Apps Like Kalshi and Polymarket: The Best Alternatives (2026)

Kalshi and Polymarket are the two giants of prediction markets — but they’re not the only game in town, and they’re not the right fit for everyone. Maybe you live in a state where one of them is blocked. Maybe you’d rather not touch crypto, or you want an actual welcome bonus, or you only care about sports. Whatever the reason, there’s a strong alternative for you. We’ve reviewed all ten major platforms, and here are the apps like Kalshi and Polymarket that are genuinely worth your time in 2026.

First, what makes Kalshi and Polymarket so popular?

Both let you trade yes/no contracts on real-world events — elections, games, the Fed, the Oscars — where a contract pays $1 if you’re right and $0 if you’re wrong, and the price reads as the market’s implied probability. Kalshi is the regulated, plain-dollar heavyweight that handles roughly 89% of US prediction-market volume; Polymarket is the crypto-native one with the deepest, widest markets on the planet. Between them they’ve defined the category. But “biggest” and “best for you” aren’t the same thing, which is exactly why people go looking for alternatives.

Why look for a Kalshi or Polymarket alternative?

A few reasons come up again and again:

• State availability. Polymarket isn’t offered in nine states (AZ, IL, MA, MD, MI, MT, NJ, NV, OH), and sports access on both platforms gets paused in various places. If you’ve hit a wall, another app may be open where you live.
• No crypto, please. Polymarket settles in USDC, which trips some people up. Plenty of alternatives run on plain dollars.
• You want a bonus. Kalshi’s offer is a modest $10, and Polymarket’s is $50 for a $20 deposit. Some rivals are more generous up front.
• You only care about sports. The big two trade everything; a sports-first app may suit you better.
• You want something specific — the cleanest fees, the widest legal map, deep politics, or no vig at all.

The best Kalshi and Polymarket alternatives at a glance

The 8 best alternatives, ranked

1. FanDuel Predicts — the easiest place to start

Our rating: 4.3 / 5. If your hesitation with the big two is risk, FanDuel solves it: new users get $25 in bonus funds with no deposit required, which is the lowest-risk way to learn event trading anywhere. It’s built on CME Group’s exchange, runs in plain dollars, and is live for finance and economics in all 50 states, with sports in about 18. The flat 2% payout fee stings a little on heavy favorites, and there are no parlays yet, but as a first account it’s hard to top.

Read our full FanDuel Predicts review or visit FanDuel Predicts.

2. DraftKings Predictions — for sportsbook fans

Our rating: 4.2 / 5. If you came to Kalshi mostly for sports and found the interface a little clinical, DraftKings feels like home. It’s the most sportsbook-like prediction app going, it offers a generous trade $5, get $50 bonus, and it’s one of the few with combo (parlay-style) trades. It runs on its own DKeX exchange and reaches big no-sportsbook states like California, Texas, Florida, and Georgia. Just know the catalog thins out fast once you leave marquee sports.

Read our full DraftKings Predictions review or visit DraftKings Predictions.

3. Crypto.com — the widest legal reach

Our rating: 4.1 / 5. Turned away by Polymarket’s state list? Crypto.com is open in roughly 48 states (just not Arizona or New York), which is one of the broadest footprints anywhere. It runs on its own CFTC-regulated CDNA exchange, charges simple flat per-contract fees, and offers $1, $10, and $100 contract tiers so you can size up without buying hundreds of contracts. There’s no prediction-specific bonus, and the markets live inside a busy crypto app, but for sheer availability it’s a lifeline.

Read our full Crypto.com review or visit Crypto.com.

4. Underdog Predict — for the fantasy crowd

Our rating: 4.0 / 5. Underdog does one thing nobody else does: it lets you fold a prediction contract into the same entry as your fantasy player picks, a hybrid “Combo” you won’t find on Kalshi or anywhere else. It’s sports-deep (player props included), it now runs on its own Aristotle exchange, and it’s live in about 31 states, including California, Texas, and Florida. There’s no dedicated prediction bonus and no order book, but for a fantasy player it’s the most natural jump into the category.

Read our full Underdog Predict review or visit Underdog Predict.

5. Fanatics Markets — the trusted name

Our rating: 3.9 / 5. If brand trust matters to you, Fanatics is the comfortable pick — a name you already know, a clean app, and a broad menu that runs on Crypto.com’s exchange. It’s live in around 24 no-sportsbook states for users 21 and up. There’s no standing welcome bonus, but it has a genuinely unusual perk: a fee-rebate program that hands back up to about 40% of your trading costs at higher tiers, which almost nobody else offers.

Read our full Fanatics Markets review or visit Fanatics Markets.

6. Novig — no vig, no winner limits

Our rating: 3.8 / 5. Novig is the sharp bettor’s answer to “I just want fair prices.” It’s a no-vig peer-to-peer sports exchange that won’t limit you for winning, with a slick iOS app and a fresh CFTC approval (June 2026) as it shifts from sweepstakes coins to real-money contracts. It’s sports-only and the Android app lags, but for clean pricing on games it’s a real edge over any sportsbook — and over Kalshi’s variable fees, too.

Read our full Novig review or visit Novig.

7. Robinhood — if you already have the app

Our rating: 3.8 / 5. Robinhood’s event contracts actually run on Kalshi’s exchange, so the markets overlap — Robinhood just wraps them inside the stock app you may already use, with one of the lowest fees around and tidy 1099 tax reporting. There’s no prediction-markets bonus, and the menu is a fraction of Kalshi’s, but for occasional, low-friction trades next to your stocks, it’s the path of least resistance.

Read our full Robinhood review or visit Robinhood.

8. PredictIt — for politics junkies

Our rating: 3.5 / 5. If the only thing you traded on the big two was politics, PredictIt still has the deepest US political markets in existence — elections, nominations, control of government, all of it. It’s the original, and it survived a years-long legal fight to keep operating. The fees are the steepest in the category (10% on profits plus 5% on withdrawals), there’s no bonus, and the interface feels its age, but on political depth nothing touches it.

Read our full PredictIt review or visit PredictIt.

How to choose the right alternative

Forget rankings for a second — the best pick is the one that matches what pushed you away from Kalshi or Polymarket in the first place:

• You want a real welcome bonus: FanDuel Predicts ($25, no deposit) or DraftKings ($50 for a $5 trade).
• You’re blocked in your state: Crypto.com has the widest reach; for sports specifically, DraftKings, FanDuel, and Underdog all run in the big no-sportsbook states.
• You hate dealing with crypto: basically all of these except Polymarket use plain dollars — Kalshi, FanDuel, DraftKings, and Robinhood are the cleanest.
• You only trade sports: Novig (no vig), Underdog (props + fantasy combo), or the sportsbook apps.
• You live for politics: PredictIt, full stop.
• You want the lowest friction: Robinhood, if it’s already on your phone.

Frequently asked questions

Prediction-market trading carries risk; you can lose your stake and fees. Age limits (18+ or 21+), availability, and offers vary by platform and state and change over time — always confirm the current terms in-app. If gambling stops being fun, call 1-800-GAMBLER.