Kalshi vs. Polymarket is the clash of the titans in the prediction markets space right now. They’re often the platforms most traders go to first, so I thought it would be helpful to compare them.
If you want the quick answer, Kalshi is clearly the better prediction market, at least for now. It offers significantly more markets than Polymarket and has unique social features.
Currently, Kalshi offers markets on sports, politics, weather, mentions, crypto, and more. Within sports, you'll find spread, total, moneyline, and a wide variety of prop bets.
Polymarket, on the other hand, has sports and several real-world markets, so its market coverage is narrower.
Really the only benefit of Polymarket over Kalshi is that it often has lower fees. It doesn’t charge deposit fees and its trading fees are typically lower than Kalshi's.
Even though I prefer Kalshi, there’s no reason you can't use both. By using both, you can take advantage of both sign-up bonuses and shop around for the best price when trading markets both offer.
Speaking of sign-up bonuses, Kalshi offers $500 free when you trade your $25+. Polymarket also gives $20 in trading funds after depositing $10, but there's no trade required to unlock it.
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The rest of this article goes over how Kalshi and Polymarket stack up, including everything you need to know to decide which is better for you.
Keep in mind, this comparison is based on the U.S. version of Polymarket, which has fewer markets and features than the international version.
Kalshi vs. Polymarket Overview
Odds Assist Rating | 92/100 | 88/100 |
Fees | – Taker: $0.07-$1.75 per 100 contracts – Market: $0.02-$0.44 per 100 contracts | – Taker: from $0.0005 to $0.0125 per contract – Maker: No fees |
Welcome bonus | ||
Promo code | ODDSASSIST | ODDSASSIST |
Available in | 50 states | 50 states |
Sports covered | 19+ markets | 10+ markets |
Non-Sports Markets | Politics, Art, Economics, Financials, Culture, Weather, Crypto, Mentions, Companies, Tech & Science | Politics, tech, economy, temperature, culture |
Payment Methods | Bank transfer, PayPal, Apple Pay, Cash App Pay, Venmo, credit card, debit card, wire transfer, crypto | Debit card, wire, ACH, Apple Pay |
Minimum Deposit | $10 | $1 |
Mobile App | iOS & Android | iOS & Android |
Customer Support | Email, phone, live chat | Email, live chat |
State Availability – Winner: Both Are Available Nationwide
Both Polymarket and Kalshi are federally legal and regulated, making them available in all 50 U.S. states.
Polymarket is currently unavailable in Nevada due to ongoing legal battles with the state's Gaming Commission.
Kalshi is available nationwide at the federal level, but several states have challenged its sports contracts, so make sure to check the current state-by-state status before signing up.
Sign-Up Bonus – Winner: Kalshi
Kalshi’s welcome offer is trade $25, get $500. Use Kalshi promo code ODDSASSIST to claim it.
The bonus is randomized, so most users land toward the lower end, but the ceiling is far higher than welcome bonuses of other prediction markets.
Polymarket offers a deposit $10, get $20 bonus to new users with no trade requirement. Use Polymarket promo code ODDSASSIST to claim the intro promo.
Fees – Winner: Polymarket
Polymarket US no longer uses a flat fee model. It now uses a midpoint-weighted structure that is pretty similar to Kalshi’s, with fees highest around the middle of the market and lower near the outer ends.
Polymarket US fees start near $0.0005 per contract and rise to a max of $0.0125 per contract around 50¢ markets.
The key difference is how the platform treats maker orders. On Polymarket US, taker fees follow the pricing curve, but makers are not charged. In fact, traders who post liquidity can receive a small rebate when their order gets matched.
Kalshi also uses a variable formula tied to implied probability. Kalshi fees peak when a contract is trading around 50 cents and falling as price moves closer to $0 or $1.
So while both platforms now get most expensive around mid-market, Polymarket US has the friendlier fee structure overall because it does not charge makers and can even reward them for posting orders.
Category | Polymarket US | Kalshi |
|---|---|---|
Fee model | Variable, probability-based ( Θ × C × p × (1 − p)) | Variable, probability-based (≈ P·(1−P)) |
Taker fee | From $0.0005 to $0.0125 per contract | Varies; highest near ~50% prices |
Maker fee | None (rewards makers with a rebate) | Depends on schedule/market; fee logic differs |
Best for | Maker trading | Longer holds, less frequent trading |
When it gets expensive | Mid-probability contracts (around 0.30c to 0.70c) | Mid-probability contracts (around 0.30c to 0.70c) |
Beginner friendliness | Medium (harder to estimate costs) | Medium (harder to estimate costs) |
User Interface – Winner: Kalshi
Polymarket’s UI comes across more minimal than Kalshi right now, but that's mostly because they offer very little to users.
Both apps offer dark and light modes, which is nice for users who have a preference for one over the other.
Here's a look at the homepage of the app:
And here's what Kalshi looks like:
Kalshi uses a two-level menu structure. You choose a main category first, then switch between subcategories along the top.
If you open Economics, for example, you’ll see sections like Inflation, Fed, and Growth:
In sports, Kalshi does an excellent job organizing different market types. It groups games by sport and, once you click into a game, you can easily see the available markets, including outright winner, spread, total, and props.
Even with so many options, Kalshi organizes everything smartly, making it easy to find what you're looking for:
With barely any options relative to Kalshi, Polymarket's navigation is super simple. It has a one-layer, top-of-screen approach and a more straightforward vertical scroll once you’re inside a market.
Both platforms let you toggle between probabilities, American odds, and potential payout views. Each also includes an activity chart so you can see recent trading movement in a given market.
Like Polymarket US, Kalshi showcases the order book. For every market, you can see every Bid (what people are willing to pay) and Ask (what people are currently offering) available.
This gives you a clear view of where there's value, how deep markets are (especially at the prices you're willing to accept), and lets you intelligently set prices.
Kalshi also includes an Ideas feed, leaderboards, and user profiles that display verified trades and performance, which gives it a more interactive feel overall.
Sports Coverage – Winner: Kalshi
You’ll find the core American leagues on both sites, but Kalshi adds additional categories and less-popular sports that Polymarket currently omits.
On Polymarket, you can trade sports contracts across:
- NFL
- NBA
- MLB
- NHL
- College football
- College basketball
- UFC
- Golf
- Tennis
- Soccer
Kalshi covers the core stuff too, but it adds more range:
- Basketball (NBA, college)
- Baseball
- Hockey
- Football (NFL, college)
- Soccer (Many leagues)
- Tennis
- Golf
- MMA
- Boxing
- Lacrosse
- Rugby
- Darts
- Australian Rules
- Cricket
- Chess
- Motorsport
- Esports
- Sail GP
- Track & Field
If you’re looking to trade on sports outside the major American leagues, Kalshi is the better choice for you.
Kalshi also has more creative sports markets, including City Titles, where you can trade on whether teams from a specific city will win one or more championships by a future date.
One important note: Polymarket’s global version is much closer to Kalshi on breadth of markets. It already includes many of the same niche sports, like esports, motorsport, and chess, and goes further with pickleball.
The important question is how much of that catalog ends up folded into Polymarket’s US lineup over time.
Check out our Best Prediction Markets Apps for Sports Guide to see other options that stand out in this category.
Non-Sports Coverage – Winner: Kalshi
If you're interested in markets other than sports, Kalshi is your only option between these two.
On Kalshi, you can trade non-sports markets across:
- Politics
- Art
- Economics
- Financials
- Culture
- Weather
- Crypto
- Mentions
- Companies
- Tech & Science
On Polymarket, you can trade non-sports markets across:
- Politics
- Economics
- Culture
- Tech
- Temperature
If you want to trade in non-sports markets, Kalshi offers more options.
Sports Market Variety – Winner: Kalshi
Right now, Polymarket only offers the three main market types: outright winner (moneyline), spread, and total.
Kalshi gives you that too, but it doesn’t stop there. You also get a wide variety of alternate lines and props, as well as Combos, which let you bundle multiple outcomes into a single position just like a parlay.
I’m confident Polymarket will expand its sports offerings over time, but as it stands, Kalshi offers much more variety within each sport.
Banking & Payouts – Winner: Kalshi
Much like the rest of the app, Kalshi offers much more when it comes to banking.
- Bank transfer
- Debit card
- Credit card
- PayPal
- Venmo
- Cash App Pay
- Wire transfer
- Crypto
- ACH bank transfer
- Wire transfer
- Debit card
- Apple Pay
Polymarket currently lists a $50,000 daily limit across its deposit methods while Kalshi's limit varies based on the method.
Kalshi withdrawal options:
- Bank transfer
- Debit card
- Crypto
- PayPal
- Venmo
- Cash App Pay
Polymarket withdrawal options:
- Bank transfer
- Debit card
With so many more banking options for users, Kalshi is the clear winner here.
Kalshi vs. Polymarket Verdict – Kalshi Wins by a Mile (At Least for Now)
For all the reasons we laid out in this comparison, Kalshi is by far the better option for traders in the U.S.
If you're only interested in standard winner, spread, and total markets in major sports leagues, you could make a case for Polymarket, mostly because of lower fees, but most people are interested in more than that.
Kalshi outshines Polymarket with significantly more markets (including both for sports and other categories), and more banking options
With all that said, I expect Polymarket to expand its U.S. platform to match the international version.
We'll continue to update our guide as that happens, so you can always stay on top of who's winning the Polymarket vs Kalshi competition.
Want to see other options? Check out our other guides:
