APP vs. PPA: Pro Pickleball Tours, Ratings & Careers Explained
Hi there! I’m Rachel James, a professional pickleball player. Today, I’ll be sharing some key insights on how to become a professional pickleball player. I’ll shed light on the two major tours and what they can offer you as a professional player.
The first tour I’ll discuss is the AP tour. It offers prize money to the top nine players. If you’re in ninth place, you can expect around $600, while the first place gets around $2500, depending on the tournament. If you’re in the top nine, you’ll be getting paid. Additionally, if you’re in the top 10 on the AP tour, your entry fees will be waived, saving you anywhere between $500 to $700. The AP tour also has a new location in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, which will serve as a training ground for up-and-coming professional pickleball players.
The AP tour is also known for its development of younger players, making the sport more accessible to a younger generation. Another unique feature of the AP tour is its backdraws. If you lose in your first or second round, you get put into a completely different bracket, still with the opportunity to make money. If you’re ranked in the top 10 in some tournaments, you may get preferential parking, and all AP tournaments provide free lunch for their professional players.
The PPA tour, on the other hand, operates differently. They contract their players, providing a level of financial stability. Contracts can range from covering only entry fees to paying over $100,000 per year to be on the tour. However, if you sign a contract with the PPA tour, you’re not allowed to play on the AP tour. The PPA tour is often considered the professional tour as they have contracted a large number of top players. They also provide lunches, though not at every tournament, and have a tent for professional pickleball players at their events.
In conclusion, both the AP and PPA tours offer various opportunities and benefits for aspiring professional pickleball players. Depending on your specific goals and circumstances, one may be more suitable for you than the other. Good luck on your journey to becoming a professional pickleball player!
Don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe, and stay tuned for more videos. You can also participate in our giveaway to win one of three unused paddles. Simply comment which paddle you want and tag three people to be in the running.
Editor’s update, October 2026: The landscape has shifted since this video was recorded. The PPA Tour and Major League Pickleball now run under one parent company — the United Pickleball Association (UPA) — with DUPR as its rating system, so their calendars no longer compete. The APP Tour remains the open alternative: no exclusive contracts, USA Pickleball sanctioning, UTR-P ratings, and a 2026 expansion into Asia. The takeaway below still holds: the APP is the accessible on-ramp for aspiring pros, while the PPA is where the biggest contracts and prize purses live.
Key Points
Essential takeaways from the video
- Professional pickleball player Rachel James discusses the two major tours in professional pickleball: the APP and the PPA.
- The APP offers prize money to the top nine players, ranging from $600 to $2500 depending on the tournament.
- If a player is in the top ten on the APP tour, their entry fees are waived.
- The APP has a location in Fort Lauderdale, Florida which serves as a training ground for emerging professional pickleball players.
- The PPA tour offers contracts to players they believe have potential or have performed well in tournaments. These contracts can range from covering entry fees to a salary of over $100,000 per year.
- The PPA has contracted most of the top players, making it often considered the main professional tour.
- Players contracted by the PPA are not allowed to play on the APP tour.
- Both the APP and PPA tours offer benefits to their professional players such as free lunches and reserved parking spaces.
- A player’s success on either tour can lead to opportunities on the other, but signing a contract with the PPA restricts a player to that tour only.
- The APP rates players with UTR-P and is sanctioned by USA Pickleball; the PPA uses DUPR under its own governing body, the United Pickleball Association (UPA).
- Each body approves paddles independently, so a paddle that is legal in one tour can be illegal in the other — one reason people say pro pickleball isn’t united.
Detailed Comparison
Understanding the key differences
Understanding Tournament Brackets and Draws
A tournament bracket or draw is essentially the roadmap of the competition. It outlines the teams (or individuals in singles) that will be competing against each other, showing their progression through different rounds until a winner is determined.
Main Draw (Front Draw)
- Starting point for all players
- For undefeated players only
- Path to tournament victory
Back Draw (Consolation)
- Second chance bracket
- For players with one loss
- Chance to win prizes
PPA + DUPR + UPA Format
Professional tournaments with high stakes and no back draws.
- Single elimination format
- Higher pressure matches
- Elite competition level
APP + UTR + USAP Format
More opportunities with back draw system.
- Back draw available
- More matches guaranteed
- Prize opportunities in back draw
Whether you’re playing in the main draw or back draw, every match is an opportunity to improve and showcase your skills. Understanding these tournament structures helps you better prepare for competition.
Common Questions About Pickleball Organizations
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the scoring system for PPA?
- In the PPA, games are scored on a two out of three sets basis. Each set goes up to 11 points, and must be won by two points. The crucial detail is that you can only score on your serve. If the first set is won by you and the second by your opponent, a third set is played. In the third set, sides are switched once a player reaches six points.
- How does the scoring system for AP differ from PPA?
- The AP follows a similar scoring structure to the PPA for mixed doubles and gender doubles, with games being two out of three sets up to 11, win by two. However, the AP does have a back draw for all of their divisions. Also, once you’re in the back draw on the AP tour, it’s one set or one game up to 15. Another difference is that in the singles professional division on the AP tour, every point counts no matter if you’re serving or not.
- What is the ‘win by two’ rule?
- The ‘win by two’ rule means that to win a set or a game, a player must have at least two more points than their opponent. If the score is tied at 10 each, for instance, play continues until one player has two more points than the other, making the score 12-10.
- What are the rules for switching sides in PPA and AP?
- In both PPA and AP tournaments, players switch sides after each set. In the third set of a PPA match, sides are switched once a player reaches six points. In the AP, during the third set, sides are switched when a player reaches eight points.
- What is the ‘back draw’ in AP?
- In the AP, if you lose in the first or second round, you get to play in the ‘back draw’. These matches are one set or one game up to 15. However, once you’re in the third round and you lose, you do not get to feed into the back draw.
- What’s the difference between UTR and DUPR ratings?
- The APP Tour rates players with UTR-P, run by Universal Tennis Rating, a company with a long history in tennis. The PPA Tour uses DUPR (Dynamic Universal Pickleball Rating), which is built exclusively for pickleball. Both systems rate players on performance, but they don’t share data — so a player can hold a different rating on each tour.
- Who governs the APP and PPA tours?
- The APP Tour partners with USA Pickleball (formerly USAPA) for rules, regulations, and paddle testing. The PPA Tour created its own governing body, the United Pickleball Association (UPA), with its own rulebook and approval processes.
- Why might a paddle be legal in one tour but not the other?
- USA Pickleball and the UPA maintain separate approved-paddle lists and testing procedures. A paddle that passes in one system can fail in the other, so players crossing between tours sometimes need different paddles.
- Why do people say pickleball isn’t united?
- Because the sport runs as two competing ecosystems: APP + USA Pickleball + UTR-P on one side, and PPA + UPA + DUPR on the other. Different rules, ratings, rankings, and equipment standards create a divide across professional pickleball.
- Do you need a membership to play each tour?
- The APP Tour requires an annual USA Pickleball membership. The PPA Tour has no membership requirement.