Educational only, not financial advice. Broker features, options-approval requirements, 0DTE availability, and fees change and vary by account — verify current details on the broker’s own site. NoVo is independent and not affiliated with the brokers named.
tastytrade and thinkorswim (Schwab’s platform) are both well-regarded, options-focused platforms with deep tools — a step up from beginner apps for serious options traders. Here’s the high-level comparison (verify current specifics directly).
The character of each
tastytrade was built by options-industry veterans and is known for an options-first design and a strong education/content culture — a platform built around the options trader’s workflow. thinkorswim is a long-established, highly-capable platform (now under Schwab) known for powerful charting, analysis, and customization. Both are serious tools; the choice is often about which interface and ecosystem you prefer, and which you’ll actually learn deeply.
For 0DTE SPY scalping
Both platforms can handle 0DTE SPY trading with real depth — fast order entry, detailed chains, and analysis tools. For a scalper, what matters is that you can quickly find today’s expiration, read the chain, and execute cleanly — both do this. The deciding factor is usually comfort and habit: the best platform is the one you know cold, because fumbling an unfamiliar interface on a fast tape is costly.
Both are excellent. The one you’ll master is better than the “objectively best” one you half-learn — on a fast tape, fluency beats features.
The layer neither replaces
Both are outstanding platforms, but like any general platform, they leave the dealer-level mapping and execution discipline to you. That’s the focused layer NoVo adds for SPY 0DTE (via Tradier/Alpaca) — not a replacement for a full platform, but the map-plus-one-click-execution on top. Pick the platform you’ll master; add a cockpit if execution discipline is your gap.