Understanding fees is essential for profitable trading on Polymarket. Here's the complete breakdown of costs.
Polymarket Fee Structure
- Trading fee: Small percentage on trades
- Spread: Difference between bid and ask prices
- Gas fees: Polygon network transaction costs
Trading Fees
Polymarket charges a fee on winning positions. The exact rate varies but is typically:
- Lower than traditional sportsbooks
- Competitive with other prediction markets
- Applied at settlement, not entry
Bid-Ask Spreads
The spread is the cost of immediacy:
- Tight spreads: Popular markets (1-3%)
- Wide spreads: Low-volume markets (5-10%+)
- Use limit orders: Avoid paying the spread
Gas Fees
Polygon gas fees are minimal:
- Usually fractions of a cent per transaction
- Paid in MATIC
- Much cheaper than Ethereum mainnet
Fee Comparison
| Platform | Fee Type |
|---|---|
| Polymarket | Low trading fee + spreads |
| Kalshi | $0.01 per contract fee |
| Sportsbooks | ~10% vig built into odds |