Platform review · updated July 2026
Polymarket review
The largest crypto-settled prediction market for global events.
Overview
Polymarket is the largest information market in the world, settling Yes/No event contracts in USDC on the Polygon blockchain. It is widely cited in mainstream coverage for its political and macroeconomic markets, but is not available to US residents.
Score breakdown
Score breakdown
Not yet fully scoredWeights: Regulation 30% · Liquidity 25% · Market Breadth 20% · UX 15% · Fees 10%. See our review methodology.
- Regulation & Trust (30%)
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- Liquidity & Execution Quality (25%)
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- Market Breadth (20%)
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- User Experience (15%)
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- Fees & Costs (10%)
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Registration with the CFTC, FinCEN, state regulators or foreign equivalents; enforcement history; segregated customer funds.
Median order-book depth on flagship markets and notional size that can move without more than a 1-cent price impact.
Number and diversity of active contracts across politics, economics, sports, crypto, weather, science and culture.
Onboarding, KYC, web and mobile UX, charting, API quality, support responsiveness and platform reliability.
Trading fees, deposit and withdrawal costs, funding charges and typical effective spread paid by retail users during testing.
How it works
Users connect a self-custody wallet, fund it with USDC on Polygon, and trade Yes or No shares. Prices range from one cent to ninety-nine cents and reflect the market's collective probability estimate. Resolution is handled by a decentralized oracle.
Sign-up process
There is no traditional sign-up. Users connect a wallet, complete a brief on-chain onboarding, and deposit USDC. KYC is not required for international users, but US residents are blocked.
User experience
Polymarket's web app is fast and visually crisp. Live order books, charts and recent settlements are surfaced clearly. The mobile experience is functional rather than native.
Fees
Polymarket itself charges no trading fees; users pay only the on-chain gas costs (subsidized via Polygon) and the bid/ask spread.
Headline cost: 0% trading fees
Markets covered
Pros and cons
Pros
- ✓Best-in-class liquidity on major political and macro markets,Zero platform trading fees,Widest variety of long-tail markets in the industry,Transparent on-chain settlement
Cons
- −Not legally available to US residents under a 2022 CFTC settlement,Requires a self-custody crypto wallet and USDC on Polygon,No customer support phone line; community-driven help only
Risk and limitations
Polymarket is not licensed in the United States. US users are subject to geoblocks, and accessing the platform from a US IP address is prohibited under the CFTC order. Crypto-settled positions carry custody and smart-contract risk.
Alternatives
Run the numbers
Embedded tool
Estimate your payout on Polymarket
Position details
Result
Embedded tool
Convert any contract price into a probability
Implied probability
Final verdict
Polymarket is the deepest, most widely watched prediction market in the world, but it is structurally off-limits to US residents today. US readers should treat it as essential context, and use Kalshi or ForecastEx for actual positions.
FAQ
Is Polymarket legal in the United States?+
No. Polymarket is not currently licensed to serve US residents and geoblocks US traffic.
What does it cost to trade on Polymarket?+
Polymarket itself charges no trading fees; users pay only the on-chain gas costs (subsidized via Polygon) and the bid/ask spread.
How does Polymarket handle settlement?+
Polymarket settles each contract based on a verifiable real-world outcome. Winning contracts pay one dollar; losing contracts pay zero.
Who is Polymarket best for?+
Polymarket is best for deepest liquidity and largest market variety. Polymarket is the deepest, most widely watched prediction market in the world, but it is structurally off-limits to US residents today. US readers should treat it as essential context, and use Kalshi or ForecastEx for actual positions.