Padel vs tennis vs pickleball: the differences explained

Padel, tennis and pickleball are all racket sports, but they play, feel and scale very differently. If you are choosing a sport to play - or a sport to build a club around - here is how they compare.

The court

Tennis is the biggest court and the most space per player. Padel is played on a smaller, enclosed court with glass walls that are part of the game. Pickleball courts are smaller still, which is why many can fit in the footprint of a single tennis court - a big reason for its rapid growth.

The equipment

Tennis uses a strung racket and a high-pressure ball. Padel uses a solid, stringless, perforated racket and a slightly lower-pressure ball. Pickleball uses a flat paddle and a plastic ball with holes. All three are cheap to start, especially when clubs rent gear.

Difficulty and the learning curve

Tennis has the steepest curve - it takes time before rallies are fun. Padel and pickleball are far easier to pick up: beginners can rally and enjoy themselves in their first session, which is a big part of why both are growing so fast.

The social factor

Padel is almost always doubles, pickleball usually is, and both are intensely social. Tennis is often singles and more individual. For clubs, the social formats fill courts and build community in a way singles play does not.

Why clubs offer more than one

Padel and pickleball share an audience and a vibe, and many operators now run both - sometimes alongside tennis - to widen their market and fill more hours. The sports complement each other more than they compete.

Running a multi-sport club

Different sports, different courts, different pricing - but one operation. The clubs that do this well manage bookings, pricing, members and communication for all of it in one place.

kortbase is built for exactly that: padel, pickleball and tennis on one platform, so a multi-sport club runs as smoothly as a single-sport one.