Daily fantasy sports is an exciting way to make sports more engaging, especially if your favorite team isn’t playing. If you are looking to get started, you may have some basic questions about signing up. For example, you may be wondering how much DraftKings, FanDuel, and Yahoo DFS cost?
To answer this, let’s clarify this issue into two different questions:
- Can you create a free account?
- How much is a minimum deposit?
DFS Cost
Can you create a DraftKings, FanDuel, or Yahoo DFS account for free?
Yes, you can create an account for free and immediately begin playing in free contests. There is no deposit required to open up an account with any of these three providers (DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo DFS).
How much is a minimum deposit?
If you do, however, wish to deposit funds, there is a minimum deposit limit. All three of these platforms (DraftKings, FanDuel, Yahoo DFS) require a minimum deposit of $5 (USD) if you do choose to deposit money. But remember, as we discussed in the question above, you do not have to deposit money if you would rather just play the free contests.
In the sections below we will briefly describe some of the differences in these fantasy providers and help you decide which one makes the most sense for you.
DraftKings
**DraftKings cost $0 to signup, with a minimum deposit limit of $5 (USD)**
Fantasy Sports Offered on DraftKings (the most of any platform):
- NFL
- MLB
- NBA
- College Basketball
- College Football
- Pro Hockey
- Golf
- Pro Soccer
- NASCAR
- MMA
- Esports
- WNBA
- Euroleague Basketball
- Canadian Football League
- Tennis
DraftKings is my personal favorite (although I do play regularly on FanDuel also). However, if you are a beginner, you will need to determine whether or not you are truly up to the challenge to compete on a platform like DraftKings.
The DraftKings platform is considered by many experts to be better for high-stakes players than FanDuel, which means the DraftKings platform is stocked full of seasoned fantasy players. This can make it very difficult for new players.
If you think you might be ready, and want to try it out, they do offer beginner contests to help you get started. These beginner contests will allow you to get your feet wet without being exposed to experienced players.
But if you want to dive right in to paid contests, just beware that DraftKings is very competitive and has a lot of experienced, veteran fantasy players
DraftKings has an excellent app to make mobile DFS very easy to use. They also have an additional free app called DK Live which will give you access to up-to-the-minute scores, highlights, tips, and fantasy news. You can also sync DK Live with your DraftKings fantasy lineups to give you instant updates on how your team is scoring.
Another reason I prefer DraftKings is they offer late-swap. This means that you can swap out any individual player all the way up until that player’s game time, even if other players in that lineup have already started playing.
FanDuel does not offer late-swap. This mean whenever the first games for that contest begin, all lineups are locked and cannot be changed. Although this seems like a disadvantage, it does actually benefit some people, which we will detail in the FanDuel section.
FanDuel
**FanDuel cost $0 to signup, with a minimum deposit limit of $5 (USD)**
Fantasy Sports Offered on FanDuel:
- NFL
- MLB
- NBA
- College Basketball
- College Football
- Pro Hockey
- Golf
- Pro Soccer
- NASCAR
FanDuel is another great option for DFS players, even though I personally play more on DraftKings. I know many DFS players who actually prefer FanDuel.
As a DFS MLB player, I have always used DraftKings more but am entertaining the option of switching over and using more of FanDuel during baseball season because of the roster flexibility options they’ve added recently.
The FanDuel app is on par with DraftKings. I personally like the DraftKings app a little bit better, but that is just a personal preference as both apps are very good.
FanDuel has beginner tips available to help those who are just getting started and they also have player badges that help new players identify experienced players so that you don’t get trapped into games against highly-advanced players.
In the DraftKings section above I mentioned late-swap, and how FanDuel does not offer it. I personally like late-swap, and that’s why I tend to lean towards DraftKings, but FanDuel’s policy of no late-swap might actually be beneficial for you depending on your daily routine.
For example, let’s say you are playing an NBA slate and some games start at 7 o’clock while other games start at 9 o’clock, if a player in the 9 o’clock game gets scratched due to rest or injury, when the lineup is already locked (like it would be on FanDuel) that means you don’t have to worry about swapping that player out.
Compare this to DraftKings – if a player gets scratched, well that player’s spot does not lock until tipoff, so DFS players who are paying attention and at home and available can swap out that scratched player for someone who is active. This is a huge advantage for them over the rest of the field who were not available to swap out the player.
If you will be available, late-swap might be your thing. If you will be busy with family or other obligations and don’t want to have to worry about it, perhaps you will want to look into FanDuel who locks lineups at the start of the contest so that the playing field remains fair from that point forward.
Yahoo
**Yahoo DFS cost $0 to signup, with a minimum deposit limit of $5 (USD)**
Fantasy Sports Offered on Yahoo DFS:
- NBA
- Golf
- NHL
- NFL
- MLB
- Pro Soccer
Yahoo is not as big of a DFS platform as FanDuel and DraftKings, but they are an excellent place for beginners to start. I would actually fully recommend starting at Yahoo if you have no experience whatsoever in DFS.
Yahoo has less sharks, which make it more user-friendly for beginners trying to learn the ropes.
Their prize pools will not be as big as FanDuel and DraftKings, but they still have respectable payouts that are worth chasing. Their app is fine – I use it all the time because I play pro season-long fantasy leagues on Yahoo. I never have issues with their app.