Difference Between Pickleball and Squash

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Many people are familiar with squash but pickleball is the latest emerging sport throughout the world. That is why some of their enthusiasts like you may be wondering what is the difference between pickleball and squash.

It’s normal to have such queries because both of these sports are so interrelated that anybody can be confused with them. So, to clarify your thoughts, let’s know the points which make pickleball different from squash.

Pickleball vs Squash

4 Major Differences Between Pickleball and Squash

The main difference between pickleball and squash is the court size and the paddles or racquets. Pickleball is played with a paddle whereas squash is played with a racquet. Similarly, the squash court is mostly indoor while the pickleball court is mostly outdoor. But the court must be enclosed.

Now, let us know the major 4 differences between pickleball and squash in detail.

1. Pickleball Court vs Squash Court

The pickleball court can be set up indoors as well as outdoors. In size, the pickleball court measures about 44 feet in length and 20 feet in width and is considered to resemble a badminton court. Even you can play pickleball on a tennis court easily.

Pickleball Court Dimensions

You might be surprised to know that you can play pickleball on the blacktop as well.

So, there are no hard and fast limitations for the court of pickleball.  You are all set to play pickleball at any proper place if you have the accurate and essential equipment.

But in the case of squash, its court is about 32 feet long and 21 feet wide. The squash is liked indoors and the walls of its court should be enclosed for smashing the ball properly.

Squash Court
Squash Court

2. Pickleball Paddle vs Squash Racquet

The next obvious differing point of pickleball vs squash is the paddle and racquets.

Accordingly, pickleball is played with a paddle. In contrast, squash is played with a racquet.

Now if we dive into its details then it would be helpful to know that the paddle of pickleball is shorter, wider, and completely solid. It is about 16 inches long.

However, the racquet of squash is longer than the paddle and it is porous or woven-like. The length of a squash racquet is about 27 inches. The racquet has a considerably longer handle than that of the paddle.

Pickleball Paddle vs Squash Racquet

3. Types of Balls

The construction material, size, and weight of the balls of pickleball and squash is other differing thing between these two plays.

If you have ever seen someone playing pickleball then you will know that the balls used for this sport are porous and lightweight as well. However, the balls of the squash are solid and a bit heftier than pickleball.

Pickleball vs Squash Ball

4. Pickleball & Squash Serving Rule

There are several comparative points of pickleball vs squash in terms of their serving rules.

The biggest difference is that you can’t take an overhand shot in pickleball. While the same shot technique is not considered illegal in squash.

Similarly, another difference regarding the serving rule is that in pickleball only the person serving is allowed to win scores.

So, in pickleball, the winning points will be limited to the server. But in squash, this type of serving rule differs greatly from pickleball.

Here in squash, both of the players are allowed to win the points. In this way, you are not dependent upon the server to have your turn after they make a fault in the play.

What’s the Similarity Between Pickleball and Squash?

Although both pickleball and squash are different in many aspects described above, still they are similar in some of the given ways.

  • Both of these sports require a team of 11 players. And at the last, they have to win the match by 2 runs.
  • The balls of pickleball and squash have hollow internal parts.
  • There is a very small difference between the sizes of their courts.
  • They both have almost the same techniques of swinging and controlling the paddle, skills to change the direction of the ball, several effective motions, etc.

Final Thoughts: Pickleball vs. Squash

Consequently, Pickleball vs squash differs in terms of their court size, racquets, and balls. However, some factors like basic skills, number of players, and internal parts of the balls. Now, the choice is yours whether pickleball suits you or squash.

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