You’ve found a court you want to play at, and its Instagram says “book via the link in bio”. Then the next venue uses a different app, and your friend’s open play group is on a third one. Most of us end up with three or four booking apps on our phones, and each works a little differently.

This post walks through the ways Malaysians book pickleball, one by one: what each is, how booking works, what it costs, and where it’s limited. They’re listed in alphabetical order, with WhatsApp and venue websites at the end. None of them is “the best”, because the app you use is mostly decided by the venue you want.

The short version

Platform What it’s for Books a court? Joins a game? How you pay
AFA and PlaySportsTogether Venue booking plus sports groups Yes Yes In the app, including the AFA Pay e-wallet
Courtsite Booking courts at many venues Yes Some games and events FPX, card, e-wallets
GoodPlay Booking courts, clubs and tournaments Yes Yes In the app
Playbypoint One venue’s own courts and programmes Yes Yes, the venue’s own sessions Online, in the venue’s portal
Reclub Finding open play, socials and tournaments No Yes Usually paid to the host directly
Venue websites One venue’s courts Yes Sometimes Varies
WhatsApp Smaller venues and halls Yes Sometimes Bank transfer or e-wallet

All of the booking apps below are free to download or open. Court prices are set by the venue, not the app. For what courts actually cost, see how much pickleball costs in Malaysia.

AFA and PlaySportsTogether

What it is. AFA is a Malaysian sports community app run by Athletes For Athletes Solutions Sdn Bhd, listed on the App Store as “AFA: Meet People, Play Sports”. It combines venue booking with tools for organising games: create an activity, invite friends, manage RSVPs and split the venue fee. It lists more than 90 partner venues nationwide (App Store). PlaySportsTogether is its venue-booking website, titled “Sports Complex Booking By AFA” (PlaySportsTogether), and several Klang Valley pickleball venues have used it for bookings (TheSmartLocal, August 2025).

How booking works.

  1. Open the AFA app or the venue’s PlaySportsTogether page.
  2. Choose the date, time and court.
  3. Pay in the app. It has a built-in e-wallet, AFA Pay.
  4. If you’re organising a group, create an activity and share it so others can RSVP and pay their share.

Fees. The app is free. AFA’s terms say it won’t add costs to a booking automatically, but card or bank-transfer charges can be added, and splitting a payment may carry a fee that’s shown when you pay. Check the total at checkout.

Good for. Organisers who book for a regular group and want everyone to pay their share in one place. The app also has reward points for discounts on bookings.

Limits. AFA’s terms say refunds and cancellations follow each venue’s own terms, and that “in general, there are no refunds” for cancelled bookings. Where a refund is given, AFA may first offer it as points or vouchers, less processing costs, so read the venue’s rules before you pay. If you choose to pay with AFA Pay, it’s one more e-wallet to keep topped up.

Courtsite

What it is. Courtsite is a Malaysian booking platform for sports venues, covering badminton, futsal, pickleball and more (Courtsite). It’s a web app: you book through the website on your phone or computer, and you can add it to your home screen so it opens like an app. There’s nothing to install (Courtsite FAQ).

How booking works (Courtsite FAQ):

  1. Create a free Courtsite account.
  2. Search by sport, area and date, or by venue name.
  3. On the venue page, pick the date, start time, how long you want, and which court.
  4. Confirm your details and pay.
  5. You’ll get a confirmation email with a booking number. Show it at the counter when you arrive.

Payment. FPX online banking, Visa and Mastercard, Touch ’n Go eWallet, GrabPay, Boost and MCash (Courtsite FAQ).

Fees. The FAQ doesn’t list a booking or service fee. Some venues show their prices before 6% SST, so check the total before you pay.

Good for. Comparing several venues near you in one place, and seeing each venue’s opening hours, rate card and announcements, such as promotions. Courtsite also lists some social games and events, and you can extend a session from the app if the next slot is free. Its invoices can be downloaded for the year in one go.

Limits. Courtsite’s FAQ says it doesn’t allow refunds or cancellations of bookings. You can ask its customer service to postpone a booking, quoting your booking ID, with at least two days’ notice or as the venue’s policy allows. Some venues let you reschedule yourself from the app, and some don’t.

GoodPlay

What it is. GoodPlay is a court booking app run by Court Innovation Sdn Bhd, based in Petaling Jaya. Its website says you can find and book courts, confirm the session in the app, create clubs, invite friends and host tournaments. It also mentions a membership that covers courts on the platform (GoodPlay).

How booking works.

  1. Download GoodPlay from the App Store or Google Play and sign up.
  2. Find the venue and pick a court and time.
  3. Pay in the app and confirm the session.

Fees. GoodPlay’s website doesn’t publish fees or membership prices.

Good for. Players whose regular venue takes bookings through GoodPlay, and groups that want to run a club or a small tournament in the same app.

Limits. The website doesn’t list which venues use it. Its terms page returned a server error when we tried it in October 2026, so we couldn’t check the cancellation rules. Check both in the app before you rely on it.

Playbypoint

What it is. Playbypoint is a booking system that a venue sets up as its own portal, at an address like venuename.playbypoint.com. In Malaysia it’s used by venues such as Pickle Point in Sungai Penchala, KL (Pickle Point) and Pickle Social Club in Bukit Kiara (TheSmartLocal, August 2025).

How booking works.

  1. Open the venue’s Playbypoint page and sign up. Your account is with that venue.
  2. Book a court, or choose a programme such as open play, a beginner class or drills.
  3. Pay online in the portal.

Fees. Prices are the venue’s own. Some show separate member and non-member prices. At Pickle Point, a beginner open play session costs RM50 for non-members and RM40 for members.

Good for. Venues that run lots of programmes. You can see the session’s level, intensity, number of players and who has signed up before you book.

Limits. Each venue sets its own rules. At Pickle Point, cancelling a programme within 12 hours of the session means you’re charged in full. At The PxP Pickleball Club, courts can be booked up to 7 days ahead, and cancelling at least 24 hours before gets you a refund in club credit, not cash (PxP terms). Pickle Social Club opens each session for booking at 5am, eight days before (example). You’ll need a separate sign-up for each venue.

Reclub

What it is. Reclub is a free app for finding pickleball socials, round robins, leagues and tournaments, and joining them with one tap. It also tracks your match history (Reclub). Reclub doesn’t book courts itself. The host books the court, and you book a place in their session.

How joining works.

  1. Download Reclub and set up a profile.
  2. Browse sessions near you and open one to see the format, time, venue and the levels of players already confirmed.
  3. Tap to join. Many hosts approve players first, and you may be placed on a waitlist.
  4. Once the host approves you, pay as the listing says. Often that’s a Touch ’n Go or bank transfer straight to the host, with a screenshot posted in the session chat (example listing).
  5. Your status changes to confirmed.

Fees. The app is free. Reclub is paid for by ads and an optional “Supporter” subscription, and it doesn’t process session payments, so it takes no cut (Reclub terms, Reclub Help). Each host sets the price: player-run sessions we saw in Ipoh in May 2026 cost RM5 and RM15 per person for 3 hours.

Good for. Playing when you don’t have a group of four, and finding beginner-friendly sessions. Many clubs and coaches post their sessions here.

Limits. Payment and refunds are between you and the host, not Reclub, which says it can’t refund players or settle payment disputes. Hosts set their own cancellation rules, often no refund within 24 hours of the session. Reclub’s terms do ask hosts to pay any refund their own policy owes you within seven days, and give you a full refund if a host confirms you from the waitlist less than two hours before the start and you can’t make it.

Venue websites

Some venues take bookings on their own website, often through a general booking tool. Picks & Rec in PJ, for example, uses Bookeo, with a maximum of 3 hours per booking (Picks & Rec). PickleDepot in Sentul takes bookings through its own website (PickleDepot).

The steps are usually the same: choose a date and court, enter your details, and pay online. Check the venue’s own terms for cancellations, since each one is different.

WhatsApp

Smaller venues, community halls and some clubs still take bookings by WhatsApp. You message the number on their Instagram or Google listing, ask for a slot, and pay by bank transfer or e-wallet when they confirm.

It’s simple, and sometimes the only way to book a hall. The catch is that there’s no automatic record of your booking, so screenshot the confirmation. A 2025 guide to Johor Bahru courts also warned readers about scams that use fake WhatsApp booking numbers, and advised never sharing card details (TheSmartLocal). Only pay to an account named on the venue’s official page.

What about Playtomic?

Playtomic is a booking app used widely for padel. In Malaysia it’s mainly used by padel clubs (Malaysia4U), so you’re less likely to need it for pickleball here. In Singapore, a few large pickleball venues use it (see how to book a court in Singapore).

Tips that apply to every app

  • Check the cancellation rule before you pay. Many bookings can’t be refunded, only moved, and some can’t be moved either.
  • Check whether the price includes SST. A few venues add 6% at checkout.
  • Book off-peak if you can. Weekday daytime slots are cheaper and easier to get.
  • Screenshot your confirmation, especially for WhatsApp bookings.
  • Turn up 10 minutes early to check in. Your hour usually starts on time whether you’re on court or not.

If you’re new and don’t have a group yet, an open play session is the easiest first booking to make. Our guide to how open play works explains what to expect, and the Kuala Lumpur court guide lists which venues use which app.

Sources

Find a courtVenue guides with prices, booking and the catch at each
See all guides
  • Indoor pickleball courts in the Klang Valley, for heat and rainRead
  • Where to play pickleball in Cheras: 11 venues with pricesRead
  • Where to play pickleball in Ipoh: 11 venues with pricesRead
  • Where to play pickleball in Johor Bahru (including for Singaporeans)Read
  • Where to play pickleball in Kuala Lumpur: 20 venues with pricesRead
  • Where to play pickleball in Kuching: 7 venues, plus MiriRead