Pickleheads is the #1 destination for pickleball players — home to the largest court directory, powerful tools for organizers, gear reviews you can trust, and practical coaching resources. Nearly 1 million players visit us each month to connect, play, and improve.
We believe the best way to grow our business is by growing the game. That means helping more people discover pickleball, play more often, and find gear that actually makes them better.
To keep these resources free and expanding, we make money in a few ways:
- We collect a small transaction fee when organizers charge for events or players book lessons.
- We earn advertising and sponsorship revenue from our newsletter.
- And we earn affiliate commissions when you purchase gear through our links.
We currently work with over 50 brands in the pickleball space—each agrees to pay us a small percentage when our readers buy their products.
However, this does not mean manufacturers get a say in how we test, nor does it affect our recommendations.
Trust is the foundation for what we do
That's because our business is based on trust. Players rely on us because they know our gear reviews are honest, independent, and based on real court testing — not brand deals.
Our recommendations come from firsthand a rigorous testing process. That means days (often weeks) of drilling and competing with each product.
- Our lead paddle tester is Stephen Mijangos, a 5.0 player from Springville, Utah. Stephen started playing in 2020, and now coaches, competes, and runs tournaments at his local club.
- Many of our reviews and “best of” guides are edited or written by Brandon Mackie, Pickleheads co-founder and a 4.0 player who’s tested over 150 paddles.
If we think a paddle is a pass at 2.5 stars, we say it—no matter what a brand thinks.
Unlike other review sites, we don’t prioritize products based on commission. In fact, we often rank paddles from brands we don’t have relationships with. Why? Because our job is to help you find the best gear for your game. That’s what keeps players coming back.
And frankly, if we ever recommended junk gear, you'd return it—and we’d lose both your trust and any commission.
Our editorial standards
Our affiliate relationships allow us to fund content, pay our team, and keep the site running — but they never affect:
- Which products we choose to cover
- How we score or rank them
- What we say in our reviews
We publish both positive and critical takes—because real players deserve the full picture. Every “best of” list is curated to reflect the absolute best products available, regardless of brand relationships.
We do this because believe that honest, transparent reviews push the whole sport forward. They help you buy better gear — and motivate brands to build better products.
We’re constantly pushing for exclusive deals to pass along to our readers. And we’re always looking to test the latest drops from top and up-and-coming brands alike.
Want to learn more about how we work with brands? Read about our partner guidelines here.
If you have any questions about our affiliate program or product review process, we’d love to hear from you! Send us a note at support@pickleheads.com.
