You may be surprised by which platforms make our list of the best DFS apps—and you might even discover a new favorite to try.
Daily Fantasy Sports is a unique way to put your sports knowledge to work. With a wide range of contests, player tools, and competitive communities, DFS offers an exciting alternative to traditional sports betting. But before diving in, it’s important to find a trusted and credible platform to join.
In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to choose the top daily fantasy sports sites. We break down key factors like sports coverage, scoring systems, customer support, and active promotions. You’ll also get access to useful tools and strategies designed to help you make smarter contest decisions. Finally, we highlight this month’s best DFS apps based on our expert, in-depth reviews.
Pros and cons of DFS
- Legal in most US states
- Great range of sports contests
- Variety of prize pools and entries
- Dedicated DFS bonus offers
- Competitive entrants
Daily Fantasy Sports today: A timeline through the years
The idea of season-long, free-to-play fantasy contests has been around for years. However, it wasn't until 2007 that companies like Fantasy Sports Live started to consider the prospect of daily and weekly contests.
By 2009, FanDuel had launched its very first contest, which has since paved the way for the single-slate Salary Cap contests we see today. Of course, by 2012, DraftKings had also entered the ring, providing US sports fans with two main sites to choose from.
The following years saw great growth, with thousands of dollars being spent on advertising. The MLB and NBA even form DFS partnerships, and NFL teams soon follow.
In 2015, state attorneys general argued that certain contests and gaming elements of DFS crossed the line into sports betting. Regulator clarity and the model we see today were very much tailored during the following two years.
In 2018, we obviously saw PASPA overturned, leading to the eventual launch of real-money sportsbooks. Nowadays, you’ll find hybrid platforms, allowing you to conveniently switch between sports betting and DFS.
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How we establish credible DFS sites and mobile apps
When it comes to building our reviews, much has to be taken into account. Naturally, we want to ensure that all DFS sites have passed sufficient audits and been deemed legal to operate; however, once confirmed, we will be paying close attention to the following.
Sports coverage
First and foremost, we like to make sure that you can enter contests based on your favorite sports and leagues. Generally speaking, you won’t have any issues finding baseball, football, and basketball DFS contests. However, it is becoming more common to also find Pick ‘em contests focused on the following:
- MLS
- UEFA Champions League
- Bundesliga
- MMA
- Boxing
- Tennis
- Golf
Contest types
Alongside popular sports, we like to ensure that there is enough variety when it comes to entering contests. Although this will vary across the board, you will find that most of the DFS sites in the banners on this page will cover the following:
📊 Salary Caps
The Salary Cap contest is one of the most common, offering you the chance to build single-slate or weekly contest entries with a limit in place. You’ll go up against others from within your league, and the winner will take home the biggest portion of the prize pool.
💡 Pick ‘em
The Pick ‘em style of contest takes a single-entrant approach, focusing on your own picks. Essentially, you will be tasked with choosing whether you feel players will hit higher or lower than a certain stat, adding each pick to your entry. Once ready, you can input your own entry fee and submit.
🤼♂️ Head-to-head
The head-to-head follows the same idea as the Salary Cap contest; however, you will be going up against just one other player. The winner will then take home the spoils.
📋 Full draft
The Full Draft follows the snake drafting style, ensuring that fair chances to make competitive picks are made available. These contests run on a short-term basis with no additional trades required.
🏆 Best Ball
The Best Ball contest lasts for the duration of the season. The trick is to focus on depth, and your best team will be chosen each week. It is an ideal choice for those who want a zero-fuss approach to DFS.
Scoring systems
If you disregard Pick ‘em contests for a second, all contest types will follow a set scoring system. The figures associated with each outcome will contribute towards your final position, so understanding the scoring system ensures that you can make your picks and build your own strategies accordingly.
As an example, you may find that one site has a PPR, while another offers half-PPR. This would mean that you are missing out on half the amount of points with each reception. For those NFL or college teams playing out from the backfield, you could find a significant loss.
Of course, this will all depend on the sport your contest is focused on.
In this list, we have focused on some stat lines that will contribute to your players’ overall score.
- Goals scored
- Rebounds
- Passing yards
- Significant strikes
- Rushing yards
- Touchdowns
- 3-pointers
- Fumbles
- Penalties saved
Bonus offers
Next, we have to take some time to talk about bonus offers. Unfortunately, they aren’t always the biggest, but they will almost always allow you to enter contests without spending your own cash or ensure that your player stat lines have been boosted.
| Deposit match bonus | The deposit match rewards you with a percentage of your initial bonus in the shape of bonus entries. |
| Boosted stats | Boosted stats are great for those entering Pick 'ems. You’ll find a greater or lower stat applied to your chosen player. |
| Play and Get | You will need to enter contests of a specific value first. Once entered, you’ll receive bonus entries. |
| Refer-a-friend bonus | After signing up using your unique code, a friend must enter a set number of contests before you receive your reward. |
| No-deposit bonus | This bonus can be received without spending a dime. Often found at the sign-up stage or after completing certain tasks. |
Support, usability, and payouts
Beyond all of these DFS-specific features, we also like to ensure that your chosen DFS site has ticked all the relevant boxes surrounding support, taxability, and withdrawals.
With support, we tend to put agents to the test, covering response times, reliability, and available methods. For withdrawals, we will focus on minimum limits, transaction speed, and withdrawal options. Finally, when it comes to usability, we will ensure that we cover the registration process, a brief look at the design, and a focus on how to filter through upcoming contests and make your picks. Naturally, we also look at how this transfers over to the smaller screens.
Tools and strategies to help get you started
As you can see, there is plenty that goes into our reviews of the best DFS sites. However, that isn’t where the research ends. You’ll also want to go into the experience armed with some tools and strategies to help get you off to a solid start. While we can’t guarantee that you’ll become coach of the year, we can give you a helping hand on your way.
- Use data, projections, forecasts, and confirmed stats to build your rosters.
- Make the most of your bonus offers and take time to review the terms.
- Don’t be afraid to reach out to like-minded players or ‘copy’ top performers.
- Set your deposit and entry limits early.
- Run through the Mock Draft to get familiar with the workings of the site.
DFS leaderboard: The best DFS sites according to our expert reviews
By now, you should have a much better idea of what to expect from the best DFS sites or mobile apps around. So, in this section, we want to get your search underway with a quick look at some of our favorites from this month’s updated reviews.
Betr Picks: This month’s standout
We begin with a little look at Betr Picks. On paper, this could be the most complete DFS site and mobile app you’ll come across, offering you the chance to build rosters across a great range of sports. As things stand, this includes everything from the NHL and MLS to the UFC and Bundesliga. To thank you for joining, Betr Picks welcomes you with $30 in bonus entries. We found that this can be claimed as soon as you have made $10 worth of picks. Once you’ve selected your preferred league, you can start filtering through higher/lower stat lines before adding selections to your roster. More picks offer a greater multiplier; however, we also noticed that you can use the Dynamic format to ensure some of your picks. In turn, you don’t have to get everything right to walk away with a prize. That is, of course, unless you opt for Perfect Play.
Dabble: The most user-friendly DFS site in December
If we had to choose a name to follow on from Betr Picks, it would be Dabble. This is another great place to enjoy daily fantasy sports, with a wide range of sporting preferences catered to. Whether you fancy yourself as an NFL coach, a budding CBB scout, or a UFC fanatic, rest assured that Dabble has you covered. To get started, you can also look to add $10 in bonus entries to your account as soon as you have registered, verified, and made your first deposit. From here, you can soon start filtering through possible selections. The maximum multiplier is 1,000x, which is acquired after building a 12-part entry. However, you can look to click on ‘Place Entry’ as soon as you have two picks from different teams/players. As you would expect, all sorts of stat lines are available, and you can enjoy all additional perks through the Dabble app.
Underdog: Lets you kick things off with a competitive new customer offer
Next up, we’ve got Underdog. However, if we are talking about bonuses alone, we are fairly certain that this one could soon become a favorite instead. Currently, you can claim a matched offer of up to $1,000 in bonus entries as soon as you have downloaded the app, registered, verified, and made a qualifying deposit. From here, you’ll find that you can filter through a great range of sports, all before considering whether you wish to enter contests based on higher or lower, best ball, full draft, or the streaks format. Along the way, you’ll benefit from a range of updated stats, secure withdrawals, and a responsive support team that is available around the clock.
Sleeper: An impressive DFS site that offers a solid range of contests
Sleeper is another great all-rounder that manages to tick a lot of boxes. To get the experience underway, you can look to register online or download the dedicated app before unlocking a 100% deposit match of up to $100. From here, you’ll find that the site and app have been intuitively designed to help you find exactly what you’re after. Although a great focus is on the NFL, you’ll notice a great range of sports have been covered, including UFC, college ball, and basketball. Contests vary across the board, too, opening up the doors to enter Best Ball, Auction Draft, and Dynasty Leagues, alongside the ever-popular “picks” section. You can also chat to friends here, check out the latest trends, and test the waters with mock drafts.
FanDuel Fantasy: A great all-rounder that covers all major leagues
FanDuel has been around for some time, and it is the final name to feature on this list of top DFS sites today. As a new user, you can look to claim $300 in bonus bets, provided your first $5 entry is successful. However, you’ll also come across a great range of profit boosts, bonus entries, and further promotions throughout. So far as sports are concerned, you’ll find all major leagues and contests are covered, including the NFL, NHL, CFB, UFC, and beyond. Plus, you’ll be able to enjoy beginner contests for your first 50 entries, or focus on head-to-heads, full drafts, and higher/lowers, all with fair entries and competitive prize pools attached. The app is responsive, winnings can be withdrawn instantly, and you can enjoy all areas of FanDuel Fantasy on the go.
Getting started: Simple steps to join a DFS site
By this stage, we feel confident that most of you will have an idea of where you wish to take your DFS action. So, without delay, let us show you how you can get yourself signed up within minutes.
- Click on the links within this guide to open up our latest reviews.
- Work your way through the review to ensure that all additional boxes are ticked.
- Click on the link within your chosen review to head on over to the site.
- Click on the ‘Sign up’ (or equivalent) button.
- Enter your personal details, any of our exclusive promo codes, and work through the sign-up form.
- Read through the fine print, agree to the terms, and click to create your account.
- Pass any additional verification checks and authorize your email address or phone number.
- Return to your chosen DFS site, make a qualifying deposit, and start building your lineups.
The future of DFS: What lies ahead?
Unfortunately, the reality is that we are not in control of how things play out from here. However, we will certainly be the first to inform you of any changes, additions, and adaptations to the market as we see fit.
From a personal standpoint, we would suggest that the latest developments in technology will lead to more AI-generated picks, potential blocks on AI usage when building rosters, and an overall improvement in the fluidity of creating your lineups.
Additionally, we would suspect that more verticals will be added to the mix, ensuring that you can soon enter contests ranging from the ever-popular football DFS Best Ball contests to esports, golf, boxing, and tennis Pick ‘ems.
Make the most of our reviews to find the best DFS site today
There is much more for you to consider before getting started at a DFS site. Hopefully, however, our reviews will be able to guide you in the right direction.
Within the banners on this page, you’ll find quick links to our top choices for this month. Once selected, you’ll open up our latest reviews, covering everything from contest types and scoring systems to usability and support options. We are certain that it won’t be long until you’ve registered, claimed your offer, and have taken on the role of coach.
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Daily Fantasy Sports FAQ
What kind of sports are covered by the best DFS sites?
All sorts of sporting preferences are covered at the best DFS sites. However, there is a clear focus on the NFL, NBA, and MLB. That said, college football DFS contests are also starting to grow in popularity.
Can you claim bonus offers at a Daily Fantasy Sports site?
Yes. You will find a competitive selection of DFS bonus offers at the very best sites. The type of promotions will vary, but could include deposit match offers, free bonus entries, a refer-a-friend bonus, and more.
Can you enter more than one DFS contest at a time?
Yes. Unless otherwise stated, there is no reason why you cannot enter multiplier contests at one time. Generally, however, you will be restricted to how many entries you can have within one ongoing contest.
What is the best Daily Fantasy Sports site?
It all depends on the type of experience you are after. This will vary considerably; however, we would always be quick to suggest searching at top all-arounders, like Betr Picks, Sleeper, Dabble, Underdog, and FanDuel.
How do you score points in DFS contests?
In truth, it all depends on the contest and sport you select. For instance, MMA DFS Pick 'ems will rely on you selecting whether a fighter will hit a higher or lower amount of significant strikes. However, a football salary cap relies on you building a roster that takes all elements of the game into account.
