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The right swim paddles can enhance technique and boost power and strength, leading to faster swimming. Here is the ultimate guide to the top swim paddles for every kind of swimmer.
Swim paddles are one of the classic tools for helping swimmers get stronger and faster in the water.
Paddles increase the workload of the muscles used in swimming, particularly the lats, shoulders, and pecs. Paddles increase resistance, helping swimmers develop more power and strength in the water, leading to faster overall speed.
Choosing the best swim paddles for your swim workout used to be straightforward; grab the largest set you could find and get to work.
But now there are all sorts of swim paddles, from your classic power paddle to strapless paddles, anti-paddles, fingertip paddles, and more.
In this guide to the best paddles for swimmers, we’ll look at the top hand paddles for every kind of swimmer. Whether your goal is to improve your swim technique or become a stronger swimmer (or both), there is a set of paddles for you.
Let’s jump in.
Best Hand Paddles for Swimmers
Based on decades of national-level swimming and coaching, here are the best swim paddles for every kind of swimmer and goal:
- Speedo Power Plus Paddles – Best power paddles
- Sporti Power Swim Paddles – Best budget-friendly paddles
- FINIS Agility Paddles – Best paddles for improving technique
- Strokemaker Swim Paddles – Best old-school power paddles
- Arena Fingertip Paddles – Best fingertip swim paddles
- FINIS Manta Swim Paddle – Best strapless power paddles
Next, we will take a closer look at each hand paddle, detailing key pros and cons, compare the paddles against one another, and list some high-performance tips for choosing the perfect paddles for your goals in the water.
Speedo Power Plus Paddles
🥇 Best overall power paddles
The Speedo Power Plus Paddles are the top overall paddles for swimmers looking to improve strength and power in the pool.
The paddles have tons of strap placement options, rubber tubing that stays in place once inserted, an ergonomic shape that helps build stroke-specific power, and they are very durable.
Vents in the paddles allow for water pass-through and mimic water moving between the fingertips when swimming. The rubber straps are easy to position and won’t slide around when worn tightly (something other power paddles struggle with).
More advanced swimmers can remove the wrist straps to focus on a cleaner hand entry, and Speedo offers the paddles in four sizes, with each color representing a different size (blue is S, red is M, and so on).
- Note: The left/right indicators are small hands at the bottom of the paddles. Easy to miss if you aren’t looking for them.
Speedo is one of the top swim brands in the game, and these swim paddles lead the pack when it comes to comfort, swim-specific strength development, and durability.
| ✅ Reasons to Buy: | ❌ Things to Note: |
| Best paddles for building swimming power and strength | More expensive compared to the Sporti power paddles. |
| Vents for natural water pass-through | |
| Multiple strap placements | |
| Scalloped edges for a smoother pull pattern |
Sporti Power Paddles
⭐ Best value power paddles
The Sporti Power Paddles are a budget-friendly swim paddle perfect for swimmers who want to get stronger and faster in the pool.
The paddles come in three different sizes (for comparison, the large is the same size as the XL Speedo Power Plus), feature a dual strap design, and have a very similar ergonomic shape to the Speedo Power Plus paddles.
The Sporti Power Paddles have two distinct advantages over the Speedo paddles.
First, these paddles have a raised insert that supports the palm and creates a very slight “cupping” posture with your hands that can feel more natural compared to a flat hand position.
And secondly, the price point of the Sporti Power Paddles is nearly half of the Speedo Paddles.
But where the Sporti paddles come up a little bit short is with fewer vents and strap placement options, and in my testing, the rubber straps loosened and slid over time.
| ✅ Reasons to Buy: | ❌ Things to Note: |
| Best paddles for building swimming power and strength | More expensive compared to the Sporti power paddles. |
| Vents for natural water pass-through | |
| Multiple strap placements | |
| Scalloped edges for a smoother pull pattern |
FINIS Agility Paddles
⭐ Best swim paddles for improving technique
The FINIS Agility Paddles are sneakily innovative swim paddles that help swimmers develop more strength and upper body power while promoting better technique.
The first thing you’ll notice when looking at the FINIS Agility Paddles is they have no straps.
You slide your thumb into the small opening on the inside of the paddle, and you keep it on your hand by applying constant pressure against it.
This encourages a stronger, more efficient swim stroke, regardless of whether you are doing freestyle or any other stroke.
Part technique tool, part power development, the FINIS Agility Paddles are a killer tool for intermediate and advanced swimmers looking to clean up their stroke.
| ✅ Reasons to Buy: | ❌ Things to Note: |
| Strapless design means they will last quite literally forever | Beginners may find it frustrating to keep the paddles on the hand |
| Combo paddle for improving power and technique | |
| Can be used for all strokes | |
| Floats; no deep-pool diving if the paddle falls off mid-lap |
Strokemaker Swim Paddles
⭐ Best old-school power paddles
The Strokemaker Swim Paddles were the first swim paddles I used as an age group swimmer, and even though other power paddles have more features and better ergonomics, my nostalgia for them lands them as the top pick for best classic swim paddles.
The Strokemaker is a no-frills power paddle with lots of strap placement options, long-lasting plastic construction, four size options, and they are made in the United States.
The straps can be configured to use the finger and wrist or just the finger strap (excellent for promoting a clean hand entry).
Strokemaker paddles are also inexpensive, retailing for less than the Speedo and FINIS hand paddles. Swimmers will notice that compared to the other paddles in this list, the Strokemaker is very rigid, with no flex in the paddle.
For swimmers who want some of that old-school flavor in their swimming ears when using paddles, the Strokemaker is a great value option that is configurable to your goals in the water.
| ✅ Reasons to Buy: | ❌ Things to Note: |
| Classic power paddle for strength and power development | Stiff plastic that gives no flex |
| Multiple strap placement options | |
| Budget-friendly | |
| Four size options |
Arena Elite Fingertip Paddles
⭐ Best fingertip paddles
The Arena Elite Fingertip Paddles are the perfect swim paddles for swimmers looking to strengthen and improve the catch phase of all their swim strokes.
Unlike your standard power-focused swim paddle, fingertip paddles are small paddles that only cover your fingers, increasing the feel of the water at the top of the hand. This can help swimmers focus on an efficient catch and a stronger pull.
The Arena Elite Fingertip Paddles are the best of their kind, thanks to multiple color options and variable strap placement. The silicone straps (which last light-years longer compared to rubber or latex straps) can be positioned precisely to your specifications.
While it doesn’t provide the same power development benefits of traditional power paddles, the Arena Fingertip Paddles reduce excess strain on the shoulder and elbow joints, encourage an earlier “fingers down” entry into the catch, and can be used across all four strokes.
| ✅ Reasons to Buy: | ❌ Things to Note: |
| Best fingertip paddles for improving swim technique and feel for the water | Only one size option |
| Straps can be configured around the paddle for optimal fit | |
| Multiple color options | |
| Silicone straps that last forever |
FINIS Manta Power Paddles
⭐ Best strapless power paddles
The FINIS Manta Power Paddles are one of FINIS’ more recent paddle designs, building on the strapless Agility Paddle with a more power-focused paddle.
Like the Agility Paddles, the Manta requires swimmers to apply constant pressure against the water to keep the paddles from sliding off. This results in a cleaner hand entry, an earlier vertical arm, and no sliding or excess sculling of the hand during the pull.
The added surface area on the Manta Power Paddles makes it a strength and power paddle, perfect for building upper body strength and endurance.
While I really wanted to love the FINIS Manta Paddles and have them replace my usual go-to paddles with extended use, the knuckle on my middle finger got sore from pressing against the hard plastic of the paddle.
The FINIS Manta Paddles are priced at around $20, and the strapless design means that outside of losing them, you’ll never have to spend another cent on upkeep or worry about a strap breaking in the middle of a swim workout.
| ✅ Reasons to Buy: | ❌ Things to Note: |
| Strapless design; no more sliding, cracking or breaking rubber straps | May leave knuckle sore after extended use. |
| Vented for natural, swim-specific water pass-through | |
| Encourages continuous pressure against the water | |
| Priced competitively |
Other Swim Paddles We’ve Tested
Over the years, we’ve tested and evaluated every paddle in a pool’s equipment bin or at the bottom of a mesh swim bag.
Beyond the top options above, here are some other swim paddles we’ve used that didn’t make the cut:
Arena Elite Hand Paddle 2 – More of a technical swim paddle than a power paddle, the Arena Elite Hand Paddle 2 is designed to encourage a stronger vertical catch. We didn’t love the symmetrical design of the paddles and preferred Arena’s fingertip paddles for hitting the catch.
Speedo I.M. Tech Paddle – Speedo’s attempt at an “all stroke” paddle, the I.M. Tech paddles are a solid option for breaststrokers due to the slight curve to the midline at the top of the paddle, which can emphasize a stronger outward scull when doing breaststroke pull. You can get the same effect with the FINIS Agility Paddles.
Arena Flex Swim Paddles – Part drag tool, part power development, the Arena Flex Swim Paddles are a mesh-based design that tries to do too many things simultaneously.
Buyer’s Guide: How to Choose the Perfect Swim Paddle
Choosing the right swim paddles for your swimming goals is a lot easier once you understand the nuance in paddle design and fit.
Here are the key things to evaluate when sorting through the top paddles for swimming as they relate to your goals in the water:
Types of Paddle
There are two types of swim paddles: power paddles and technical paddles.
The most common, power paddles, are designed to improve swimming performance by increasing swim-specific strength and power. Power paddles exaggerate the hand’s surface area, increasing the stimulus of muscles responsible for pulling.
The Speedo Power Plus, Sporti Power Paddles, and the FINIS Manta Paddles are all examples of this traditional paddle type.
Technical paddles include finger-tip paddles and anti-paddles and are built to improve swimming technique.
Some paddles, such as the FINIS Agility Paddle, have some overlap, being a technical and power paddle.
Straps vs. Strapless
Straps keep swim paddles in place while swimming so that you can focus on cranking out maximum power. Look for paddles that allow you to position the straps for comfort.
Recently, some crafty designs, particularly by the innovative folks at FINIS, have changed the game with strapless swim paddles that foster a more consistent pressure against the water when swimming.
Beginner and intermediate swimmers should opt for paddles with both finger and wrist straps, progress to finger-only, and then to strapless swim paddles.
Paddle size
When choosing a paddle size, aim for a surface area that is 20-25% larger than your hand.
Swimmers who choose a paddle size 2-3x larger than their hands (I was that swimmer in my age group years, so no judgment here) risk excess shoulder and elbow strain. Overly large paddles also crash your stroke rate and make it very difficult to sprint or swim at higher velocities.
Choose a paddle size that is too small, and the muscle groups responsible for executing a strong pull don’t get the stimulus for growth and strength development.
Ergonomics
Swim paddles are admittedly simple forms of swim gear, but that doesn’t mean they are exempt from ergonomic features.
Swim paddles have evolved from a basic dinner plate design to more ergonomic shapes and profiles that more closely mimic the hand’s natural position in the water.
The Sports Power Paddles, for example, feature a raised palm that makes gripping the paddle a little easier. The Speedo Power Paddles have a scalloped edge on the exterior that promotes a smoother pull. And so on.
What are some alternatives to swim paddles?
Swim paddles increase speed and propulsion in the water. But what about hand “paddles” that do the opposite?
Hand-training devices like anti-paddles and drag mitts can also boost a swimmer’s feel for the water.
AquaVolo’s Sensory Mitts, ONEswim Resistance Gloves, and the StrokeMax Anti-paddle help swimmers sharpen their feel for the water by adding drag or reducing pulling surface area.
These alternatives can be a great way to improve your swimming by pairing the overspeed and power development from paddles with the heightened sensory input from anti-paddles and drag mitts.
Wrapping Things Up
Swim paddles are one of the most popular types of swim training gear for enhancing swim performance.
Paddles can be used in a multitude of ways to become a better swimmer, from strengthening your pull and catching more water to cleaning up a sloppy hand entry.
Choose the swim paddles that match your goals, your hand size, and take your swimming to the next level.
Happy swimming!
