When I first set up a pickleball net in the garden a couple of years ago, I grabbed a wiffle ball from the shed while the proper pickleballs were still in the post. The first few rallies were comical. The ball drifted sideways, bounced at odd angles, and basically refused to cooperate. After about ten minutes I gave up and waited for the right equipment.
The two balls look similar enough at a glance — round, plastic, full of holes. They are not remotely the same thing. Here is what actually separates them.
The hole pattern — the most visible difference
The first thing that separates the two balls is the hole arrangement.
A pickleball has holes distributed evenly across its entire surface — all the way round. USA Pickleball rules require between 26 and 40 circular holes depending on whether the ball is for indoor or outdoor play. Every hole is the same size, drilled at regular intervals across a perfectly spherical shell. Whichever way the ball is spinning when you hit it, the airflow is consistent.
A standard wiffle ball — the Wiffle Ball Inc. original from Connecticut, and most of its imitators — has holes on one side only. The other half is solid plastic. That is not a manufacturing shortcut; it is the entire point. The asymmetry creates drag on one side, which is what makes a wiffle ball curve and float. A pitcher can throw a ball that breaks hard just by adjusting their grip. Great for garden baseball. Hopeless for pickleball.
Hit a wiffle ball with a paddle and it goes wherever the airflow pushes it. In a sport built around consistent groundstrokes and precise dinking, that is not a minor inconvenience.
Weight — lighter than it looks
Wiffle balls are noticeably lighter than pickleballs.
A USAPA-approved pickleball must weigh between 22.1g and 26.5g. Outdoor pickleballs tend to sit toward the upper end of that range — around 26g — because the extra weight helps hold a straight line in outdoor conditions where a breeze is a factor. Indoor balls run closer to 22–24g.
A standard wiffle ball weighs around 14–20g depending on the manufacturer, with the original Wiffle Ball brand typically at the lighter end. That gap matters. A pickleball carries momentum through impact, bounces off a hard court surface with real energy, and gives you a consistent feel through the paddle face. A wiffle ball is just too light to do any of that — the paddle deflects it, air resistance slows it, and you end up with a soft, flat trajectory that dies quickly.
Outdoors it gets worse. A 14g wiffle ball in even a light UK garden breeze is practically ungovernable. A 26g outdoor pickleball holds its line through all but the worst crosswinds.
Size — similar but not the same
The two balls are close in size, which is partly why people assume one can sub for the other.
A pickleball must be between 73mm and 75mm in diameter, with a maximum out-of-round tolerance of ±0.51mm. That matters because even a slightly oval ball will kick sideways off a court surface. A standard wiffle ball sits at roughly 72–74mm — close enough that it looks comparable — but the one-sided hole pattern means the solid half and the holed half have different structural properties. The moulding tolerances are far looser than anything USAPA approves. So: similar diameter on paper, noticeably less spherical in practice.
Material and durability
Both are plastic. But squeeze each one and you will immediately feel the difference.
Pickleballs use a harder, thicker compound — typically a polyethylene or similar — that holds its shape under paddle impact and bounces reliably off hard court surfaces. Outdoor balls are harder still, built to take rough tarmac and macadam without being scoured away. Indoor balls use a slightly softer compound that flexes on impact for a lower, more controlled bounce off smooth gym floors.
Wiffle balls dent. Genuinely — you can compress one between your fingers without much effort. On a court surface that flexibility means the ball deforms on bounce rather than rebounding cleanly. It also means wiffle balls deteriorate fast under the kind of repeated hard impacts that pickleball involves.
Outdoor pickleballs crack in cold weather, which is already a known headache for UK players managing them through winter. But even a cracked pickleball has lasted longer under real play conditions than a wiffle ball would in the same session. The pickleball ball buying guide covers what to look for in terms of materials and durability.
Bounce — the most practical difference on court
Ask anyone who has tried a wiffle ball for pickleball and they will tell you the bounce is wrong.
A USAPA-approved pickleball must bounce between 76cm and 86cm when dropped from 198cm onto a granite surface at 24–27°C. That gives you a lively, consistent rebound — fast enough to keep the game sharp, controlled enough to make precise dinking possible. The entire game is calibrated around that bounce.
A wiffle ball absorbs impact rather than returning it. Drop one next to a pickleball from the same height onto a hard floor and you will see exactly what I mean — the wiffle ball lands flat and barely comes back, the pickleball springs up. On court, that means a wiffle ball rally dies in a few shots. You cannot drive or dink properly when the ball is not coming back off the floor with any energy.
For a proper comparison of how different ball types perform on different court surfaces, see indoor vs outdoor pickleball balls.
Can you actually use a wiffle ball for pickleball?
For a completely casual knockabout in the garden where nobody is keeping score and the net is approximate — yes, in a pinch. It will function as an object that can be hit. You will probably find it annoying within five minutes.
For anything else: no. The bounce is dead, the flight is unpredictable, and every shot feels like a minor lottery. If you are learning the game, playing in a club, or trying to build any consistency at all, a wiffle ball will work against you rather than with you.
A 3-pack of USAPA-approved outdoor pickleballs costs a few pounds on Amazon UK. Just buy the right ball. For recommendations across indoor and outdoor options, the best pickleball balls UK guide is the place to start.
Quick comparison
| Pickleball | Wiffle ball | |
|---|---|---|
| Holes | 26–40, evenly distributed around full surface | Holes on one side only |
| Weight | 22.1–26.5g | ~14–20g |
| Diameter | 73–75mm (tight tolerances) | ~72–74mm (loose tolerances) |
| Shape | Perfectly spherical | Slightly asymmetric |
| Plastic | Harder, thicker | Thinner, more flexible |
| Bounce | 76–86cm (regulated) | Flat, inconsistent |
| Flight | Stable and predictable | Drifts and curves by design |
| Wind resistance | Good (especially outdoor balls) | Poor |
| Designed for | Paddle/racquet court sport | Backyard baseball |
| USAPA approved | Yes (specific approved models) | No |
Frequently asked questions
Can you use a wiffle ball for pickleball?
Not really. It is too light, has holes on one side only, and barely bounces off a hard court. You can volley one back and forth in the garden but you will not be playing pickleball — you will just be hitting something vaguely ball-shaped until it annoys you enough to order the right equipment.
What are the main differences between a pickleball and a wiffle ball?
A pickleball has 26–40 holes distributed evenly across its whole surface, weighs 22–26g, and uses hard plastic built to bounce off a court. A wiffle ball has holes on one side only, weighs around 14–20g, uses thinner and more flexible plastic, and is designed to curve and float for backyard baseball. They look alike. They play completely differently.
Are pickleball and wiffle ball the same size?
Close. A pickleball must be 73–75mm in diameter within ±0.51mm tolerance. A wiffle ball is roughly 72–74mm but is less perfectly spherical because of the asymmetric hole pattern. The diameter is similar; the precision is not.
Why does pickleball use its own ball instead of a wiffle ball?
The game was invented using a wiffle ball in 1965, but players quickly moved to a purpose-built ball because the asymmetric design caused too many unpredictable shots. A proper pickleball has evenly spaced holes all the way round, heavier and harder plastic, and tight tolerances — all the things a wiffle ball lacks for serious paddle play.
