# Smarkets

> UK person-to-person betting exchange offering a streaming trading API for order entry and market data, with an official Python client.

Canonical page: https://sportdex.net/providers/smarkets/  
Last checked: 2026-11-03  
SportDex Score: 31/100 (rank 140; popularity 29, community n/a, transparency 15, developer experience 49)

## Facts
- Type: Betting exchange
- Website: https://smarkets.com
- Documentation: https://docs.smarkets.com/
- Pricing page: unknown
- Country: United Kingdom
- Sports: Multi-sport (40+), Football (soccer), Horse racing
- Data types: Trading & risk, Odds
- Protocols: Push feed
- Delivery: Streaming (Push feed)
- Live / in-play: not disclosed
- Free tier: not disclosed
- Cheapest public paid plan: not public
- Authentication: api key
- SDKs: python

## Plans
No public price list.

## Who it is for

Best for: Developers building trading tools on the Smarkets betting exchange with the streaming API and Python client.

Use cases: Exchange trading tools; Market data streaming

Limitations:
- No pages saved for verification
- Only covers the Smarkets exchange

## Quick answers

**What is Smarkets best for?** Developers building trading tools on the Smarkets betting exchange with the streaming API and Python client.

**How much does Smarkets cost?** Smarkets does not publish prices on the pages we checked.

**Does Smarkets have a free tier?** Smarkets does not say whether a free tier exists. Check https://smarkets.com.

**What does Smarkets cover?** Smarkets is a betting exchange. Its sports: Multi-sport (40+), Football (soccer), Horse racing; data: Trading & risk, Odds.

**Does Smarkets have a WebSocket or streaming API?** Yes. Smarkets pushes data continuously: Push feed.

**What do developers say about Smarkets?** UK betting exchange with a free streaming/REST API, mentioned as a Betfair alternative for arbitrage and trading bots, and cited as a lay-price source in odds aggregators. Evidence is mostly old: a 2010 launch, and a metaforecast issue about missing contracts in market data. Little current opinion.

**What are the alternatives to Smarkets?** Close alternatives in the SportDex catalog: Matchbook Exchange, Polymarket, BETDAQ, ProphetX, SX Bet.

## What developers say

UK betting exchange with a free streaming/REST API, mentioned as a Betfair alternative for arbitrage and trading bots, and cited as a lay-price source in odds aggregators. Evidence is mostly old: a 2010 launch, and a metaforecast issue about missing contracts in market data. Little current opinion.

Praised for: Free API since early days; Exchange alternative to Betfair

Complaints: Missing contracts in market data

## Method
Facts were read from the provider's own pages on 2026-11-03. Empty fields mean the provider does not say, not that a feature is missing. Method: https://sportdex.net/methodology/