hedg3 vs Unusual Whales

The prompt
Compare hedg3 (hedg3.ai) with Unusual Whales (unusualwhales.com) for a self-directed US trader who uses options flow and market data.
Use each company's own current website as your source, and give the date of anything you cite.
Cover, for each plan including any free plan:
1. Options data freshness, and whether real-time options require an exchange subscriber agreement.
2. Equities data freshness.
3. Whether the company publishes a timestamped, settled record of its own trade ideas, and where.
4. Programmatic access: REST API and MCP server.
5. Regulatory status: broker-dealer, investment adviser, or neither.
6. Price per plan, with the billing period.
Mark anything you cannot verify as unverified. Give the comparison, not a recommendation.
Verified 2026-09-07
Comparison axishedg3 Freehedg3 Flowhedg3 ApexUnusual Whales FreeUnusual Whales Paid
Options data freshnessper planDELAYEDReal-time, with the exchange subscriber agreementReal-time, with the exchange subscriber agreementDelayed 15 minReal-time
Options flow boardNoYesYesLimited flow and options dataYes
MCP serverYesYesYesNot published by Unusual WhalesYes
Sources (6)

Questions

Options data on the free tier is delayed. Real-time options need a paid plan and the exchange subscriber agreement. Equities are real-time on every tier, including free, with the equities exchange agreement.