MomentumSift
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A free Unusual Whales alternative
MomentumSift is a free research terminal that ranks unusual options flow by the premium actually at risk and pairs it with momentum signals. It is not a real-time tape like Unusual Whales, so here is an honest comparison of where each one fits.
Open MomentumSift free →Unusual Whales is a strong, comprehensive platform. Its edge is breadth and speed: a real-time options flow tape, dark pool and off-exchange prints, congressional and insider trackers, and a large community. If your workflow is intraday and you act on live order flow, that is what it is built for. MomentumSift takes a narrower, slower, free approach: it computes a clean end-of-day board of the biggest unusual bets and puts them next to the stock's trend, so the honest question is which one matches how you actually trade.
Feature comparison
| Feature | Unusual Whales | MomentumSift |
|---|---|---|
| Options flow timing | Real-time tape | End-of-day snapshot |
| Flow noise filtering | Dashboards and filters | Ranked by time-value premium, one row per name |
| Fresh positioning (volume over OI) | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-day repeat flow | Yes | Yes |
| Dark pool and off-exchange prints | Yes | No |
| Congressional and insider data | Yes | No |
| Options positioning (max pain, OI, put/call) | Yes | Yes |
| Per-stock signal track records | No | Yes |
| Momentum screener and RS rating | Limited | Yes |
| Alerts (email, Slack, Discord) | Yes | Yes |
| Price | Paid (limited free tier) | Free in beta |
Who each is for
Unusual Whales fits an active options trader who wants a live tape, dark pool data, and the wider set of alternative data (congress trades, insider filings) in one paid subscription, and who reads flow during the session. MomentumSift fits someone who wants a free way to find the biggest unusual bets after the close, cross-check them against a stock's momentum and history, and screen the market, without paying for a real-time terminal they do not need.
What MomentumSift does differently
The flow board is ranked by time-value (extrinsic) premium, so deep in-the-money blocks that are really stock substitutes do not crowd out genuine speculation, and it shows one row per name with index ETFs excluded. Beyond flow, every stock carries computed context: a golden cross track record with the run, peak, drawdown and forward returns after each past cross, an RS rating, and a momentum score. The honest base rates are the point: you see the winners and the duds side by side. And it is free while in beta.
FAQ
- Is there a free alternative to Unusual Whales?
- MomentumSift is free while in beta and covers a lot of the same ground: it ranks the biggest directional bets by time-value premium, flags volume above open interest, and tracks multi-day repeat flow. It is built from an end-of-day snapshot, not a real-time tape.
- Does MomentumSift have real-time options flow?
- No. It uses a daily chain snapshot with aggregated volume, and open interest settles the next morning. If you need a live trade tape or dark pool prints during the session, Unusual Whales is built for that and MomentumSift is not.
- What does MomentumSift do that Unusual Whales does not?
- It pairs flow with a momentum terminal: an RS rating, a 12-point momentum checklist, and a per-stock golden cross track record, so you can check whether a print lines up with the stock's own trend and history, free.