Practice makes perfect, and a pickleball machine sure makes training more accessible and fun. There are many options and competitive features, but use our guide below to learn what to look for.
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Our Top Pick
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Our Top Pickleball Machine Pick
A fully programmable machine, the Spinshot is our pick for the top Pickleball machine on the market. Equipped with a service stand to simulate every shot and an easy-to-use mobile phone or wristband remote, this model is perfect for coaches, clubs, and teams.
After testing multiple machines in varying training settings, we were delighted with the performance of the Spinshot Player Pickleball Machine. Although the price tag and size may scare you away, the features and performance compensate for these shortcomings.
The remote watch and app controls allow for pre-programmed drills and the ability to customize these drills to fit your training needs. Variable speeds range between 10 and 60 MPH, and the battery supports 2-3 hours of playtime.
What is a pickleball machine?
Pickleball machines are designed to help pickleball players practice on their own. They fire pickleball balls across the court for you to hit back, allowing you to hone your skills and practice groundstrokes, forehands, backhands, dinks, and volleys without a coach or playing partner to feed you balls. Having a machine can revolutionize your pickleball practice.
Pickleball machines vary in price, capability, and design. Basic pickleball machines might only be able to shoot balls to one point on the court, while more high-tech machines use oscillation, remote control, and spin to give you the complete practice experience.
Despite this, they all have the same design: a ball hopper where pickleball balls can be loaded and a firing mechanism to toss them across the court to be hit back.
All sorts of players can benefit from a pickleball machine:
- Seasoned professionals looking to stay sharp during the off-season
- Absolute beginners who want to improve their muscle memory
- Pickleball coaches hoping to save their shoulders
As relatively expensive gear, pickleball machines are typically best suited for intermediate and advanced players. It is also worth noting that it requires a space, so it is only worth picking up if you have easy access to a pickleball court or decent-sized practice space.
What to look for when buying a pickleball machine
If you are interested in purchasing your very own pickleball machine, there are several things to look out for and consider when you are selecting your model:
Capacity for holding balls
With all the high-tech options available among pickleball machines, this feels boring – but it is essential! There’s nothing worse than getting halfway through a great practice session and running out of balls. It breaks your flow and takes a lot of time and effort to collect the pickleball balls and return them to the ball hopper.
Ensuring your pickleball machine has a large pickleball ball capacity is the key to a productive practice session.
Control Features
Check out the control options your pickleball machine has before you purchase. Does it have the oscillation feature, allowing it to fire balls to different parts of the court? Does it have a remote control, allowing it to be controlled without running around to the other side of the court?
Shot Options
Pickleball has a variety of shots to contend with in a match, and you want to be sure your machine can replicate them. You might want a machine that can hit lob shots and dink shots against you, provide volleys, or put spin (topspin, sidespin, and other spin shots) on the ball.
Ball Speed
As well as shot options, a good pickleball machine can provide an extensive range of ball speeds for you to play against. Many machines can send the pickleball ball at speeds of as low as 10mph or as quick as 70mph.
Warranty
As with any decent-sized purchase, it’s important to protect yourself. Make sure to check the warranty on whatever pickleball machine you want to purchase. Most of these machines are relatively heavy-duty and shouldn’t break, but you want to be covered just in case they do.
Ease of Transport
Unless you have a pickleball court in your backyard (in which case, lucky you!), you will be transporting your pickleball machine to and from your pickleball training sessions. If this is the case, it’s essential to consider how easy the machine is to transport based on the unit size, weight, and whether or not it has wheels.
Charging
It’s also important to consider how your pickleball machine will be powered. Some pickleball ball machines are battery-powered, with a set battery pack. Others might have a battery charger. Make sure you consider how the charging mechanism of your machine fits into your practice routine.
Top Four Pickleball Machine Options
Having tested multiple models during private and group training sessions, these are our four top picks for the best pickleball machines on the market.
A fully programmable machine, the Spinshot is our pick for the top Pickleball machine on the market. Equipped with a service stand to simulate every shot and an easy-to-use mobile phone or wristband remote, this model is perfect for coaches, clubs, and teams.
At only 35kg, the Lobster Pickleball Machine is one of the lightest pickleball machines on the market. With adjustable ball speeds of up to 60mph and a random oscillation feature, it's a fantastic offering for those looking to transport their machine.
One of two offerings from Sports Tutor, the Pickleball Tutor Plus is one of the top ball machines on the market. With adjustable speeds, a ball hopper that holds 110 pickleball balls, a dial for topspin and backspin, and a delay feature giving you time to get to the other side of the court, this has everything you could look for in a pickleball machine.
The Pickleball Tutor Spin is a slightly more lightweight and cheaper version of the Tutor Plus. It also holds 110 balls and has a top speed of 65mph. However, it doesn't have the oscillation feature of the plus.
