Padel vs. Pickleball (2026): A crisp, no-fluff comparison

Drawing to scale

Quick take: Padel is played on an enclosed 20m × 10m court with glass/mesh walls that are in play and uses tennis-style scoring. Pickleball is played on an open 44′ × 20′ court with a 7′ non-volley zone, side-out scoring to 11, and a plastic perforated ball. Both sports are booming in participation worldwide, with pickleball passing 19 million U.S. players in 2024.

Padel shown on the left, Pickleball shown on the right

What is padel?

Padel blends tennis and squash. It is played on a 20m × 10m enclosed court with glass and mesh walls, which remain in play after the ball bounces. The net is 0.88m high at center and 0.92m at the posts. Doubles is the default, while singles is rare and played on a 20m × 6m court. Scoring follows tennis (games, sets, tiebreaks).

What is pickleball?

Pickleball uses an open 44′ × 20′ court with a 7′ non-volley zone, often called the kitchen, on each side of the net. The net height is 36″ at the sidelines and 34″ at the center. Singles and doubles are both common formats. USA Pickleball rules use side-out scoring to 11, win by 2.

TL;DR differences

Court

• Padel: Played on a glass-walled court about two-thirds the size of tennis; walls are part of play.
• Pickleball: Played on an open court about one-quarter the size of tennis, with a 7-foot no-volley zone near the net.

Format

• Padel: Almost always doubles; singles is rare.
• Pickleball: Commonly played as both singles and doubles.

Racket / Paddle

• Padel: Smaller, stringless racket with holes; shaped for control or power.
• Pickleball: Solid paddle a bit larger than ping-pong but smaller than tennis, made from wood, graphite, or composite.

Ball

• Padel: Looks like a tennis ball but slightly less bouncy.
• Pickleball: Hard plastic ball with holes, like a wiffle ball.

Serve & rules

• Padel: Serve underhand after letting the ball bounce; you can use the walls during rallies.
• Pickleball: Serve underhand or use a drop-serve; the ball must bounce once on each side before volleys; no volleys allowed in the kitchen.

Scoring

• Padel: Scored like tennis with games, sets, and tie-breaks.
• Pickleball: Games to 11, win by 2; only the serving team can score.

Equipment differences

• Padel racket: solid, stringless; ≤45.5 cm × 26 cm × 38 mm; made of carbon fiber, fiberglass, or foam. Balls are pressurized with slightly less pressure than tennis balls, giving a lower, more controlled bounce.
• Pickleball paddle: ≤17″ length and length+width ≤24″; no limits on thickness/weight. Balls are one-piece plastic with 26–40 holes; indoor balls usually 26 holes, outdoor balls 40.

Gameplay style

• Padel: Serve underhand after a bounce with contact below waist. Walls keep rallies alive and create tactical depth, forcing players to use positioning, lobs, and counterattacks.
• Pickleball: Serve underhand (volley-serve or drop-serve). The two-bounce rule slows early exchanges, and the non-volley zone forces soft play, resets, and dinking before attacks.

Which should you try?

• Try padel if you like tennis or squash and want long rallies with wall rebounds and tactical depth.
• Try pickleball if you want a small-court game with quick starts, lots of doubles play locally, and strategy based on precision and resets.