The world has changed significantly in the past few years, and online sports betting has become more popular than ever. One of the reasons is the increase in operators providing top-notch betting apps with loads of great features to make your betting experience the best it can be. Seamless usability, functionality, and easy navigation are crucial for any platform, so Oddschecker's experts have examined loads of legal sports betting apps in the UK to find the best options.
Read oddschecker's comprehensive guide evaluating each betting app for safety, design, available markets, accessibility, and promotions to give you the full picture. Whether you’re a seasoned bettor or a novice looking to make your first punt, they’ll give you all the information you’ll need to choose a betting app.
Best Betting App in the UK - March 2024
The world of sports betting has seen significant growth and evolution over the years, with mobile apps playing a crucial role in this development. Factors like usability, functionality, and easy navigation are key aspects of the mobile betting experience.
With that in mind, oddchecker's team has examined a few of the most popular bookmakers in the UK’s betting apps to give you all the information you need to make an informed decision on your next sports betting app - check out their verdicts below.
William Hill App
With a history of serving bettors for more than 90 years, William Hill is an experienced and established British bookmaker that will be a familiar presence on the high street for many people in the UK. These days, it also offers punters a top-rated mobile app for iOS and Android alongside its HTML5-compatible mobile site. Its popularity amongst bettors is underlined by its strong ratings on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store. Punters on iOS have rated it 4.7/5 and 4.3/5 on Android.
This is thanks to its wide range of available sports for wagering, with extensive coverage of domestic and international football, rugby, cricket, tennis, and golf. Its horse racing markets are particularly well respected, with enhanced odds making your bets potentially more profitable.
Oddschecker's review team also loved William Hill’s offer of additional place betting on top UK and International racing action, its extensive live streaming through William Hill Betting TV, and its radio service. These features set it apart from the competition and ensure it is well worth downloading.
bet365 App
bet365 has established itself as one of the best betting apps available in the UK under the leadership of Denise Coates since it was founded over 20 years ago as an online bookmaker. In 2022, its excellent service and commitment to delivering a superior betting experience were recognised when it was awarded the SBC Bookmaker of the Year award for the third successive year.
If you’re looking to bet on the go, bet365 offers mobile apps for iOS and Android, featuring a slick design, functional performance, and excellent connectivity. This app is one of the best-rated sports betting apps in the UK, with punters awarding it an average of 4.7/5 from iOS users and 4.6/5 from Android users.
Paddy Power App
Backed by gambling giant Flutter Entertainment, Paddy Power has become one of the most popular bookmakers in the UK since its founding in 1988. Known for its innovative promotions and zany marketing campaigns, it has been a hit with UK punters. With the highly-rated Paddy Power app, you can wager on its extensive markets anywhere in the UK.
The Paddy Power app is rated 4.4/5 on the Google Play Store and 4.7/5 on the iOS App Store thanks to its highly responsive functionality, easy-to-navigate design, and special features like in-play betting and live streaming on international football, tennis, and golf. Through its native apps for iOS and Android, you can also access its daily odds boosts and special promotions you’ll only find on the app. With all this and more to discover, it’s no wonder that Paddy Power features regularly in the UK's Top 25 sports apps downloaded on the iOS App Store.
Sky Bet App
Operated by Sky Betting & Gaming and carrying the branding of one of the most famous names in UK sports broadcasting, Sky Sports, Sky Bet has become one of the most popular bookmakers in the UK since its launch in 2002. As an online-only bookmaker, you won’t find any betting shops on the high street, but luckily it offers one of the best sports betting apps available on the market. Punters agree with our assessment, with a combined 50,000 of them rating the app 4.6/5 on the iOS App Store and Google Play Store.
The Sky Bet app offers robust security features like Face ID integration, regular free bet offers, and promotions like the Rewards Machine, allowing bettors to win free bets and even cash prizes. Another great feature is its title sponsorship with the English Football League (EFL), giving Sky Bet punters access to top promotions during the season. With all this wrapped up in a well-designed and user-friendly platform, Sky Bet ranks among the best sports betting apps in the UK.
Betfair App
Popular betting exchange Betfair offers punters a unique experience thanks to peer-to-peer betting. This means rather than betting against a centralised bookie, you’re placing wagers against your fellow punters. This gives you more flexibility with your betting and the opportunity to increase the odds on markets. With native apps for iOS and Android, you can now bet on the go wherever you are in the UK.
The Betfair app has suffered from a few issues, particularly on Android. Still, when oddschecker's review team checked it out, they were satisfied that recent updates had solved most of these issues. Punter ratings of its app differ massively between ecosystems (4.7/5 on iOS, 2.9/5 on Android). The app also offers an excellent range of live streaming options, features like boosted odds and extra places on horse racing, and the aforementioned added flexibility of a betting exchange.
Unibet App
Unibet is another experienced bookmaker, providing sports wagering to 11 million customers in over 100 countries worldwide. The bookmaker offers extensive live-streaming options, with over 85,000 events available to stream through its iOS and Android app. It also offers in-play betting on many of its markets, encapsulated in a slick and high-performance app. If you cannot download its sports betting app, you can access all the features Unibet has to offer on its HTML5 mobile site, which provides an equally good betting experience.
While oddschecker's review team was really impressed with the performance of the Unibet sports betting app, punters have offered mixed reviews on the platform. It has a 3.3/5 rating on the iOS App Store and a 3.6/5 rating on the Google Play Store. One important aspect to note is that it has been reviewed far fewer times than many of its competitors, with only 1,300 reviews on the App Store and 6,000 reviews on the Play Store. Common complaints were centred on the verification process and general glitches.
Hundreds of betting sites are licensed by the UK Gambling Commission (UKGC), and most of these operators provide mobile apps for iOS and Android. So how does Oddschecker's expert team select the very best options for you?
They use a tried and tested review process devised by experts with decades of experience in the online sports betting industry. The first stage of this process is selecting sites that are legal and safe for you, with appropriate licensing and modern safety technology like SSL encryption.
Following this, they look at various factors important to mobile players to determine the best platforms. This includes areas like the range of markets, selection of payment methods, and customer support. They judge these factors based on what our review teams find compared to other top UK platforms. However, they also consider user and other expert reviews to ensure they don’t miss anything during their reviews.
Finally, they look at areas that specifically improve the mobile betting experience. This is where the operators providing bespoke mobile apps really stand out from the crowd and earn our recommendations.
To learn more about how Oddschecker pick the best betting platforms specifically for mobile players, read below to see the key areas we consider when reviewing UK bookmaker apps. Once you understand their review process, you can then choose your favourite operator from our selection and sign up to start betting.
Betting App Availability
To quote American football great Bill Parcells, “The best ability is availability, " which applies to betting apps as much as it does to professional athletes. All betting apps on this page will be available for iOS and Android platforms, with bespoke platforms for each operating system.
Oddschecker also appreciate the betting apps with tailored versions for tablets and mobile devices so you can also play on a platform designed for your screen size. You can find out if your chosen betting site provides this in the download information on the Apple App Store or Google Play Store.
Betting App Design
Nothing puts bettors off like a platform which is difficult to use. The best operators will take time to ensure that betting apps are straightforward to use, even for beginner bettors. Many of the best betting apps will have navigation features like search bars so you can find any market you want quickly.
In addition to being simple to use, the best betting apps will also be great looking and have fun features to improve your gameplay. This can include mobile-exclusive features like event notifications. The very top platforms may even allow you to live stream events in HD while you wager.
Betting App Markets
While all sports fans will have their favourite events, most bettors like following a range of sports. Oddschecker experts look for betting apps which allow customers to bet on a range of sports. Most UK bookmakers provide around 30 different sports for betting, so any operator that hits this mark or higher meets our approval.
So what types of markets do they look out for? Of course, betting apps must offer odds on the most popular UK sports like football, horse racing, and rugby. However, they also appreciate betting apps with markets for more niche events like handball, futsal, and lacrosse. Oddschecker's experts look for betting sites that provide markets for non-sporting events on things like politics and awards shows as well.
Betting App Bet Types
Anything can happen in sports, and you want to be able to bet on as many of those possibilities as possible. The best sports betting apps will have many bet types available, including options for teams/athletes to win and players to hit individual statistics. These bet types are available pre-game and in-play, with odds updating based on what’s happening.
Top betting apps will have the exact same selection of betting markets as are available on desktop. In addition, these apps will offer this selection of bet types across all the sports the bookmaker provides, not just the most popular UK sports. Whether you’re into football or surfing betting, you can find bet types for you.
Betting App Accessibility
One of the benefits of playing on mobile is the accessibility features that are widely available on mobile devices and not on desktops. For example, many of the best betting apps will let you add two-factor authentication to your account with security measures like fingerprint scans. This will be exclusively available on your mobile app and gives your betting account added security.
There are plenty of other accessibility benefits to playing on mobile, including face ID or PIN login options to your betting account. Mobile-exclusive payment methods are also readily available with betting apps, including Apple Pay and Google Pay.
Betting App Promotions
Sports betting bonuses allow you to bet on markets for less money or for free, giving you chances to make more profit. Top betting apps will provide regular promotions for existing players and generous welcome offers for customers signing up. You can get rewards like free bets and deposit matches once you follow the terms and conditions to unlock these promotions like minimum deposits or minimum bets.
The very best betting apps will have bonuses you can only claim on mobile, including free bets, odds boosts, and other ways to improve your betting experience. You can claim these offers by visiting your betting app’s “Promotions” section and seeing what’s available.
READ MORE: Check out the Free Bets & Sign up Offers page
Best Betting Apps Frequently Asked Questions
Can I cash out with my sports betting app?
Most of the best betting apps in the UK will allow you to settle a bet before an event ends using cash-out. All of the betting apps featured on this page offer cash-out, giving you flexibility over your wagering experience.
Does no betting mobile app mean I can’t use the bookmakers online?
Not at all! Many of the best sports betting apps are available on your mobile in two ways. If you cannot download a betting mobile app, most bookmakers offer a mobile site underpinned with HTML5-technology that optimises to the size of your phone screen.
What is the best betting app for football?
Offering an intuitive betting experience right in the palm of your hand, all the betting apps Oddschecker have featured in this guide are among the best in the UK for football betting. Register with any of the operators to access competitive odds, lucrative promotions and bonuses, and must-have features like cash-out, bet builders, and in-play betting.
What betting app has the best rewards?
All of the sports betting apps featured on this page have rewards programs that offer special offers, promotions, free bets, and odds boosts. Check out any operators on this page to see the rewards you can get your hands on.
What’s the best betting app to download?
Any of the best betting apps featured on this page offer a range of special features like in-play betting and cash-out, intuitive functionality, push notifications to keep you updated with the latest promotions and special offers, and enhanced connectivity. To get started, click any link to an operator featured in this guide, download its app, and register!
Gamble responsibly
Reach plc is committed to promoting safer gambling. All of our content and recommended bets are advised to those aged 18 or over. Odds are subject to change too.
We strongly encourage our readers to only ever bet what they can afford to lose. For more information, please call the National Gambling Helpline on 0808 8020 133 or visit begambleaware.org.