Comparison

DinkSmart vs Game Maker

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

DinkSmart

Connect with pickleball players, join or create groups, and organize games and court bookings. Discover new players based on playing style and find courts near you to play more pickleball.

Highlights
  • Discover players with PicklePersona™
  • Join or create #Groups
  • Organize games with match invites
  • Find pickleball courts with Venue Maps
  • Track RSVPs and fill open spots
Features
Read full description

Discover Players. Unlock Communities. Play More Pickleball. DinkSmart brings the entire pickleball world into one app—players, groups, games, and courts—so you spend less time organizing and more time playing. Discover Players Perfectly Suited for You Take the PicklePersona™ quiz to match with players based on playing style, vibe, and court chemistry—not just skill level. Create Match Invites + Send RSVPs Organize a match in seconds. Set the time, place, and players. Track RSVPs and fill open spots fast—no messy group texts. Join #Groups and Unlock Your Communities Find or create #Groups for leagues, open play, clubs, coaching or tight-knit friend crews. Send Blast announcements, engage in group conversations, plan matches, and stay organized in one place. Browse 12,000+ National Courts, Lightning Fast Discover nearby and nationwide pickleball courts with built-in Venue Maps. Start a game or plan a match instantly. DinkSmart helps you find new players + familiar faces—and get on the court.

About

Game Maker

Organize pickleball games, find nearby courts, and connect with players. Create custom game formats, manage groups, and communicate with other players.

Highlights
  • Find nearby games and courts
  • Connect with players by DUPR, age, gender
  • Create private groups and chat
  • Organize games with custom formats
  • Scramble, Round Robin, King of the Court modes
  • DUPR rating sessions
Features
Read full description

Game Maker is made for pickleball — the one app you open before, during, and after every session. Find courts and players near you, set up games in seconds, run brackets, track your DUPR rating, and stay connected with the people you play with. Whether you're organizing your regular doubles group or chasing your next rating bump, Game Maker keeps your whole pickleball life in one place. Meet Pickles AI Just ask. Say "set up a private game Saturday morning at 9am with my advanced players group" and Pickles AI — with voice dictation — turns it into a real, confirmable game inside the app. Organizing play has never been this fast. Your games, on your Calendar Every game you create syncs straight to your iPhone's Calendar, including recurring sessions — so your schedule lives where you already look. Find your game • Discover nearby courts and players on the map • Filter by distance to find games that fit • Host or join games and manage invites Play & compete • Build round-robin and tournament brackets • Record match scores • Head-to-head history and leaderboards Track your progress • Connect your DUPR rating • See 90-day performance trends and match insights • Follow your improvement over time Stay connected • Add friends and create groups • Message the players you play with • Game Maker player indicators so you know who's on the app Play anywhere — now in 24 languages Game Maker automatically matches your device language, or pick from 24 languages including English, Spanish, French, German, Italian, Portuguese, Arabic, Hindi, Bengali, Japanese, Korean, Chinese (Simplified & Traditional), Vietnamese, Indonesian, Thai, Turkish, and more. Download Game Maker and play more pickleball. By using Game Maker, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Privacy Policy: https://pickleball.com/privacy-policy Terms of Use: https://pickleball.com/terms-of-use

Screenshots

DinkSmart3 screens
Game Maker4 screens

Verdict

The call

The clearest difference is in-app purchases: DinkSmart at none against Game Maker's 4. DinkSmart also leads on ads (none vs shown). Game Maker's advantage is review sentiment (64% vs 56%). On price, rating, ratings volume and update cadence there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Game Maker sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $4.99 per month. DinkSmart asks for nothing beyond the download.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

On the App Store both sit at effectively the same score — 3.7 for DinkSmart against 3.8 for Game Maker. Both are backed by a comparable volume of ratings — 16 and 18 respectively. Written reviews are what separate them: 56% of DinkSmart's written reviews are positive against 64% of Game Maker's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

DinkSmart ships an update fortnightly, Game Maker every 8 days. Both last shipped on October 30, 2026.

Scorecard3 real differences · 7 level
DinkSmart versus Game Maker: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterDinkSmartGame Maker
PriceFreeFree
Rating3.7 (16 ratings)3.8 (18 ratings) — better
Positive reviews55.6% of reviews63.6% of reviews — better
Number of ratings1618 — better
Update frequencyFortnightlyEvery 8 days — better
AdsNo — betterYes
In-app purchasesNo — betterYes
MonetizationFreeFree
DevicesiPhone, iPodiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS15.115.1
Further details — not scored
Size137 MB152 MB
Age rating17+4+
DeveloperDINKSMART, INCPickleball TopCo LLC

Customer experience

DinkSmart

All ratings9 ratings
Positive100.0%
Neutral0.0%
Negative0.0%
Written reviews9 reviews
Positive55.6%
Neutral0.0%
Negative44.4%

Game Maker

All ratings18 ratings
Positive66.7%
Neutral5.6%
Negative27.8%
Written reviews11 reviews
Positive63.6%
Neutral9.1%
Negative27.3%

In-app purchases

None

DinkSmart

No in-app purchases

4 purchases

Game Maker

Subscriptions4
  • Monthly Access$4.991 Month
  • Pro Monthly Access$19.991 Month
  • Yearly Access$49.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Pro Annual Access$199.991 Year

Questions

Is DinkSmart free?
DinkSmart is free to download, with no in-app purchases.
Is Game Maker free?
Game Maker is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, DinkSmart or Game Maker?
Game Maker is rated higher. DinkSmart averages 3.7 out of 5 from 16 ratings, while Game Maker averages 3.8 from 18 ratings.
Do DinkSmart or Game Maker have ads?
Game Maker shows ads; DinkSmart does not.
Which is updated more often, DinkSmart or Game Maker?
DinkSmart ships an update fortnightly, and Game Maker every 8 days. Most recently, DinkSmart was updated on October 30, 2026 and Game Maker on October 30, 2026.

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