Best of the best: Top 5 betting sites 2025

Think of a betting brand. Got one? Chances are, it's one of the four in this comparison. One of the four who dominate ad breaks and plant themselves in every corner of your club's stadium. There's no denying the power of these giants, so this comparison isn't necessarily, "Who's the best?" but more like, "Which is the best fit for me?"

By comparing several key factors, you'll get a better idea which of these betting sites the best bettors bet on.

In this comparison

Something missing? Brands which didn't quite make this list are addressed at the end of the article.

William Hill

One of the biggest names in betting.

Ladbrokes

Online and offline giant, trusted heritage.

bet365

World's biggest bookie with unrivalled in-play betting and global reach.

Sky Bet

Leading UK sports book with Sky Sports tie-in.

1Promotions

Free bets and on-going offers are key in attracting customers

Betting sites use promotions to attract and retain players, but not all offers are what they seem. Be careful to not be enticed only by the biggest number as bonuses often come with strings attached. It's always wise to check the small print so you know exactly what you get and how you get it.

But no one wants to do that, so we've done it for you!

£30 in Free Bets

Claim this offerNew customers only. 5p minimum stake. first single & E/W bet only. Odds of 1/1 or greater. 3 x £10 bet tokens. Free bets are non withdrawable. Free bets expire after 30 days. Further T&Cs apply.

For new customers, all four sites here provide solid free bets (sometimes referred to as credits or tokens) to get you started, the main differences being how they are awarded and the deposit requirement.

• Sky Bet: 3 x £10 bet tokens
• William Hill: 3 x £10 free bet credits
• Ladbrokes: 4 x £5 free bets
• Bet365: 5 x initial bet in credits

Sky Bet's welcome offer is best

These giants all afford very strong welcome bonuses. Sky Bet edge it though thanks to their minuscule qualifying bet of just 10p where the others require at least a fiver.

2User experience

Sleek designs versus pro features

A well-designed betting site can make all the difference. Navigating fixtures, offers, markets, odds, and placing bets should be effortless. Anything less and things get frustrating, fast. There is, of course, a challenge in balancing options and features with design and simplicity.

Bet £10, Get £30 in Free Bets

Claim this offerFor New Customers. Min deposit requirement. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits and are available for use upon settlement of qualifying bets. Min odds, bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake.

Mobile vs desktop, casual vs pro

We took into account both the mobile and desktop experiences for each site. If you bet from your computer, Bet365 takes the win by keeping a surprisingly good looking UI whilst simultaneously offering tons of markets, features, and stats, somehow satisfying both newcomers and power users. It doesn't adapt well to mobile, however, which is where Ladbrokes shines, making full use of the small screen.

Some brands prioritise a sleek, modern interface, simplifying and minimising the layout to make things easy for newcomers or the small mobile screen. This is easier said than done, especially when you still want to provide the rich features many bettors come to expect over time. Regardless, the absolute requirements of any good user experience include speed, clarity, and intuitive navigation.

• Desktop and experienced bettors: Bet365
• Mobile, all types of bettors: Ladbrokes
• Old-school, classic feel: William Hill
• Casual bettors: Sky Bet

Bet365's experience is best

Overall, Bet365 does the best job. It's lightening fast and mixes good design with powerful features. Ladbrokes is great on mobile. Casuals and newcomers will appreciate the simplicity of Sky Bet. William Hill targets experienced bettors but is still fast and responsive.

3Markets & odds

Where do you get the best value?

Betting sites can suck you in with a fantastic welcome offer, a beautiful design, and superb features... but if the odds aren't competitive, you're unlikely to stick around. It's a given that these four powerhouses cover a vast range of sports and events, so the key differences lie in the depth, variety, and the value of their odds.

The truth is... this is hard to evaluate. We opened each site in four windows, clicked football, and visited fixture after fixture. Approaching the 50th game, the almost identical odds were becoming tedious to record. If anything, we found that it became more of a test of user experience and navigation than odds comparison.

The bookies seem to rely on daily offers, odds boosts, and pre-made accumulators with enhanced returns to differentiate. It allows them to claim the best odds for particular events, even though 99% of their odds are much of a muchness.

Bet £5 Get £30

Claim this offerNew UK/ROI customers. Certain deposit methods and bet types excluded. Min first £5 bet within 14 days of reg, min odds 1/2. Selected markets only. Full terms apply.

In daily betting, you're not going to worry much about a selection which is 6/4 versus 8/5. If you do use these small differences to your advantage, it's worth opening multiple accounts and checking for boosts before placing your bets.

• Odds are mostly the same
• Check for odds boosts
• Take advantage of enhanced accas

4Betting features

Bet Builder, Cash-out, Early Payout...

If promotions attract you to a site and the odds help keep you there, the features are the key to becoming a pro bettor. Cash-out, in-play betting, and bet builders are common amongst big bookies these days but the way they're implemented varies.

Bet365 is widely regarded as having one of the strongest in-play offerings, and we found that reputation to be accurate, not just with the amount of markets, but with live streaming everywhere and dense match stats to follow the action and assist your decision making.

Bet £10 Get £30

Claim this offerNew customers using promo code R30 only, Min £10 stake, min odds 1/2, free bets paid as 3 x £10, free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is placed. Restrictions apply.

5Payment methods

How you can deposit and withdraw

If you tend to just use your debit card to deposit and withdraw, you won't really be concerned about payment methods. Since any betting site worth your time will payout near instantly back to your card, or at least, have similarly small delays at similar times, casual bettors have nothing to worry about.

Those seeking a wider range of depositing options can go for Bet365 and William Hill. They accept all major debit cards - Visa, Mastercard, Electron, Maestro, etc.) with a £5 minimum deposit. You can also use PayPal, provided it's not funded by a credit card, plus pre-paid vouchers and e-wallets like PaysafeCard, however in those cases you have to withdraw via bank transfer which takes much longer.

Note that credit cards are banned by UK law.

Accepted deposit methods

The only commonly accepted deposit methods among all four betting sites (and usually the only ones which can activate welcome bonuses).

• Debit cards (Visa, Mastercard, Maestro)
• Bank transfer
• PayPal

Payment methods compared

Deposit / Withdraw

✅ Accepted ❌ Not accepted 🟡 Only via bank transfer

First withdrawals can take longer

In all cases, your first deposit or withdrawal may take longer than usual due to Know Your Customer (KYC) checks. This is standard procedure for any reputable betting site, and once you're verified everything will go a lot smoother.

Where are the other big names?

If you were expecting to see Paddy Power, Betfair, Betway, Bwin, Coral, or Betfred in this comparison, you're not alone. Despite them being immensely popular, they didn't quite make the cut. That doesn't mean they don't compete; it just means we're focusing on the most popular betting sites, statistically, according to YouGov.

More comparisons

To find out where these brands shine (or not), check out:

The best betting sites for football fans