Betfair vs Paddy Power

The verdict in numbers

Two figures decide most of this comparison: best-price share and average margin.

Betfair returned the top price on 48.6% of the markets we sampled, roughly five times Paddy Power's 9.7% best-price share. That gap is large enough to matter to anyone comparing lines before staking.

Margin tells the same story from the operator side. Betfair's average over-round came in at 4.64%, while Paddy Power's sat at 7.11%. A lower margin means more of the true price is returned to the bettor, so on like-for-like markets Betfair's odds tend to be longer.

Our odds rating reflects this: Betfair scores 8.9, Paddy Power 7.8. On the pure value metrics, Betfair is the clear favourite. Paddy Power's counter-argument lies elsewhere — app (8.8 vs 8.4) and Bet Builder (8.0 vs 7.4).

Head-to-head comparison table

• Best-price share: Betfair 48.6% | Paddy Power 9.7%
• Average margin: Betfair 4.64% | Paddy Power 7.11%
• Markets sampled: Betfair 278 | Paddy Power 257
• Odds rating: Betfair 8.9 | Paddy Power 7.8
• Market coverage: Betfair 8.8 | Paddy Power 8.3
• Sports depth: Betfair 8.6 | Paddy Power 8.4
• Live capability: Betfair 8.7 | Paddy Power 8.2
• Bet Builder: Betfair 7.4 | Paddy Power 8.0
• App: Betfair 8.4 | Paddy Power 8.8
• Features: Betfair 8.6 | Paddy Power 8.4
• Payments: Betfair 8.4 | Paddy Power 8.5
• Withdrawals: Betfair 8.5 | Paddy Power 8.6
• Support: Betfair 7.9 | Paddy Power 8.0
• Licence safety: Betfair 9.2 | Paddy Power 9.2
• Regulator: both UKGC
• Minimum deposit: both £10
• Withdrawal time: both 0–24h
• Founded: Betfair 2000 | Paddy Power 1988

Odds and margin: where Betfair pulls ahead

The best-price share figure isolates how often each book beats or matches the market-leading price. At 48.6%, Betfair set or shared the top line on nearly half of sampled markets — a dominant position for a two-way comparison.

Paddy Power's 9.7% share is not unusual for a recreational-focused book. Its pricing model carries a wider over-round (7.11%), which spreads margin across more selections and shortens individual prices.

The practical read: if your priority is squeezing value on football, tennis or horse racing singles, Betfair's lines are more likely to be the ones to beat. The margin gap of roughly 2.5 percentage points compounds over volume, so frequent stakers feel it most.

Use a live odds screen to confirm on the specific market you're backing — best-price share is an aggregate, not a guarantee on every individual selection.

Markets, sports and live betting

Betfair edges the coverage metrics: market coverage 8.8 to 8.3, sports depth 8.6 to 8.4, live capability 8.7 to 8.2.

Both cover the core UK card — Premier League, Championship, Champions League and Europa League football, plus Horse Racing, Tennis (ATP and WTA), Darts, Cricket, Rugby, Golf and Basketball. For accumulator and outright depth across Serie A, Ligue 1 or the World Cup, either operator is functional, but Betfair's higher coverage score points to more markets per event on average.

Live Betting, Cash Out and Live Streaming are available at both. Betfair's stronger live-capability rating (8.7) suggests broader in-play pricing during matches, which matters if you trade positions or watch line movement rather than betting pre-match only.

Bet Builder and app: Paddy Power's edge

Paddy Power is the stronger pick on two counts.

Its Bet Builder is listed in its feature set and rates 8.0, ahead of Betfair's 7.4. If you build same-game combinations — goalscorer, cards and corners on a single Premier League fixture — Paddy Power's tooling scores higher.

Paddy Power's app also outrates Betfair, 8.8 to 8.4, with native iOS and Android versions on both operators. Anyone who bets primarily from a phone should weigh that gap alongside the pricing difference.

Both books offer Fast Payout. The feature scores are close overall (8.4 Betfair vs 8.4 Paddy Power), so this section is really a trade-off: Betfair's price advantage against Paddy Power's app and Bet Builder strengths.

Payments, withdrawals and licensing

Both operators take Debit Card, PayPal and Apple Pay, with a £10 minimum deposit and a 0–24 hour withdrawal window. Betfair additionally lists Trustly, giving it a slightly wider cashier for bank-linked deposits.

Withdrawal ratings are near-identical — Paddy Power 8.6, Betfair 8.5 — and payment ratings sit within a tenth (8.5 vs 8.4). On funding, there is little to separate them beyond Betfair's extra Trustly option.

On safety, both hold UK Gambling Commission licences and both score 9.2 for licence safety. The minimum age to bet in the United Kingdom is 18. Neither carries a regulatory edge over the other; the decision rests on pricing and product, not compliance.

Which should you choose?

Choose Betfair if price is your priority. A 48.6% best-price share and a 4.64% average margin make it the sharper book of the two, and it also leads on market coverage and live capability. The extra Trustly payment option is a minor bonus.

Choose Paddy Power if app experience and Bet Builder matter more than a couple of percent of value. It rates 8.8 for its app and 8.0 for Bet Builder, both ahead of Betfair, and matches on licensing, deposit minimum and withdrawal speed.

Many UK bettors hold both: Paddy Power for same-game builds and mobile convenience, Betfair for line-shopping on singles. Given both clear withdrawals within 24 hours and share the same £10 minimum, running the two side by side is a practical way to capture Betfair's pricing without giving up Paddy Power's product strengths.