The options market moves stocks in ways most retail traders never really notice. Price charts just show you where things have been, but SpotGamma digs into the forces actually shaping market direction right now.

This platform gives traders access to institutional-level options flow data that can sometimes tip you off to price moves before they even show up on the chart.

Overview and Key Features

SpotGamma is a financial insights platform focused on options market analysis. Brent Kochuba, a former derivatives broker and portfolio manager with 20+ years’ experience, founded the platform and built its proprietary models for analyzing index and equity options data.

The big idea behind SpotGamma is that options market activity doesn’t just reflect what’s happening, it actively pushes stock prices around through dealer hedging. This “positional analysis” helps traders see forces at work that regular chart reading totally misses.

Key features include:

  1. Founder’s Notes: Daily pre-market and post-market expert commentary on options market dynamics and key levels for major indices.
  2. Compass Super Scanner: A scanner tool that spots directional and volatility signals across the market, so traders can find setups fast.
  3. Equity Hub: Analysis for over 3,500 US stocks and ETFs with proprietary support and resistance levels based on options positions.
  4. TRACE Heatmap: A visual tool showing real-time options-driven support, resistance, and volatility zones for the S&P 500.
  5. HIRO Indicator: Real-time tracking of options trade impact, highlighting how dealer hedging shapes price momentum.
  6. Tape Options Flow: A scanner that highlights big options trades across 3,000+ tickers, filtering out noise to spot what really matters.

SpotGamma stands out because it focuses on what’s happening now with options positioning, not just what happened before. The platform maps out price boundaries created by current options positions, which can help traders see probable paths based on where the big money is sitting.

User Interface and Experience

SpotGamma runs on a dashboard-based interface, with tools grouped by function. The layout is clean and straightforward, and you can get to any tool from a central navigation menu.

The design stays professional and keeps the focus on data, not flashy visuals. Charts and indicators use a consistent color scheme to flag bullish or bearish signals, so once you learn the basics, it’s pretty intuitive.

If you’re new, there’s a definite learning curve. SpotGamma uses a lot of options-specific lingo, Greeks, dealer positioning, and so on, that might throw off folks without much options experience.

Still, they do offer a bunch of educational resources to help you get up to speed.

The platform works best on desktop with its web-based interface, though you can use it on mobile if you want. Data-heavy tools really need a bigger screen, but things like Founder’s Notes and basic scanners are fine on your phone.

Once you get the hang of it, navigation is pretty simple. Most tools are just a couple clicks away from the main dashboard, and the interface definitely prioritizes info density over simplicity. That’s probably a plus for serious traders who want everything in one place.

Scanning Capabilities

SpotGamma comes with several specialized scanning tools to help traders spot opportunities based on what’s happening in the options market.

Types of scans available:

  1. Compass Scanner: Finds directional bias and volatility signals across the market, highlighting stocks with strong options-driven momentum.
  2. Volatility Risk Premium Scanner: Looks for stocks where options might be mispriced versus actual volatility, which could point to mean-reversion trades.
  3. Squeeze Scanner: Flags stocks with rising gamma exposure that might be primed for big moves.
  4. Tape Options Flow: Scans for institutional-sized options trades across thousands of tickers, surfacing potential smart money moves.

Filtering is flexible. You can sort by market cap, sector, options volume, gamma exposure, volatility metrics, open interest, delta, and gamma thresholds.

There’s a lot of room to make it your own. Build watchlists, set custom alerts, tweak scan criteria, whatever fits your style. You can even save your favorite scan presets for next time.

What’s different about SpotGamma’s scanners is their focus on options market positioning, not just technical indicators. They reveal where the big players are sitting, so you can try to ride with the institutional flow instead of fighting it.

Pricing and Value Proposition

SpotGamma offers three subscription levels, each with a 7-day free trial:

  1. Standard: $89/month or $801/year (save $267)
    • Includes: Founder’s Notes, key index levels, trading platform integrations, and Discord community access
    • Best for: Index traders and beginners looking for market insights
  2. Pro: $129/month or $1,161/year (save $387)
    • Includes: Everything in Standard, plus Equity Hub for 3,500+ stocks
    • Best for: Equity and swing traders who want stock-specific data
  3. Alpha: $249/month or $2,241/year (save $747)
    • Includes: All Pro features plus HIRO real-time indicator, Volatility Dashboard, TRACE heatmap, and Tape options flow tool
    • Best for: Active traders, options pros, and professional investors

SpotGamma aims to give retail traders access to institutional-quality options data and analysis that’s usually out of reach. The pricing reflects that, this isn’t a basic charting tool, and the data is specialized.

Compared to competitors, SpotGamma is definitely on the premium side. It costs more than most charting platforms, but the options flow data is hard to find elsewhere. Similar tools like FlowAlgo or BlackBoxStocks are in the same price ballpark, though their approach is different.

If you’re an active trader who can actually use the insights, the cost makes sense. For pros managing real money, the Alpha plan could pay for itself just by improving trade timing and risk management.

Pros and Cons

Strengths:

  1. Unique Data Perspective: SpotGamma uncovers dealer positioning and options flows you just won’t find on regular charting platforms.
  2. Institutional-Grade Analysis: The models come from options industry veterans and offer analysis similar to what the pros use.
  3. Comprehensive Coverage: You get analysis for major indices and thousands of individual stocks and ETFs.
  4. Educational Resources: There’s a ton of material to help you get your head around options market dynamics.
  5. Integration Capabilities: Export key levels and data to TrendSpider, TradingView, ThinkorSwim, and more.

Limitations:

  1. Learning Curve: You’ll need to understand options concepts like gamma, delta, and dealer hedging to really get value.
  2. Price Point: The subscription isn’t cheap, which could turn off smaller traders.
  3. Technical Knowledge Required: If you don’t know the basics of options, it’ll be tough to get the most out of it.
  4. Data Complexity: There’s a lot of information, and it can feel overwhelming without context.

Ideal User Profile:

  • Day Traders: Real-time options flow data and intraday levels can help with precise entries and exits.
  • Options Traders: Understanding dealer positioning and gamma exposure gives you a real edge.
  • Swing Traders: Options-based support and resistance levels work well for multi-day trades and volatility plays.
  • Institutional Investors: Use the market structure analysis for portfolio positioning and risk management.

SpotGamma isn’t really for beginners with zero options knowledge or for long-term investors who don’t care about short- or medium-term moves.

Rating: 4.5/5 Stars

SpotGamma really does what it claims: it shows how options market activity can push stock prices around. If you’re willing to dig into its methods, you’ll get insights that could make a real difference in your trading.

Its best features? Those would be the proprietary support and resistance levels built from options data, and the live tracking of what big institutional players are doing. These tools go way beyond what you see on regular price charts.

The platform fits best for:

  1. Active traders who want to see what’s really happening under the hood, not just technical patterns.
  2. Options traders hoping for an edge with position sizing and picking the right strikes.
  3. Professional investors who need to spot possible market turning points early.
  4. Risk managers trying to get ahead of volatility before it hits.

Traders might want to check out SpotGamma if they:

  • Trade often enough to actually use the insights.
  • Manage enough capital to make the subscription worthwhile.
  • Are up for learning how the options market really works.
  • Want to factor in what the big money is doing.

SpotGamma isn’t some magic crystal ball, markets are still wild and unpredictable, no matter what. But it does give you a look at market structure that most retail traders just don’t get. If you’re serious and ready to put in the work, the platform gives you actionable insights that really can help your results.

It gets a 4.5/5 rating for its unique data, wide-ranging tools, and the kind of analysis pros use. That missing half-point? Well, there’s a steep learning curve and the price isn’t exactly friendly for everyone, especially smaller retail traders.