A search for the best options trading course returns a confusing spread: free multi-hour YouTube videos, broker classrooms, marketplace courses under $20, and a university program that runs into the thousands. None of that answers the question an active trader is actually asking, which is which course fits the way they trade. The list below sorts the field by trader stage and style instead of by brand name, and it names a clear top pick for traders who want to learn inside live markets rather than from a static video library.
| Course | Best For | Format | Cost | Live Instruction |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullish Bears | Learning while trading | Video course + live trade room | $297/yr to $997 one-time | Yes |
| Option Alpha | Free beginner foundation | Self-paced video | Free | No |
| tastytrade | Options-first broker education | Video + live daily shows | Free | Yes |
| Charles Schwab | Free live coaching | Live + on-demand webcasts | Free | Yes |
| Udemy (Kal Zurn) | Low-cost structured course | Self-paced video | $17.99 (from $119.99) | No |
| Cboe Options Institute | Education from the exchange | Self-paced video + tools | Free | Yes |
| Interactive Brokers | Platform-integrated basics | Self-paced video | Free | No |
| SMB Training | Advanced and professional traders | Video + mentoring | $1,397/quarter and up | At premium tiers |
Best Options Trading Courses for Active Traders
Bullish Bears: Best for Learning While You Trade
Most options courses hand a trader a video library and wish them luck. Bullish Bears is ranked first here because it does the one thing a self-paced course cannot: it puts the lessons next to a live market. The options course itself runs 35 lectures across 8 hours and 10 minutes, organized into basics, selling options, and a strategies block that covers credit and debit spreads, day trading options, swing trading options, weeklys, covered calls, iron condors, butterflies, straddles, strangles, calendars, and diagonals. What separates it from a YouTube marathon is everything bundled around the lessons.
Founded in 2016 by Lucien Bechard, the platform pairs its courses with a live trade room, a Discord community, daily live streams, and scanners. The strategies module explicitly addresses day trading options and the pattern day trader rule, which most beginner courses skip entirely. That detail matters, because a trader with under $25,000 needs to understand why day trading options can trip the PDT rule while swing trading the same contracts does not.
Specs:
- 35 lectures, 8 hours 10 minutes of options content
- Bundled access to intermediate courses (40+ hours) and advanced courses (60+ hours)
- Live trade room, Discord, daily streams, watchlists, and scanners
- 132,000+ traders trained, 4.7 average rating
- Founded and taught by Lucien Bechard
| Tier | Price | What’s included |
|---|---|---|
| Foundation | $297/year | Free beginner courses, 1-year access to intermediate courses |
| Next Level | $597 one-time | 1-year intermediate and advanced courses, 30-day trade room trial |
| Next Level Premium | $997 one-time | Lifetime courses, 1 year of trade room access |
| Trade Room add-on | $67/month | Trade room, Discord, scanners, live streams |
Pros:
- Live trade room turns concepts into real-time practice
- Covers day trading and swing trading options directly, including the PDT rule
- One purchase unlocks the full course library, not just options
Cons:
- No free trial on the courses themselves
- The most valuable piece, the live trade room, is time-limited and reverts to $67/month after the first year, so the standalone course undersells what actually makes the platform worth it
- No certificate on completion
Option Alpha: Best Free Course for Beginners
For a trader who wants to build a foundation without paying a cent, Option Alpha is the strongest free structured option available. The Beginner Track is 14 guided video lessons taught by founder Kirk Du Plessis, moving from the anatomy of a contract through payoff diagrams, reading an options chain, moneyness, the Greeks, expiration and assignment, and small-account strategies. The full library extends past 160 free videos, so a trader can progress into intermediate and advanced material at no cost.
The teaching has a clear point of view. Du Plessis frames the trader’s edge as selling overpriced premium, since implied volatility tends to overstate the actual range a stock travels. That bias toward option selling and income generation suits a swing trader working credit spreads far better than a momentum day trader buying directional calls, and a reader should know that going in rather than discover it three lessons deep.
Specs:
- 14-lesson Beginner Track, fully free
- 160+ free videos across beginner, intermediate, and advanced tracks
- Optional paid Pro tier adds automation, backtesting, and paper trading
- Taught by founder Kirk Du Plessis
Pros:
- Genuinely free with no account paywall on the education
- Clean, logical progression from contract basics to strategy
- Lifetime access to the video library
Cons:
- No quizzes, no live instruction, and no live-market application
- The curriculum leans toward premium selling and income rather than directional, active trading, so it fits an income-oriented swing trader better than an intraday momentum trader
tastytrade: Best Broker-Integrated, Options-First Education
tastytrade is the closest a trader gets to sitting beside a desk that thinks in options all day. Built by Tom Sosnoff and Scott Sheridan, both former Cboe floor traders, the brokerage runs free educational paths that move from the basics through the Greeks and advanced strategies, alongside live daily programming that walks through real trade ideas as the session unfolds. A free options backtesting tool and recorded platform demos round out the offering.
The orientation is the whole point. Where a general broker treats options as one product among many, tastytrade treats options as the main event, which means the live shows and written material stay focused on the mechanics that active options traders care about, from implied volatility to managing multi-leg positions. The cost of that focus is that the education exists to bring traders onto the platform.
Specs:
- Free options-focused education hub and live daily shows
- Options backtesting tool and recorded platform demos
- Founded by Tom Sosnoff and Scott Sheridan, former Cboe traders
Pros:
- Options-first focus that most broker education lacks
- Live programming shows strategies under real market conditions
- Free, with no account required to access most content
Cons:
- The education is a funnel into the brokerage
- Less structured than a numbered syllabus, so a true beginner can wander without a clear starting path
- No certificate on completion
Charles Schwab: Best for Free Live Coaching
Schwab offers more free live instruction in a week than many paid programs deliver in a month. Schwab Coaching runs over 30 live, interactive webcasts every trading week, hosted by a team of nine Education Coaches who demonstrate strategies in current market conditions using the thinkorswim platforms. Traders can ask questions in the live chat, filter the calendar from beginner through advanced, and follow dedicated tracks such as Getting Started with Options before building up to multi-leg strategies and managing a portfolio of options. Free in-person workshops and one-day Market Drive events, which often feature guests from CME, Cboe, and Nasdaq, sit on top of the virtual schedule.
The thinkorswim integration is what makes this useful to an active trader rather than a passive learner. Coaches work through setups on the same professional platform a trader would actually execute on, so the gap between watching and doing is small. Schwab also carries StockBrokers.com Best in Class Education for 2026 and Best in Class Options Trading for 2025.
Specs:
- 30+ free live interactive webcasts per week, every trading day
- Nine Education Coaches, beginner to advanced, on thinkorswim
- Free in-person workshops and Market Drive events
- On-demand webcast library available 24/7
Pros:
- Unmatched volume of free live instruction
- Real-time demonstrations on a professional platform
- Beginner-to-advanced coverage with interactive Q&A
Cons:
- Options content is one stream inside a general curriculum that spans stocks, futures, and portfolio management, so it is less concentrated than an options-only program
- The whole offering funnels toward opening a Schwab account, and premium content requires one
- No certificate and no fixed syllabus
Udemy (Options Trading for Rookies): Best Low-Cost Paid Course
When the goal is a structured paid course at the lowest possible price, Udemy’s Options Trading for Rookies: Understand Options Completely is the pick. Taught by Kal Zurn of SharperTrades, the course packs 64 video lectures into roughly 2.5 hours, holds a 4.8 rating across about 9,100 reviews, and includes downloadable resources, a closing quiz, and a certificate. It covers the fundamentals of calls and puts, opening and closing positions, and income-generating strategies, which is enough to take a complete beginner to functional.
Pricing is where this course earns its spot. The listed retail price is $119.99, marked down to $17.99 at the time of writing, and even at full price it undercuts every other paid course in this list. A trader who wants more than one course can instead take the Udemy Personal Plan at $14 per month, which unlocks this course plus more than 26,000 others. For breadth, Chris Haroun’s 29.5-hour Complete Options Course and Hari Swaminathan’s Options Trading Basics bundle are well-reviewed alternatives on the same platform.
Specs:
- 64 lectures, roughly 2.5 hours, taught by Kal Zurn (SharperTrades)
- 4.8 rating, about 9,100 reviews
- Certificate on completion and lifetime access
- 30-day money-back guarantee
Pros:
- Among the cheapest credible structured courses anywhere
- Highly rated with a large review base
- Personal Plan at $14/month opens 26,000+ courses for a trader who wants more
Cons:
- Purely self-paced video with no live component and no real-market application
- The $17.99 price is a discount off the $119.99 list, and the value of the course depends heavily on buying it below list rather than at full price
Cboe Options Institute: Best Free Education From the Source
There is something to be said for learning options from the exchange that lists them. The Cboe Options Institute has run for more than 40 years, and it carries no brokerage agenda, which makes its free material unusually neutral. A trader can start with Options 101, a 30-minute course on calls, puts, strike prices, and core mechanics, then move into short video modules and a free learning portal that tracks progress, offers learning paths, and stores class replays. Two free tools, an Options Calculator and a Trade Optimizer, let a trader test pricing scenarios and strategies before committing capital.
The neutrality is genuinely rare and worth the trade-off in scope. Because Cboe is not trying to convert a viewer into an account holder, the content stays squarely on how options work rather than how to use any particular platform.
Specs:
- Free Options 101 course plus short video and article modules
- Free learning portal with progress tracking, learning paths, and replays
- Free Options Calculator and Trade Optimizer tools
- Live virtual and in-person classes
Pros:
- Authoritative, exchange-run, and free of any brokerage sales pitch
- Useful free tools for pricing and strategy testing
- More than 40 years of education credibility
Cons:
- The material is educational rather than trade-oriented, so it explains how options work but will not teach a trader to find or manage live intraday setups
Interactive Brokers (IBKR Campus): Best Free Course Tied to a Professional Platform
IBKR Campus keeps its Introduction to Options course short and practical, and one lesson in particular justifies its place here. The free course runs five video lessons: an introduction to calls and puts, vertical credit spreads, put-call parity, the Greeks with an interactive calculator, and placing call and put orders inside the TWS Mosaic platform. That last lesson is the differentiator, since most courses explain strategy but never show a trader how to actually load an option chain, view price as volatility, and read a performance graph before sending an order.
The course is labeled intermediate, and the label is honest. It assumes a viewer already grasps the absolute basics, then layers platform mechanics on top, which is exactly what a trader who has chosen IBKR for its execution quality needs.
Specs:
- Five free video lessons
- Covers vertical credit spreads, put-call parity, and the Greeks
- Includes a TWS Mosaic order-entry walkthrough
- Labeled intermediate
Pros:
- Teaches order entry on a professional platform, which most courses skip
- Free and concise
- Strong fit for traders who plan to execute on IBKR
Cons:
- Only five lessons, and the narrow scope assumes prior grounding
- A complete beginner will need a foundation course first before this one makes sense
SMB Training: Best for Advanced and Professional Traders
SMB Training is the education arm of SMB Capital, a New York proprietary trading firm, and it is built for traders who treat the screen as a profession rather than a hobby. The firm’s Options Foundation program teaches the same options process SMB uses to develop its own desk traders, with the stated approach of matching each student to the strategy that fits them best. Beyond the entry content, SMB sells premium tool and mentoring packages that include access to its proprietary scanners and real-time guidance.
The pricing makes the audience obvious. The Trader 90 package runs $1,397 per quarter and Trader 365 runs $5,000 per year, with higher-touch mentoring packages above that. A trader paying those numbers is buying access to prop-firm methods and strategies that are rarely taught publicly, not a weekend crash course.
Specs:
- Options Foundation program from the SMB Capital prop desk
- Proprietary scanners, radar screen, and real-time positions at premium tiers
- Trader 90 at $1,397/quarter, Trader 365 at $5,000/year
- Education arm of a working New York proprietary trading firm
Pros:
- Prop-firm pedigree and access to advanced strategies seldom found elsewhere
- Real-time mentoring and tools at the premium level
- Built to develop professional-grade skill, with a path toward firm funding for top students
Cons:
- The serious programs are expensive, and the cost puts them out of reach for most retail traders
- Lower tiers lack live application, so the real value sits behind the priciest packages
Bottom Line
For an active trader, the best options trading course is the one that teaches inside a live market, which makes Bullish Bears the clear winner. Its course is solid on its own, but the live trade room, daily streams, and direct coverage of day and swing trading options are what move a trader from understanding a strategy to executing it under pressure. The one caveat is cost structure: the trade room is where the value concentrates, and keeping it past the first year means an ongoing $67 per month.
Option Alpha is the runner-up and the best choice for any trader who wants to build a foundation for free, with the understanding that its lessons lean toward option selling and income rather than directional day trading. From there the decision follows trader type. A trader who wants options-first education tied to a broker should look at tastytrade, while one who wants the most free live coaching and uses thinkorswim is better served by Charles Schwab. For the cheapest structured paid course, Udemy’s Options Trading for Rookies is hard to beat. Cboe and Interactive Brokers both offer strong free material, neutral education from Cboe and platform mechanics from IBKR. SMB Training stands alone at the professional end, worth the cost only for traders committed to trading as a career.
How These Options Trading Courses Compare
| Course | Lessons / Length | Live Instruction | Community | Certificate | Active-Trading Focus | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bullish Bears | 35 lectures, 8h 10m | Yes | Yes | No | High | $297/yr to $997 one-time |
| Option Alpha | 14 lessons (160+ in library) | No | No | No | Medium | Free |
| tastytrade | Path-based + daily shows | Yes | Limited | No | High | Free |
| Charles Schwab | 30+ webcasts/week | Yes | Yes | No | Medium | Free |
| Udemy (Kal Zurn) | 64 lectures, 2.5h | No | No | Yes | Medium | $17.99 (from $119.99) |
| Cboe Options Institute | Options 101 + modules | Yes | No | No | Low | Free |
| Interactive Brokers | 5 lessons | No | No | No | Medium | Free |
| SMB Training | Program-based | At premium tiers | At premium tiers | No | High | $1,397/quarter and up |
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best options trading course?
For an active trader, Bullish Bears is the top pick because it teaches inside a live market: the course is solid on its own, but the live trade room, daily streams, and direct coverage of day and swing trading options move a trader from understanding a strategy to executing it. Option Alpha is the runner-up and the best free foundation, with the caveat that its lessons lean toward option selling and income rather than directional trading. The right choice depends on trader type and budget.
Are there good free options trading courses?
Yes, several. Option Alpha offers a free 14-lesson beginner track and a library of more than 160 videos, tastytrade runs free options-first education with live daily shows, and Charles Schwab provides more than 30 free live interactive webcasts each week on the thinkorswim platform. The Cboe Options Institute offers neutral, exchange-run material free of any brokerage sales pitch, and Interactive Brokers’ IBKR Campus has a concise free course that teaches order entry on a professional platform.
How much does an options trading course cost?
Costs range widely. Several strong courses are free, including Option Alpha, tastytrade, Charles Schwab, Cboe, and Interactive Brokers. Among paid options, Udemy’s Options Trading for Rookies is the cheapest credible structured course, Bullish Bears runs $297 per year up to $997 one-time plus a $67-per-month trade room after the first year, and SMB Training sits at the professional end starting at $1,397 per quarter. The free courses are genuinely useful, so paying is mainly about live instruction and community.
Which options course is best for live instruction?
For paid live instruction tied to a community, Bullish Bears leads with its trade room and daily streams. For free live instruction, Charles Schwab is unmatched in volume, running more than 30 interactive webcasts a week on thinkorswim with real-time Q&A, and tastytrade adds live daily shows that walk through trade ideas as the session unfolds. SMB Training offers real-time mentoring, but only at its premium tiers aimed at professional traders.