Comparison
Polymarket Perps vs Robinhood Perpetuals (2026)
Robinhood's perpetuals strategy combines its existing Kalshi event-contracts white label with new derivative products targeting US retail. Polymarket Perps targets a global, crypto-native audience with self-custody on Polygon. The two compete for the same risk-tolerant retail flow but operate in different regimes.
Bottom line
Use Robinhood Perps if you are a US retail trader who wants perps inside the same app as your equities. Use Polymarket Perps if you want self-custody, asset breadth (equities + commodities + crypto), and integration with prediction markets.
At a glance
| Polymarket Perps | Robinhood Perps | |
|---|---|---|
| Custody | Self-custody on Polygon | Custodial |
| API access | Gamma/CLOB extensions in flight | No public perps API |
| Settlement | pUSD on Polygon | USD via Robinhood |
| Geography | Blocks US + 30 jurisdictions | US residents only at launch |
| KYC | Wallet only | Robinhood account + SSN |
Best for: Polymarket Perps
Global, crypto-native traders who want self-custody and access to all asset classes.
Best for: Robinhood Perps
US retail who want a familiar mobile-first wrapper and integrated brokerage experience.
Watch out for
- Robinhood does not expose a public perps API, so algorithmic strategies are impractical.
- Polymarket Perps will be unavailable to US residents at launch unless the DCM scope expands.
FAQ
- Can I run an arbitrage bot across Polymarket Perps and Robinhood Perps?
- Not practically. Robinhood does not publish a perps API and the geographic split (Robinhood US-only, Polymarket Perps non-US) means the same trader rarely has access to both. PolyArb focuses on intra-Polymarket and Polymarket-vs-DEX arbitrage where API and geography both line up.