So you just downloaded PADLR. Now what?
You are staring at a fresh install on your iPhone, maybe between games at your local club, maybe on the couch after watching yet another Premier Padel highlight reel. Either way, you have heard that PADLR. is the padel app that actually gets your rating right, and you want in.
Good call. But before you tap a single button, let us walk you through everything, from your first onboarding screen to logging your first match, finding your friends, and understanding what makes PADLR. different from every other padel tracking app on the market.
This is the guide we wish someone had handed us on day one.
Why PADLR. Exists (and Why You Should Care)
If you have played padel for more than a few months, you have probably tried at least one other padel app. Maybe you used Playtomic to book courts. Maybe you tried Padel Mates or Padel Manager to track your progress. And maybe, like a lot of players, you found the rating systems frustrating, inaccurate, or both.
PADLR. was built from the ground up to solve that problem. It uses a Bayesian rating engine called OpenSkill that actually learns how good you are based on who you play and whether you win or lose. A short four-question quiz gives you a starting estimate; from then on, only real match results move your rating. Just maths that gets smarter with every match you log.
Your PADLR. rating lives on a 0 to 7 scale, and it starts from the moment you complete onboarding. That is why the choices you make in the next five minutes genuinely matter.
Let us walk through them.
Step-by-Step: PADLR. Onboarding in 5 Minutes
First, sign in with Apple, Google or email. By continuing, you agree to our Terms and EULA, and confirm you have read our Privacy Policy. Then you will move through five quick setup screens. Each one takes about 30 seconds, and every choice feeds directly into how the app works for you. Here is what to expect.
Step 1: About You
Your name, your @handle, your gender (optional) and your date of birth. PADLR. is for players aged 16 and over, and your date of birth confirms that.
Step 2: Let's Find Your Level
This is the most important screen in the whole of PADLR., so take a breath before you tap.
Answer four quick questions:
- Serves and rallies: Still learning to keep the ball in play, steady and reliable, or serving with placement and spin?
- Back-wall play: Do balls off the back glass still catch you out, or do you use the walls tactically?
- Overheads: How are your bandejas, víboras and smashes?
- Your matches: Mostly social games, competitive club games, or tournaments and leagues?
PADLR. then shows your estimated level (Total beginner, Beginner, Intermediate, Club player, Advanced or Elite) with a rough number out of 7.0 and a "New rating" tag. It settles over your first matches. The quiz is deliberately cautious and tops out at 5.0. Already know your level? Tap "I know my level" and set it on the slider.
Why this matters so much: Your answers seed your initial PADLR. rating. PADLR. treats the quiz as a starting point only. The algorithm then adjusts your rating up or down with every real match result. So even if you are slightly off in your self-assessment, the system corrects itself. Your first five rated matches are provisional, and a first match moves your rating about 0.3.
Pro tip: Be honest. It is tempting to bump yourself up a level, but an inflated starting point means the algorithm has to work harder to find your true level, and you might get matched against players who are genuinely above your current ability in the meantime.
Step 3: Set Your Location and Club
PADLR. will ask for your country and city. This is what powers the leaderboard system: you will be ranked globally, by country, in your local area, at your club and among friends. If you play at a specific club, you can set that here too.
This step is quick, but it unlocks one of PADLR.'s best features: seeing exactly where you stand compared to players in your area. Not just a global number. Your area. Your club. Your circle.
PADLR. is available in Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK, Uruguay, and the US at launch, with more countries on the way.
Step 4: Find Your Friends
PADLR. can check which of your contacts are already playing. This is optional, but highly recommended. Following friends unlocks the Friends leaderboard (easily the most addictive one) and fills your social feed with match results, celebrations, and activity from people you actually know.
It matches email addresses and phone numbers, hashed on your phone before they're sent. With the find-me switch on, PADLR keeps the hashes so it can tell you when a contact joins; switch it off and they're deleted.
Step 5: You're All Set
Choose whether you'd like product updates by email, allow notifications so you never miss a game, and you are in.
Later, add your dominant hand and preferred side (left or right) in Edit Profile. These details show up on your player profile, and your side powers your position stats. Think of it as your padel business card.
You Are In. Now What?
The onboarding is done. You are looking at the PADLR. home screen with five tabs across the bottom: Feed, Discover, Matches, Rankings, and Profile. The Matches tab in the middle is about to become your best friend.
But before you log anything, here is the priority order for your first session.
First: Log Your First Match
Open Matches, tap New Match, then Log a Match (or use the Log a Match shortcut on your Feed). PADLR. lets you log a completed match in under 30 seconds. You will enter:
- Who played (search by name, or add a guest for friendly matches)
- The score (set by set)
- The date
That is it. Once one of your opponents confirms (or 48 hours pass), the rating engine updates everyone's rating. Your 0-7 rating will shift based on the result, the margin, and the strength of the opponents you faced. Only competitive matches are rated. Friendlies are just for fun.
This is where PADLR. pulls ahead of every other padel tracking app. Most competitors either do not have a rating system at all, or they use static formulas that barely move. PADLR.'s Bayesian engine accounts for score margins, opponent strength, upsets and even periods of inactivity. After every rated match, "Why your level moved" shows you exactly what happened.
If you do not have a match to log yet, that is fine. Skip ahead and come back after your next session.
Second: Follow Friends and Rivals
Head to the Discover tab. This is where you find other PADLR. players: people near you, or anyone whose name you know. Follow them. The more connections you build, the richer your experience becomes. Their matches show up in your feed. Their ratings appear on your Friends leaderboard. And you can message players who follow you back.
Third: Explore the Feed
The Feed tab is your social hub. You will see match results, celebration cards for badges and milestones, and activity from the people you follow. You can like and comment on posts, congratulate someone on a streak, or give a friend grief for a loss. It is the social layer that most padel apps completely ignore.
Fourth: Check the Rankings
Open the Rankings tab and flick between the five boards:
- Friends: The one that starts arguments at brunch.
- Club: Your home club.
- Local: The local competition.
- Country: Your national ranking.
- Global: Where you stand across every launch country.
Each board has three views: Activity, Rating and Risers. You will appear on the boards after your first five competitive matches. Watching your name climb, or fighting to hold your spot, is one of the most motivating parts of PADLR.
Fifth: Visit Your Profile
The Profile tab is your padel identity. It shows your current rating, match history, win/loss record, and any badges you have earned. PADLR. has four tiers of badge rarity, from Bronze to Platinum, and they unlock as you hit milestones: your first competitive win, five wins in a row, playing in three different cities, and more. Some are easy. Some will take months. All of them are worth chasing.
Features You Will Discover Along the Way
We are not going to spoil everything here, but a few things you will stumble into as you keep using PADLR.:
- Match booking: Organise your next game directly in the app, with an automatic group chat for every booked match. No more group chat chaos.
- Score margin impact: A 6-0 6-0 win moves your rating differently than a 7-6 7-6 win. PADLR.'s engine understands the difference.
- Streak tracking: The app tracks your winning and losing runs, and long streaks unlock badges.
- Pro subscription: Unlocks advanced stats, full match history, up to 20 match alerts (free accounts get one) and an ad-free app.
- Notifications: Match reminders, rating updates, and social activity so you never miss what matters.
The deeper you go, the more PADLR. reveals. It is designed to grow with you, whether you are logging your third-ever match or your three-hundredth.
PADLR. vs. the Competition: The Honest Version
You might be wondering how PADLR. stacks up against what is already out there. Here is the short version:
- Playtomic is built around court booking, with a level system alongside it. PADLR. is built the other way round: the rating comes first. For a detailed, sourced comparison, read PADLR. vs Playtomic.
- Padel Mates and Padel Manager focus on tracking and organising games. PADLR. adds a Bayesian rating engine, a social feed and five leaderboard boards on top.
- PADLR. combines a Bayesian rating system, a social feed, five leaderboard boards, badges, match booking, and an interface designed specifically for how padel players actually think about their game. It is not trying to be a booking platform that bolted on a rating. It is a rating and social platform built for padel from day one.
Quick Recap: Your First-Session Checklist
Before you close this guide and get back to the app, here is what to remember:
- Be honest in the skill quiz. It seeds your rating, and the algorithm will correct from there. Accuracy up front means faster calibration.
- Log matches consistently. The more data the engine has, the more precise your rating becomes. Every competitive match counts.
- Follow your friends early. The Friends leaderboard and social feed are dramatically better with connections.
- Check your local leaderboard. It is the fastest way to understand where you sit locally and find players near your level.
- Explore badges. They give you goals beyond just winning, and some of the Gold and Platinum ones are genuinely hard to earn.
- Do not stress about your initial rating. It is a starting point, not a verdict. Five matches in, it will already be adjusting to reflect your real level.
PADLR. launches on iPhone in November 2026 across Argentina, Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Chile, Colombia, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Kuwait, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, the UAE, the UK, Uruguay, and the US. Download it, run through the setup, and log your first match. Your rating story starts on launch day.
Questions or feedback? Reach out to the team at rebellionlabsofficial@gmail.com.
PADLR. is built by Rebel Lion Labs.