Both are played on compact courts, but padel is played in pairs inside a walled 10 x 20 m court with tennis scoring. Pickleball uses an open 20 x 44 ft court, a non-volley zone and side-out scoring.
A padel court (10 x 20 m) has about 2.4 times the area of a pickleball court (20 x 44 ft).
Padel is played inside walls that keep the ball in play; pickleball has no walls and a 7 ft non-volley zone.
Padel scores like tennis (15, 30, 40); pickleball usually uses side-out scoring to 11.
Padel allows a second serve; in pickleball a service fault loses the rally.
Each row comes from the current rulebook for that sport: the 2026 USA Pickleball Official Rulebook and the International Padel Federation (FIP) Rules of Padel. The rule reference sits under each answer.
| Topic | Pickleball | Padel |
|---|---|---|
| Court size | 20 x 44 ft (6.10 x 13.41 m), measured to the outside edge of the linesUSA Pickleball, Rules 3.A.1-3.A.2 | 10 x 20 m (32.8 x 65.6 ft), measured inside the walls, 0.5% toleranceFIP, The Court: Dimensions |
| Area of play | 880 sq ft (81.8 sq m) inside the linesUSA Pickleball, Rule 3.A.1 | 200 sq m (2,153 sq ft), about 2.4 times the pickleball courtFIP, The Court: Dimensions |
| Walls | None. An open court on a playing surface of at least 30 x 60 ftUSA Pickleball, Rule 3.A.3 | Enclosed by walls and metal mesh. Each end is 4 m high: 3 m of wall topped by 1 m of meshFIP, The Court: Enclosures |
| Net height | 36 in (91.44 cm) at the sidelines, 34 in (86.36 cm) at the centerUSA Pickleball, Rules 3.B.6-3.B.7 | 0.92 m (36.2 in) at the ends, 0.88 m (34.6 in) at the centerFIP, The Net |
| How the serve is hit | Volley serve with the paddle moving in an upward arc, paddle head below the wrist and contact no higher than the waist, or a drop serveUSA Pickleball, Rules 7.C-7.D | Bounce the ball behind the service line, then hit it at or below waist heightFIP, Rule 6 |
| Where the serve lands | The diagonal service court, beyond the 7 ft non-volley zone. A serve into that zone is a faultUSA Pickleball, Rules 7.E, 7.E.2 | The diagonal service box, between the net and the service line 6.95 m away. Hitting the metal mesh before the second bounce is a faultFIP, The Court; Rules 6-7 |
| Second serve | No. A fault loses the rallyUSA Pickleball, Section 2 (Fault) | Yes. Two consecutive faults lose the pointFIP, Rules 6, 13 |
| Scoring | Side-out scoring: only the serving side scores, and games usually go to 11, win by 2. Rally scoring is a provisional optionUSA Pickleball, Section 1; Rules 4.A, 14.A | 15, 30, 40, game, with deuce and advantage (or a golden point or star point option). Sets go to 6 games by 2, with a tie-break at 6-6; matches are best of three setsFIP, Rule 1 |
| Players | Singles or doubles on the same courtUSA Pickleball, Rule 3.A.1 | Pairs: each pair of players is on one side of the netFIP, Rule 3 |
| Paddle or racket | Paddle up to 17 in (43.18 cm) long, with length plus width no more than 24 in (60.96 cm). No thickness limitUSA Pickleball, Rule 3.D.2 | Racket up to 45.5 cm (17.9 in) long, 26 cm wide and 38 mm thickFIP, The Racket |
| Ball | A USA Pickleball approved molded ball with holes. Larger holes are customary indoors, smaller holes outdoorsUSA Pickleball, Rule 3.C, Figure 3-2 | 6.35-6.77 cm across and 56.0-59.4 g, with a set internal pressure and bounceFIP, The Ball |
A padel court is 10 m wide and 20 m long inside its walls. A pickleball court is 6.10 m wide and 13.41 m long, measured to the outside of its lines. Center a pickleball court on a padel net and it leaves 3.29 m at each end and 1.95 m at each side.
The floor is big enough. Even pickleball's 30 x 60 ft (9.14 x 18.29 m) minimum playing surface fits inside a 10 x 20 m padel court. The net is the catch. A padel net is 0.88 m high at the center, which is 1.64 cm (0.65in) above pickleball's 34 in. That is outside the 0.25 in tolerance in rule 3.B.7, so for regulation height you need a pickleball net or a net you can adjust. You would also need temporary lines and the venue's permission to mark them.
In side-out scoring, only the serving side can score. Games usually go to 11, win by 2, and doubles players call three numbers before each serve. You get one serve: a fault loses the rally. Hit a volley serve with an upward paddle arc and contact no higher than the waist, or drop the ball and hit it after the bounce.
How pickleball scoring worksPoints run 15, 30, 40 and game, with deuce and advantage, or a golden point or star point if the event uses that option. The first pair to six games, two clear, wins the set, with a tie-break at 6-6, and matches are best of three sets. You get two serves. Bounce the ball behind the service line and hit it at or below waist height.
We don't list prices, because they vary by country, venue and brand. For both sports you need a paddle or racket and balls. The bigger difference is the court. Pickleball needs lines and a net on a flat surface of at least 30 x 60 ft (1,800 sq ft), so driveways, gyms and tennis courts can often be converted. A padel court is a built enclosure, with 3 m walls at each end under a further 1 m of mesh, so most players need access to a court built for padel.
The rules shape what you learn first. In pickleball, that is the non-volley zone (no volley may start inside the 7 ft zone), the two-bounce rule (the serve and the return must each bounce), and calling the score. In padel, it is reading the ball as it comes back off the walls, which stay in play after a bounce, and keeping the serve at or below the waist. Padel's scoring is familiar to anyone who knows tennis. Pickleball's side-out scoring differs from both.
Rule numbers in the table point to these editions. Leagues, clubs and events can set their own formats, so check local rules before you play.
Print the to-scale pickleball court diagram, compare pickleball vs tennis, or start with how to play pickleball and the pickleball rules.
Yes. A padel court is 10 x 20 m (200 sq m) inside its walls. A pickleball court is 20 x 44 ft (6.10 x 13.41 m), or 81.8 sq m, so the padel court has about 2.4 times the area.
Almost, but not quite. A padel net is 0.88 m (34.6 in) at the center and 0.92 m (36.2 in) at the ends. A pickleball net is 34 in (86.36 cm) at the center and 36 in (91.44 cm) at the sidelines, with a tolerance of 0.25 in either way.
No. Padel uses tennis scoring: 15, 30, 40 and game, sets to six games and a tie-break at 6-6. Pickleball usually uses side-out scoring, where only the serving side scores and games go to 11, win by 2.