Scanz Tips and Tricks Every Trader Should Know (2026)
Insider tips and tricks for Scanz that most traders never discover. Level up your workflow.
Why Scanz Tips Matter
Most traders subscribe to Scanz and immediately dive into scanning without understanding its full potential. The difference between a profitable Scanz user and one who cancels after a few months isn't the software itself—it's knowing how to configure it, interpret its signals, and leverage its unique advantages like dollar volume data and 100+ proprietary filters. This guide covers the essential strategies and hidden features that transform Scanz from a generic scanner into your competitive edge as an active trader.
Setup Tips
1. Master the Pre-Market vs. Post-Market Scanner Separation
Don't use a single scanner configuration for all trading sessions. Create distinct scanner setups in Scanz for pre-market, regular hours, and after-hours trading. Pre-market gaps require different filter thresholds than lunch-hour consolidations. In the Scanner tab, create three named presets: "Pre-Market Gap Runners" (focusing on volume spike and gap %), "RTH Momentum" (20-day high breaks, high relative volume), and "After-Hours Movers" (lower volume thresholds, wider spreads). Save these as favorites so you can toggle between them instantly. This prevents false signals from mixing session behaviors and lets you trade what's actually moving during your active hours.
2. Optimize Your News Feed Sources and Alert Customization
Scanz aggregates 100+ news sources, but the default feed will bury critical alerts in noise. In Settings → News Preferences, disable lower-priority sources (financial blogs, weak aggregators) and prioritize SEC filings, insider trades, and earnings alerts. Create custom alert rules in the Alerts panel: set up notifications for specific tickers you track, news categories (SEC filings only, or earnings surprises), and price movements. The key is segmentation—route breaking news to your phone, SEC filings to email (batch hourly), and price alerts to both. This layered approach prevents alert fatigue while ensuring you never miss earnings surprises or insider buys.
3. Configure Your Broker Integration Properly
If you use a compatible broker (most major US brokers integrate with Scanz), the one-click trade execution feature is game-changing but dangerous if misconfigured. In Settings → Broker Integration, enable two-step confirmation to prevent accidental fills. Set a default trade size that matches your max single-trade risk (e.g., 500 shares if risking $500). Pin your five most-traded tickers to the top of your watchlist so you can scan for breakouts on your core positions. Test the integration on a market-neutral ticker first to confirm order routing works before you're in a live gap runner.
4. Build a Multi-Monitor Layout That Reduces Mouse Movement
Power traders run Scanz across multiple monitors. On your primary monitor, place the Scanner Results grid on the left half and the Level II data panel on the right. Your secondary monitor should show the News feed (full width) with alerts popping on top. This layout minimizes head movement and keeps the information flow in your peripheral vision. Use keyboard shortcuts (accessible via Help → Keyboard Shortcuts) to jump between sections instead of clicking—this saves critical milliseconds during fast-moving gaps.
Trading Tips
1. Use Dollar Volume as Your Primary Filter, Not Share Count
Scanz's dollar volume metric is one of its most underrated features. While competitors focus on share volume or percentage gains, Scanz calculates actual capital flow—showing you where institutional money is actually moving. Set your base scanner to filter for Dollar Volume > $1M in the last minute and Dollar Volume Spike > 200%. This cuts out penny stock noise and low-liquidity traps. A stock up 10% on 50,000 shares looks great until you realize it's only $5K in volume and the spread is wide enough to park a truck in. Dollar volume tells the real story.
2. Layer Your Filters: Volume → Price Action → News Confluence
The best Scanz setups use a three-stage filtering hierarchy. Stage 1 (Volume): Find stocks with unusual dollar volume spikes. Stage 2 (Price Action): Add filters for moving average breaks, 20-day highs, or RSI overbought (use Scanz's custom indicator builder here). Stage 3 (News): Sort results by news relevance to spot catalysts. For example: dollar volume spike + close above 20-day high + earnings announcement within 5 days = high-conviction setup. This confluence approach reduces noise by 80% compared to single-factor scanners.
3. Pre-Market Scanning Requires Different Thresholds Than Regular Hours
Pre-market has one-tenth the volume of regular hours but 10x the volatility. Adjust your scanner before 9:30 AM: lower your volume threshold by 70% (what looks like normal volume in pre-market is often a gap runner). Tighten your spread filter to exclude wide-bid-ask stocks that are impossible to fill. Focus on gap percentage (stocks up 5%+ from previous close) combined with positive news overnight. The Level II data in Scanz becomes critical here—watch the bid/ask stacks to time entries as pre-market volume builds toward the open bell.
4. Leverage News Streaming to Frontrun Micro-Catalysts
Scanz's news aggregation from 100+ sources (including SEC filings) gives you a 30-second to 2-minute advantage over retail traders on breaking news. Customize your news alert keywords to match your trading style: if you trade biotech, set alerts for "FDA," "clinical trial," "approval." For tech, use "product launch," "partnership," "acquisition." Don't wait for the news to appear on cnbc.com—it's already in Scanz's feed. Many gap runners are initiated by news that broke 5-10 minutes prior on SEC feeds or industry wires.
5. Use Level II Data to Confirm Entry Points and Predict Rejection Levels
The Level II data bundled into Scanz (no add-on cost, unlike many competitors) shows you the actual bid/ask queues. When your scanner flags a stock, immediately pull up Level II and check: Is there real buy volume on the bid, or is the spike just algorithmic manipulation? Are there huge sell blocks above resistance? Use this to confirm whether the breakout is real or a pump-and-dump. Many false scanner alerts are immediately obvious on Level II—thick asks above the price mean rejection is coming, and you can skip the trade entirely.
6. Set Up Alert Escalation Rather Than Notification Overload
Instead of alerts for every matching scan result, create three-tier alerts in the Alerts panel: Tier 1 (weak signal) = email only. Tier 2 (strong signal) = email + desktop notification. Tier 3 (high-conviction setup) = email + desktop + phone push notification. An example: a gap runner with matching news alert might be Tier 3, while a simple moving average cross is Tier 1. This prevents alert fatigue while ensuring critical setups interrupt you immediately. Too many traders ignore alerts because they're trained to ignore noise—Scanz lets you build hierarchy instead.
Risk Management Tips
1. Use Scanz's Price Alert System as a Risk Boundary, Not a Trade Signal
Set stop-loss price alerts on every active position before you enter the trade (via the Alerts panel). If you buy a gap runner at $50, set a price alert for $49.50 (your stop level). This creates discipline: when the alert fires, you've already decided to exit. Many traders skip this step and end up holding losers hoping for a rebound. Scanz's alert system makes it painless—set it once per position and your exit rule is enforced.
2. Filter for Liquidity Before Entry to Avoid Exit Traps
Scanz lets you scan for dollar volume, but you need to add a spread filter to ensure you can actually exit. Add a custom filter: Bid-Ask Spread < 1% (for most stocks, or < 2% for OTC names). A stock that's up 20% on your scanner but has a $1 spread on a $20 stock means you're holding a illiquid trap. Check the Level II panel before entering: if the ask side is sparse, your exit order might take hours to fill. Scanz's customizable filters make this easy—exclude illiquid traps upfront rather than discovering them when you're trying to take profits.
3. Monitor Relative Volume as Your Volatility Barometer
Scanz displays relative volume (current volume vs. 20-day average). Trades on 500%+ relative volume are high-conviction setups but also high-risk (they can reverse fast). Trades on 150-250% relative volume are safer, with less gap-reversal risk. Create two scanner groups: one filtering for 500%+ relative volume (momentum trades, higher risk/reward), another for 150-250% (mean-reversion plays, lower volatility). Size your position accordingly—your biggest position should go to the 150-250% group, not the 500% gap runners that reverse on a headline.
4. Use News Sentiment Filters to Avoid Shorting Into Buybacks
Scanz's news aggregation includes SEC filings—specifically buyback announcements and insider buys. Before shorting a stock flagged as a gap runner, check the News tab for recent insider buys or share repurchase plans. A stock down 5% pre-market but with a fresh insider buy announcement is a trap short. Conversely, a stock up on volume but with insider sells and analyst downgrades is high-probability short. The news context from Scanz prevents many false-signal trades.
Advanced Tips
1. Build Custom Indicators Using Scanz's Indicator Builder
Most traders use default indicators (RSI, MACD), but Scanz lets you combine multiple data points. In Scanner → Custom Indicators, create a composite that matches your edge. Example: (Volume / 20-day avg volume) × (Close - 20-day low) / (20-day high - 20-day low) identifies volume on breakouts. Name it "Breakout Strength" and use it to filter your daily scans. This single custom metric can cut false signals by 40% because it combines momentum AND volume, not one or the other.
2. Backtest Your Scanner Settings Against Historical Gap Runners
While Scanz lacks a formal backtesting engine (a noted gap), you can manually test your scanner filters against past market data. Pull historical data for 10 known gap runners from the past month, then check: How many would your current scanner have caught? How many false signals did it generate on the same days? Iterate on your filter thresholds based on this. Update your scanner quarterly as market conditions shift (pre-election volatility, earnings seasons, sector rotation).
3. Create Sector-Specific Scanner Profiles
Biotech gappers have different patterns than tech or energy stocks. Create separate scanner profiles for each sector you trade, each with custom filters. Biotech: filter for FDA approvals in news, lower price thresholds (many sub-$10). Tech: focus on product launches, partnerships, earnings beats. Energy: watch for commodity price moves and sector-specific news. Switch between sector profiles based on which sectors are in play—this prevents forcing trades in stocks that don't match your edge.
4. Use Scanz Alerts as a Data Source for External Automation
While Scanz has no API, you can forward its alerts to an email inbox, then use automation tools (Zapier, IFTTT) to trigger external actions: logging trades to a spreadsheet, updating your trading journal, or triggering notifications in Slack. This creates a lightweight notification pipeline. Set up email filtering rules so Scanz alerts for high-conviction setups land in a priority inbox, ensuring you never miss the best opportunities.
5. Establish a Pre-Market Routine That Loads Your Most Recent Scans
Create a Morning Scan Checklist in Scanz: before 9 AM, run your pre-market scanner, review the top 5 results, check news for overnight catalysts, and pre-screen using Level II. Save this as a favorite workflow so you can execute it in under 5 minutes every morning. Consistency beats reactivity—the best trades come from a structured pre-market routine, not chasing random alerts all day.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
1. Mistake: Scanning for Too Many Signals at Once
The Problem: New Scanz users create scanners with 15+ filters, all set to "AND." This generates zero results or one stock per week, making it hard to develop an edge. You can't learn from 1-2 trades monthly.
The Fix: Start with 4-5 core filters (volume spike, price action, news catalyst), then add one filter at a time. Run your scanner for a full week, review results, and ask: "Did this filter improve my win rate?" Keep what works, discard what doesn't. Simpler scanners = more signals = faster learning.
2. Mistake: Ignoring the Bid-Ask Spread Until You're Trying to Exit
The Problem: A stock looks great on your scanner—up 15%, high volume—but it has a $0.50 spread on a $20 stock (2.5%). When you try to exit for profits, your market order gets crushed by the spread, erasing gains.
The Fix: Add Bid-Ask Spread < 1% to your scanner before running it. Check the Level II panel for every stock before entering. Liquidity = profit potential. Illiquid stocks = exit traps, no matter how good the chart looks.
3. Mistake: Not Updating Your Scanner Settings for Market Conditions
The Problem: You built a scanner in January that worked great, then used it unchanged in April. Market volatility shifted, sector rotation happened, and your scanner now fires on 30% false signals because thresholds are stale.
The Fix: Review and adjust your scanner filters monthly. If you're catching more false signals, tighten filters (raise volume thresholds, lower alert sensitivity). If you're missing moves, loosen them slightly. Keep a trading journal of your scanner's performance and iterate quarterly based on what you've learned.
4. Mistake: Relying on Price Alerts Without Confirming on Level II
The Problem: Your scanner fires, price alert triggers, and you buy based on automation. Then you realize the stock is illiquid and the move is based on a single large order, not real momentum. You're left holding a bag.
The Fix: Every alert requires a manual Level II confirmation before you enter. This takes 10 seconds: Is there real buying support, or is this a pump? Are bid/ask stacks reasonable? Only then execute. Scanz's bundled Level II data is a huge advantage—use it before every trade.
5. Mistake: Not Testing Your Edge Before Risking Real Money
The Problem: You set up a scanner, get excited, and start trading live. After a month, you've lost money because your scanner works in theory but not in practice—false signals, timing issues, or slippage you didn't account for.
The Fix: Paper trade your scanner for 2-4 weeks before committing real capital. Log every alert and hypothetical trade in a spreadsheet. Calculate your hit rate, average win/loss, and Sharpe ratio. Only scale to real money once your edge is validated with at least 30+ sample trades. This costs you two weeks, not two months of real losses.
Scanz vs Alternatives: When to Switch
Scanz excels for active day traders who need real-time alerts, Level II data, and news aggregation in one package—but it has blind spots. If you need detailed backtesting, mobile trading, or options/futures scanning, Scanz isn't the tool. Check our Scanz vs Finviz comparison (Finviz offers better backtesting and lower cost) or Scanz vs thinkorswim comparison (thinkorswim has mobile and options). For pure equity gap runners and pre-market momentum, Scanz remains unmatched—but if you need features beyond intraday stock scanning, it's worth evaluating alternatives first.
