What is Manifold Markets?

Manifold Markets is a prediction-market platform where anyone can create a market on almost any question and trade using play-money called mana. Because it does not use real-money wagering for its core experience, Manifold offers the widest range of markets of any major platform — from politics to niche personal bets. As of June 2026 it remains play-money first.

What Manifold offers

Manifold lets users create markets in seconds, trade with mana, and resolve markets themselves (for user-created questions). It is known for breadth, community forecasting, and experimentation rather than financial settlement.

Who it is for

Manifold suits forecasters, researchers, and hobbyists who want to test predictions without financial risk, and creators who want to crowdsource probabilities. Traders seeking real-money payouts should use Kalshi or Polymarket.

How Manifold compares

Unlike Kalshi (CFTC-regulated, real money) and Polymarket (on-chain, real money), Manifold is play-money and permissionless to create, so its prices reflect engagement and reputation rather than capital at risk.

Is Manifold legal?

Because core trading uses play-money mana, Manifold avoids the gambling and derivatives framing that applies to real-money venues. Always check the platform terms for your region.

FAQ

Is Manifold real money?

Manifold is play-money first: trading uses mana. It is designed for forecasting and community markets rather than financial payouts.

Can anyone create a market on Manifold?

Yes. Any user can create a market in seconds, which is why Manifold has the widest range of questions of any major platform.

How are Manifold markets resolved?

User-created markets are typically resolved by their creator, with community oversight and reputation incentives.

Is Manifold like Polymarket?

Both are prediction markets, but Polymarket uses real on-chain money while Manifold uses play-money mana.

Read our full Manifold review at /prediction/platforms/manifold for the complete breakdown.