How PaddleDB Rates Pickleball Paddles

Updated October 17, 2026 · 101 paddles from 14 brands

In short

PaddleDB rates every paddle on five measured qualities — Power, Pop, Spin, Agility and Control — on a relative scale where 100 is the best value in the database and 1 the lowest. Rankings are sorted strictly by those numbers. Missing data is shown as N/A, never estimated.

The five ratings

Power: Ball speed on full swings — drives, serves and overheads. Scaled from lab ball-speed testing published by Pickleball Effect. 65 paddles rated.
Pop: Ball speed on short, compact swings such as punch volleys. Scaled from lab ball-speed testing published by Pickleball Effect for punch volleys. 66 paddles rated.
Spin: How much rotation the face puts on the ball. Scaled from published spin-RPM figures for each paddle. 63 paddles rated.
Agility: How quickly the paddle moves in the hand. Driven mainly by balance and swing weight: mass closer to the handle means a quicker paddle. 71 paddles rated.
Control: How predictably the paddle handles soft shots. A composite score built from several measured specs rather than one measurement. 57 paddles rated.

The relative 1-100 scale

Each rating is scaled across every paddle in PaddleDB with data for it: the highest measured value becomes 100 and the lowest becomes 1. That makes the numbers easy to compare — a Power rating of 80 hits measurably harder than one of 60 — but it also means a rating describes where a paddle sits in this database, not an absolute standard. Ratings can shift slightly as paddles are added.

The all-round score

The all-round score is the average of each paddle's Power, Control, Spin and Agility ratings, calculated only for paddles rated in all four. Pop is left out because it tracks Power closely in our data — counting both would double-count ball speed. 37 paddles currently have one.

What the data shows

Recalculated from the full database every time PaddleDB updates.

Thinner is not more powerful. 16mm paddles average a Power rating of 63 versus 44 for 14mm paddles (49 and 7 rated paddles). 14mm paddles average 60 for Control against 54 for 16mm.
Swing weight barely predicts power. Across 60 paddles, swing weight and Power rating show a weak negative relationship (r = -0.22).
Power does not cost as much control as you might think. Across 37 paddles rated for both, Power and Control show a moderate positive relationship (r = 0.47).
Price is a weak guide to quality. List price and all-round score show a weak positive relationship (r = 0.23, 37 paddles). Paddles at $100 or less average an all-round score of 62, against 64 above $100.
Pop and Power move together. r = 0.87 across 65 paddles — which is why the all-round score counts only one of them.

Paddle specs, explained

Swing weight: How hard the paddle is to swing — its resistance to rotation around the handle end. Higher swing weight adds plow-through on drives but slows hand speed. It depends on where the mass sits, not just total weight.
Twist weight: How strongly the paddle resists twisting around its long axis when the ball strikes away from the center line. Higher twist weight keeps the face steadier on off-center hits — what players call a bigger or more forgiving sweet spot.
Static weight: What the paddle weighs on a scale, in ounces.
Balance point: How far from the butt of the handle the paddle balances. A balance point closer to the handle makes a paddle feel lighter and quicker in the hand.
Spin RPM: How many revolutions per minute the paddle face can put on the ball. Surface texture and face material are the main drivers.
Thickness: Core thickness in millimetres. 16mm and 14mm are the most common.
Shape: Elongated paddles are longer and narrower for reach and leverage; widebody paddles are wider and shorter for a broader face; hybrid shapes sit between them.
Approval: Whether a paddle appears on a governing body's approved list for sanctioned play — USA Pickleball (USAP) or UPA-A.

Independence

PaddleDB may earn a commission when you buy through its links, and some brands offer PaddleDB promo codes. Neither affects any rating or ranking: rankings are sorted by the numbers shown, and those numbers come from measurements, not opinions.

Use the data

The full dataset is available as JSON. If you cite it, please link to the paddle's page on PaddleDB.

Frequently asked questions

How does PaddleDB rate pickleball paddles?

PaddleDB rates 101 paddles on Power, Pop, Spin, Agility and Control, each on a relative 1-100 scale where 100 is the highest value in the database. Ratings are built from measured data, including lab ball speed, spin RPM, balance and swing weight.

What does a PaddleDB rating of 100 mean?

It means the paddle has the highest measured value in that category among all paddles in PaddleDB. Ratings are relative, so a 1 is the lowest in the database — not a paddle with no power or control.

Do affiliate commissions affect PaddleDB rankings?

No. Every ranking is sorted by the numbers shown on the page. PaddleDB may earn a commission on purchases through its links, but that never changes a score or a position.

Are thinner pickleball paddles more powerful?

Not in PaddleDB's data. 16mm paddles average a Power rating of 63 and 14mm paddles 44, across 49 and 7 rated paddles respectively.