Getting Started
Welcome to OptionCharts! This guide will provide you with information on how to navigate the platform and use our tools for options analysis and research.
What is OptionCharts?
OptionCharts provides charts and tools designed specifically for option traders. Our mission is to help you gain insights into the options market and make more informed trading decisions. Whether you're a new or experienced trader, our platform offers valuable resources to enhance your understanding of options and improve your trading outcomes. OptionCharts achieves this by providing unique data and insights into the options market, presented through user-friendly charts and visuals.
Quickstart
Start by browsing our charts to get familiar with our platform and the types of data we offer. Try out different charts and tools to see which ones are most helpful for your trading style.
Searching and Viewing Options for a Ticker
You can search for options data for specific tickers by using our search feature. Simply click the search icon in the app header and enter the ticker symbol or company name of the security you're interested in.
Tip: For quick access to the search feature use the keyboard shortcut Cmd + K (Mac) or Ctrl + K (Windows).
search by ticker or company name
Creating an account and upgrading
You can use OptionCharts for free. However, to get the most out of OptionCharts you might want to upgrade to a Premium plan to unlock access to all charts and features. To sign up, go to our pricing page and select a plan.
Navigating Option Charts
Market trends
Use market trends to view which tickers and option contracts are trending based on highest option volume, open interest, or unusual activity. This tool enables you to quickly analyze the options market and spot potential trade ideas.
market trends
Charts by Ticker
These charts show option charts for a particular ticker. For each stock ticker we organize charts into these main tabs:
- Overview: View aggregated options data and statistics for a given ticker.
- Profit & Loss Chart: View the payoff diagram of various option strategies.
- Option Charts: View the following charts for one or more expiration dates:
- Open Interest: Displays the total number of outstanding option contracts at each strike price.
- Volume: Shows the options volume at each strike.
- Max Pain: Based on the max pain theory, illustrates the price where option buyers experience the maximum losses.
- Implied Volatility Skew: Shows Implied Volatility (IV) at each strike.
- Probability Distribution: Shows the probability of ending prices based on current option prices and Black-Scholes pricing model.
- Greeks (Delta, Gamma, Theta, Vega): Presents the Options Greeks across strikes.
- Unusual Options: Shows unusual trading as measured by Volume divided by Open Interest.
- Gamma Exposure (GEX): Shows the estimated dollar amount that market makers must hedge for every 1% change in the spot price to remain gamma neutral.
- Delta Exposure (DEX): Shows the estimated dollar amount that market makers must hedge for every 1% change in the spot price to remain delta neutral.
- Option Chain: Lists all available option contracts for a given security at various strike prices and expiration dates in a table format.
- Option Contract: View details of a particular option contract, including the option's price history and volume.
tab layout
Using Chart features
OptionCharts offers interactive features that allow you to filter options data, manipulate charts, and customize your view.
Option Filters
Filter by Calls and Puts
You can choose to view data for only call options, only put options, or both.
calls and puts selector
Filter by Expiration
You can filter chart data by expiration date to focus on specific expiries. You can view option data for a single expiration date (single expiry) or multiple expiration dates (multi-expiry).
expiration dates selector
Filter by Strikes
This filter enables you to view options data within a specific range of strike prices. You can filter using either a custom range (for example, strikes between 550-600) or by selecting a moneyness percentage value. When using moneyness filtering, selecting a value (such as ±5%) will display options with strikes that fall within that percentage above and below the current spot price. This filtering capability allows you to quickly zoom in and focus on relevant strike price ranges.
strike range selector
Zooming In on Charts
You can zoom in on specific sections of the chart for a more granular view of the data. To zoom in simply click and drag your mouse over the chart. For touch devices you can pinch to zoom in and out. Click the "reset zoom" button in the upper right of the chart to zoom back out again.
View information about each chart
You can view information about a chart by clicking the info button below each chart.
View Charts in Full Screen (Premium Feature)
Premium users can view charts in full-screen providing a more detailed view of the data. To view charts in full-screen click the full-screen button located below each chart.
Download Chart Data as a CSV (Premium Feature)
Premium users can download the chart data in CSV format for further analysis. To download chart data click the download button located below each chart.
Click a Point to Navigate to an Option
For select charts, clicking on a specific data point on the chart will direct you to a detailed view of the corresponding option contract, allowing you to quickly access relevant information about the option.
Chart Tools (Premium Feature)
The Chart Tools menu appears on the left side of each chart and allows you to add annotations, indicators, and perform interactions with charts.
For price history charts, this menu allows you to add technical indicators such as simple moving averages (SMA), exponential moving averages (EMA), Bollinger bands (BB), and more.
Use the Chart Tools menu for adding text annotations and indicators to charts
Enable or Disable Chart Tools
By default, Chart Tools is enabled for premium accounts. You can enable or disable Chart Tools in your account settings.
To enable or disable Chart Tools, go to: Account Settings > Chart Settings > Enable Chart Tools
Chart Themes (Premium Feature)
Chart themes allow you to customize the style and appearance of charts to suit your preferences. You can choose from a variety of themes, including light and dark.
To change the chart theme, go to: Account Settings > Chart Settings > Chart Theme
Select from a variety of chart themes