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Polymarket vs Kalshi compared head-to-head — bonuses, fees, payout speed, licensing, and our tested verdict.
| Polymarket | Kalshi | |
|---|---|---|
| Our Rating | 9.8/10 | 9.6/10 |
| Welcome Offer | World's Largest Prediction Market | Up to $100 in Free Contracts |
| Min Deposit | ~$20 (USDC) | $10 |
| Payout Speed | Instant (on-chain) | 1-2 days (ACH) |
| Licensing | Decentralized protocol (Polygon) | US CFTC (DCM) |
| Founded | 2020 | 2018 |
| Markets | Politics, sports, culture, macro | Economics, politics, weather, sports |
| Best For | Liquidity and market variety | US-legal event trading |
Polymarket's case rests on liquidity and market variety. Operating since 2020 under Decentralized protocol (Polygon), it pairs a 9.8/10 audit score with politics, sports, culture, macro and a current offer of world's largest prediction market. In our payout trials it returned funds in Instant (on-chain), from a minimum deposit of ~$20 (USDC).
Kalshi counters with us-legal event trading. Live since 2018 and licensed by US CFTC (DCM), it scores 9.6/10 in our audit, covers economics, politics, weather, sports, and currently offers up to $100 in free contracts. Tested withdrawals landed in 1-2 days (ACH) with a $10 minimum.
Polymarket takes this one — its 9.8/10 rating edges Kalshi's 9.6/10 on our weighted model (bonuses, fees, payout speed, safety, platform quality). Choose Kalshi instead if us-legal event trading is your priority, because that is the one area where it clearly leads.
