Padel vs pickleball
They rhyme, they are both booming, and they are constantly mixed up — but padel and pickleball are genuinely different sports. Here is how they compare.
Padel and pickleball are different sports. Padel is played in doubles on an enclosed 20 m by 10 m court with glass walls that are in play, using solid stringless rackets and tennis-style 15/30/40 scoring. Pickleball is played on a smaller open court with a low net, using flat paddles and a perforated plastic ball, and has no walls. The defining difference is padel's enclosure: the walls are part of the game.
Key takeaways
- Padel has walls that are in play; pickleball has none.
- Padel courts are larger (20 m x 10 m) and fully enclosed in glass and mesh.
- Padel uses solid perforated rackets; pickleball uses flat paddles.
- Padel scoring copies tennis; pickleball uses its own format.
- Neither the courts nor the equipment are interchangeable.
Side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Padel | Pickleball |
|---|---|---|
| Court | Enclosed 20 m x 10 m, glass and mesh walls | Open, badminton-sized, no walls |
| Walls | In play — ball can rebound off the glass | None |
| Equipment | Solid, perforated, foam-cored racket with strap | Flat, thin paddle |
| Ball | Low-pressure tennis-style ball | Perforated hard plastic ball |
| Serve | Underhand, bounces first, hit below the waist | Underhand, below the waist, no pre-bounce |
| Scoring | Tennis-style 15/30/40, games and sets | Points to 11, win by two (rally variants exist) |
| Format | Almost always doubles | Singles or doubles |
The one difference that matters most
Strip away the details and the headline difference is the walls. In padel, a ball that bounces on the floor and then off your own back glass is still live, so you learn to play rebounds — a skill borrowed from squash. Pickleball has no walls, so a ball that gets past you is simply gone. That changes court positioning, shot selection and the feel of a rally entirely.
If you are new to the whole category, start with what is padel? Curious how padel relates to the racquet sport most people already know? Read padel vs tennis. If fitness is part of your decision, padel's enclosed, longer rallies generally ask more of your legs over a full session than a casual pickleball game — see how many calories does padel burn for the numbers.
FAQs
Are padel and pickleball the same sport?
No. Padel is played on an enclosed 20 m by 10 m glass court where the walls are in play, using solid rackets and tennis-style scoring. Pickleball is played on a smaller open court with a low net, using paddles and a perforated plastic ball, with its own rally-scoring format.
Which is easier to learn, padel or pickleball?
Both are beginner-friendly. Pickleball has the smaller court and slowest ball, so first points come quickly. Padel keeps rallies alive off the walls, which also helps beginners, but the walls add tactics that take longer to master.
Can I use a pickleball paddle for padel?
No. Padel rackets are thicker, perforated, foam-cored and carry a wrist strap; pickleball paddles are thin and flat. Equipment is not interchangeable between the two sports.
Last updated August 12, 2026 · PadelAnywhere Editorial
Sources
Comparison based on the official rules of play published by padel and pickleball governing bodies, together with published manufacturer specifications for rackets, paddles and balls.