Review · August 2026
Kalshi, honestly.
Is it legit? Is it worth it? We traded it. Here is the rating, the trade-offs, and who should actually open an account.
4.4
out of 5
Best regulated market for US traders
The only CFTC-regulated prediction exchange available to Americans. Free ACH, ~4% on cash, a polished app. Fees make sense after five minutes with the formula.
Scores
Regulation & safety
CFTC-regulated DCM — the gold standard in the US.
5.0
Market variety
350k+ markets; sports dominate, macro is solid.
4.5
Fees
Fair once you know the formula; debit card deposits sting.
3.5
Experience
Clean UI, 4.7★ iOS app, painless onboarding.
4.5
Funding
ACH, debit, wire, PayPal, Venmo, crypto.
4.5
Support
Slows down during major events.
3.5
Pros
CFTC-regulated — the legal US prediction market
All 50 states + DC
~3.5–4% APY on idle cash
Free ACH deposits and withdrawals
No signup, inactivity, or settlement fees
140+ countries internationally
Cons
Full KYC — no anonymous trading
Debit deposits cost ~2%
Thin books outside headline events
ACH withdrawals take 3–4 business days
Fee formula is confusing at first
Is Kalshi legit?
Yes. It is a CFTC Designated Contract Market — the same category as CME and CBOE. Funds sit apart from operating cash. The company has been live since 2021 without a major incident.
Who it is for
Default choice if you are in the US. Also strong for international users who want dollar deposits instead of USDC.