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Best prediction markets for US traders

For a US reader the first question is not which platform is best but which one will let you open a position at all. That reorders this list against our global ranking: the platform with the second-highest Editor Score here is the one whose own documentation says US users cannot open new positions, so it is listed last.

Ordered for the United States specifically, on each platform’s own published access rules and on the CFTC’s own register. Scores are preliminary — we have rated the criteria that documents can settle, and left liquidity, interface and support unrated on these platforms because nobody here has traded these products yet.

Updated

Ranked platforms

  1. Kalshi

    8.0/10preliminary

    US traders who want the venue itself on the federal register

    Kalshi’s exchange designation can be checked against the CFTC register. The account requires identity verification; the member agreement separately limits eligibility by country. Federal exchange status does not by itself establish that every product is available to every user.

    RegulatedAvailability unverified
    Visit site →Read review

  2. Manifold Markets

    3.7/10preliminary

    US readers who want to learn the instrument first

    Open across the United States, and there is no money at stake: the currency “cannot be converted to cash” and every account starts with M1000 free. Second here on access rather than on quality — it is the only other platform published so far that a US reader can actually use. One US-specific caveat that is easy to miss: Manifold’s separate Prize Drawing pays prizes in USDC and its own rules make it void in Delaware, Idaho, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Washington and Washington, D.C. Play-money trading itself is not restricted in those places by anything we could read.

    Play moneyAvailability unverified
    Visit site →Read review

  3. Polymarket

    6.9/10preliminary

    Not currently usable from the United States

    Listed last for US readers on Polymarket’s own statement, not on our judgement: its documentation places “United States (US)” among regulatory-restricted jurisdictions whose users “may close their existing positions but cannot open new ones”, and its help centre lists the United States among blocked countries. Neither source distinguishes between states. A separate entity, QCX LLC d/b/a Polymarket US, is on the CFTC register as designated since 9 July 2025 — if you are in the US, that is a different product from the one reviewed here, and we have not verified its scope. Included because “not available where you are” is the answer to a real question.

    CryptoAvailability unverified
    Visit site →Read review

Every platform reviewed

1. Kalshi

CFTC-regulated event contract exchange

8.0Prelim

Kalshi’s exchange designation can be checked against the CFTC register. The account requires identity verification; the member agreement separately limits eligibility by country. Federal exchange status does not by itself establish that every product is available to every user.

Strengths

  • CFTC-designated contract market
  • Fiat deposits and withdrawals, no wallet needed
  • Default maker fee is zero, with charged series exceptions
  • Mobile apps on both platforms

Watch out

  • Country restrictions and account approval apply to international users
  • Narrower market selection than on-chain venues
  • KYC required before you can trade
  • Trading fees vary by contract price and series
$10
Min deposit
7
Markets
2021
Since
Go to Kalshi →Full review

2. Manifold Markets

Play-money forecasting community

3.7Prelim

Open across the United States, and there is no money at stake: the currency “cannot be converted to cash” and every account starts with M1000 free. Second here on access rather than on quality — it is the only other platform published so far that a US reader can actually use. One US-specific caveat that is easy to miss: Manifold’s separate Prize Drawing pays prizes in USDC and its own rules make it void in Delaware, Idaho, Massachusetts, Michigan, Nevada, New York, Washington and Washington, D.C. Play-money trading itself is not restricted in those places by anything we could read.

Strengths

  • No money at risk — play currency only
  • Anyone can create a market
  • Open API and public leaderboard
  • No KYC and no deposit needed

Watch out

  • Prices are not backed by capital, so they forecast less reliably
  • Market quality varies widely
  • No cash withdrawal
  • No mobile apps
$0
Min deposit
4
Markets
2021
Since
Go to Manifold Markets →Full review

3. Polymarket

Largest on-chain prediction market by volume

6.9Prelim

Listed last for US readers on Polymarket’s own statement, not on our judgement: its documentation places “United States (US)” among regulatory-restricted jurisdictions whose users “may close their existing positions but cannot open new ones”, and its help centre lists the United States among blocked countries. Neither source distinguishes between states. A separate entity, QCX LLC d/b/a Polymarket US, is on the CFTC register as designated since 9 July 2025 — if you are in the US, that is a different product from the one reviewed here, and we have not verified its scope. Included because “not available where you are” is the answer to a real question.

Strengths

  • Deepest liquidity in the category on major markets
  • Fastest listing of new events
  • No maker trading fees under the published schedule
  • Public API with full order book access

Watch out

  • Requires a wallet and USDC — no fiat rails
  • International product has country restrictions; Polymarket US is separate
  • Thin depth on long-tail markets
  • Network fees apply to deposits and withdrawals
$2
Min deposit
7
Markets
2020
Since
Go to Polymarket →Full review

Jump to

How to choose

Federal and state rules pull in different directions here, and the platforms reflect it. A CFTC-designated contract market is regulated federally as an exchange, which is why a designated venue can operate across states that do not permit sports betting. Individual states have nonetheless restricted specific products — Maryland bars event contracts on one broker we researched, Nevada bars new sports event contracts on it — and those positions change. Where a platform states a rule rather than publishing a state list, we do not enter a state list on its behalf.

Check the availability badge on each entry before anything else: it reflects the rules we read in that platform’s own documents, and where a platform names no US state we do not invent state-level detail it never published. If you are in one of the states a platform singles out, no ranking on this page overrides that.

Frequently asked questions

Are prediction markets legal in the United States?
Event contracts listed on a CFTC-designated contract market are federally regulated products, which is the basis on which several venues operate nationally. That is not the same as every platform being lawful for you, and it is not the same as every product being available in every state: individual states have restricted specific contract types on specific platforms, and those positions have changed repeatedly. Each platform page shows the availability we verified from that platform’s own documents. This is not legal advice.
Can I use Polymarket from the US?
Polymarket’s own documentation says US users may close existing positions but cannot open new ones, and its help centre lists the United States among blocked countries. A separately designated entity, Polymarket US, appears on the CFTC register — that is a different venue from the offshore book we review here, and we have not verified what it offers or to whom. Do not read our review of the offshore book as a review of the US product.
Does this page change depending on where I am?
No. This one is written for the United States, so the order stays as published rather than being reshuffled for each visitor — the copy above only makes sense in that order. Our general rankings do re-order so that platforms unavailable in your region sink to the bottom, though they are never hidden, because knowing a platform will not take you is useful.