Lite and Pro

What both plans include

Lite and Pro share the heart of SmartStrikes. On either plan you get:

• analysis of the positions you import from Fidelity or Tastytrade CSV exports: contracts, tranches, P&L, break-evens and rolls;
• SmartStrikes wheel grades and Sector Rotation;
• option chains, charts and the volatility meter;
• SmartAssist, the built-in help assistant, and AI Analysis on an AI provider you connect.

Each account gets one free 30-day trial, whichever plan you choose first. Prices are on the home page.

How they differ

Lite needs a free Alpaca API key

Without Tastytrade, every price in SmartStrikes comes from your own free Alpaca account: stock quotes, option prices, charts, the volatility meter and the VIX estimate. An Alpaca paper account is free, needs only an email, and needs no money in it.

Add the key in Settings → Security & account → Market data (Alpaca), where How to get a free key shows the steps. SmartStrikes checks the key works before saving it. You add it once: with settings sync on, it follows you to your other browsers, encrypted so SmartStrikes can't read it. The key is used only to read market data from Alpaca, straight from your browser, and never to trade.

Without a key you still see your imports and their analysis, but no prices.

Why option prices on Lite are estimates

Option prices on Lite are estimates, not market prices. Alpaca's free data gives indicative option prices: values worked out from a pricing model using the stock's price and volatility, not the real bids and offers on the options exchanges. They're usually close to the market, but can be off, especially for options that trade rarely or are far from the stock price.

• The bid and ask refresh about every 15 seconds rather than streaming live.
• An option's Last price (its last trade) is delayed 15 minutes. SmartStrikes works premiums from the midpoint of the bid and ask, not from Last.
• Premiums, CAGR, P/L, and the C and P badges built on them, are estimates too.
• Stock prices on Lite are real (IEX, in real time).

The first time you use an Alpaca key, a dialog explains this and asks you to tick I understand option prices on my Alpaca key are estimates, not market prices before you continue. It's asked once per account, so the tables themselves don't carry "estimated" notes.

For the real thing, upgrade to Pro and connect Tastytrade: live, streamed bid and ask from the options exchanges for every contract, plus your live account.

What looks different without Tastytrade

• The header shows "SmartStrikes Lite · prices from your Alpaca key" (or "SmartStrikes Pro · …") where the account picker would be, with an Upgrade to Pro or Connect Tastytrade button.
• VIX est. replaces the VIX quote: an estimate worked out every 5 minutes from SPY's option prices with Cboe's own VIX formula. It tracks the VIX closely.
• The metrics sheet (the ⓘ beside the symbol) shows implied and historical volatility and dividends, with one line naming what needs Tastytrade.
• The volatility meter's 5D segment stays empty, since it measures the IV Rank change.
• The Research tab on Lite describes what the Scanner does, with an Upgrade to Pro button.

Wherever something is missing, the app says what would fill it: Upgrade to Pro on Lite, Connect Tastytrade on Pro.

Switching plans

Upgrading to Pro

Tap Upgrade to Pro wherever you see it, for example on the Research tab, the Account tab or in Settings → Security & account → Subscription. A sheet lists what Pro adds; then a confirmation shows exactly what you'll pay before anything changes:

• nothing is charged today;
• the difference between Pro and Lite for the days left in your current period is added to your next bill, so a month never costs more than Pro;
• your next bill, line by line.

Once you confirm, Pro starts at once, without leaving the app, and you keep your monthly or yearly billing. During a free trial, the trial carries on with the same end date. You're then asked whether to connect Tastytrade; Not now is fine, and you can connect later in Settings → Security & account.

Switching to Lite

In Settings → Security & account → Subscription, Switch to Lite keeps Pro until the end of the period you've paid for, then moves you to Lite. During a free trial it switches straight away. Keep Pro cancels a pending switch. If you haven't added an Alpaca key, you're warned first, since Lite's prices come from one.

Your Tastytrade login is kept when you switch to Lite, so upgrading again brings it straight back. Imports and settings stay as they are.

Monthly, yearly or cancelling

To switch between monthly and yearly billing, or to cancel, use Manage subscription in the same place.