yesterday's session with no card.

Sources

• Barchart: Membership comparison (captured October 10, 2026): Free, Plus and Premier prices, the 30-day free trial and what Premier includes.
• OPRA (Options Price Reporting Authority): the consolidated last-sale and quote feed from US options exchanges that Tradytics' flow is built on.