Polymarket review

Polymarket is the largest prediction market by traded volume and the reference point for the whole category. The market range is unmatched: presidential races, central bank decisions, sports, awards, sanctions, corporate announcements and long-tail world events all trade side by side. The trading experience is closer to a crypto exchange than a bookmaker: every market is a YES/NO share priced between 0 and 1, and you buy or sell at any time before resolution. Order books on headline markets are deep enough to move five and six figures without serious slippage, but smaller cultural or technology markets can be thin and you should expect a wide spread. Funding is USDC only, which is a genuine barrier for anyone who does not already hold crypto, although the built-in on-ramps have improved. There are no trading commissions on most markets, and the running costs are gas and spread rather than a stated fee. Resolution uses an oracle with a dispute window, which works well for clean binary questions and occasionally becomes contentious on ambiguous wording. Read the rules text before you take a position; that is where disagreements are settled.

Binary YES/NO share markets and grouped multi-outcome markets, matched through a central limit order book. Shares cost between 1c and 99c and pay $1 if correct. You can sell a position at any time before resolution, which is how you take profit early or cut a loser.

Very strong on headline political, macro and major sports markets, where order books support large size with modest slippage. Volume thins noticeably on niche cultural, technology and long-dated markets, where you may be the only serious bid.

Native iOS and Android apps plus a fast mobile web build. Wallet onboarding is the main friction point.

Polymarket operates non-custodial markets settled in USDC on Polygon. Its US offering runs through a CFTC-regulated entity; the global platform is not licensed in most jurisdictions.

Markets resolve against the rules text published with each market, via an oracle process with a challenge window. Disputed outcomes escalate to a resolution committee. Clean binary questions settle quickly, usually within hours of the real-world event.

No telephone support. Email and an active help centre; Discord is the fastest route to a human in practice.