Best Premarket Scanners and Screeners

Best Premarket Scanners Screeners
Updated October 25, 2024

The world of stocks trading is getting more and more competitive every day. Luckily, modern technology exists and if used right can help you get an edge even in otherwise tough markets. 

Enter pre-market stock scanners. As their name suggests, these scanners are built with only one objective in mind – to help you keep your finger on the market pulse even before the markets officially open.

Let’s take a look at some of the leading pre-market stock scanners currently and why you should consider using them.

What is a Pre-market Stock Scanner?

A pre-market stock scanner is a tool that scans the entire stock market by percentage gainers/losers, volume, dollar rate, and so on before the next stock market session opens. It allows you to integrate the search results with charts to get more info on potential trading opportunities.

Typically, pre-market stocks screeners sift through thousands of stock data and can narrow them down to those that meet a trader’s specified search criteria.

#1
Tradingview logo e1705204720965

TradingView

TradingView is a web-based platform that provides advanced charting tools, social networking features, and trading ideas for traders and investors in the financial markets.

4.5 of 5 stars

#2
trade ideas logo

Trade Ideas

Trade Ideas is a comprehensive stock scanning and alerting platform that utilizes artificial intelligence to help traders discover potential trading opportunities in the stock market.

4.5 of 5 stars

#3
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FinViz

Finviz is a popular financial website offering a wide range of stock market analytics, including stock screener, market maps, and visualization tools to help traders and investors make informed decisions.

4 of 5 stars

#4
market chameleon logo

Market Chameleon

Market Chameleon is a trading platform that provides powerful analytics, research, and data visualization tools to help traders make informed decisions in the options market.

4 of 5 stars

#5
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Marketwatch

MarketWatch is a leading financial news website that provides real-time stock market data, analysis, and investment information to help investors stay informed and make strategic financial decisions.

4 of 5 stars

#6
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StocksToTrade

StocksToTrade is a trading platform that combines advanced charting tools, stock scanning capabilities, newsfeed, and research resources to help traders identify and capitalize on trading opportunities.

4 of 5 stars

Top 6 Best Pre-market Stock Scanners & Screeners in 2024

We have individually tried and tested various premarket stock scanners, here are our top picks;

1. TradingView


TradingView is known for its great charting and analytical tools. This platform has been there for many years and has over time garnered the reputation of being among the best in the game.

One of the good things about this platform is that it has some pretty powerful built-in premarket scanners that enable you to keep up with the market trends even beyond normal trading hours.

To use the premarket scanner feature on TradingView, you simply need to go to the chart settings and change the default "regular hours" to "extended hours." In the extended hours mode, you'll discover a whole bunch of pre-made scanners that are really easy to use. These include the Extended Hour screener, Performance-based screener, and Margins screener, among others.

What's more, each one of the screeners comes with handy filters that enable you to narrow down your research, e.g., through premarket volumes, premarket % change, and premarket close. Most of all, you can always customize the filters to suit your trading preferences. 

Overall, the TradingView premarket screener is quite well-made, and we absolutely love its user interface. Everything loads fast, and the overall design is highly user-friendly. These are among the key reasons we included it on our list of the best premarket scanners.

Pros

  • Beginner friendly
  • Has premade scanners
  • Lots of historical data
  • Large social community
  • Simple interface

Cons

  • Limited to use of AI

2. Trade Ideas


Trade Ideas is one of the most powerful scanners out there thanks to its great user interface and consistent use of AI technology to simplify trade analysis. Generally, trade ideas has a solid reputation on the market and has been in existence since 2012.

The premarket scanners that come with trade ideas are pretty powerful and easy to use. You can either use the default premade scanners or simply create yours from scratch based on your level of experience.

To use the premarket scanner functionality on Trade Ideas, simply open the desktop and visit the "premarket" icon on the channel bar. For those unfamiliar with the trade ideas layout, the channel bar is located on the extreme left side of your screen.

Upon visiting the "premarket" icon, trade ideas will by default, load a bunch of premade scanners for you. These include the Largest Gap Up scanner, Largest Gap Down Scanner, and the Premarket Movers Scanner.

If you're completely new to trading, you can conveniently stick to using these premade scanners. However, if you're an experienced trader, the option to create your custom scanners also exists. Some of the filters you can use include volume, price, EPS, and average daily volume, among others.

In a nutshell, trade ideas stands out as an easy-to-use platform as far as premarket scanning is concerned. The platform loads fast and is easy on the eye. Above all, it is beginner-friendly.

Pros

  • Beginner-friendly
  • Premade scanners available
  • The platform loads fast
  • Great backtesting tool
  • Helpful AI integration
  • Customizable scans

Cons

  • Quite expensive

3. FinViz


FinViz is an excellent web-based platform that offers traders and investors tools for carrying out financial market visualizations. It helps them select the best stocks to buy from a list of over 8,000 us-listed stocks. The website is easy to use and loads pretty quickly. This makes it ideal for both new and experienced traders.

First off, it is worth clarifying that premarket data is only available to FinViz Elite subscribers from 7AM to 9:30AM.

To use the FinViz premarket screener simply go to the homepage and then select screener. Under industry select stocks only. Next, choose the parameters that suit your search intent: index, average volume, dividend yield, target price, earnings date, and market cap. 

To simplify your work, you can filter the stocks by timeframes, for example, 3 mins, 5 mins, 15 mins, daily, weekly, or monthly. All the information you are searching for will be displayed in the easily interpretable Finviz table or charts to help you make a wise decision. 

In general, FinViz scans hundreds of stock data and matches them to fit your criteria using tools called filters. You can use the preset filters or customize them to have an easy time whenever you want to contact premarket data analysis.

Pros

  • Up to 67 stock screening metrics
  • Excellent backtesting
  • Automated stock chart signals
  • Robust filters
  • Intuitive design

Cons

  • Limited to US stocks
  • Interactive charts have no indicators

4. Market Chameleon


The Market Chameleon platform gives traders the latest market insights and comprehensive trading analysis tools. It was founded in 2007 and has gained popularity as one of the best platforms for traders to fine-tune their trading strategies.

The premarket stock screener is one of Market Chameleon's comprehensive data analysis tools that allows you to select stocks according to specific criteria. When on the Market Chameleon homepage simply select Premarket Trading from under the ‘Stocks’ tab. The premarket trading report comprises the calendar review of trading events in the last 4 weeks or months based on dollar value, high price, lower price, or volume. 

Under premarket movers, you can view the most active stocks and biggest gainers. You can filter them further to view the stocks by symbols, price, premarket volume, market cap alerts, industry, or sector. 

Market Chameleon, therefore, works tirelessly to empower investors and traders with data-driven insights on premarket stock performance. These insights help traders to decide which stocks to choose easily. Similarly, the platform's features are easy to navigate thus convenient for all levels of traders: beginners, mid-level, and experts.

Pros

  • Gives detailed reports
  • Comprehensive historical data
  • Traders can create multiple watch lists
  • Customizable watch lists
  • Diverse market research tools

Cons

  • Delays market data by 15 minutes
  • Clunky interface

5. MarketWatch


MarketWatch is a stock screening and analysis platform that comprises various tools like stock screener, market data center, watch list, premarket screener, calendar, etc. Unlike other platforms with complex parameters, MarketWatch has an easy-to-navigate screen with fewer filters. Therefore, users can get whatever information they need within a short period. 

The MarketWatch premarket screener helps you to browse through global stocks and gauge their performance based on historical data or the latest trends. 

To access this tool, simply visit the MarketWatch homepage. Under the hamburger menu, scroll down to ‘Research & Tools’ then to ‘Premarket Screener’. From there, you'll view the leaders, laggards, and most active stocks. 

You can further filter each of the three icons above by symbol, company name, volume, price, etc. This helps you narrow down the list from thousands of stocks to those that match your trading strategy. 

In conclusion, MarketWatch is an excellent yet simple interface that gives traders a rough idea of the stocks they should pay attention to when the market re-opens.

Pros

  • Free screener
  • Great charting features
  • Relays latest trade data
  • Simple interface
  • Multiple indicators

Cons

  • Has limited parameters

6. StocksToTrade


StocksToTrade is an all-inclusive trading, charting, and screening platform that allows you to get a detailed market on the performance of stocks. It includes algorithm-based and powerful AI tools meant to provide you with detailed stock market analyses. 

The platform’s premarket stock scanner particularly lets you get an overall stock view before the market opens. Accessing premarket data with StocksToTrade is easy; log in to the software during premarket hours. The data appearing there will be premarket data enabling you to make solid decisions without having to click around.

You can use the pre-configured scans if you are short on time or build your very own scans to filter the stocks according to your interests. 

Moreover, you can filter stocks by volume, biggest gainers or losers, price, and volatility. The StocksToTrade Oracle algorithm gives you a stock watch list and the potential entry/exit points. This helps you to identify the stocks with potential success rates or those that will likely bring you more profits. 

In conclusion, StocksToTrade helps you to stay ahead of others as far as stock trading is concerned. This is made possible with the incorporated algorithm-enhanced and AI-powered tools that give you real-time stock updates.

Pros

  • Algorithm-based chart analyzer
  • Fully customizable
  • Has prebuilt filters
  • Powerful stock scanner
  • Offers detailed financial reports

Cons

  • Not web-based
  • Resource-intensive software

Why do I need a pre-market stock scanner?

  • Early detection of trading opportunities - A premarket screener allows you to detect potential opportunities prior to the opening of a trading session. This gives you an edge and helps you take full advantage of favorable trading conditions. 
  • Development of efficient trading strategies - By accessing crucial data premarket you can fine-tune your strategy and enhance it to match the current market trends.
  • Leveraging market volatility - The first few hours of the markets opening provide a perfect trading opportunity for many traders. This is due to the high number of market participants and high trading volumes. Short-term traders can take full advantage of such moments to get maximum returns.
  • Improved risk management - You can foresee potential risks and work towards minimizing or evading them completely for the sole purpose of protecting your capital.
  • Efficient time management - With premarket scanning, you can focus your interests on specific stocks instead of scanning the whole market when the trading session opens. This is quite time-saving and helps you to focus on high-income potential trades.

Conclusion

Pre-market stock scanners are great tools that help you achieve your goals. That's regardless of whether you are a novice, intermediate, or expert investor who would like to trade in stocks confidently.

Pre-market stock scanners allow you to evaluate market trends and data before the market officially opens to pinpoint potential trading opportunities. By leveraging pre-market screeners, you maximize your success rate in the highly dynamic world of stock markets. 

Jerry Garnes

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About the Author

Jerry Garnes is a seasoned writer in personal finance. His informative and insightful pieces have been featured by esteemed platforms like Bankrate, The Street, and Business Insider. In addition to his financial expertise, Jerry is a passionate poet and musician with a deep love for nature.

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