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, allows traders to place limit orders, 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, only has sports markets, and you can only trade the winner of games, spreads, and totals. This alone is enough to make Kalshi the far superior platform.
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 $10 free when you trade your first $10. Polymarket also gives $10 free, but there's no trade required to unlock it.
The rest of this articles 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 significantly less markets and features than the international version.
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Kalshi vs. Polymarket Overview
Odds Assist Rating | 92/100 | 87/100 |
Fees | – Taker: $0.07-$1.75 per 100 contracts – Market: $0.02-$0.44 per 100 contracts | – Taker: $0.10 for takers – Maker: Not available |
Welcome bonus | ||
Promo code | MAXBONUSR5 | No promo code required |
Available in | 50 states | 50 states |
Sports covered | 16+ markets | 7+ markets |
Non-Sports Markets | Politics, economics, finance, markets, culture, events, weather, climate | None |
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.
However, there have been a lot of lawsuits from states, so check for recent updates to make sure they're available in your state.
Sign-Up Bonus – Winner: Polymarket
Kalshi’s welcome offer is trade $10, get $10. Use promo code MAXBONUSR5 to claim it.
Polymarket hands out $10 free to new users with no trade requirement, which makes them the winner in this category.
Fees – Winner: Polymarket
Polymarket US uses a flat fee model. You simply pay 0.10% of the total trade value.
Kalshi uses a variable formula tied to the contract’s implied probability. The fee follows a P·(1−P) curve, meaning it peaks when the market is around 50 cents and drops off as the price approaches 0c or 100c.
In practice, contracts in the 30c to 70c range often cost more to trade on Kalshi than they do on Polymarket. Contracts near the extremes, like $0.01 or $0.99, are typically cheaper on Kalshi.
Category | Polymarket US | Kalshi |
|---|---|---|
Fee model | Flat | Variable, probability-based (≈ P·(1−P)) |
Taker fee | 0.10% (10 bps) of trade value | Varies; highest near ~50% prices |
Maker fee | Not available | Depends on schedule/market; fee logic differs |
Best for | Scalping, frequent trading, and tight cost control | Longer holds, less frequent trading |
When it gets expensive | High-probability trades (though it's predictable) | Mid-probability contracts (around 0.30c to 0.70c) |
Beginner friendliness | Very high (easy math) | 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.
Where Kalshi sets itself apart is in its transparency and social features.
My favorite part of Kalshi is 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 let's 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 extra categories and less popular sports that Polymarket currently leaves out.
On Polymarket, you can trade sports contracts across:
- NFL
- NBA
- MLB
- NHL
- College football
- College basketball
- UFC
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
If you’re looking to trade on sports outside the major American leagues, Kalshi is the better choice for you.
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
- Economics
- Financials
- Culture
- Weather
- Crypto
- Mentions
- Companies
- Tech & Science
Polymarket, at least right now, only offers sports markets. They do have a “More” option, but clicking it leads to a page that says “More polymarkets coming soon.”
If non-sports markets matter to you, Kalshi wins by default.
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.
Kalshi deposit methods:
- Bank transfer
- Debit card
- Credit card
- PayPal
- Venmo
- Cash App Pay
- Wire transfer
- Crypto
Polymarket deposit methods:
- 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
- PayPay
- 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), limit orders, and more banking options
With all that said, I expect Polymarket to expand its U.S. platform to match the international version, which is much more competitive than Kalshi.
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:
