Ghost Trader vs Telegram Copy Bots (PolyCop, Kreo, PolyGun): 2026 Comparison

Telegram bots are the fastest way to start copy trading on Polymarket. Open a chat, get a wallet, pick a trader, done. Ghost Trader takes the opposite approach: more setup, but your key stays on your own machine and nothing is charged per trade. This page compares the models using three popular bots' own documentation as of October 8, 2026. We make Ghost Trader. Where we write "not described", we didn't find the feature in the vendor's docs.

At a glance

	PolyCop	Kreo	PolyGun	Ghost Trader
Interface	Telegram	Telegram	Telegram	Runner + web dashboard + Telegram alerts
Per-trade fee	0.5% per executed trade (charged once accumulated volume reaches $600)	Per share max(0.003, 0.07 × p × (1 − p)) on buys, sells and redeems, +0.3% on redeems	1% per buy and per sell (per third-party reviews)	None
Subscription	Not described	Shown in bot, per Rivo's review	Not described	$199/month
Wallet	Generated in the Telegram session, exportable	Privy enclave wallets	Bot wallet	Your own wallet, key on your machine
Venues	Polymarket	Polymarket and Kalshi	Polymarket	Polymarket (international)
Risk tools	Copy settings	Daily loss limits, trailing stops	Copy settings	Fractional Kelly, min/max size, position cap, daily-loss kill switch, max drawdown
Paper mode	Not described	Not described	Not described	Yes
Referral program	Yes (25–45% of referred fees)	—	—	No

Sources: PolyCop fees, Kreo fees, Rivo's comparison (reviewed September 23, 2026) for PolyGun's fee and items not on vendors' own pages. Polymarket's own trading fees apply on top of every vendor fee.

Fees: per trade vs flat

Telegram bots mostly charge per trade. That's cheap if you trade little and expensive if you trade a lot. Monthly vendor cost at different copied volumes (counting every buy and sell, our arithmetic from published rates):

Monthly copied volume	PolyCop (0.5%)	PolyGun (1%)	Ghost Trader
$2,000	$10	$20	$199
$10,000	$50	$100	$199
$40,000	$200	$400	$199
$100,000	$500	$1,000	$199

Kreo's fee depends on price: its docs list a fee per share of about 0.0063 at 10¢ or 90¢ and 0.0175 at 50¢ (the highest), plus 0.3% on redeems, reduced by its cashback tiers. Read as dollars per share, that's similar in shape to Polymarket's own crypto taker fee, so it weighs most on coin-flip markets. Check the exact charge in the bot before trading.

Per-trade fees also raise the edge a trade needs to break even. A copied trade that clears Polymarket's fee might not clear Polymarket's fee plus 1%. See Polymarket fees for the break-even math.

Custody: the biggest difference

In most Telegram bots, the bot creates the wallet you trade from, either in the chat session or inside a hosted enclave. That's what makes them fast to set up. It also means the operator's security becomes your security. In January 2026, the team behind another Telegram bot, Polycule, reported a hack affecting about $230,000 of user funds (Odaily). We're not suggesting the bots on this page share that risk profile: PolyCop lets you export keys, and Kreo uses Privy enclaves. But the model puts more trust in the operator.

Ghost Trader runs on your computer or VPS and signs with your wallet. The key stays in a local config file. Our servers don't need it and never hold funds. The trade-off is setup effort and responsibility for securing your machine (security checklist).

Risk controls and testing

Copying a wallet blindly is the most common way copy trading goes wrong (why). What matters most:

• Sizing: Ghost Trader uses fractional Kelly with min/max trade size and an open-position cap (Kelly guide).
• Stops: Ghost Trader has a daily-loss kill switch plus drawdown alerts. Kreo documents daily loss limits and trailing stops.
• Paper trading: Ghost Trader starts in paper mode. Rivo's review noted that the Telegram bots it covered don't publish paper modes or backtests.

Where Telegram bots are stronger

• Setup in minutes, from your phone.
• Low cost at low volume.
• Referral programs (PolyCop) if you bring other users.
• Kalshi access (Kreo).

Where Ghost Trader is stronger

• No per-trade fee, cheaper at higher volume.
• Your own wallet and key on your own machine.
• Paper mode and hard risk limits built in.
• A crypto up/down engine alongside copy trading (how it works).

Who should choose which

• Choose a Telegram bot if you trade small amounts, want mobile-first speed, and are comfortable keeping a limited balance in a bot-managed wallet.
• Choose Ghost Trader if you copy larger volume, want your key under your control, and want to paper trade before going live.

If you use a Telegram bot, keep only trading money in its wallet and withdraw profits regularly.

FAQ

What's the best Polymarket Telegram bot? It depends on fees and custody. Compare per-trade costs at your volume and who controls the wallet. Our tools roundup covers more options.

Are Telegram trading bots safe? They can be convenient and work well, but most hold or control the trading wallet, so you depend on the operator's security. Keep balances limited.

Is there a Telegram bot without per-trade fees? Ghost Trader isn't a Telegram trading bot, but it sends Telegram alerts and charges no per-trade fee. Trading runs from your own machine.

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Ghost Trader: Polymarket copy trading and crypto signals from your own wallet, with Telegram alerts, fractional-Kelly sizing and a daily-loss kill switch. $199/month, no per-trade fee, paper mode included. See pricing.

Vendor details are from their own docs (and Rivo's review where noted) on October 8, 2026 and may have changed. Not financial advice. Trading can lose money. Ghost Trader isn't available where Polymarket restricts trading, including the US, and is not affiliated with Polymarket, PolyCop, Kreo or PolyGun.