DFS (daily fantasy sports) has gained immense popularity as a fast-paced variant of fantasy sports, especially in states that have not legalized online sports betting in the U.S. With numerous DFS apps available, it can be challenging to choose the best one. In our review, we’ll rank and evaluate leading DFS apps like FanDuel, DraftKings, Underdog Fantasy, and Sleeper Fantasy. These platforms stand out for their unique features, user experience, contest variety, and impact on the DFS and sports betting market. The review will assess various aspects such as DFS promo codes and bonuses, onboarding, contest variety, deposits, payouts, withdrawals and availability across states.
Best Daily Fantasy Sites of 2024
18+ (21+AZ, IA, LA & MA, 19+ AL, NE). Concerned with your play? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER
Play $5 to Get $50 in Pick6 Credits
- App Rating: 4.6/5
- Peer-to-Peer DFS Contests
18+ (21+MA & AZ, 19+ AL, NE). Concerned with your play? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER
- App Rating: 4.7/5
- Payouts up to 100X
- Season-long and dynasty integrations
18+ (21+MA & AZ, 19+ AL, NE). Concerned with your play? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER
- App Rating: 4.8/5
- Massive best ball tournaments
- Frequent free square offers
18+ (21+MA & AZ, 19+ AL, NE). Terms and conditions apply. Concerned with your play? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER
$500 First Deposit Match
- App Rating: 4.9/5
- Classic DFS leader
- $10 BILLION+ in prizes awarded
18+ (21+MA & AZ, 19+ AL, NE). Concerned with your play? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER
- App Rating: 4.6/5
- Superflex DFS contests
- Innovative Lightning Lineups game
18+ (21+MA & AZ, 19+ AL, NE). Concerned with your play? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER
- App Rating: 3.7/5
- 100X Payouts
- Integrated with Vivid Seats
21+. Concerned with your play? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER
- App Rating: 4.5/5
- Payouts up to 100X
- Founded by influencer/boxer Jake Paul
18+ (21+MA & AZ, 19+ AL, NE). Concerned with your play? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER
- App Rating: 4.6/5
- 75X Payouts
- Rewards program offers quality prizes
18+ (21+MA & AZ, 19+ AL, NE). Concerned with your play? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER
- App Rating: 4.6/5
- 40X Payouts
- “Coverage” offers insurance if you miss a pick
18+ (21+MA & AZ, 19+ AL, NE). Concerned with your play? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER
- App Rating: 3.9/5
- 100X Payouts on pick’em
- Best-ball tournaments up to $2 million in prizes
18+ (21+MA & AZ, 19+ AL, NE). Concerned with your play? Call or text 1-800-GAMBLER
- App Rating: 4.2/5
- 40X Payouts on pick’em
- Exchange market: buy and sell players based on performance
Check out OddsShopper’s DFS Optimizer tools to make the most out of your lineups at PrizePicks, Underdog and more! →
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Comparing the Best DFS Apps
OddsShopper’s resident DFS expert Adam Peri has compared everything you need to know about the best DFS apps below.
PrizePicks vs. Underdog
 | ||
| PrizePicks | vs. | Underdog |
| ✅ | FREE SQUARES | ✅ |
| ✅ | PICK ‘EM | ✅ |
| ❌ | BEST BALL | ✅ |
| up to 25x | PAYOUTs | up to 325x |
| $100 PLAY NOW! → | PROMO | $250 PLAY NOW! → |
PrizePicks and Underdog Fantasy appear very similar on the surface. Both DFS apps offer pick ’em contests in a wide range of sports, from the NBA and NFL to NASCAR and Esports. But that’s where the similarities end. PrizePicks and Underdog are similar within their pick ’em offerings, but Underdog also has several other DFS offerings to choose from.
The biggest difference between the two apps is the Underdog Best Ball and Daily Drafts. Best Ball is one of the largest growing DFS games in the industry that combines season-long fantasy with daily fantasy sports strategies.
Players draft a team live, and once they do, their roster is set for the year. No roster moves or trades are allowed. Every team competes within brackets for the first 15 weeks of the regular season and then moves into playoff brackets. The final winner usually wins an enormous first-place prize. The structure of Best Ball brings in unique strategic decisions that combine season-long fantasy concepts with DFS.
Underdog runs Best Ball contests throughout the NFL offseason all the way until Week 1. The biggest contest is “Best Ball Mania IV” which is $25 to enter and has a $1.5 million dollar first-place prize in 2024. Underdog also has week-long drafts and Best Ball contests in other sports like MLB, PGA and NBA. These have similar structures that blend the nuances of DFS and traditional fantasy.
That’s quite a bit different from PrizePicks, but it’s not necessarily better. Players that want to focus on pick ’em contests will do well with PrizePicks offerings. The site continues to expand into more sports. They also offer frequent promotions like “Taco Tuesday” and “free squares” to get users started on the site.
PrizePicks vs. Sleeper
| ||
| PrizePicks | vs. | Sleeper |
| ✅ | FREE SQUARES | ✅ |
| ✅ | PICK ‘EM | ✅ |
| ❌ | BEST BALL | ✅ (no real money) |
| up to 25x | PAYOUTs | up to 100x |
| $100 PLAY NOW! → | PROMO | $100 PLAY NOW! → |
Sleeper Fantasy is taking the world of DFS by storm. What started as a favorite NFL fantasy football app for season-long leagues with flexible scoring that dynasty players loved has evolved into a real-money DFS app with their Sleeper Picks platform. Sleeper is similar to other pick ’em DFS apps like PrizePicks, but it’s worth reviewing one of the key nuances on Sleeper. Namely, dynamic payouts.
On PrizePicks, the payouts for DFS contests are fixed. If you build a 2-leg card, regardless of your picks or the sport, it will always pay the same thing when you win. That is true on PrizePicks for any number of picks you make. Sleeper Fantasy has changed that game by offering dynamic pricing. Some pick ’em contests will have different payout multipliers depending on the pick’s chance of hitting. That really changes the game.
Players on Sleeper Fantasy should be aware of the dynamic pricing so they can take advantage of new edges. Their DFS app also lets players build cards as large as 8-picks which is much bigger than anyone else on the market. But don’t “sleep” on PrizePicks, either. You know what you get with their DFS contests, and if you can consistently get over the breakeven point, you’ll have a positive expectation there, as well.
Underdog vs. Sleeper
| ||
| Underdog | vs. | Sleeper |
| ✅ | FREE SQUARES | ✅ |
| ✅ | PICK ‘EM | ✅ |
| ✅ | BEST BALL | ✅ (no real money) |
| up to 325x | PAYOUTs | up to 100x |
| $250 PLAY NOW! → | PROMO | $100 PLAY NOW! → |
Underdog Fantasy and Sleeper Fantasy have a lot in common. Both apps blend pick ’em contests and season-long fantasy with daily fantasy sports. But the difference is in the details. You can play season-long fantasy sports on Sleeper with friends, using their unique features for excellent league management (especially dynasty leagues), sports news and player analysis. Underdog’s distinct offering is their leading Best Ball tournaments.
Sleeper Fantasy emphasizes more traditional fantasy sports in addition to their DFS offerings. The app will make casual players feel comfortable with a format they’re familiar with as they ease into games like Sleeper Picks and the necessary knowledge of expected value, win probabilities and other sports gaming strategies.
Underdog’s appeal is in their season-long Best Ball tournaments. Users who like DFS and season-long fantasy love Best Ball for its unique blend of the two games. They’ll find the biggest Best Ball tournaments at Underdog, as well. The DFS app’s featured contest is Best Ball Mania IV which has a $15 million prize pool and an astounding $1.5 million to first place in 2024!
Underdog vs. Drafters
| ||
| Underdog | vs. | Drafters |
| ✅ | FREE SQUARES | ✅ |
| ✅ | PICK ‘EM | ✅ |
| ✅ | BEST BALL | ✅ |
| up to 325x | PAYOUTs | up to 100x |
| $250 PLAY NOW! → | PROMO | $100 PLAY NOW! → |
Underdog Fantasy has the largest Best Ball contests in the industry, including Best Ball Mania IV with its $15 million prize pool. But there’s a lot more out there on the Best Ball and DFS landscape. One site that has its own spin on Best Ball is Drafters, and you won’t want to ignore it.
Drafters differ from Underdog in the way they structure their Best Ball contest schedule. Only the regular season counts in Drafters, there are no fantasy playoffs. When you draft your team, their statistics over the course of the season will accumulate, and the roster with the highest number of fantasy points at the end of the regular season wins the tournament. Drafters’ format is the same for NFL, NBA and any other Best Ball sport they offer.
Underdog is significantly different. Your Underdog Best Ball team will compete in a bracket with a number of other teams for the first fifteen weeks of the season. There will then be “playoff” rounds, much like season-long fantasy playoffs where you whittle down the pool of contestants. The finale is Week 17, when the finalists are determined. The winning score in Week 17 takes down first place.
Drafters and Underdog DFS apps seem pretty close, especially because they both have huge Best Ball offerings. However, those little details in the contest structure dramatically change the strategies you will need to win. Projections, average draft position and roster construction all have to be thought of differently for the Best Ball contests on these two distinct DFS apps.
DraftKings vs. Underdog
| ||
| DraftKings | vs. | Underdog |
| ✅ | Salary Caps | ❌ |
| ❌ | Player draft | ✅ |
| ✅ | BEST BALL | ✅ |
| ❌ | Pick ’em | ✅ |
| $500 PLAY NOW! → | PROMO | $325 PLAY NOW! → |
There’s a lot to say about Best Ball and its connections to DFS. No site highlights that more than DraftKings. Although Underdog Fantasy is known for its best ball offering, DraftKings has huge contests, as well. Those contests are growing every year, especially for NFL Best Ball. And it’s no surprise that DraftKings, a platform that started with daily fantasy sports, has Best Ball contests that resemble its daily product.
That’s an important difference between DraftKings and Underdog. The fantasy point scoring on DraftKings is the same for Best Ball as it is for DFS. That means the bonuses they offer for things like receiving and rushing yards come into play. Underdog’s fantasy point system is completely different.
The prize pool on DraftKings is smaller than Underdog, but the contest size is even larger. DraftKings’ main Best Ball tournament is set for over one million contestants. The buy-in is only $10, and they’re offering satellite contests through DFS and other promotions. That attracts many casual players who aren’t well-versed in Best Ball. The contest may be full of DFS players and sports bettors. Best Ball is the focus of many players on Underdog, making the player pool a lot sharper than on DraftKings.
The difference in user base creates a huge edge for strong Best Ball players on DraftKings who utilize projections, ADP and roster construction strategies.
DFS App Promo Codes and Reviews
- Underdog Fantasy Promo Code – Get a Deposit Match Up to $250
- Sleeper Promo Code: Get $100 Deposit Match + 100x Payouts!
- OwnersBox Promo Code – Get a $500 Deposit Match!
- Betr Picks Promo Code: Get Your First Deposit Matched up to $250 – MUST USE PROMO CODE ODDS5
- Vivid Picks Promo Code – Get $300 First Deposit Match + $25 Secure Play
- ParlayPlay Promo Code – Get $100 Deposit Match
- Drafters Fantasy Promo Code and App Review
- Boom Fantasy Promo Code and App Review
- Dabble Fantasy Promo Code
- PrizePicks App Review
- Underdog Fantasy App and Product Review
- DraftKings Pick6 Promo Code – Get Up to $50 in Pick6 Credits!
- Sleeper Fantasy App And Product Review
- Vivid Picks App and Product Review
- Betr Picks App and Product Review
- DraftKings Pick6 App Review
Getting to Know DFS Apps
DFS apps have continually evolved over the years to better serve their users and adapt to changes in sports and technology. While the primary concept of users creating their virtual teams based on real-world players remains, various features and changes have been introduced to enhance user experience, competition fairness, and the diversity of the game options. With this evolution has come a lot of questions about how to play at new sites. The OddsShopper YouTube channel is a great resource if you’re looking to learn more about DFS and Pick ’em, with plenty of how-to videos, picks and predictions.
Frequently Asked Questions
DFS is a fast-paced version of fantasy sports, played over shorter periods, like a day or week, instead of an entire season.
In DFS, users create virtual teams of real players in professional sports, who compete based on their real-world statistical performance. Popular DFS apps like PrizePicks and Underdog provide platforms for users to participate in virtual contests and win prizes based on their performance.
Each DFS app offers its unique approach to the DFS experience. For instance, Underdog Fantasy stands out for its user-friendly interface, daily snake drafts, and various game formats, including Best Ball contests like Best Ball Mania, with a record $15 million in prizes in 2024. FanDuel and DraftKings, on the other hand, have established themselves as industry giants, providing a wide range of sports, massive prize pools, and traditional salary cap contests, although they each have branched into more unique offerings like DraftKings Reignmakers, where players can collect gamified NFT player cards through pack drops, auctions, and a secondary marketplace.
PrizePicks has received praise for its excellent user experience and player projection offerings in the pick ’em style, making it a strong competitor in the DFS market. Sleeper Fantasy, which initially offered only season-long leagues, is also a platform worth keeping an eye on. Sleeper now features daily drafts and picks contests where you can win real money with payouts up to 100x.
In this type of contest, you compete against the numbers rather than other players. The goal is to correctly predict the outcome of a set of player projections and create an entry involving multiple player picks (commonly called “squares.”) For instance, a pick ’em app like PrizePicks might ask, “Will Josh Allen throw for over 275 yards?” If you predict that he will and he does, you win that square. The more picks you correctly predict, the more money you win. If you correctly predict two picks, you will win a multiple of your entry fee, like 1x. If you correctly predict three props, you will win 2x your entry fee, and so on. Pick ’em contests are a great way to get started in DFS. They are easy to understand and don’t require a large bankroll to play. If you’re looking for a fun and challenging way to test your sports knowledge, pick ’em contests are an excellent option.
Daily fantasy sports (DFS) is legal in 45 states and the District of Columbia. However, it’s important to be aware of the specific regulations in each state to ensure compliance.
There are laws in various states that regulate activities related to DFS:
– California: DFS is allowed but not officially regulated in California, providing players with a flexible playing environment.
– Colorado: In Colorado, DFS is fully legalized, but daily fantasy sites must obtain a license from the Colorado Division of Gaming to operate legally and ensure player protection.
– Illinois: Daily fantasy sports is legal in Illinois, but DFS sites are required to obtain a license from the Illinois Gaming Board, to ensure a secure and fair gaming experience for players.
– New Jersey: New Jersey embraces DFS and provides a regulated environment for operators. To operate legally, daily fantasy sports sites must obtain a license from the New Jersey Division of Gaming Enforcement.
– Pennsylvania: DFS is also legal in Pennsylvania, with DFS apps required to obtain a license from the Pennsylvania Gaming Control Board to ensure player safety and fair gameplay.
If you’re unsure whether DFS is legal in your state, it’s a good idea to reach out to your state’s gaming authority for the most up-to-date and accurate information. Knowing the regulations will allow you to participate in DFS responsibly and in accordance with the law.
Author
John Ferguson
