Padel vs Pickleball: what's the difference?

In short: Padel and pickleball are not the same sport. Padel is played on an enclosed 20 x 10 m court with glass walls that stay in play, uses a solid perforated racket and a pressurised rubber ball, and is scored like tennis. Pickleball is played on a smaller open court (20 x 44 feet, about 6.1 x 13.4 m), with no walls, a flat paddle and a plastic ball with holes. It's usually scored to 11 points, and it has a no-volley "kitchen" next to the net. Both are easy to learn, social and growing fast in Australia, and several clubs offer both.

Because they share the "new racket sport" label, many people mix them up. In Australian searches, "is padel the same as pickleball" is one of the most common questions people ask about padel. This guide compares the two side by side using the official rulebooks: the International Padel Federation's (FIP) Rules of Padel and the 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook.

Padel vs pickleball at a glance

	Padel	Pickleball
Court size	20 m x 10 m (200 m²), fully enclosed	44 ft x 20 ft (13.41 m x 6.10 m, about 82 m²), open
Walls	Glass walls and mesh fence, in play after the bounce	No walls in play
Net height	0.88 m in the centre, 0.92 m at the ends	34 in (86 cm) in the centre, 36 in (91 cm) at the sidelines
Scoring	Tennis-style: 15, 30, 40, game; sets of six games	Usually games to 11, win by 2; only the serving side scores (rally scoring is a provisional option)
Serve	Underarm, after a bounce, at or below waist height; two attempts	Underhand volley serve or drop serve, contact below the waist
Equipment	Solid, perforated racket with no strings, max. 45.5 cm long, with wrist cord	Flat paddle, max. 17 in (43.18 cm) long, length plus width max. 24 in
Ball	Pressurised rubber ball, 6.35–6.77 cm across	Plastic ball with holes
Players	Almost always doubles	Singles and doubles on the same court
Special rules	Ball must bounce before hitting the opponents' walls	Two-bounce rule and a 7 ft non-volley zone ("kitchen")

Court size

A padel court measures 10 m wide by 20 m long (inside measurements) and is fully enclosed (FIP, The Court). A pickleball court is 20 feet wide by 44 feet long (6.10 m x 13.41 m), and the same court is used for singles and doubles (USA Pickleball Rule 3.A.1). That makes a padel court about two and a half times the playing area of a pickleball court. A padel court also needs its walls and fencing, so you'll only find it at dedicated padel venues.

Walls: the biggest difference

The walls are what make padel padel. The court is enclosed by glass or solid walls and metal mesh. Once the ball has bounced in your half, it can hit the walls or fence and stay in play until it bounces a second time (FIP Rule 12). Your own shot, though, must bounce in your opponents' half before it touches their walls (Rule 13). That makes for long rallies, lobs and plenty of defending off the back glass.

Pickleball has no walls in play. Rallies are about placement, soft "dinks" at the net and quick volleys rather than rebounds.

Scoring

Padel uses tennis scoring: 15, 30, 40, game, with sets of six games and a tie-break at 6–6. Matches are usually the best of three sets. At 40–40, the FIP rules allow three formats: traditional advantage, golden point (one deciding point) or star point (a deciding point only after a third deuce). Read more in Padel rules: a simple guide.

Pickleball's standard scoring awards points only to the serving side. A game is typically played to 11 points and must be won by a 2-point margin (USA Pickleball, Rule 4). Rally scoring, where either side can score on any rally, has been provisionally approved as an option (Rule 14.A).

The serve

In padel, you bounce the ball behind your service line and hit it underarm, at or below waist height, diagonally into your opponent's box. You get a second serve if the first is a fault (FIP Rule 6). In pickleball, you serve diagonally either with a volley serve (an upward arc, contact no higher than the waist, and the paddle head not above the wrist) or with a drop serve, where you drop the ball and hit it after it bounces (USA Pickleball, Rule 7). The serve must also clear the opponents' non-volley zone.

Equipment: padel racket vs pickleball paddle

A padel racket is solid and perforated, with no strings. It can be no longer than 45.5 cm, no wider than 26 cm and no thicker than 38 mm, and it must have a wrist cord (FIP, The Padel Racket). Rackets come in different shapes (round, teardrop and diamond), with different balances and core materials, which change how much control or power you get.

A pickleball paddle is a flat paddle. Its combined length and width can't exceed 24 inches, and its length can't exceed 17 inches. There's no limit on thickness or weight (USA Pickleball, Rule 3.D). So no, padel rackets and pickleball paddles are not the same, and they aren't interchangeable in competition.

Shopping for padel? Start with our beginner padel rackets, browse all padel rackets, or use the Racket Finder.

The ball

A padel ball is a pressurised rubber ball, 6.35 to 6.77 cm in diameter and weighing 56 to 59.4 g, with a specified bounce (FIP, The Ball). It looks a lot like a tennis ball. A pickleball is a smooth, moulded plastic ball with holes. The rulebook notes that balls with larger holes are customarily used indoors and balls with smaller holes outdoors. Stock up on padel balls so every booking starts fresh.

Doubles vs singles

Padel's official rules are written for pairs, and the sport is almost always played as doubles. Some Australian clubs do have dedicated singles courts, such as Sidewall Social in Sydney and Nordic Padel in Melbourne. Pickleball is played as both singles and doubles on the same court, and the rulebook also describes a half-court "mini-singles" variation.

Learning curve

Both sports are known for being beginner-friendly, and the underarm serves in both take the sting out of the first shot of every point. Pickleball's smaller court and plastic ball make it easy to rally straight away. Its non-volley zone and two-bounce rule add a layer of strategy you'll learn over time. Padel takes a few sessions to get used to the walls. Once you're comfortable letting the ball come off the glass, though, rallies get long and fun quickly, and the enclosed court means less time chasing stray balls. If you've played tennis or squash, padel will feel familiar. An intro class is the fastest way to get started in either sport.

Availability in Australia

Both sports are growing in Australia. For padel, we verified 37 operating venues across seven cities in November 2026: 11 in Sydney, 11 in Melbourne, 6 in Perth, 3 in Brisbane, 3 on the Gold Coast, 2 in Adelaide and 1 in Canberra. Most take bookings through Playtomic. See our city guides for Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Adelaide and Canberra, or Padel Australia's court finder.

Several clubs offer both sports under one roof, which makes it easy to try them side by side. Sydney Racquet Club in Moore Park, Racqueteer in Lidcombe, Play Nation in Smeaton Grange, Gold Coast Racquet Club in Robina and Canberra Racquet Club in Fyshwick all have padel and pickleball courts. To find pickleball courts, Pickleball Australia's places to play page is a good starting point.

Which one should you try?

Choose padel if you like longer rallies, a bit more running, tennis-style scoring and the extra dimension of the walls. Choose pickleball if you want a quick, compact game on a smaller court, with lots of soft touch play at the net. Honestly, the best answer is to try both. Plenty of players do.

Ready to give padel a go? Read how to start playing padel in Australia. When you're ready for your own racket, our Racket Reviews by Sven Boele will help you choose. Orders placed before 4 pm Sydney time ship the same day, with free standard shipping from $200.

Padel vs pickleball FAQ

Is padel the same as pickleball?

No. Padel is played on a larger, enclosed court with walls that stay in play, uses a perforated racket and a rubber ball, and is scored like tennis. Pickleball is played on a smaller open court with a flat paddle and a plastic ball with holes, and games usually go to 11 points.

What is the difference between padel and pickleball?

The main differences are the walls (padel has them, pickleball doesn't), court size (padel 20 x 10 m, pickleball 13.41 x 6.10 m), scoring (tennis-style vs games to 11), equipment (racket vs paddle) and the ball (rubber vs plastic with holes). Pickleball also has a non-volley zone and a two-bounce rule.

Are padel and pickleball rackets the same?

No. A padel racket is a solid, perforated racket up to 45.5 cm long with a wrist cord. A pickleball paddle is a flat paddle with a combined length and width of no more than 24 inches. Each sport's rules set its own equipment standards.

Which is easier to learn, padel or pickleball?

Both are easy to pick up. Pickleball's small court makes the first rallies very easy. Padel takes a few sessions to get used to the walls, but an intro class gets most beginners rallying and enjoying the game quickly.