Articles · 7 August 2026
Padel vs pickleball: the four real differences
They look alike enough that people mix them up, yet they have almost nothing in common. Court, ball, scoring and rhythm: the four differences that actually change the game.
Two sports with a paddle and a net. Beyond that, almost nothing in common. These are the four differences that matter, not the trivia.
1 · The court, and above all the walls
An enclosed padel court of 20 by 10 metres; an open pickleball court of 13.41 by 6.10. The padel court is twice the area.
But size is not what decides it: the walls are. In padel the glass is part of the game — the ball rebounds and the point goes on. In pickleball there are no walls: if the ball lands outside the line, the point is over.
That single rule changes the whole sport. In padel, a ball that goes past you can still be played; in pickleball, a ball that goes past you is a lost point.
2 · The ball
The padel ball is pressurised, like a tennis ball: it bounces high and lives off the rebound.
The pickleball is rigid perforated plastic. It barely bounces, and the air slows it down. That is why play concentrates near the net and long rallies are about touch, not power.
3 · The scoring
Padel counts like tennis: 15, 30, 40, game.
Pickleball counts one at a time to 11, win by 2. And in the traditional format only the serving side scores, which stretches matches out in a way that feels odd to anyone coming from tennis: you can win ten rallies in a row without the scoreboard moving.
4 · The game and the kitchen
Padel is almost always played in pairs. Pickleball has both singles and doubles, and both are common.
And pickleball has the kitchen: 2.13 m beside the net where you cannot hit the ball out of the air. Padel has nothing like it — in padel you attack the net, and winning the net is the whole aim of the point.
Head to head
| Padel | Pickleball | |
|---|---|---|
| Court | 20 × 10 m, enclosed | 13.41 × 6.10 m, open |
| Walls | In play | None |
| Ball | Pressurised, bounces | Perforated plastic, barely bounces |
| Scoring | 15, 30, 40, game | By 1 up to 11, win by 2 |
| Format | Almost always pairs | Singles and doubles |
| Non-volley zone | No | Yes: the kitchen, 2.13 m |
In padel you attack the net. In pickleball there are two metres beside the net where you can do nothing at all.
Which one fits a club better
They do not compete for the same player. Padel needs a purpose-built court and serious investment; pickleball fits onto surfaces a club already owns, and is far easier to pick up on day one.
Plenty of clubs end up with both, and not as a fashion: they fill different time slots and attract different people.
Sources
ClubScore is the live scoreboard and tournament manager for padel, pickleball, tennis and football clubs. User guide