Bets between friends
Poll
Write the question yourselves, share one link and settle it as a group.
Compared by Poll
6 best apps like Kalshi in 2026
Kalshi is a federally regulated exchange where event contracts trade on an order book. The apps below cover the rest of the category: rival regulated venues, event contracts inside brokers you already use, a free play-money option, and one app for the bet no exchange will ever list.
By Challenger LabsPublished August 15, 2026Updated August 15, 2026
Poll is our product and appears first in this guide. We say plainly what it does not do, state where every other app is better, and link the first-party sources behind each claim. For the direct head-to-head, read Poll vs Kalshi in full.
Short answer
Decide what Kalshi was missing, then pick
Global liquidity
Polymarket
The deepest order books on public events, plus a separate regulated US app.
Inside a broker
Robinhood
Event contracts from several regulated exchanges without another account.
Economic data
ForecastEx
Interactive Brokers' own exchange for rates, inflation and climate contracts.
Compare all six apps
The splits that matter: whether real money is involved, who stands behind it while the outcome is open, and what each venue actually covers.
| App | Best for | Real money | Regulation | Coverage | Platforms |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PollOur product | Cash bets on your own question with people you know | Real USDC on supported surfaces; entertainment-only on the current iPhone listing | Not a regulated exchange | Anything you can phrase as a yes or no question | Web, Telegram and iPhone |
| Polymarket | Deep liquidity on public events | Yes; crypto on the global site, US dollars on the regulated US app | The US app runs on a CFTC-licensed exchange and clearinghouse it acquired | Politics, sport, crypto, economics, culture | Web and mobile globally; a separate iOS-first app in the US |
| Robinhood | Event contracts next to your stocks | Yes, US dollars | Routes orders to CFTC-regulated exchanges including Kalshi and ForecastEx | Whatever its partner exchanges list, from sport to rates | iPhone, Android and web |
| ForecastEx | Contracts on economic data and climate | Yes, US dollars | CFTC-regulated exchange and clearinghouse owned by Interactive Brokers | Economic releases, politics, climate | IBKR ForecastTrader, web, desktop and mobile |
| Crypto.com | Regulated sports event contracts | Yes, US dollars | Runs its own CFTC-registered exchange and clearinghouse | Sports first: winners, spreads and totals across ten-plus sports | iPhone, Android and web |
| Manifold | Play-money questions anyone can create | No. Mana, its play-money currency, cannot be cashed out | Not applicable; no real-money stakes | Anything its users create, from elections to niche community questions | Web, iPhone and Android |
On a phone, swipe the table sideways to see every column. Availability, cash features and eligibility vary by location.
How we compared them
Claims you can check
First-party sources
Product sites, help centres, regulator filings and store listings are the evidence. We do not use another comparison blog to fill a gap in an app's own documentation.
The decisions that matter
We compare who lists the contracts, whether real money is involved, who holds it while the outcome is open, and what actually happens when you win.
Dated checks
Every entry has its own checked date below. This category moved fast through 2025 and 2026, so an undated claim about any of these apps is not useful enough.
No universal ranking
A clearinghouse-backed exchange and a play-money community are right for different people. Each entry says who should pick it and the drawback to understand first.
The shortlist
Where each app earns its place
01 · Best for cash bets on your own question with people you know
Poll
Bet with friends on anything
Poll is our product
Poll does the one job no exchange will: a cash bet on a question only your group cares about. You write it, share one link, everyone stakes, and the people who wagered vote on the result.
Why pick it
You bet the people you actually know instead of trading against strangers, and your friends take the other side rather than a book. On supported cash bets the stake is held until the group settles it, so the winner never chases payment.
Know this first
Poll is our product and it is not a regulated exchange. There is no clearinghouse, no order book and no early exit: a bet runs to its result. Cash availability depends on the surface and location.
02 · Best for deep liquidity on public events
Polymarket
The World's Largest Prediction Market
Polymarket is the biggest prediction market in the world and the obvious first stop if Kalshi's menu or pricing does not suit you. It now runs two separate products, one global and one regulated for the US.
Why pick it
The deepest order books in the category, so prices carry real information and you can exit a position before the event resolves. Makers are not charged, and the US product now sits on a CFTC-licensed exchange.
Know this first
The two products have separate accounts: the global site is unavailable in the US, and the US app opened with a narrower menu and iOS first. Like Kalshi, a markets team decides what gets listed.
03 · Best for event contracts next to your stocks
Robinhood
Prediction markets hub
Robinhood's prediction markets hub is how many people trade Kalshi contracts without knowing it. Orders route to several CFTC-regulated exchanges from inside the broker app you may already have.
Why pick it
No new account, no new balance to fund, and contracts sourced from more than one regulated exchange, so the menu does not depend on a single venue's listing decisions.
Know this first
It is a distribution layer, not an exchange. You trade what the partner venues list, you cannot create anything, and specific contracts come and go with those suppliers.
their newsroom announcementChecked August 15, 202604 · Best for contracts on economic data and climate
ForecastEx
Forecast contracts from Interactive Brokers
ForecastEx is the most Kalshi-like entry here in structure: its own CFTC-regulated exchange and clearinghouse, run by Interactive Brokers and traded through its ForecastTrader platform.
Why pick it
It leans into economic data, rates and climate rather than sport, and Interactive Brokers pays interest on capital tied up in open event contract positions, which nothing else on this list does.
Know this first
The matching mechanism is unusual: no sell orders, only Yes and No bids that pair when they total just over a dollar. The menu is narrower and drier than Kalshi's.
Interactive Brokers' own trading lessonChecked August 15, 202605 · Best for regulated sports event contracts
Crypto.com
Sports event contracts and the OG platform
Crypto.com was the first to offer sports event contracts in the US and now runs a dedicated sports platform on its own CFTC-registered exchange, the same venue FanDuel's event contract product plugs into.
Why pick it
If Kalshi's appeal for you is specifically sports, this is the most direct substitute: a regulated venue built around game winners, spreads and totals rather than a general event catalogue.
Know this first
It is sports-first, so breadth is thinner outside that. Several state regulators contest sports event contracts as a category, and the fight is still moving through the courts.
FanDuel's announcement naming their CFTC-regulated exchangeChecked August 15, 202606 · Best for play-money questions anyone can create
Manifold
Play-money prediction markets
Manifold is the free way into this category. Anyone can create a market on anything, the community trades it in mana, and nobody's bank account is involved at any point.
Why pick it
Permissionless creation is the feature no regulated exchange can offer. It is the easiest place to test whether you enjoy this kind of trading before putting real money on a regulated venue.
Know this first
Its real-money sweepstakes programme ended in March 2025 and remaining balances were converted to mana. Winning earns leaderboard position, not money.
Four questions settle most of the choice
01
Is the contract already listed?
Every exchange on this list has a team that decides its menu. If the thing you want to bet on is an argument inside your group, you need a product where you write the question yourselves.
02
How much does regulation matter?
A CFTC-regulated venue with a clearinghouse is a real consumer protection. Manifold and Poll do not offer it, and both say so.
03
Sport or everything else?
Crypto.com is sports-first, ForecastEx is data-first, and Kalshi and Polymarket sit in the middle. Match the venue to what you actually trade.
04
Strangers or people you know?
An order book matches you against a crowd. A bet between friends has a name on the other side. Very different products serve those two wants.
Common questions
Before you pick one
What apps are similar to Kalshi?
The closest structural matches are ForecastEx and Crypto.com's exchange, both CFTC-regulated venues with their own clearinghouses. Polymarket's regulated US app competes on the same ground, Robinhood routes contracts from several of these venues, Manifold covers the free end, and Poll handles the bet no exchange will list: one between people who know each other.
Is Polymarket like Kalshi?
They compete directly now. Both list event contracts that trade on an order book, and both operate CFTC-licensed venues in the US. Polymarket's global site is deeper and crypto-settled but unavailable in the US, while its separate US app launched more recently with a narrower menu.
What betting apps are like Kalshi but for friends?
Kalshi matches you against whoever is on the order book, so it cannot host a bet between two specific people. Poll is built for that: write the question, share one link with your group, everyone stakes, and the people who wagered settle the result together.
Are there regulated alternatives to Kalshi?
Yes. ForecastEx is Interactive Brokers' CFTC-regulated exchange, Crypto.com runs its own CFTC-registered exchange with sports event contracts, Polymarket US operates on a CFTC-licensed exchange it acquired, and Robinhood's hub routes to several of these venues.
Is there a free app like Kalshi?
Manifold is the best-known free option. It runs entirely on mana, a play-money currency, and lets anyone create a question rather than waiting for a markets team to list one. Nothing can be cashed out, which is either the drawback or the point.
Can I create my own market on any Kalshi alternative?
Not on a regulated exchange: their teams create every listing. Manifold allows it with play money. If you want real money on a question of your own, Poll lets you write it and settle it with the people who joined, without an exchange in the middle.
Keep researching
Poll vs Kalshi in fullThe head-to-head with sources: who lists the contracts, who holds the money and who resolves the result.Apps like PolymarketThe same treatment for the other big name in this category.Best apps for betting with friendsNine apps compared for the private bet rather than the listed contract.
Poll is our entry on the list
Betting on a question no exchange would ever list?
Write it yourselves, share one link and let the people involved take their own side.