Pickleball noise has become a hot topic as more courts are built near homes, leading to complaints and even lawsuits in some communities. To address this, USA Pickleball launched the Quiet Category in 2023, a program that certifies paddles, balls, and accessories that meet acoustic standards. This is different from the older Green and Red Zone lists used in retirement communities. In this guide, we’ll explain how the Quiet Category works, what Green Zones mean, and which paddles are the best options in 2025.
Our top recommendation: Diadem Hush
While there are several paddles on USA Pickleball’s Quiet Category list, the one we recommend most is the Diadem Hush. One of our writers, Kip Lacey, tested the Hush and shared his full review, which you can read here:
Kip found that the Hush delivers noticeably softer acoustics than most thermoformed paddles while still offering a strong blend of control and power. It is one of the few paddles that is officially certified in the Quiet Category, making it a safe choice for players in noise-restricted communities. If you want a paddle that is both certified quiet and enjoyable to play with, the Hush is our top pick.
The official standard: USA Pickleball Quiet Category
The Quiet Category includes paddles, balls, and accessories that pass USA Pickleball’s acoustic testing. The first certified line, OWL, met thresholds of less than 80 dBA and less than 600 Hz when the ball strikes the paddle. That represents about a 50 percent reduction in noise compared to a standard paddle. Since then, the list has expanded to include models from several brands. You can see the current list here:
USA Quiet Category EquipmentTournament legality and quiet status
Quiet certification does not automatically make a paddle legal for tournament play. To play in sanctioned events, the paddle also needs to appear on the USA Pickleball Approved Paddles list. Many of the paddles in the Quiet Category are also on the Approved Paddles list, but it is important to verify your exact model.
What Green and Red Zone lists really are
Green, Yellow, and Red Zone lists come from specific communities, most famously Sun City Grand in Surprise, Arizona. They are local rules created to control noise at those facilities. Sun City Grand worked with an acoustics vendor to measure paddles and group them into zones. Some other HOAs and retirement communities use similar lists. These lists are not national approvals and they may differ by location. You can check Sun City’s current list here: Sun City Grand paddle list.
Current paddles in the Quiet Category
Here are the main paddle families listed on USA Pickleball’s Quiet Category page as of early 2025. Always check the official page before buying, since new models are added and updates can happen.
- OWL: Founders Edition, CX, CXE, PX, PXE
- Diadem: Hush (Black, Purple)
- Gearbox: Pro Ultimate Power 14mm, Pro Ultimate Elongated, Pro Ultimate Hyper
- ProXR: Quiet Luxury
- NineFour: Apex Pro Series 3k
- Silent Storm: SS1
- Stafford: Blackbird 67 dB, Nighthawk 66 dB
- Whisper: Silencer, The Saint Paddle System
USA Pickleball also certifies quiet balls, such as Accel DigiPro 3.0 and 3.1, along with covers and overlays like PB Muffler and Whisper Acousti-Pads. Some communities encourage or require these during early or late hours.
How to choose the right quiet paddle
- Check the USA Pickleball Approved Paddles list if you plan to play tournaments.
- Look at the Quiet Category page to find paddles that reduce noise.
- Confirm your facility’s rules, since some require Green Zone approval or a local compliance list.
After narrowing down the options, choose the paddle that matches your playing style, weight preference, grip size, and shape. If you want more detail on making the right choice, check out our guide on how to choose a pickleball paddle.
Important update for 2025
In the past, some players considered the JOOLA Perseus a good option because it felt and sounded softer than other power paddles. However, the Perseus was never on the official Quiet Category list, and as of July 1, 2025, it is no longer approved for sanctioned tournaments under USA Pickleball’s updated performance testing rules. Recreational players can still use it, but if you want a paddle that is both truly certified quiet and tournament legal, make sure it appears on the Quiet Category list and the Approved Paddles list.
We’ve had piclke ball in our community (300+homes) for several years. Recently there has been significant opposition to the sport because of the noise of the paddle striking the ball. Any suggestions including any information on quieter paddles & balls?
Mark
Hi Mark,
Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
Unfortunately this has been a problem for many communities.
If you scroll up, we have a few picks for quiet paddle options.
You may also want to see our blog post on pickleball noise:
https://www.pickleballportal.com/blog/pickleball-noise-quiet-paddles/
Although solving the problem is no easy feat, there are some solutions for dampening the noise-such as soundproofing material like “Acoustifence”
as we mentioned in that blog post.
Another thing can be to limit pickleball during early mornings and late evenings to compromise with non-pickleballers.
Hope that helps-
Matt
How about coating the ball like a tennis ball. Fuzzy stuff
Hmmmmmm
I have been making pb paddles for 6 years…1200 plus to date. Recently started making paddles with holes to muffle the sound. No Usapa approval but can eliminate sound problem …they play normally…a little more spin, but not bad…
We finally got conversion of one tennis court to Pickleball approved by our HOA after proposing use of quiet balls only for play. We tested a variety of paddles including the Patriot and concluded that it’s all about the ball. The quiet paddles didn’t really make that much of a difference.
Hi Jim,
Thanks for the comment.
That’s a smart compromise, at least got approval by HOA to play.
We would be really interested to hear more from you- What kind of quiet balls are you guys playing with?
That’s interesting that you didn’t see much difference between the paddles.
I think so many brands now are marketing their paddles as quiet- but there’s really no standard.
At some point hopefully they come out with a official standardized decible test or way to prove the paddles really are quieter.
Thanks again for the feedback.
-Matt
Matt,
I tried glueing some kitchen shelf liner designed for non slip. I’m pretty confident it wouldn’t meet specs for official play but it does SIGNIFICANTLY LOWER NOISE LEVEL with regular pickle balls.
Have had about a dozen players at various levels try it and mostly positive feedback.
Hey Roger, I have never heard of anyone doing that… amazing! I will have to try that out sometime.
As an avid pickle ball player I do agree that the noise in an outdoor setting can be pretty obnoxious. Since the ball is designed to be a high loss item (inefficient energy conservation on a bounce) it would seem to me that a new ball designed with a low acoustic signature say by adding a urethane coating, same on a paddle with a low frequency first mode of vibration with high damping would bring the issue down to the level where it wouldn’t matter any more. You could do an even better job if you tune the frequencies to be less annoying to the human ear which is understood. All this stuff is known and not difficult to pull off. It doesn’t have to be loud and annoying. It just is because nobody cared about it when it was started and the balls are designed to be cheap as nails. All that matters for the game to be the same is that the combined coefficient of restitution between the ball and the paddle and the ball and the playing surface remain similar. Another constraint is that it has to have the same aerodynamic drag coefficient so it flies similarly. This should be easy to pull off and the Governing Body (if there is one) should mandate the properties of the ball, the racket, the playing surface in the same way that golf or tennis manages the properties of their equipment in their respective sports. Coat the ball with urethane to get the high frequency noise out of the interaction and maybe up the stiffness of the ball material so the coefficient of the restitution stays the same. The coefficient of restitution is just the height a ball bounces back to divided the the height you drop it from. They don’t bounce back very well so it should be easy to make a low noise contact interaction that plays the same. The governing body should just put the issue to bed as soon as possible as it is restricting the growth of the game. The players will adjust. No big deal. The sound issue though that is a big deal.
Two year on now, and still a problem – any updates?
Thank you for explaining this problem so well, and its possible solution. Do you know of any progress yet? For something that is so fun, it sure does make a lot of good people hopping mad. Solve this ball problem and make room to solve the next problem…how to provide pickle ball courts without taking away tennis courts.
We have not heard of any updates! USA Pickleball is the governing body.
There has been no solution to the problem, even though some engineer wannabe thinks he has the solution summed up in a paragraph or two. I suggest if the solution is so simple, please implement it and then share the startling reduction in sound with the rest of the world….
we, at last, got transformation from one of a tennis court to pickleball endorsed by our HOA subsequent to proposing utilization of calm balls just play.
At last i got the authentic information about the pickleball paddles i am looking for. thankyou for providing us!
Glad we could help Wilson!
I have been in touch with your content and seems like you are not updating the content since some days. your information is very helpful and valuable about paddles. Please update the content so that we can aware more about paddles.
Hi Wilson. We really appreciate you giving your thoughts! We are actually in the process of rebuilding the entire site with new layouts and new content. We are also working on a Guest Review Program that gives those who love the sport a chance to test out gear and give their own in-depth opinions about pickleball paddles, shoes, and other equipment. If you want to learn more, we would love to discuss your interest!
We’re glad to hear that you had a great experience with pickleball paddles. Please continue to make sure that products are of the highest quality, and we hope you provide the best information!
Z5 making this list is a joke. Piercing sound on every hit. There are also paddles on this list that nobody plays with. I find it hard to believe that all of the Joola paddles don’t make the list. They aren’t any louder than any other paddle.
Bottom line: if you play pickelball there will be sound. If there aren’t any houses around and you aren’t playing before 7am or after 9pm who cares! The grunting that occurs in tennis is more of a problem that pickleball noise. Wind screens do reduce sound a tremendous amount. I’m kind of flabbergasted that people complain about this. It’s nonsense.
lol
It’s only “nonsense” because you don’t have to listen to it for hours upon hours every day.
Do you have experience w/sound barrier fencing? We desperately need it in Austin. Any advice would be much appreciated!
I do not! But here is a link to a few contacts that should be able to help or point you in the right direction. https://pickleballsound.com/contact-us/
Hi – you have the incorrect link for the Sun City Grand Quiet Paddle list – it’s pball.grandpickleball.org/Menu-Organization/Paddle%20Test%20Results.pdf and is regularly updated.
We failed the sound study our county required twice, then we found this list. We then tested using the following combinations:
– Only quiet paddles, various balls
– USAPA (non-quiet) paddles, Onix 2 Pure balls
– Only quiet paddles & only Onix 2 Pure balls
We only passed with the quiet paddles & Onix 2 Pure balls. These studies were performed with four courts and 16 people playing for over two hours. As a result, the county requires we use both quiet paddles & Onix 2 Pure balls. There is a definite difference in noise level. Many communities require both now. We embrace it because otherwise we would not be allowed to play Pickleball at all. We also have acoustifence installed to futher muffle the sound.
If you don’t think it’s a problem, you obviously do not live near a court and want to use your backyard. We choose to be proactive and do everything we could to reduce noise, and it’s paid off. We’ve never had a noise complaint and our courts are full all day.
Ana,
Thank you so much for all your wonderful information! Are you located in Sun City Arizona or Texas ? We would like to get the acoustifence however it is very expensive and would like to be sure our city will accept the decibel level once it installed before we lay out $40000. Any help you could offer would be very much appreciated.
incredibly informative and well researched
Glad you find some helpful info Ben. Though, we do need to do some updating on this article so stay tuned!
In regard to the pickleball paddle noise, I just want to add to the conversation my trying a single thick coat of Rust-oleum Flexible Rubber Coating spray to one side of a paddle hoping to get more spin. I get a very quiet paddle needing more power for the same effort spin not improved over my graphite faced paddle. For my next effort I am going to spray the other side of the paddle with a similar product by Rust-oleum called Peel Coat, a rubber coating that can be peeled off, to see if there is any difference. Probably not much, if any, difference, but an experiment to try.
If I get a miracle result, or even a difference of one to the other, I will post. Hmm… maybe I should try drilling one hole and progress with and/or w/o coatings.
Tnx, everyone, all of this is very interesting sharing.
Great breakdown on how Quiet and Green Zone lists differ, says founder of Strokess