As two of the largest betting brands in the US, it can be difficult to choose between FanDuel or DraftKings. By reading this review, you will have a better idea of which one is right for you!
Welcome offers – DraftKings vs FanDuel – FanDuel is the winner
FanDuel – 5/5
Both of these betting brands have pretty solid offers, but we’ve given the win to FanDuel for one key reason – the offer is large and simple to claim. As you’ll see on the main site, the welcome offer at FanDuel is a $1000 risk-free bet. Therefore, all you need to worry about is making the wager and waiting to see if you win. If not, you’ll get your money back – simple!
DraftKings – 3/5
Although theoretically, the DraftKings welcome bonus is the same in terms of the monetary value, it is far more complicated. Yes, you can enjoy the same $1,000 welcome incentive, but you need to deposit a rather large $5,000 in order to receive the full reward. It’s not like you get these funds instantly either, as there are more complications identified in the terms and conditions.
Quality of the sportsbook – DraftKings wins
FanDuel – 4/5
This site has a pretty similar range of sports and markets supported when compared to DraftKings, but we feel that it isn’t quite as straightforward to use. In addition to this, the odds do sometimes lack in value for some of the less popular events that FanDuel provides markets for. Over a long time, this could make an enormous difference between wagers placed at FanDuel vs DraftKings.
DraftKings – 5/5
Now, there are a few reasons that we’ve decided to award DraftKings with a 5 here. When using the DraftKings sportsbook, you can find events easier thanks to more sportsbook filters, certain markets have huge odds thanks to ‘boosts’, and overall, the odds that DraftKings provides are marginally better across the board.
Ongoing promotions for existing players – FanDuel wins
FanDuel – 5/5
FanDuel might not have the greatest variety of bonuses, but they seem to be more frequent and they are typically larger concerning the monetary incentives. Not only can you participate in free promotions like NFL picks, but you can also benefit from other bonuses like free bets and even insurance for parlay wagers. These are regularly offered for top events including the NBA, NFL, and MLB.
DraftKings – 4/5
When comparing the promotions between the two, we feel we’ve actually been quite generous by giving DraftKings a 4 here. When investigating this part of the site, we didn’t really find any evidence of regular offers for free bets or insurance rewards, which is quite different from FanDuel. Instead, the staple offers seem to be markets that have exclusive odds and a basic refer-a-friend offer. In our opinion, this doesn’t really give a great deal of value for current customers.
Fanduel vs Draftkings: Additional features of the two sites
Overall User Experience – DraftKings wins
FanDuel – 4/5
We actually loved using the FanDuel site, but since we are comparing two of the best brands here, we have to be a little more critical! When looking at the site, it’s clear that it is loaded with professional features and the aesthetics are great. But from the perspective of those that may be newer to the world of online sports betting, it’s not quite as simple as DraftKings when it comes to filtering through various events and markets.
DraftKings – 5/5
The development team behind the DraftKings site really should give themselves a pat on the back. We loved the color scheme of this site, and it actually feels like quite a dynamic and interactive site too. This is all thanks to moving images whipping across the top of the page, and the fact that DraftKings tends to give many more details concerning odds changes, upcoming events, and even exclusive bets too!
Live wagering – DraftKings wins
FanDuel – 3/5
By clicking the live betting section on this site, you will see a whole bunch of live markets open at any one time. However, the general interface for this section doesn’t seem quite as advanced as what you get with DraftKings. A classic example would be the fact that you can’t jump to key markets by using many filters, which essentially means you have to spend more time actually browsing through the section to find your desired event. Then again, we must say that the odds provided by FanDuel are generally very competitive for live wagering.
DraftKings – 5/5
We were seriously impressed with the whole live betting set-up at DraftKings. Not only do these guys provide live markets for almost all of the events that they cover, but the depth of markets are vast, the odds are competitive, and you can even place quick wagers thanks to the pre-set betting amounts on the site. In our experience, this provides a rather comprehensive live betting set-up, and yes – you can apply filters to find different events with ease. As stated above, this is an area where FanDuel is lacking.
Streaming services – FanDuel wins
FanDuel – 4/5
Both of these sites provide streaming services for members, but as identified with the marks out of 5 for both sites, the streaming offerings at FanDuel are marginally better. We haven’t awarded full marks as the streaming options are by no means huge at FanDuel, but they do make up for this with how easy it is to access streaming, as well as the general quality of the video streams. Providing your internet connection is decent, you can enjoy a fairly clear stream for most events.
DraftKings – 3/5
While DraftKings does provide streaming services for a few sports, the range and the quality does not match that of FanDuel. With DraftKings, you always need to maintain a positive balance to watch streams, and you only have the choice of watching video streams for soccer and tennis right now. This means that you have fewer options compared to FanDuel, and the quality isn’t quite as good either.
Native mobile app – DraftKings wins
FanDuel – 4/5
The main reasons we’ve shaved a point off for FanDuel is because the app is a little slower and not quite as functional as the DraftKings app. But with that said, the app still allows you to bet on all of the supported sports, and you can even make use of live betting, cashouts, and streaming on the app. As you can see, this is a positive thing, and the app is available for iOS and Android customers too, which should cover just about everyone.
DraftKings – 5/5
The DraftKings app supports very similar features to the FanDuel app, with factors such as live betting, streaming, quick deposits, and more currently available. However, the key difference for us is that the interface for this app is much more user-friendly, and it appears to be quicker when flicking between the various pages. Of course, this adds to a satisfactory customer experience. And just like FanDuel, you can currently install the app for both iOS and Android platforms.
Cash-out – FanDuel wins
FanDuel – 5/5
Being able to cash out your sports bets is always useful to have in the back pocket, and FanDuel clearly knows a thing or two about using this tool to its fullest potential. Not only does FanDuel offer cashouts for a wide range of betting types, but in our experience, the site tends to provide more generous incentives to cash out bets early compared to DraftKings.
DraftKings – 3/5
DraftKings does support the cash-out feature, but the reason we’ve marked them with a 3 is that cashouts are not supported for all markets, and the general offerings are regularly lower than FanDuel – even when you’ve placed the exact same bet. But with that said, thanks to the interface of the site, it is super easy to cash out a bet if you do want to do this.
Pros & Cons
| FanDuel | DraftKings | ||
| Pros | Cons | Pros | Cons |
| Simple welcome bonus | Ongoing offers not overly varied | Great range of betting markets | Complicated bonus terms |
| Good ongoing offers | Offers often dependent on set outcomes | Competitive odds | Cashouts not always generous |
| Decent streaming options | App speeds could be improved | Very good mobile app | Slow withdrawals |
| Professional interface | Few filters to navigate the sportsbook | Large sign-up bonus | Streaming services are lacking |
Our Decision – DraftKings is slightly better as of 2021
Based on all of the categories we have run through here, we have decided to give DraftKings the ultimate win. But that doesn’t mean that this wasn’t an incredibly close Draftkings vs Fanduel contest. Just to provide an overall view, both of these sites are fantastic in their own right, so it’s no wonder they’ve reached the top of the market. However, taking everything into account, DraftKings offers a slightly more comprehensive betting experience, and it is friendly to use for both beginners and advanced players.
Don’t forget – you can always register with both sites if you want to as well, meaning you’d be in a position for $2,000 in welcome rewards!