Polymarket, a decentralized prediction market platform, achieved a significant milestone in January 2026, recording 38.4 million site visits to become the most visited decentralized application (dApp). This traffic figure brought it close to matching the user traffic of the mainstream trading platform Robinhood, marking a major expansion into the mainstream market.
The platform also reached peak on-chain activity during this period. Its success was highlighted by founder Shayne Coplan, who celebrated the achievement on social media. Polymarket's growth is attributed to its position as one of the most popular on-chain use cases, with activity shifting toward the most liquid markets.
Polymarket significantly outperformed its competitor Kalshi across nearly all metrics, boasting nearly four times as many site visits. Most of its traffic originated from the United States, following the introduction of compliant prediction pairs. The platform has also maintained international traffic while adhering to U.S. regulations for its probability trading offerings.
To drive user engagement, Polymarket has broadened its social media outreach and promoted smart betting features, which allow users to bet without directly competing against professional sharps. This strategy, along with incentives like shopping vouchers and product giveaways, has given it an edge over Kalshi in user acquisition.
In January, the platform's activity was driven by diverse prediction markets categorized as 'other,' alongside sports, politics, and cryptocurrency predictions. Total trading volume for retail predictions exceeded $12 billion. Highly active players, making an average of more than five predictions each, fueled this volume. The platform utilizes a mix of organic activity, bots, and promotions through copy-trading and influencers.
Most trading activity occurs on contested issues with odds between 40% and 60%, or on nearly-resolved topics with probabilities of 80% to 90%. Open interest on the platform expanded to a new peak of around $411 million, which, while still below the November 2024 record, shows a sustainable and rising trend.
Polymarket also reported peak volumes for the USDC stablecoin, leading to a partnership with Circle to utilize the native version of the stablecoin. Mobile usage and search volumes for the platform have shown significant growth over the past three months, further solidifying its market position. The platform demonstrates clear leadership in predictions for current events and politics, only being surpassed by Kalshi in the sports category.
