Pickleball brackets are an element of almost every pickleball tournament. They are usually set up by the pickleball tournament directors and put on display so that everyone can see who the matchups are going to be.
If you are a tournament director or are just looking to host a tournament among friends and family, we have found the best resources and software to help you out.
Take a look at this comparison between the top contenders and decide which is best for you!
Best Pickleball Tournament Software
There are a few pickleball tournament software that is widely used, so let’s see how they stack up with one another.
Pickleballbrackets.com
PickleballBrackets.com is a web-based program for organizing pickleball tournaments, clubs, leagues, and more. It is completely customizable and works on all devices, browsers, and operating systems so that you can have it on the go on your phone or right on your desktop. They are also releasing an app on the Apple and Google app stores soon, which will make it even easier to use courtside at events.
Some of the features include high-level security, simple account setups, unlimited managers, one login for managers who are also players, various permissions for different profiles, notifications, reports, ratings, and more! The long list of features that Pickleballbrackets.com has is one of the reasons it is very popular in the pickleball community.
When it comes to pricing, there are fees for all of the convenient features Pickleballbrackets.com provides. The pricing structure is divided into tournament pricing, league pricing, and club rating pricing.
Tournament pricing is probably the most important to point out because not only is it the most expensive, but it is likely what you’ll need to know in order to consider building a pickleball bracket for your next tournament.
Their tournament pricing starts with a $25.00 setup fee, plus there is a $2.00 service fee per registrant. The registrant service fee can either be paid by the players themselves or by the organizer.
There is also a helpful calculator on the pricing page that allows you to calculate the total.
Pickleballtournaments.com
Pickleballtournaments.com has been one of the leaders in the pickleball community in terms of tournament software for over a decade. From small tournaments to some of the largest sanctioned tournaments in the world, Pickleballtournaments.com is widely used.
You can create your own tournament with their EZ Setup. The EZ Setup pages will initially create a standard tournament with one age, venue, and skill level. Once the tournament is created, all of the parameters can be changed to fit your needs for your event.
Tournaments can be highly customized as they have a fully featured software that includes things such as registering players into other events like meals and volunteer opportunities, a day planner to forecast a daily schedule, create waitlists, check-in players, handle court assignments, record game results, generate brackets, and include results into rating calculations among other things.
However, you can do more than just create a tournament with Pickleballtournaments.com. They offer additional services such as marketing and advertising support, staffing assistance, consulting, onsite planner amenities and tournament balls, resource referrals, and more.
Of course, their fees are dependent on which of their services you use, but to use just the software for making brackets and running your tournament costs $3 per player. For tournaments that are sanctioned, they offer a 50% discount. There is also a $20 tournament creation fee, but it is credited back after the completion of the tournament.
instantLIGA
instantLIGA is a free app available on the Apple and Google Play stores that allows you to create and manage tournaments.
Create all kinds of different brackets, manage multiple courts, and more. You can also keep up with current standings from anywhere.
One of the main features that people love is that this app can generate a match schedule on your behalf, including the distribution of courts, breaks for players, and of course, the brackets.
The best part of instantLIGA is that though it may not have the fanciest features out of all of the software, it is the only one that is completely free to use!
Setting up Your Own Pickleball Brackets
If you want to set up your own pickleball brackets without using software, there are other ways to do it by hand or with printable resources. Creating your own pickleball brackets rather than using the software can be more tedious, but it can also be cheaper and more customizable logistically.
Pickleball Bracket Printable Resources
Though you can often find templates on Facebook or within the pickleball community that will account for games played in a variety of different tournaments, there are also some excellent printable resources from websites that specialize in sports tournament brackets. Two good ones are Erasable Tournament Brackets and Printyourbrackets.com.
Pickleball Round Robin Brackets Creators
Round robin brackets are for tournaments with a small number of teams– usually six or fewer. In round-robin brackets, each team plays each other at least once. Many of the resources we have discussed offer the option to create round-robin brackets.
Get To Planning Your Pickleball Tournaments
With these resources, whether you just print out a bracket or you use one of the featured software, planning your next tournament just got easier. Gather a group of friends or host a tournament at your local pickleball club and see just what these resources can do.
Need a bracket for a tournament.
PickleballBrackets or PickleballTournaments would be a good choice to create a custom bracket for your tournament.