Our Top Tested Pickleball Shoe Is Just $99

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BUYING A PAIR of pickleball shoes is one of the smartest investments you can make in your game. Unlike your pickleball paddle, your pickleball shoes have a much more direct relationship to your health. My guide to the best pickleball shoes will set you up with the right kind of shoe for enhancing performance while hopefully reducing the odds of rolling an ankle or spraining a knee.

Best Pickleball Shoes in 2024

What Type of Shoe Is Best for Pickleball?

When testing to find the best pickleball shoes, I found the two most important factors to consider are traction and stability. Like workout shoes, pickleball shoes need to handle quick movements in all types of directions, so you want strong outsoles with responsive tread patterns and a midsole structure that can handle fast-twitch lateral movements. Lateral stability is super important since it can help prevent common pickleball injuries like ankle or knee sprains, so I looked for shoes that had a wider base and a stiff lower structure to provide this kind of maximum stability.

What to Look For

Weight

Pickleball shoes need to provide support, so buying the lightest shoe possible is not the smartest move. When buying a lightweight shoe (say, under 10 ounces) there's likely to be some sacrifice in support or stability. The trick? Stick to pickleball specific shoes first. You can also consider tennis shoes and trainers due to their similar support-first construction. Avoid featherlight running shoes.

Upper

Mesh is the most common and best material to look for in the upper of a pickleball shoe. However, like weight, you don't necessarily need the most breathable mesh possible. Some pickleball shoes sacrifice breathability to boost abrasion resistance, and to help keep your foot secure (like limiting your foot rolling and turning inside the shoe).

Outsole

When it comes to the outsole, look for a shoe that has a strong rubber with a pattern that will help grip surfaces and reduce the odds of slipping when turning your feet. Some pickleball shoes pay greater attention to tread pattern, which can help provide a feeling of better grip on a court. Outsole will largely come down to personal preference though, as most are constructed about the same.

Midsole and Cushioning

When looking at the midsole, aim for a shoe that has supportive cushioning (like EVA foam) and keeps a relatively low profile. Prioritizing a midsole with cushioning too much could lead you to a shoe that sits high (like a Hoka running shoe), thus leading to a less responsive design, which could potentially lead to a greater chance of rolling an ankle when making fast turns on the court.

How We Selected

I've been testing pickleball shoes for well over 2 years now, and with the help of other writers and editors here at Men's Health I've compiled a list of the best pickleball shoes for all day play. I evaluated each shoe's stability, durability, weight, and price point. Special consideration was taken into account for pickleball shoes that had excellent traction and stability, since I believe those two qualities are the most important in a quality pickleball shoe.

I've looked at over 25 pairs of pickleball shoes in total. Right now there are 6 pairs I recommend. Keep scrolling to see the entire list of the best pickleball shoes for 2024.

Rush Pro Ace Pickler Men's Pickleball Shoe

The Rush Pro Ace Pickleball is designed for court surfaces (indoor and outdoor) and has a 4D Support Chassis for controlled pivot movements and stability. I've worn this shoe for about six months now, logging matches that last up to two hours of consistent back and forth. The Pickler has held tough through all the wear and tear.

The rubber drag pad has helped protect tearing on the end of the toe box, and the cushioned midsole has kept my high foot arches comfortable. I've noticed the Pickler even has a rebound-like effect when making fast-twitch movements, which makes sense because of how close in construction the shoe is to Pro Ace Tennis Shoe—Wilson's top-selling model for tennis. The rebound of the shoe alone isn't going to make you a better player, but I do believe it helped promote staying on my toes more during play, especially when it came to getting into a fire-fight against my opponents.

The performance on this shoe is superb, and the style promises a clean look that's suitable for wearing in a country club environment. The comfort of the shoe—namely the supportive arch and cushioned padding around the tongue and ankle—became the final selling point for me to deem these the best pickleball shoes overall in 2024.

Read more: Best Pickleball Paddles

Viper Court Pro Pickleball Sneaker

Skechers' pickleball shoes are highly underrated for how well they look and feel on the court. At the top of their lineup is the Viper Court, a performance pickleball shoe trusted by professional pickleball players like Catherine Parenteau and Tyson McGuffin. I love how sharp the Viper Court looks in all black, and how the silhouette veers from the common thought of pickleball shoes to be chunky and cushioned to the gills.

I'll say the Viper Court is not quite as comfortable as the Ace Pickler, as the Viper Court lacks some of the added paddings in the ankles and tongue that I loved on the Ace Pickler; but if I were playing competitively in leagues and tournaments I'd trade this comfort for two key features the Viper Court does really well. The first feature is strong traction. I could feel the Goodyear tread helping me turn and pivot much better than the other shoes I tested. The second feature is better arch support, what Skechers calls "Arch Fit", which gave me the ability to play for long periods of time without getting any foot pain from my feet that tend to sometimes pronate.

You can consider the Wilson Ace Pro Pickler for most levels of play, but if you're focusing on playing competitively then the Viper Court is going to give you better performance in the heat of the moment. The best part is the Viper Court is just under $100 too, so perhaps it's possible you double up and get a pair of Wilson and Skechers for all the pickleball matches you're going to be playing this summer.

Read more: Best Pickleball Shirts

GameCourt 2 Tennis Shoe

The most underrated pickleball shoe on this list, the GameCourt 2 is lightweight and breathable, making them perfect for summer play. I love the array of colors the GameCourt 2 is available in, and I especially enjoyed the on-feet look of this red and white color.

There aren't a ton of bells and whistles on this shoe, but it has just enough to make it a great pick in my book. We're talking airy mesh to keep your feet cool, a cushioned EVA foam midsole, and an Adiwear outsole with treaded grip so you can pivot and make quick moves. Another feature about the shoe I liked is the upper material is made with 50 percent recycled content, so there's an eco-friendly component to this shoe as well.

The qualms about this shoe are that it's not the strongest or most supportive shoe on this list. Instead, the GameCourt 2 is balanced, with priorities of being lofty and breathable. The price point is friendly though, so the shoe starts wearing down faster than expected you can always buy another fresh pair.

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Men's Gel-Game 9 Pickleball Shoes

The Gel-Game 9 Pickleball is Asic's latest and greatest dedicated pickleball shoe release, and after I tested it I found it combined much of what I loved about prior Asics models with some additional durability and support. The shoe has a mesh design and is layered with a tough synthetic overlay and polyurethane film The PU film covers the whole front of the foot, and I found the material to be much more abrasion-resistant than I would've thought. What's surprising is the film keeps the shoe lightweight, so there's an interesting balance of weight and durability that I believed to perform well on the hard pickleball courts I played on.

Another special feature of this shoe that caters to pickleball players is the TRUSSTIC technology in the midsole. Asics maintains this tech helps improve stability, which makes sense to me because I found this shoe to be one of the best performers when it came to making fast lateral movements while playing.

It's worth noting the Gel-Remna model that I tested in the past had this TRUSSTIC midsole, and so a lot of the Gel-Game 9 reminds me of that personal favorite shoe. Overall, I see the Gel-Game 9 as a much more supportive and tougher Gel-Remna, so if you liked that model (or any other Asics models) then you're going to like upgrading to the true pickleball shoe model.

Read more: Best Pickleball Balls

Men's Express Light Pickleball Shoe

You might be surprised to find K-Swiss at the top of the pickleball shoe market, but the brand has quietly been creating trusted game-ready models for all types of price points. I've come to find the Express Light as one of the top supportive and strong pickleball shoes money can buy.

Two main features of this shoe stood out to me when testing: the 180-degree Plantar Support Chassis and the DURAWRAP cover to help combat toe dragging. The support chassis worked great at keeping my feet secure while playing, giving me ample support in my high arches and also preventing my feet from twisting and rolling over inside the shoe—even when they go really hot and sweaty. The DURAWRAP cover is the outsole material used to combat abrasion and toe-dragging. The cover is definitely hard alright, and so it's nice to know you have this strong outer shell over the cushioned mesh that feels oh-so-good on the feet.

I did find the shoes to fit quite snugly, so I'd potentially recommend going up a half size on this shoe. The design is unique, and I came to really enjoy the all-grey color of the shoe. It's not the fastest shoe, but it provides great durability and support. This is a well-balanced model you can play outside in for long periods of time. I'm looking forward to seeing how future K-Swiss pickleball shoes develop.

Read more: Best Moisture-Wicking Shirts

Upcourt 5

The Upcourt 5 is the latest iteration of the top-selling indoor trainer from Asics. Not only is this shoe loved by indoor volleyball players, but I believe it's also a must-have for indoor pickleball players. The shoe is super lightweight, sturdy, and optimized to have some of the strongest traction in the game. You won't be slipping and sliding on a gym floor in these sneakers.

To be completely honest, I definitely enjoyed playing pickleball matches on outdoor courts with these shoes on, and you can definitely wear them for both indoor and outdoor use if you want. But the downside to playing with these shoes outdoors is they are prone to wearing and tearing faster. The reasoning is although the mesh is cool and breathable, there isn't much protection from abrasion on the court and from water.

What I love the most about the Upcourt 5 is the friendly price point for the value you get, so it's totally possible you wear these for all types of pickleball play and then just re-up on a pair when you need them. It's not a terrible idea, but for me, I do view these as performing the best indoors.

Men's Propulse Fury 3 All Court

Strong Michelin outsoles, Ortholite molded insoles, and an attached power belt for lateral support are a few of the key reasons why I found the Fury 3 to be a powerful pickleball shoe worthy of competitive play. I was also impressed with how breathable the upper was on this shoe considering how much padding and protection is built-up on it. The stack of the shoe adds some luxe cushioning that other pickleball shoes on this list do not have, and I definitely enjoyed the foam heel when it came to keeping my foot secure and comfortable.

One downside I found when testing the Fury 3 is the shoe is more generous to narrow feet, so those with wider feet will want to make accommodations and probably go up half a size. The shoe is also heavy like a traditional tennis shoe, so if you aren't used to the weight it might throw you off. That's not to say the weight is a bad thing though, because the shoe is tough enough to handle high stakes of play.

I believe the Fury 3 is suitable for competitive league play or tournaments. If you're looking for something more leisurely and comfort-driven, you have better options elsewhere on this list.

Read more: Best Athletic Socks

Why Trust Us

For over two years now, Men's Health has been covering the rise of pickleball. I've covered everything from the potential health benefits of pickleball (this guy lost 70 pounds by incorporating pickleball into his workouts) to the latest and greatest pickleball gear to hit the market.

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