The Best Pickleball Shoes For Women On The Market

We've come a long way in the world of pickleball equipment in just a few short years.

Prior to about 2022, there was no such thing as a pickleball shoe. We were all wearing tennis shoes, and when companies did start to market their shoes toward pickleball players, they often would just use an existing tennis shoe and slap the word "pickleball" on them.

Now there are several companies making shoes designed specifically for the unique movements of pickleball, and making them in men's and women's sizes with a focus on fit, support, style and comfort.

We've tested several shoes from top brands in the pickleball space, sought feedback from women's pros and high-level amateurs and put together a comprehensive list to help you find the perfect pair of shoes for your game.

This page will be updated regularly as new models are released and we get our hands (er, feet) on the latest and greatest shoes in the sport.

The DAPS pickleball shoes were released to the public this spring, and already several pro players have switched to them, including the players on The Kitchen's MLP team -- the Nashville Chefs. The DAPS out-perform the big brands in several key metrics, and you don’t just have to take my word for it — they have the data to back it up. They sent the shoe to the Heeluxe Performance Lab, which compared the DAPS to several other well-known shoes in the pickleball space.

The results favored the DAPS in several areas:

-Faster starts
-Quicker stops
-Better energy return
-More energy efficiency

You can find our in-depth review of the shoes here, and read our breakdown of what the shoe experts at Heeluxe had to say about them here.

If you’re coming to pickleball from a sport other than tennis — such as basketball, softball or volleyball — you might be used to a shoe that comes much higher on the ankle than most pickleball or tennis shoes.

If that’s a style you’re used to and low-top shoes feel uncomfortable, or if you’ve had an ankle injury and want more support in that area, the DAPS Desi Mid pickleball shoes could be the perfect shoe for you.

As the name suggests, they’re a mid-top shoe that offers comfortable padding around the ankle and added support for even the hardest changes of direction.