Betfair vs Paddy Power

The short answer: who should pick which

Choose Betfair if the price is your priority. The odds data is decisive here — a 4.29% average margin and a best-price share above half the sampled markets means you keep more of your stake over a season of betting, especially on football and tennis where margins compound.

Choose Paddy Power if you value the day-to-day experience over squeezing every point of value. The app scores higher (8.8), the Bet Builder is stronger (8.0), and you get Apple Pay and Revolut Pay alongside debit card and PayPal — handy if you top up from your phone.

Both carry the same 9.2 licence-safety rating and both are legal to use in Ireland under the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI) framework, so the decision comes down to price versus polish rather than trust.

Head-to-head ratings and facts

The table sets out the numbers side by side. Ratings are BETAURO scores out of 10; odds metrics are drawn from our sampled market checks.

• Odds rating — Betfair 8.9 / Paddy Power 7.8
• Best-price share — Betfair 53.1% / Paddy Power 12.3%
• Average margin — Betfair 4.29% / Paddy Power 6.93%
• 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
• Licence safety — 9.2 for both
• Payments — Betfair 8.4 / Paddy Power 8.5
• Withdrawals — Betfair 8.5 (0–24h) / Paddy Power 8.6 (0–24h)
• App — Betfair 8.4 / Paddy Power 8.8
• Features — Betfair 8.6 / Paddy Power 8.4
• Support — Betfair 7.9 / Paddy Power 8.0
• Founded — Betfair 2000 / Paddy Power 1988
• Minimum deposit — €10 at both

Odds and margins: where the value sits

This is the clearest gap between the two. On our sampled markets, Betfair returned the best available price 53.1% of the time — more than four times Paddy Power's 12.3%. Its average margin of 4.29% is also notably tighter than Paddy Power's 6.93%.

What that means in practice: on a market where Betfair sets a shorter overround, the same €20 stake returns more on a winning bet than the equivalent price at a higher-margin book. Over a full Premier League or Champions League weekend, or across an ATP/WTA slate, those differences add up.

Paddy Power isn't priced poorly for a fixed-odds sportsbook — but on pure value it doesn't match Betfair here. If you regularly line-shop, keep both open and check the price on each before you stake. Our betting odds Ireland pages can help you compare markets quickly.

Bet Builder, live betting and features

Both bookmakers offer Live Betting, Cash Out, Live Streaming and Fast Payout, so the core in-play toolkit is covered either way.

The split is on Bet Builder. Paddy Power lists it as a feature and scores 8.0 for it, so if you like combining shots, cards, corners and goalscorers into a single football bet, that's the stronger platform of the two. Betfair rates 7.4 on Bet Builder and its features list here focuses on Live Betting, Cash Out, Live Streaming and Fast Payout.

On live capability more broadly Betfair edges it (8.7 vs 8.2), reflecting its wider in-play market coverage — useful during a busy racing card or a full Saturday football schedule. If you build a lot of same-game multiples, lean Paddy Power; if you want depth of in-play markets across sports, lean Betfair.

Payments, deposits and withdrawals

Both operators set a €10 minimum deposit and both quote a 0–24h withdrawal window, so cash-out speed is broadly comparable on paper.

Paddy Power supports a wider spread of methods: Debit Card, PayPal, Apple Pay and Revolut Pay. Betfair supports Debit Card and PayPal from the methods listed here. If you prefer paying with Apple Pay or Revolut Pay from your phone, Paddy Power is the one that fits — hence its slight payments edge (8.5 vs 8.4).

PayPal users are covered at both. For a full view of which books take a given method, see our PayPal betting sites, Apple Pay betting sites and Revolut Pay betting sites pages.

Apps and everyday usability

Both have iOS and Android apps. Paddy Power scores higher on the app (8.8 vs 8.4), which — combined with its extra mobile payment options — makes it the smoother choice if you place most of your bets on a phone.

Betfair's 8.4 app rating is still solid, and if your priority is the price you're getting rather than the interface, the small gap is unlikely to change your mind. Support is close too: Paddy Power 8.0, Betfair 7.9.

See how both stack up against the wider field on our betting apps Ireland page.

Sports and competition coverage for Irish punters

Both books cover the sports Irish bettors follow most: Football, Horse Racing, GAA, Rugby, Tennis and Golf. Betfair rates marginally higher on market coverage (8.8 vs 8.3) and sports depth (8.6 vs 8.4), so you'll typically find more markets per event.

For football, that breadth spans the Premier League, Serie A, Ligue 1, the Champions League, Europa League and the World Cup. Tennis punters get ATP and WTA coverage at both.

Horse racing and GAA are core Irish markets and both operators cover them. If racing is your main game, the tighter margins at Betfair are worth weighing; if you want the strongest Bet Builder for football weekends, Paddy Power has the edge. Explore more via our Football betting sites, Horse Racing betting sites and GAA betting sites pages.

Licensing and safety

Both Betfair and Paddy Power carry a 9.2 licence-safety rating in our data and both are treated as licensed for the Irish market, which is now overseen by the Gambling Regulatory Authority of Ireland (GRAI). The minimum betting age is 18.

We verify status against operator and register information rather than through account activity — we don't claim to have deposited or withdrawn with either book. On the safety measure there's nothing to separate them: this is a value-and-experience decision, not a trust one. For the wider picture see our legal betting sites Ireland guide.