How they Stack-up
| Specification | Tennibot Partner V2 | Tennibot Partner Lite | Pongbot Aura |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | |||
| Price | $2,275 | $1,495 | $499 Kickstarter intro / $999 MSRP |
| Availability | |||
| Availability | Shipping now | Shipping now | Kickstarter — delivery dates not published |
| Mobility | |||
| Mobility | Autonomous movement with player tracking | Stationary | Stationary |
| Sports | |||
| Sports | Purpose-built for Tennis, Pickleball and Padel | Purpose-built for Tennis, Pickleball and Padel | Tennis, pickleball, padel (single frame) |
| Max Ball Speed | |||
| Max Ball Speed | 10–70 mph | 10–70 mph | ~62 mph (as advertised) |
| Ball Capacity | |||
| Ball Capacity | 140 padel balls | 140 padel balls | ~120 balls (as advertised) |
| Battery Life | |||
| Battery Life | Up to 5 hours | Up to 5 hours | Up to 5 hours (as advertised) |
| Battery Type | |||
| Battery Type | 10.5Ah Makita-compatible | 10.5Ah Makita-compatible | Proprietary swappable lithium, USB-C |
| Charge Time | |||
| Charge Time | 90 minutes | 90 minutes | Not clearly specified |
| AI Features | |||
| AI Features | Player tracking, court vision | Player tracking, court vision | 10 TOPS chip + 120fps dual-cam (as advertised) |
| App Control | |||
| App Control | Full mobile app (real-time control + drill customization) | Full mobile app (real-time control + drill customization) | Mobile app + LLM voice control (as advertised) |
| Weight | |||
| Weight | 35.4 lbs | 25 lbs | 15.4 lbs (7 kg) |
| Dimensions | |||
| Dimensions | 17.7″ x 22.6″ x 21.5″ | 15″ x 10″ x 19″ | Not Specified |
| Safety | |||
| Safety | Human detection sensors | Human detection sensors | No safety features specified |
| Guarantees | |||
| Guarantees | 60-day money back | 60-day money back | Kickstarter / early backer terms apply |
| Warranty | |||
| Warranty | 3 years | 3 years | Not clearly specified |
| Made in USA | |||
| Made in USA | Yes 🇺🇸 | Yes 🇺🇸 | No |
The Bottom Line
Pongbot Aura is an ambitious Kickstarter launch: one 7 kg frame that reconfigures for tennis, pickleball, and padel, with a "Spotter" AI camera module promising swing analysis, voice control, and pro-match replication at a $499 intro price.
But padel is a brand-new category for Pongbot, and the Aura has no padel-specific court mapping — it feeds pre-set patterns rather than reading the enclosed court. The Aura hasn't shipped and has no published delivery date. The Tennibot Partner maps padel court dimensions, moves autonomously to create realistic angles, and is available today.
Pongbot Aura is a bet on a promise. The Tennibot Partner is a padel trainer you can buy, ship, and use now.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does Pongbot Aura support padel?
Pongbot Aura advertises padel support through an adaptive wheel track that accommodates different ball sizes. However, padel is a brand-new category for Pongbot — their experience is in tennis machines. The product has not shipped as of May 2026, and padel-specific performance has not been independently verified.
How does the Pongbot Aura compare to the Tennibot Partner for padel?
The key differences are availability, mobility, and padel-specific intelligence. The Tennibot Partner moves autonomously on the court with AI-powered court mapping calibrated for padel dimensions — shipping now with a 3-year warranty. The Aura is stationary, which is a meaningful limitation in padel where wall-play and enclosed court angles demand varied shot placement. It also has no published shipping date.
Does the Pongbot Aura move on a padel court?
No. The Aura stays where you set it. The Tennibot Partner V2 moves autonomously, repositioning between shots to vary the angles padel is built around. If you want a machine that stays put, the Partner Lite does that at $1,495 and still maps the court and adapts placement with AI — which the Aura does not.
Is there a padel-specific ball machine available now?
Yes — the Tennibot Partner supports padel with AI-powered court mapping, autonomous movement, and adaptive shot placement calibrated for padel court dimensions. It ships now with a 60-day money-back guarantee and 3-year warranty. The Pongbot Aura is a Kickstarter product with no confirmed shipping date.
Should I wait for the Pongbot Aura or buy a Tennibot Partner V2 for padel?
If you want to train padel today, the Tennibot Partner is the choice: it ships now, moves on the court, and maps padel court dimensions with AI. The Pongbot Aura is a crowdfunded, first-generation, stationary machine with no confirmed delivery date. Even when it ships, its stationary design limits how well it can simulate real padel play.
Why does court movement matter so much for padel?
Padel is played in an enclosed court with glass walls, creating angles that depend heavily on where the ball originates. A machine that reads the court and varies its placement gives you far more of those angles than one firing a fixed pattern. Both Tennibot models map padel court dimensions with AI; the Partner V2 also moves between shots, so feeds arrive from genuinely different positions.
Sources
- Tennibot Partner V2 specs — tennibot.com/specs/partner-v2
- Pongbot Aura — Kickstarter campaign and pongbotsports.com/pages/pongbot-aura
- Full ball machine comparison — tennibot.com/compare
Pongbot Aura specs are based on Kickstarter campaign claims and manufacturer materials. Real-world performance and shipping timing may differ.