Bets between friends
Poll
Write the question yourselves, share one link and settle it as a group.
Compared by Poll
7 best apps like Polymarket in 2026
Polymarket is a prediction market where a team lists public events and strangers trade them on an order book. The apps below take that idea in different directions: regulated exchanges, free play-money versions, and one that swaps the crowd for the people you actually know.
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 Polymarket in full.
Short answer
Decide what Polymarket was missing, then pick
Regulated US trading
Kalshi
A CFTC-regulated exchange with a clearinghouse holding member funds.
Create any question
Manifold
Anyone can list a play-money market and let the community trade it.
Accuracy for its own sake
Metaculus
No stakes, just scored probability estimates and sponsored tournaments.
Compare all seven apps
The splits that matter: whether real money is involved, who decides which questions exist, and whether anyone regulated is standing behind the funds.
| App | Best for | Real money | Who lists the questions | Regulation | 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 | You do. Write any yes or no question and share the link | Not a regulated exchange | Web, Telegram and iPhone |
| Kalshi | Regulated event trading with a clearinghouse | Yes, US dollars | Their markets team creates every market; suggestions are not guaranteed | CFTC Designated Contract Market since November 2020 | Web, iPhone and Android |
| Robinhood | Event contracts inside a broker you already use | Yes, US dollars | Partner exchanges list the contracts; Robinhood routes your orders | Contracts trade on CFTC-regulated exchanges including Kalshi and ForecastEx | iPhone, Android and web |
| ForecastEx | Economic and climate contracts through a major broker | Yes, US dollars | The exchange lists contracts on economic data, politics and climate | CFTC-regulated exchange and clearinghouse owned by Interactive Brokers | IBKR ForecastTrader, web, desktop and mobile |
| Manifold | Creating your own question without real money | No. Mana, its play-money currency, cannot be cashed out | Anyone. Users create markets on whatever they like | Not applicable; no real-money stakes | Web, iPhone and Android |
| Metaculus | Scored forecasting practice and tournaments | No stakes; sponsored tournaments pay cash prizes for accuracy | Questions are curated by moderators and tournament sponsors | Not applicable; nothing is wagered | Web |
| Futuur | Real-money event betting where its licence reaches | Yes, via fiat and crypto where licensed; play-money mode everywhere else | Futuur curates the markets across politics, sport, science and business | Licensed in Curacao; real-money play excluded in the US and several other countries | 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 questions, 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 regulated 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 is not a trading venue and does not pretend to be one. It exists for the bet that starts as an argument in your group chat: you write the question, 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. There is no order book, no live price and no way to exit early: a bet runs to its result. Cash availability depends on the surface and location, so check the mode available before inviting the group.
02 · Best for regulated event trading with a clearinghouse
Kalshi
Kalshi: Trade Events & Sports
Kalshi is the closest regulated equivalent to Polymarket for US users: a federally overseen exchange where event contracts trade on a central order book and an affiliated clearinghouse holds member funds.
Why pick it
It has the strongest regulatory position on this list. A CFTC-regulated venue with published per-market rulebooks, continuous two-sided liquidity and breadth well beyond sport, from Fed rates to weather and awards.
Know this first
You cannot list your own market. The markets team judges every suggestion on compliance and manipulation resistance, and several states continue to contest its sports contracts.
Poll vs Kalshi in fulltheir help centre on suggesting a marketthe CFTC designation orderChecked August 15, 202603 · Best for event contracts inside a broker you already use
Robinhood
Prediction markets hub
Robinhood's prediction markets hub puts event contracts next to your stocks. Orders route to CFTC-regulated exchanges, so you get regulated venues without opening another account.
Why pick it
Zero setup if you already hold a Robinhood account, and it sources contracts from several regulated exchanges rather than a single venue, which keeps the menu broad.
Know this first
It is a distribution layer, not an exchange of its own. You trade whatever the partner venues list, cannot create anything, and availability of specific contracts depends on those suppliers.
their newsroom announcementChecked August 15, 202604 · Best for economic and climate contracts through a major broker
ForecastEx
Forecast contracts from Interactive Brokers
ForecastEx is Interactive Brokers' own event exchange, traded through its ForecastTrader platform. It leans towards economic data, rates and climate rather than sport and pop culture.
Why pick it
It sits inside one of the largest brokers in the world, and Interactive Brokers pays interest on capital tied up in event contract positions, which no one else on this list does.
Know this first
The matching mechanism is unusual: there are no sell orders, only Yes and No bids that pair when they total just over a dollar. The contract menu is narrower and drier than Polymarket's.
Interactive Brokers' own trading lessonChecked August 15, 202605 · Best for creating your own question without real money
Manifold
Play-money prediction markets
Manifold is the one app here where anyone can create a market in seconds. The catch is that everything runs on mana, a play-money currency, so the stakes are reputation and leaderboard position.
Why pick it
Permissionless creation is the feature Polymarket refuses to offer. Communities use it to put a live probability on anything, and its leagues and leaderboards keep regulars engaged.
Know this first
Its real-money sweepstakes programme ended in March 2025 and remaining balances were converted to mana. Winning means nothing arrives in your bank account.
06 · Best for scored forecasting practice and tournaments
Metaculus
Community forecasting platform
Metaculus is not a betting product at all. You submit probability estimates, the platform aggregates them weighted by track record, and your accuracy is scored over time.
Why pick it
It is the best free place to find out whether you are actually good at this. Sponsored tournaments carry real prize pools, and the aggregated community probabilities are widely cited.
Know this first
There is no position to take and nothing to win on a single question outside tournaments. If you want money riding on an outcome, this is deliberately not that.
their tournaments pageChecked August 15, 202607 · Best for real-money event betting where its licence reaches
Futuur
Bet on the future
Futuur runs a Polymarket-style catalogue of event markets with both a play-money mode and a real-money mode, settled in fiat or crypto where its licence allows.
Why pick it
For users outside the US it covers a broad, frequently updated catalogue with more than a thousand live markets, and the free play-money mode makes it easy to try before funding anything.
Know this first
Real-money betting is not available in the US, Australia and several other jurisdictions, and a Curacao licence carries lighter consumer protection than a CFTC-regulated venue.
their own siteChecked August 15, 2026
Four questions settle most of the choice
01
Is the question already listed?
Exchanges only carry what their teams approve. If the thing you want to bet on is an argument inside your group, no venue will ever list it and you need a product where you write the question.
02
Does regulation matter to you?
Kalshi, ForecastEx and Robinhood's hub sit under CFTC oversight with clearinghouses behind them. Poll, Manifold and Futuur do not offer that protection.
03
Do you want to exit early?
Order books let you sell out of a position before the event resolves. A bet between friends runs to its result, which is the point of it.
04
Strangers or people you know?
Liquidity comes from a crowd of strangers. Bragging rights come from beating a specific person. Very different products serve those two wants.
Common questions
Before you pick one
What apps are like Polymarket?
The closest real-money equivalents are Kalshi, Robinhood's prediction markets hub and ForecastEx, all built on CFTC-regulated exchanges. Manifold and Metaculus cover the free end, Futuur serves real-money users outside the US, and Poll covers the one job none of them do: a cash bet on your own question with people you know.
Is there a Polymarket alternative where I can create my own market?
On Polymarket a markets team decides what gets listed. Manifold lets anyone create a play-money market in seconds. If you want real money on a question of your own, Poll lets you write it, share a link and settle it with the people who joined.
What is the best Polymarket alternative in the US?
Kalshi is the established CFTC-regulated exchange, Robinhood routes event contracts from several regulated venues inside its app, and ForecastEx serves economic contracts through Interactive Brokers. Polymarket itself also runs a separate regulated US app now, so check whether you still need an alternative at all.
Are there free apps like Polymarket?
Yes. Manifold runs entirely on play money and lets anyone create questions. Metaculus is free and scores your probability estimates rather than taking stakes. Futuur has a play-money mode alongside its real-money side.
Can I bet against my friends on Polymarket?
Not in any direct way. Your order fills against whoever is on the other side of the book, so a bet between two specific people is not what it is built for. Poll is built for exactly that: one question, one link, and only the people you invited.
Which Polymarket alternatives pay out real money?
Kalshi, Robinhood's hub and ForecastEx settle in US dollars on regulated exchanges. Futuur pays real money where its licence allows, which excludes the US. Poll holds a real USDC stake on supported cash bets and pays the winners when the group settles the result.
Keep researching
Poll vs Polymarket in fullThe head-to-head with sources: who lists the questions, who resolves them and who holds the money.Apps like KalshiThe same treatment for the regulated exchange side of this category.Best apps for betting with friendsNine apps compared for the private bet rather than the public event.
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.