Start with the exact product
Identify the exact product and domain before comparing access. Polymarket international geoblock documentation, reviewed October 26, 2026, describes US access as close-only for both its frontend and API: closing existing positions may be permitted, opening new ones is not. That is not unrestricted new-order access and is not the same as saying every Polymarket product blocks all US access. Polymarket US documentation describes a separate product and includes USD order examples. Neither a documentation example nor a reachable website establishes your account's eligibility. Follow each product's current official restrictions; do not bypass them. For exchange mechanics, see How Kalshi works.
What registration establishes — and does not
The CFTC designation announcement dated November 4, 2020 records KalshiEX's designation as a Designated Contract Market (DCM). Registration is not individualized account eligibility or a blanket legal assurance for every state, market, or contract. The CFTC release dated June 12, 2026 reports that it filed a lawsuit against New Mexico and asserted exclusive jurisdiction, while describing the state's challenge to sports contracts. This is the regulator's litigation position, not a final court outcome. Check current restrictions and applicable court orders for your jurisdiction and exact market. These source dates do not establish the current case outcome; this is not legal advice.
An original comparison worksheet
Create one private column per exact product: Kalshi, Polymarket international, and Polymarket US. Use the following fields for each; retain the source URL and observation time. Unknown fields remain unknown, not a reason to assume another product is better.
Scroll the table sideways if needed.
| Comparison field | Evidence to record for each exact product |
|---|---|
| domain and account eligibility | Record the exact domain and product, official eligibility/identity requirements, your in-account permission result, jurisdiction, and exact market. Separate new-order permission from close-only permission. Check current restrictions and applicable court orders; never use frontend/API differences or a network workaround to bypass access controls. |
| current official fees | Use Kalshi's official fee schedule, Polymarket international fees, and Polymarket US fees separately. Record the current official fee schedule, effective date if provided, product/market applicability, order type, and any transaction, funding, conversion, or withdrawal charges that actually apply. A numerical comparison is unknown until those terms are verified. Our Kalshi fees guide is background, not a current authoritative quote. For vocabulary — notional, spread, tick size, slippage — see our prediction market glossary. |
| spread, depth, and timestamp | For comparable contracts, record the best available bid/ask, their spread, visible quantities at each relevant price level, exact side, market identifier, and timestamp with timezone. First compare outcome wording, resolution source, and cutoff rules. Visible depth can change and does not guarantee a fill. Without point-in-time actual order-book evidence, this guide identifies no liquidity winner, volume leader, or sufficiently deep 2026 market. |
| withdrawal method and terms | Record currency, available withdrawal method, fees or holds, eligibility, and the current stated processing terms in the specific official account. Do not apply international funding/network descriptions to Polymarket US: its documentation includes USD order examples. Examples do not prove that your account has a particular funding or withdrawal option. No custody, insurance, tax, or fixed-timing assurance is inferred here. |
| resolution and dispute rules | Record the exact outcome definition, source, cutoff, exceptional outcomes, settlement conditions, and official dispute procedure for each contract. Similar headlines are not necessarily equivalent contracts. Apply any $1/$0 binary payout only where the specific contract rules say so; neither centralized nor other settlement labels establish a guaranteed resolution speed. |
| what status checks prove | Record the official service notice and its observation time separately from browser reachability. A successful browser no-CORS check cannot inspect HTTP status or response bodies and does not confirm trading, login, account permissions, transfers, or an order outcome. A failed local check can reflect a connection restriction or timeout rather than a platform-wide incident. See the Kalshi app troubleshooting guide for cautious next steps. |
Worked hypothetical: choosing comparison criteria, not a platform
Suppose a reader's research question is whether two contract listings are comparable. One worksheet has an exact resolution source but no current fee evidence; another has a fee page but different cutoff wording and no timestamped depth. The useful conclusion is that neither record answers the question yet. Prioritize matching contract rules, then collect current product-specific fees and same-time book observations. This hypothetical does not select a platform, recommend an order, invent prices or volume, or predict an outcome.
Sources and limits of this comparison
Meaningfully reviewed October 26, 2026 using the dated CFTC releases and the official Polymarket international and Polymarket US documentation linked above. Source dates are not statements of current litigation outcomes. This independent comparison provides verification criteria, not legal, tax, or investment advice, insurance assurances, or a recommendation to use a platform.