Optionistics
optionistics.com
Long-running US options site with volatility charts, skew, chains with Greeks and strategy screeners, free on 15-day-delayed data, paid for end-of-day.
What it is
Optionistics is a plain, text-heavy website for analyzing US equity and index options. Its tools cover implied and historical volatility charts, volatility skew, option chains with Greeks, option and stock price history, a multi-leg strategy calculator, a probability calculator, open interest and put/call reports, and a max pain view it calls the Strike Pegger. A set of daily screeners looks for covered calls, straddles, spreads, butterflies, calendars and double diagonals.
Registration is free and unlocks the full tool set, but most free views run on data delayed by 15 trading days; option chains with Greeks are end of day even on the free tier. The Standard subscription moves everything to end-of-day data and adds two years of stock price history with indexed volatility, 30 days of option price history and fewer ads. The Data plan adds downloadable history back to 2008 (2006 for the Strike Pegger), capped at one million rows, for personal use only.
It is an end-of-day research site, not a live trading screen: nothing updates intraday. The interface and much of the copy look dated, and the footer copyright reads 2022, so treat it as a reference and historical-data source rather than an actively developed platform.
Key features
- Volatility charts and skew
- Historical and implied volatility charts per ticker, a volatility skew chart, a skew finder screen and a 52-week high/low IV screen.
- Option chains with Greeks
- End-of-day chains with Greeks for free; Standard keeps 30 days of history and the Data plan goes back to 2008.
- Strategy screeners
- Daily screens for covered calls, straddles, spreads, butterflies, calendar straddles, butterfly diagonals and double diagonals.
- Calculators
- A multi-leg options strategy calculator and a probability calculator for estimating the chance of a price reaching a level.
- Open interest reports
- Put/call ratios, open interest change and percentage change, and highest open interest lists.
- Historical data download
- Data plan subscribers can download stock, option and volatility history since January 2008, up to one million rows.
Pricing
| Plan | Price | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Free registration | $0 | All tools; most data delayed 15 trading days, option chains end of day |
| Standard | $42/mo or $359/yr | End-of-day data across tools, 2 years of stock history, 30 days of option history, fewer ads |
| Data plan | $479/yr | Everything in Standard plus downloadable history since 2008, up to 1 million rows |
Prices are shown as images on the subscription page. Standard has a 7-day free trial. Subscriptions renew automatically and can be cancelled at any time. A $45 monthly data price image is also on the page, but the monthly data option appears to be hidden.
Free option: Free registration opens every tool, but screeners, volatility charts, skew and price history use data delayed by 15 trading days. Option chains with Greeks are end of day, and the options tutorial and glossary are free.
Checked September 25, 2026 on optionistics.com. Prices change; confirm on the provider's site before you subscribe.
Strengths
- A wide set of volatility, skew and open interest tools in one place
- Screeners for multi-leg strategies such as double diagonals and calendar straddles, which few free sites offer
- Downloadable option history back to 2008 on the Data plan
- No software to install; everything runs in a browser
Limitations
- Free data is delayed by 15 trading days, which limits it to study and research
- Even paid plans are end of day, with no intraday or real-time data
- Covers US equity and index options only, no futures options
- Dated interface with ads, and the site footer has not been updated since 2022
Good fit for
- Options traders studying historical volatility and skew before placing multi-leg trades
- Traders who want low-cost downloadable option history for their own analysis
- Learners who want a free options tutorial and calculators
Look elsewhere if
- Anyone who needs live or intraday options data
- Traders who want a modern interface or a mobile app
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Optionistics questions
Is Optionistics free?
Registration is free and opens all tools, but most data is delayed by 15 trading days. End-of-day data needs the Standard subscription at $42 a month or $359 a year.
Does Optionistics have real-time options data?
No. The best data it offers is end of day, on the paid plans.
Can I download historical option prices from Optionistics?
Yes, on the Data plan at $479 a year, with history since January 2008 and a limit of one million rows for personal use.
What is the Strike Pegger?
It is Optionistics' name for a max pain calculation: the strike at which the most option value would expire worthless.
Written from Optionistics's own website and documentation. All Trading Tools lists and compares tools; it does not recommend trades or give financial advice. Sources: optionistics.com, optionistics.com/c/subscribe.