[ottocoder]

1. Interactive Brokers. IB's interface is not my favorite (I liked Options House in this regard) but is exactly what I need from a pricing perspective.

My experience is likely limited compared to yours. I focused originally on covered calls, with some occasionally speculative short-term bets. I was very successful using Options House for about a year or so. It turned out to be mostly dumb luck and ultimately more or less broke even. After some analysis that wasn't too bad considering all of the commissions I had to pay. I've since re-evaluated my strategy, resigned myself to believing that I'm likely not going to beat the index, and only actively trade with "entertainment levels" of money. The minimum to open an account with Interactive Brokers may be high (or maybe not for you, depending on your situation) but just because you need an amount to deposit doesn't mean you have expose that full amount to whatever strategy you have planned.

Definitely check the numbers (and interface) for yourself. One "gotcha" is the data-access fees (some are waived with activity). My time-horizon for my current strategy is typically in the 3-6 month range so I can't offer much advice on the IB bells and whistle - which are many (Yahoo Finance checked once a day is sufficient for my needs). I currently only use options as protective puts on volatility based short sells.

I hope more people respond since I'm genuinely curious as well!