Polymarket vs Polymarket US
Polymarket
Crypto, on-chain · USDC, pUSD · Offshore
6.9 out of 10, editor score
- +Free withdrawals
- +$2 minimum deposit
- +7 market categories
Polymarket US
Regulated exchange · USD · United States
— out of 10, editor score
- +Regulated: CFTC Designated Contract Market: QCX LLC d/b/a Polymarket US (designated 9 July 2025; amended order 25 Nov 2025 permits FCM-intermediated access)
- +Free withdrawals
- +7 market categories
Verdict
Same name, different companies and different rules. Polymarket is the international on-chain venue that settles in USDC and is closed to US residents; Polymarket US is QCX LLC, a CFTC-designated exchange that trades in dollars after identity checks. Which one you can use is decided by where you live, not by preference.
Row by row
The edge on each row is marked. Built automatically from the platform records, so it never drifts from the reviews — rows that describe rather than rank, like jurisdiction or market categories, say “no edge” instead of picking a side.
| Criterion | Polymarket | Polymarket US | Edge |
|---|---|---|---|
| Overview | |||
| Editor Score | 6.9/10 | Not rated | No edge |
| Type | Crypto / on-chain | Regulated exchange | No edge |
| Launched | 2020 | — | No edge |
| Mobile apps | iOS, Android | iOS, Android | No edge |
| Fees | |||
| Fee conditions & evidence | Taker fee = shares × category rate × price × (1 − price). For 100 crypto shares at $0.50 with rate 0.07, the fee is $1.75 on a $50 purchase: 3.5% of purchase cost, not 1.75%. Rounding and any rebates must be considered separately. Review evidence · Official fee source | Taker fees follow a formula rather than a flat percentage: "Fee = Θ × C × p × (1 - p)", with a taker theta of 0.0695. The fee peaks at $1.74 per 100 contracts at a $0.50 price, which is about 3.5% of the $50 trade value, and falls toward zero near $0.01 or $0.99. Makers currently receive a rebate with a theta of -0.0125 (up to $0.31 per 100 contracts). Takers who traded $250k to $999,999 the previous month get 10% back, $1M to $9.99M gets 25%, and $10M+ gets 50%. Combos (parlays) carry a higher taker curve that adds a 0.04 × (1-p)^4 term. The schedule has been "Effective exchange-wide from 12 AM ET, Friday September 25, 2026" (docs.polymarket.us/fees, read 28 Sep 2026). Two changes are pending. The Table Tennis taker coefficient rises to 0.10 from 30 Sep 2026. Under a CFTC 40.6(a) filing dated 22 Sep 2026, the coefficient-based maker rebate will be replaced from 6 Oct 2026 by tiered rebates for makers above $10M of monthly volume, and the filing states "The maker fee is zero." Withdrawals are described as free ("Withdraw your cash balance securely and for free"). No deposit fee is stated anywhere in the docs. Review evidence · Official fee source | Depends on the trade |
| Maker fee | 0% | See fee conditions above | No edge |
| Taker fee | See fee conditions above | See fee conditions above | No edge |
| Withdrawal fee | Free | Free | Tie |
| Deposits and withdrawals | |||
| Minimum deposit | $2 | — | No edge |
| Currencies | USDC, pUSD | USD | No edge |
| Markets | |||
| Market categories | Politics, Sports, Crypto, Economy, Entertainment, Science, Other | Sports, Politics, Crypto, Economy, Science, Other, Entertainment | No edge |
| Public API | Yes | Yes | Tie |
| Access and regulation | |||
| Jurisdiction | Offshore | United States | No edge |
| Licensing | — | CFTC Designated Contract Market: QCX LLC d/b/a Polymarket US (designated 9 July 2025; amended order 25 Nov 2025 permits FCM-intermediated access), CFTC Derivatives Clearing Organization: QC Clearing LLC d/b/a Polymarket Clearing (registered by order dated 16 Dec 2024) | No edge |
| KYC required | — | Yes | No edge |
| KYC trigger | — | At signup, before any deposit or trade: "You must complete KYC before you can deposit funds or trade." Users give their full name, date of birth and address. Some are also asked for a government ID and a selfie check, and manual review can take up to 3–5 business days. | No edge |
| Supported countries | — | — | No edge |
Who runs each one
polymarket.com is operated offshore and settles on-chain in USDC. Polymarket US is QCX LLC d/b/a Polymarket US, listed on the CFTC’s register as a designated contract market since 9 July 2025, with clearing by its own registered clearing house, QC Clearing LLC. The two accounts are not linked, and eligibility on one says nothing about the other.
Money and access
Polymarket US is dollars only, with KYC before any deposit or trade, and its fee is a published formula that peaks at $1.74 per 100 contracts at 50¢, with a rebate for makers. polymarket.com blocks US residents from deposits and new trades, is close-only in the UK and restricts four Canadian provinces. Polymarket US publishes no list of eligible states, and a Nevada court enjoined it there on 29 May 2026.
Which one suits you
Choose Polymarket if…
→Traders outside the US who are comfortable with a crypto wallet and want the widest market list.
Choose Polymarket US if…
→US residents who want Polymarket’s markets on a CFTC-regulated exchange, in dollars.
FAQ
- Is Polymarket US the same as Polymarket?
- No. Polymarket US is QCX LLC, a separate CFTC-designated exchange for US residents that trades in dollars. polymarket.com is the international, on-chain venue and is closed to US residents.
- Can I use polymarket.com from the US?
- No. polymarket.com does not accept deposits or new trades from US residents; they are directed to the separate Polymarket US app.
- Do Polymarket and Polymarket US charge the same fees?
- No. Both use a price-based taker formula, but Polymarket US publishes its own schedule — peaking at $1.74 per 100 contracts at 50¢ — with a maker rebate, in dollars rather than USDC.