Option Explorer vs Options Academy
Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.
Option Explorer
This application provides real-time option pricing data for US-based ticker symbols. Monitor key metrics like last price, bid/ask spreads, and volume across various strike prices and expiration dates without needing a brokerage account.
- Option pricing data
- Track US ticker symbols
- Monitor last price
- Bid/ask spreads
- Volume tracking
- Multiple strike prices
- Multiple expiration dates
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Option Explorer puts the power of option pricing at your fingerprints. You can now track option specifics about any us based ticker symbol. The app allows you to monitor last price, bid / ask spreads and volume for multiple strike prices and expiration dates. No brokerage account required. Terms of use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/
Options Academy
Learn options trading through a structured curriculum and interactive simulator. Practice strategies, analyze market conditions, and understand risk without using real money. Gain confidence before making actual trades.
- Structured options curriculum
- Black-Scholes pricing simulator
- Greeks Lab and Strategy Builder
- Implied Volatility (IV) Screener
- Candlestick pattern quiz
- AI Trade Explainer
- Daily Catalysts and Trade Planning
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Options are powerful. They're also misunderstood by most of the people trading them. Options Academy is the curriculum traders wish they had before their first real trade — a structured, simulator-driven learning environment for self-directed learners who want to understand options from first principles. No real money. No brokerage connection. Just the education. THE CURRICULUM Twelve in-depth sections cover everything from the basics of calls and puts to market structure, macro catalysts, tax strategy, broker selection, and trading psychology. Each section builds on the last, giving you a coherent picture of how options actually work — not just how to place them. BLACK–SCHOLES SIMULATOR A live Black–Scholes pricing engine sits at the core of the app. Run option scenarios across a virtual portfolio sized from $1,000 to $1 million and watch exactly how price, time, volatility, and the Greeks interact under real market conditions. It's the clearest way to build intuition for options pricing before you ever risk a dollar. GREEKS LAB AND STRATEGY BUILDER Adjust delta, theta, vega, gamma, and rho with live sliders and watch P/L shift in real time. The Strategy Builder lets you construct up to four-leg spreads, see net Greeks across the full position, and understand the risk profile of any structure before committing capital. IV SCREENER Monitor implied volatility across 75 tickers at a glance. Pull a full IV breakdown for any symbol on demand — rank, percentile, 52-week range, and suggested strategies based on the current vol environment. PATTERN QUIZ AND SETUP LIBRARY Build chart-reading fluency through a candlestick pattern quiz that drills the setups options traders actually rely on. The Setup Library catalogs famous options setups with clear explanations of the mechanics behind each one. AI TRADE EXPLAINER Every trade teaches you something — if you understand what happened and why. The AI Trade Explainer breaks down trade outcomes in plain language, turning each simulated scenario into a genuine lesson rather than just a result. DAILY CATALYSTS AND TRADE PLANNING The Daily Catalysts board tracks upcoming earnings, Fed decisions, and CPI releases so you always understand the macro context driving vol. A structured trading plan workspace helps you think through entries, exits, and risk before you act. LEARN WITHOUT RISK Options Academy has no connection to any real brokerage, and nothing in the app constitutes financial advice or a recommendation to trade. This is an educational simulator — designed to help you build genuine conviction through understanding, not speculation. XP, streaks, badges, and a visual mastery progress tree track where you are in the curriculum. Sign in with Apple keeps your account private and secure. If you're serious about understanding options before putting real capital on the line, start here.
Screenshots
Verdict
The clearest difference is price: Option Explorer at Free against Options Academy's $9.99. Option Explorer also leads on ratings volume (156 vs 3) and iOS requirement (14.1 vs 18.0). Options Academy's advantage is in-app purchases (none vs 1) and ads (none vs shown). On review sentiment and device support there is nothing between them.
Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS
Option Explorer is free to download; Options Academy costs $9.99 up front. Option Explorer sells 1 in-app purchase, starting at $0.99 per month. Options Academy asks for nothing beyond the download.
Options Academy holds the better App Store score, 5.0 against 4.7. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Option Explorer has 156 ratings behind it against 3, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 92% of Option Explorer's written reviews are positive against 100% of Options Academy's.
Option Explorer ships an update every 4 months, Options Academy every 6 days. The most recent releases landed on October 16, 2026 and October 15, 2026 respectively.
| Parameter | Option Explorer | Options Academy |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free — better | $9.99 |
| Rating | 4.7 (156 ratings) | 5.0 (3 ratings) — better |
| Positive reviews | 92.3% of reviews | 100.0% of reviews — better |
| Number of ratings | 156 — better | 3 |
| Update frequency | Every 4 months | Every 6 days — better |
| Ads | Yes | No — better |
| In-app purchases | Yes | No — better |
| Monetization | Free with in-app purchases — better | Paid |
| Devices | iPhone, iPod | iPhone, iPad |
| Requires iOS | 14.1 — better | 18.0 |
| Further details — not scored | ||
| Size | 3 MB | 11 MB |
| Age rating | 4+ | 4+ |
| Developer | Vladimir Doubina | BRYAN H LANGE |
Customer experience
Option Explorer
Options Academy
In-app purchases
Option Explorer
- Ad-free OE Premium$0.991 Month
Options Academy
No in-app purchases
Questions
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