DinkPro vs. Game Maker
Game Maker is Pickleball.com's app for finding courts, setting up games with friends and reporting results to DUPR. DinkPro is a free browser tool for running the session itself: check-in, a fair queue, court rotation, scores, standings and brackets. Here is how they compare, based on each one's own published details.
Side by side
| Feature | DinkPro | Game Maker |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free, every feature, no paid tier | Free core app; organized play needs Premium ($4.99 a month or $49.99 a year) or Pro ($19.99 a month or $199.99 a year), with a 30-day free trial |
| Platform | Any web browser (phone, tablet, desktop), installable as an app | Native iOS and Android apps |
| Login required | No login to run open play; optional accounts only for players who join Ranked | Pickleball.com account |
| Works offline | Yes, the whole session runs with no internet | Not stated on its site or store listing |
| Formats and rotation | 10 matchmaking modes with a live queue that refills each court as games finish, on up to 12 courts | Round Robin, Scramble, King of the Court and DUPR Rating Sessions (paid); Pro covers up to 64 players |
| Tournament brackets | Single or double elimination, 2 to 32 entries, optional round-robin group stage first | Round-robin and tournament brackets |
| Rating | Optional Ranked mode with the DinkPro Player Rating (DPR); one-tap DUPR CSV export for manual upload | Reports results to DUPR from inside the app, free |
| Finding courts and players | Not offered | Court map, invites, RSVPs, friends, groups and messaging |
| TV display | Big screen board in a second window on the computer running DinkPro (not a cast target or smart-TV app) | Not listed |
Where Game Maker is stronger
The social side and DUPR. Game Maker finds courts near you, sends invites, tracks who said yes, and has friends, groups and messaging. It reports recreational results straight to DUPR, where DinkPro only exports a CSV for manual upload. It is a native app on iOS and Android, backed by Pickleball.com.
Where DinkPro is different
Running a full session costs nothing in DinkPro, and the organizer never makes an account. It keeps working when the venue has no signal, because the whole session lives on the host's device. It is built for drop-in open play, where courts finish at different times: a fair queue calls the next game on each court as it opens, across 10 matchmaking modes. Players follow the live board on their phones, and the courts can go up on a TV.
Which one fits
Use Game Maker to organize games among friends and keep DUPR updated. Use DinkPro to run a busy open-play session or a bracket from one tablet, for free, without depending on the venue's wifi.
Try DinkPro freeCompared 23 October 2026. Check Game Maker for current details. Its facts here come from pickleballgamemaker.com, Pickleball.com and its App Store listing. Game Maker and Pickleball.com are trademarks of their respective owners; this page is an independent comparison, not affiliated with or endorsed by Pickleball.com.