The best pickleball paddles for beginners
This page contains affiliate links. The Kitchen may earn a commission from purchases at no extra cost to you.
If you’ve just played pickleball for the first few times and are looking to start playing more regularly, you’re going to need a better paddle than whatever cheapo option you found at Target or Walmart or Amazon.
We know you don’t think you need something fancy, but just trust us on this.
Most new players experience a vicious cycle that goes something like this:
- I’m not going to buy a paddle. I’ll just borrow someone else’s.
- Damn, that was fun. Guess Amazon gets my $20 after all.
- *Plays a few more times* This paddle sucks. Guess Amazon gets $60 more.
Now you have two paddles and you’ve dropped about $80.
Eventually, you end up wishing you’d just spent a little more in the first place to get something that lasts and is good quality.
So we recommend you (or the person you’re convincing to play) skip all the steps up to this point and spend the money on a good paddle at a low price point.
We’re here to help you with that.
These are the best pickleball paddles on the market today for beginning players. We’ve kept it to paddles under $100 and will update this list regularly as new paddles are released or if we see a good sale on something that usually costs more than that.
In many cases, using code “KITCHEN” at checkout will get you an even bigger discount — using our code also helps us continue to produce this type of content.
Last updated: June 2026
OUR “BEST OF” LISTS
Best overall
– Our Top 13 paddles on the market + in-depth reviews for each oneBest by category
– Best power paddles
– Best control paddles
– Best all-court paddles
– Best full-foam paddlesBest by shot type
– Best paddles for dinks and drops
– Best paddles for drives and serves
– Best paddles for pop
– Best paddles for resets
– Best paddles for spinBest by price
– Best paddles under $200
– Best paddles under $150Best by skill level
– Best paddles for beginners
– Best paddles for intermediate players
– Best paddles for advanced playersGear
– Best pickleball bags
– Best pickleball shoes
– Best shoes for men
– Best shoes for women
– Best pickleball accessories
– Best pickleball training aids
– Best nets for every setting/price point
Best paddles for beginners
The JOOLA Vision model comes in the company’s familiar Hyperion shape, which features the Aero-Curve design along the top edge. This 16mm paddle is designed for players who prioritize precision and spin. It is constructed using a cold-pressed layering process and a textured carbon fiber surface.
Learn more about JOOLA’s Vision line here.
Use code “KITCHEN” at checkout for 10% off.
Paddletek has long been a trusted brand for players just getting into the game. The Phoenix Genesis Pro offers powerful but balanced performance with perimeter weighting, vibration dampening tech and a generous sweet spot.
This paddle is designed for ultimate control and is a great option for players who are starting to move up in level and take the game more seriously. The Vapor shape combines a great sweet spot with good reach and maneuverability.
Use code “KITCHEN” for $20 off!
The Enhance SweetSpot Pro was built for one purpose: to help you level up — fast. It's designed specifically for improving players (Beginner to 4.5) and offers a huge sweet spot for forgiveness and consistency on every swing.
Engage has been a trusted brand in the pickleball industry for nearly a decade, and has been the first "real" paddle for a ton of players as they get into the sport. The Encore Pro is a great option for beginners because it delivers solid all-around performance at an affordable price. It's also made in the USA.
Our testing process
Team Kitchen is our team of expert paddle reviewers, all 5.0+ players. They test every paddle with other high-level players in their area, on every kind of shot, in drills and real games, to see how it performs in real-world play.
Every paddle is also measured on the same scale: power, spin, swing weight and twist weight, so any two paddles compare fairly.
We use the Life Time LT Pro 48 pickleball for our testing.
