Head-to-head comparisons
The best pizza oven brands, and what each one is actually betting on
Brands in this category are not interchangeable. Each has made a different bet about what a home pizza oven is for, and those bets are visible in the specifications they choose to publish.
The short answer
Ooni if you want choice, Gozney if you want stone. Ooni sells the widest range — gas, multi-fuel, electric, natural gas. Gozney sells fewer ovens with thicker floors and no electric or natural-gas option at all. Solo Stove and HALO are the only brands here that publish a BTU rating, Breville is the only one built for a kitchen counter, and no brand on this page publishes everything.
There is a more useful way to compare brands than counting ovens, and it is to look at which numbers each one is willing to put in writing. A maker that publishes stone thickness, chamber height and burner input has decided those are things you should be able to check. A maker that publishes only a peak temperature has decided the opposite. Across this category, the pattern is consistent enough to buy on.
The criterion we are using, stated first
We have not cooked on any of these ovens, so build quality, flame behavior and longevity are not things we can rank and we are not going to pretend otherwise. What we can do is compare what each brand publishes, what range it sells, and which buyer that combination suits — and every figure below links to where it came from.
That has one consequence worth being upfront about: a brand can look good here by being transparent and still build a worse oven than a competitor who publishes nothing. Transparency is a proxy, not a verdict.
Ooni — the range bet
Eight current ovens across three fuels, and the only brand on this page selling a natural-gas variant and an indoor electric oven. If you have not yet decided what kind of cook you are, Ooni is the brand that does not force you to.
What it publishes: stone thickness, weight, external dimensions, and for the Koda 2 line a low-temperature end as well as a peak — 320 F on the Koda 2 Pro, which is what makes an oven usable for something other than pizza. What it does not publish: any BTU input rating, for any oven it sells. Which Ooni to buy sorts the lineup.
Gozney — the stone bet
Four ovens, all propane, all built around a thicker floor than the equivalent Ooni. The Arc and Arc XL use a 0.8 in stone and a lateral burner along one side rather than across the back, which reduces the temperature gradient you have to turn against.
What it publishes: stone thickness and, unusually, internal chamber height — 6.8 in on both the Arc and the Arc XL, a figure most makers omit entirely and the one that decides whether thick-rimmed and pan bakes work. What it does not publish: BTU ratings for anything, and no external dimensions or stone thickness at all for the Roccbox. No natural gas, and Gozney states directly that the Roccbox cannot be converted.
HALO — the rotation bet
A much smaller presence in this category, and one genuinely different idea: the Versa 16's cordierite stone is motor-driven and turns 360 degrees under the pizza. That addresses the same problem Gozney's lateral burner addresses, from the other direction, and it removes the need to learn the turning technique at all.
What it publishes: 21,100 BTU total, split in HALO's own FAQ as 11,600 rear and 9,500 infrared — making HALO one of only two brands here with a published gas input. Also a five-year warranty, and a natural-gas conversion kit with a model number. What it does not publish: stone thickness, which is awkward given that stone thickness is the specification its rivals compete on. HALO's FAQ and its retail listings also disagree about which burner is which; the total is consistent, the split is not.
Solo Stove — the published-numbers bet
A narrow range, and the most useful published specification in the whole category: 15,000 BTU for the Pi Prime burner, plus up to 20 hours of runtime from a 20 lb cylinder. Those are the only published fuel-consumption figures any brand here offers, and they are the reason our running-cost and propane runtime arithmetic can be done honestly at all.
Solo Stove is also unusually honest about a weakness: the Pi Prime's own listing states a 90-second bake rather than the 60 seconds its competitors quote, and explains the wide mouth that causes it. Very few makers publish the slower number. 304 stainless throughout is the other differentiator, against powder-coated carbon steel elsewhere at the price.
Breville — the countertop bet
One oven, the Pizzaiolo, and a completely different premise: a 750 F appliance designed to sit in a kitchen. That is roughly 200 F below the outdoor ovens here and roughly 200 F above a domestic oven, and it is the trade you accept to cook pizza in February without going outside.
What it does not publish is striking for a kitchen appliance: no wattage, no weight and no stone thickness. On an indoor electric oven, wattage is the specification that decides whether your circuit can carry it, so its absence is the least convenient omission any brand on this page makes. Volt 2 vs Pizzaiolo compares the two indoor options directly.
Quick picks
Ranked for fit, not for hype. Every figure below is the maker’s own published number, and “n/p” means they do not publish it — which is itself worth knowing. Tap a row for the full write-up, or go straight to the listing.
| # | Oven | Best for | Max pizza | Weight | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Ooni Koda 16Still the most sensible first gas oven anyone buys. | The default first oven | 16" | 40.1 lb | $498.00 · Check on Amazon-23% |
| 2 |  Gozney Arc XLA lateral rolling flame and two-layer insulation around a 0.8 in stone. | Heat that survives a fourth pizza | 16" | 58.5 lb | $999.99 · Check on Amazon |
| 3 |  HALO Versa 16The only oven on this site whose stone turns itself, and the only gas oven here whose maker publishes a BTU rating. | Not having to turn the pizza | 16" | 43.54 lb | $449.00 · Check on Amazon-10% |
| 4 |  Solo Stove Pi PrimeA demi-dome over a cordierite stone, 304 stainless throughout, and — almost uniquely here — a published 15,000 BTU bu... | The one maker that publishes its burner rating | 12" | 30 lb | $399.99 · Check on Amazon |
| 5 |  Breville Pizzaiolo750 F and a manual mode that lets you choose which heating elements run. | Control over the individual elements | 12" | n/p | $999.95 · Check on Amazon |
Max pizza and weight are the makers’ published figures, sourced on each write-up below. Neither is a measurement we took, and no column here is a score — we have not cooked on these ovens and will not pretend otherwise.
Top pick · The default first oven
Ooni Koda 16 Propane Gas Pizza Oven
Ooni · Propane
Still the most sensible first gas oven anyone buys. 16 inches is the size where a 12-inch pizza stops feeling like a tight squeeze, and at 40 lb one person can carry it.
Published specification
- Max temperature
- 950 F (500 C), reached in about 20 minutes
- Stone
- 16 in cordierite, 0.6 in thick
- External size
- 25" L x 23.2" W x 14.7" H
- Weight
- 40.1 lb unboxed
- Fuel
- Propane, or a separate natural-gas version for a gas line
- Warranty
- 1 year standard, 5 years on registration with Ooni
- Gas input
- Ooni does not publish a BTU input rating for the Koda line
What it does well
- The 16 in stone is the real argument for this model over the 12 in ovens — a 12 in pizza sits inside it with room to turn, which is what actually stops a burnt edge
- One-piece body with folding legs: no assembly, and it is the largest oven here a single person carries comfortably
- There is a natural-gas variant, so a household with a gas line can stop buying cylinders entirely — rare in this category
What you give up
- 0.6 in stone stores less heat than the 0.8 in floors on the newer Koda 2 Pro and the Gozney Arc, so back-to-back bakes need a longer recovery pause
- Single burner across the back: no dual-zone control, so everything cooks at one temperature
- No door and no glass, so the heat you lose between launches is heat you re-earn with the flame
Buy it if
Someone buying their first serious outdoor oven who wants 16 in capacity and does not want to think about fuel beyond turning a dial.
Skip it if
Anyone who wants wood flavor, and anyone cooking two different things at once — that is the Koda 2 Pro or the Karu.
Where these numbers came from
Pick 2 · Heat that survives a fourth pizza
Gozney Arc XL Propane Outdoor Pizza Oven
Gozney · Propane
A lateral rolling flame and two-layer insulation around a 0.8 in stone. The Arc XL is the 16 in oven built around heat retention rather than around portability, and it shows on the fourth bake.
Published specification
- Max temperature
- 950 F (500 C)
- External size
- W 20.9" x D 24.8" x H 13.5"
- Internal size
- W 16.8" x D 20.3" x H 6.8"
- Weight
- 58.5 lb bare, 73 lb boxed
- Stone
- Removable 0.8 in (20 mm) cordierite
- Flame
- Lateral rolling gas flame, digital temperature gauge
- Warranty
- 1 year standard, 5 years on registration within 60 days
What it does well
- The lateral flame runs along the side rather than across the back, which is why the Arc needs fewer turns than a rear-burner oven of the same size
- Dense two-layer insulation plus a 0.8 in floor is the combination that holds temperature through consecutive launches
- 6.8 in of internal height is unusually generous — it is the reason thick-rim and pan styles work here
- No assembly, and the digital gauge means you are not guessing at stone temperature
What you give up
- Gozney does not publish a gas input rating either, so burner comparisons against Solo Stove's stated 15,000 BTU are impossible on paper
- 58.5 lb with no folding legs — it moves, but not casually
- Propane only; there is no natural-gas variant of the Arc
Buy it if
Anyone who cooks more than two pizzas in a sitting and is tired of waiting for the stone to come back.
Skip it if
Buyers who want wood flavor, or who need to pack the oven into a car.
Where these numbers came from
Pick 3 · Not having to turn the pizza
HALO Versa 16 Propane Gas Outdoor Pizza Oven
HALO · Propane
The only oven on this site whose stone turns itself, and the only gas oven here whose maker publishes a BTU rating. Both facts are unusual enough to be the reason to buy it.
Published specification
- Max temperature
- 950 F ambient, 750 F stone, in about 12 minutes
- Stone
- 16 in cordierite, motor-driven, rotates 360 degrees. Thickness not published
- Gas input
- 21,100 BTU total. HALO's own FAQ splits this as 11,600 BTU rear and 9,500 BTU infrared
- External size
- 22.44" W x 24.59" D x 14.84" H
- Weight
- 43.54 lb unboxed, 55.12 lb shipping
- Fuel
- Propane, 1 lb canisters or 20 lb tanks. Natural-gas conversion kit HZ-3001-A sold separately
- Stone motor
- 2 D-cell batteries (not included) or the supplied AC adapter
- Warranty
- Five years against defects; electrical components and paint 1 year
What it does well
- The stone rotates under its own motor, which removes the most common cause of a half-burnt home pizza without requiring you to learn the turning technique
- HALO publishes a BTU input rating. Ooni, Gozney and Bertello publish none for any oven, which makes this the only 16 in gas oven here whose burner can be compared on paper at all
- A second, lower infrared burner is aimed at the stone specifically, which is how the oven recovers heat between bakes without relying on a thick floor
- Natural-gas conversion is a published product with a model number rather than a workaround, which is rare outside Ooni
What you give up
- The stone thickness is not published, and that is the specification that normally predicts recovery between bakes. You are trusting the lower burner to do the job mass does elsewhere
- The rotation motor is a moving part in a 950 F appliance, and it needs either batteries or an outlet within reach of the patio. No other oven here has an electrical requirement
- HALO's own FAQ and its retail listings disagree about which burner is 11,600 BTU and which is 9,500. The 21,100 total is consistent; the split is not
- At 43.54 lb it is heavier than an Ooni Koda 16 and has no folding legs, so it is a lift rather than a carry
Buy it if
Someone who wants a 16 in oven and does not want to stand over it turning a pizza every 20 seconds. Particularly a first buyer, or anyone cooking while also hosting.
Skip it if
Anyone chasing the thickest possible stone for back-to-back bakes, or anyone who wants an oven with no electrics in it at all.
Where these numbers came from
Pick 4 · The one maker that publishes its burner rating
Solo Stove Pi Prime Propane Pizza Oven
Solo Stove · Propane
A demi-dome over a cordierite stone, 304 stainless throughout, and — almost uniquely here — a published 15,000 BTU burner and a published 20-hour runtime on a 20 lb cylinder.
Published specification
- Max temperature
- 950 F; about 15 minutes to preheat
- Bake time
- Listing states 90 seconds, not 60
- Opening
- 13 in wide
- Body
- 20.5 in wide x 15.5 in tall, 304 stainless steel
- Weight
- About 30 lb
- Burner
- 15,000 BTU
- Fuel runtime
- Up to 20 hours on high from a 20 lb LPG cylinder
What it does well
- Solo Stove publishes both a BTU figure and a tank runtime. Almost nobody else in this category does, and it is the reason our propane runtime guide can use real arithmetic
- The demi-dome pushes heat back down onto the pizza rather than out the front — a genuinely different shape from the flat-top Kodas
- 304 stainless rather than powder-coated carbon steel: the better material for something that lives outdoors
- About 30 lb, so it stays in the carry-it-yourself class
What you give up
- The listing's own claim is a 90-second bake, not 60. That is an honest number and it is also a slower oven
- 13 in opening means 12 in pizzas, and the stone thickness is not published
- Propane only, and the wide mouth that makes turning easy also loses heat faster on a cold evening
Buy it if
The buyer who wants to compare burners on paper before buying, and who values a stainless body outdoors.
Skip it if
Anyone who has decided 16 in is the minimum.
Where these numbers came from
Pick 5 · Control over the individual elements
Breville Smart Oven Pizzaiolo (BPZ820BSS)
Breville · Electric
750 F and a manual mode that lets you choose which heating elements run. It is the only indoor oven here that lets you deliberately char the base without cooking the toppings past done.
Published specification
- Max temperature
- 750 F
- Max pizza
- 12 in
- Presets
- Wood Fired, New York, Pan, Thin & Crispy, Frozen
- Manual mode
- Choose Crust Only (charred base) or Even Heat
- Control
- Element IQ element-by-element heat management
- Door
- Double-pane heat-resistant window, insulated chamber
- Included
- Pizza peel and pizza pan
What it does well
- Independent element control is the feature no other indoor oven offers, and it is the direct fix for a base that browns before the top does
- Named presets for New York and pan styles, not just a temperature dial — the styles most home cooks actually make
- A peel and a pan are in the box
- Insulation good enough that the kitchen does not heat up around it
What you give up
- 750 F is 100 F below the Volt 2 and 200 F below every outdoor gas oven here. Neapolitan is genuinely out of range
- Breville does not publish a stone thickness or unit weight in the listing specification
- The wattage is not stated on the listing either, so you cannot check its circuit draw on paper the way you can with the Volt 2
Buy it if
The indoor cook who makes New York and pan pizza and wants deliberate control over browning.
Skip it if
A Neapolitan target, or anyone who needs to know the amperage before buying.
Where these numbers came from
Two brands with a caveat
Bertello made the Grande, which publishes 900 F against the 950 F of its gas rivals, and offered a separate natural-gas burner for it. It published neither weight nor stone thickness. It is off the picks above for a simpler reason: no Bertello oven is currently sold on Amazon (checked 2026-09-16), and Bertello's own store lists its new SimulFIRE 16 in Rotating model only on pre-order. We do not point buyers at something they cannot buy. The Grande review stays up as a record.
Ninja sells the Woodfire, a 700 F multi-function outdoor electric oven that adds smoke with half a cup of pellets. It is the lowest peak temperature here and the most versatile box, and it is the one oven on this site for which pellets are the correct fuel rather than a mistake. The listing we linked went unavailable on 2026-09-13; a live listing for the same OO101 oven was confirmed on 2026-09-16, and SharkNinja publishes it at 1,700 W. The Woodfire review has the detail.
Which brand, for which buyer
- Undecided, or want the option to change your mind later — Ooni. Nobody else sells you gas, wood and electric from one lineup.
- Cooking several pizzas in a row for people — Gozney. The 0.8 in stone and the published chamber height are aimed squarely at that.
- Do not want to learn to turn a pizza — HALO. The stone does it.
- Want to budget the fuel before you buy — Solo Stove. It is the only brand that gives you the numbers to do the arithmetic.
- The oven has to live indoors — Breville or Ooni's Volt line. Nobody else here sells an indoor oven at all.
How these picks were made
We did not cook on these ovens. Every figure on this page is the maker’s or the listing’s published specification, cited on each write-up so you can check it in one click. The ranking comes from matching those published capabilities to a stated use case — space, pizza size, fuel, and how many pizzas you cook in a row. Where a maker does not publish a number, we say so instead of estimating one.
The full version of that argument, including what we deliberately do not claim, is on our methodology page.
Questions people actually ask
+Which pizza oven brand is the best?
+Is Gozney better than Ooni?
+Which pizza oven brands publish a BTU rating?
+Are cheaper pizza oven brands worth buying?
+Does any brand make a natural gas pizza oven?
Sources for this page
