Matchbook ReviewCheaper Commission, Thinner Markets Than Betfair

Betfair has the biggest crowd. Matchbook has the smaller crowd and the smaller bill. The question for anyone who trades or backs at exchange prices is whether the second crowd is big enough to fill a bet at a fair price, and the honest answer is that it depends heavily on what you bet on.

We could not get into Matchbook's own website from our test machine (it returned a block page), so this review rests on the App Store listing, its artwork and independent write-ups. We flag every third-party figure as such.

Why anyone leaves Betfair

On an exchange you bet against other customers, not a bookmaker. You can back a result or lay it, set your own price and wait for someone to match it. The operator earns commission on net winnings in a market. Betfair's standard rate is widely quoted at 5%. Smarkets is quoted at 2%. Matchbook sits at the cheap end too, though the sources we found disagree: one reviewer says 2% of net winnings per market, another lists a 1% standard rate on its summary and 2% in its list of pros. Confirm the rate on your account page before you trade.

The gap matters only if you win. A £100 net profit costs about £2 at 2% and £5 at 5%. A bettor who loses more than they win pays nothing in commission on losing markets, so the saving is no help to them.

The sign-up offer

New customers get 110 days at 0% commission, according to the App Store text, using a promo code and a qualifying deposit. The small print on the artwork says the account's commission rate is set to 0% for the first 110 days from registration and then reverts to the default. That is a real saving, because a 110-day window gives an active bettor a long stretch to test the exchange. It is also a clock. Plan the first weeks, because the rate rises on day 111 whether you traded or not.

Where the liquidity is, and where it is not

Independent reviews agree on the broad shape. Matchbook's money is deepest on UK and Irish horse racing and on the main football leagues. It is thinner on minor sports and smaller competitions, where a large lay may move the price or sit unmatched. One review places Betfair as the exchange that almost always has the most money in a market, and that squares with everything else we found.

The practical test is simple. Open a market you actually bet, look at the matched amount and the gap between the best back and best lay price, and compare it with the same market on Betfair. One screen on the listing shows a 13:30 race at Ffos Las with £63,640 matched, which is healthy for a mid-card UK race.

Streaming and the app

The listing says you can watch horse and greyhound races live in the app. For a racing bettor that removes a reason to keep a bookmaker account open just for the pictures, though check the usual condition that a funded account or a recent bet is needed to unlock a stream.

The iOS app carries a 4.7 rating from about 1,600 ratings, version 19.7.0, 78 MB, last updated October 20, 2026. That is a smaller sample than the bigger bookmakers, so treat the score as friendly but modest evidence. The listing also advertises Bet Builders and Multiples, which are not what an exchange purist wants, but they let casual bettors stay inside one account.

What worries us

Two things. Trustpilot reviews, as summarised by the search results we saw, are mixed, with praise for liquidity on some markets and complaints about account closures on others. We have not tested that, so we cannot say how often it happens. In theory an exchange earns from commission and has less reason than a bookmaker to restrict winners, but read the account terms you accept rather than relying on theory.

Verdict

Matchbook is a sensible second exchange for racing and big football, and the 110-day commission holiday is a good reason to try it. It is a poor first exchange for anyone who wants every market in one place, because Betfair's liquidity is deeper. Match your stake size to the matched amount before you trade, and never lay more than you could afford to lose.

Exchange betting is a risk, not an income plan. Liabilities can run higher than the stake you see, so set limits before you start. In the UK, help is available through BeGambleAware and the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133.