Penny Stock Scanner
// the_presets · what_to_look_for · real-time_vs_delayed · comparison · risk · faq
Find the low-float runner before it runs.
A penny stock scanner is only useful if it filters on the things that actually move sub-$5 names — float, relative volume, and gap — not just price and percent change. Tapeboard ships pre-built presets with the exact thresholds day traders screen for, on real-time data. $29/month; free on a 15-minute delay.
- Use Tapeboard if you trade exchange-listed low-float and sub-$5 momentum and want real-time presets that filter on float and relative volume, not just price.
- The wedge: free scanners are 15-minute delayed — fatal when a runner doubles in minutes. Real-time is $29/month.
- Scope: US exchange-listed equities, including sub-$1 names. Not OTC pink sheets.
Pre-built penny & low-float presets
Seven of the 45 presets are tuned for low-priced momentum. Each one is a real filter set you can run as-is or edit:
| PRESET | FILTER | WHAT IT CATCHES |
|---|---|---|
| Penny Stock Movers | Price ≤ $5, volume ≥ 1M | The broad penny universe with real liquidity behind the move. |
| Sub-$1 Runners | Price ≤ $1, change ≥ +20%, volume ≥ 5M | Explosive sub-$1 rips that mainstream scanners miss. |
| Low Float Runners | Float ≤ 20M shares, change ≥ +3% | Thin float means a small buy imbalance moves price hard. |
| Small Cap Rockets | Market cap ≤ $2B, change ≥ +5%, volume ≥ 500K | Small caps with both a move and the volume to confirm it. |
| Pre-Market Runners | Pre-market % change + volume | The overnight gappers before the bell. |
| Volume Spike (5min) | Intraday relative-volume surge | Catches the ignition bar in real time. |
| HOD Momentum | Trading at / near high of day | Breakout continuation names making new session highs. |
Filters are the real executable thresholds from the shipped scanner. Sort direction and columns are preset defaults; all are adjustable.
The columns that matter on a penny stock
Price and percent change are necessary but noisy. The columns that separate a real setup from a dead ticker:
- Relative volume (RVOL) — is today's volume unusual versus its average? RVOL > 3 means the name is genuinely in play.
- Float — how many shares actually trade? A sub-20M float plus a catalyst is the classic low-float squeeze.
- Gap % — how far it moved overnight tells you the pre-market interest.
- Market cap — separates a $40M micro-cap from a $1.5B small-cap; the playbooks differ.
All four are sortable, filterable columns in the scanner — alongside a chart with 44 indicators when you click into a name. Pair it with SEC filing alerts to get pinged the second a watched runner files an 8-K or insider Form 4.
Why real-time is the whole game on penny stocks
A low-float runner can move 50% in the time a 15-minute-delayed feed is still showing you the old price. Delayed data is fine for studying yesterday's setups; it is useless for taking the entry. That is the one hard line between the free and paid tier:
| FREE | PRO — $29/mo | |
|---|---|---|
| Data | 15-minute delayed | Real-time |
| Presets | 10 of 45 | All 45 |
| Indicators | 12 of 44 | All 44 |
| Filing & price alerts | No | Yes |
| Trade journal + AI | No | Yes |
Every account gets 7 days of Pro automatically — run the real-time scanner on a live session before deciding. Start free · full pricing.
Penny stock scanners compared
| TOOL | REAL-TIME | FLOAT FILTER | PRE-MARKET | PRICE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Tapeboard | Yes ($29 tier) | Yes | Yes | $29/mo |
| Finviz (free) | No (delayed) | Limited | No | Free |
| Finviz Elite | Yes | Limited | Yes | ~$39.50/mo |
| Trade Ideas | Yes | Yes | Yes | $84+/mo |
Competitor pricing as of 2026-05-24; verify on each vendor's site.
Who this is for — and the honest scope
A fit if you trade exchange-listed momentum: gap-and-go, low-float squeezes, sub-$1 rips, small-cap breakouts. Not a fit if you trade OTC pink sheets (not covered) or if you are a buy-and-hold investor who does not need an intraday scanner.
Low-priced and low-float stocks are among the most volatile instruments retail can trade. They gap, halt, and reverse violently, and thin names are targets for manipulation. Nothing on this page is investment advice or a recommendation to trade any security. A scanner finds candidates; it does not tell you to buy them. See the full disclaimer.
Penny stock scanner FAQ
What is the best penny stock scanner for day trading?
The best penny stock scanner gives you real-time data (not a 15-minute delay), filters on float and relative volume — not just price and percent change — and lets you scan pre-market. Tapeboard ships pre-built presets for exactly this: Penny Stock Movers (price under $5, volume over 1M), Sub-$1 Runners (under $1, up 20%+, volume over 5M), and Low Float Runners (float under 20M shares). It is $29/month for real-time, with a free 15-minute-delayed tier to try it.
Is there a free penny stock scanner?
Tapeboard's scanner is usable free on a 15-minute delay, which is fine for studying setups and end-of-day review but too slow for live scalping. For penny stocks where a runner can double in minutes, real-time data is the difference — that is the $29/month Pro tier. Free scanners like Finviz exist but are delayed and lack the float and relative-volume filters that matter for low-float names.
Can I scan for low-float stocks?
Yes. The Low Float Runners preset filters to names with a float under 20 million shares that are up 3%+, sorted by percent change. Float is a first-class column you can sort and filter on — low float plus high relative volume is the classic small-cap squeeze setup, and the scanner surfaces both.
How do I find sub-$1 stocks that are moving?
Use the Sub-$1 Runners preset: it filters to stocks under $1 that are up at least 20% on volume over 5 million shares, sorted by percent change. It is built to catch the explosive small-cap rips that price-only scanners bury.
Does the scanner cover OTC and pink-sheet penny stocks?
Tapeboard screens US exchange-listed equities (NYSE, Nasdaq, NYSE American), including low-priced and sub-$1 listed names. It does not cover OTC pink-sheet or grey-market tickers. If your strategy is exchange-listed low-float and sub-$5 momentum, it fits; if you trade pure OTC pink sheets, it does not.
What filters matter most for penny stock scanning?
Relative volume (is today's volume unusual versus average?), float (how many shares are actually tradable?), and gap percent (how far did it move overnight?). Price and percent change alone are noisy on penny stocks. Tapeboard exposes relative volume, float, gap, and market cap as sortable columns alongside price and change.
How this page is kept honest
Last reviewed 2026-05-24. Every preset filter is copied from the shipped scanner config — no rounded-up marketing numbers. Competitor pricing is point-in-time; verify on each vendor's site. See methodology and data sources.