Ooni is the biggest pizza oven brand on the planet and its popularity shows no signs of slowing down. Lots of people use the brand's name as a synonym for pizza oven and it can be hard to think of another oven that can compete with them.
However, Gozney has been in the business for about as long as Ooni has, and where Ooni makes some - let's face it - utilitarian, borderline ugly ovens, Gozney's bone-china appliances can elevate any outdoor kitchen, and they dominate our list of the best Ooni alternatives.
I've spent a big chunk of my career testing the best pizza ovens for years, so I know all about the benefits and drawbacks of both brands. While Ooni comes out on top, it's only really due to price, so it's still worth considering Gozney.
Ooni vs Gozney: which is best?
TLDR: Ooni is the winner. Ooni has a wider range of ovens, including an indoor oven and an extra-large oven which can bake two pizzas at once, which is breadth that Gozney can't match. To be brutally honest, I think Ooni is overpriced, but they're still much cheaper than Gozney. I also think Ooni pizza tastes slightly better, with better char, crust, and melted cheese, but the difference between the two brands is tiny.
However, I think Gozney's ovens look much better than Ooni's, which are all monochromatic black appliances. If you want something that looks great on a patio, I'd opt for a Gozney oven, but you're paying a premium for looks and little else.
Buy an Ooni if you:
- Want the very best pizza
- Want fast pizza
Buy a Gozney pizza oven if you:
- Want lots of bonus features
- Want something that looks great
Head-to-head
Winner: Ooni
The fairest comparison between the two brands is to take their two best ovens - the Ooni Karu 16 vs the Gozney Dome. On paper, they're very evenly matched.
They both make exceptionally good pizza, and both make it with both wood and gas. Our testers found that the Karu 16 makes slightly better pizza, with a better crust, but the difference between the two for flavor is negligible.
Both have digital thermometers, and both can cook pizzas incredibly quickly. The only significant technical difference is that the Dome has a meat thermometer, which the Karu does not, and the Karu has a door. It's an obvious point, but this makes it much more heat-efficient and means that in the long run it uses slightly less fuel.
The only real difference between the two pizza ovens is price. The Gozney Dome is $1200 more expensive than the Ooni Karu and I don't think you get a better oven for your money. I've just laid out that these ovens have very similar features, so you're not paying for anything extra except for the meat thermometer. The only improvement is that the Dome looks better, and I don't think good looks looks are worth $1200 extra.
Ooni vs Solo Stove: best gas pizza oven
Winner: Ooni
I've used both of these ovens several times, and I think it's a dead heat. Both make similar-sized pizzas at similar speeds, with some minor variations.
The Gozney, however, is slightly faster. The Koda 12 is still incredibly quick, making pizzas in just a minute, but I've seen some pizzas come out of a Gozney in 50 or 40 seconds. The Gozney has a built-in thermometer, which makes it easy to tell when it's reached the right temperature. There's also silicone covering the Gozney, so you're less likely to injure yourself if you brush against it, but it's still hot to touch, so it's not a huge difference.
However, the Roccbox takes longer to heat up than the Koda 12 - usually around half an hour or 40 minutes. It's also very heavy. I've seen it marketed as a 'portable' oven, and I don't think this is accurate. A Roccbox weighs 44lbs - if you go to the gym, you'll know that's roughly a plate. Sure, it's not the heaviest thing in the world, but imagine lugging a weightlifting plate around with you whenever you want a pizza.
It's also much more expensive than the Koda 12, coming in at $100 more. I can hardly separate the two for taste - I think the Ooni narrowly edges it and makes a better crust, but that's subjective. In the end, a Roccbox means that you're paying $100 for a thermometer and a 10-second shorter cooking time.
Which is best value?
Winner: Ooni
Ooni win on value. The Fyra 12 is the oven I recommend to the average user. It's cheap and you get all the fun of making homemade pizzas without spending a small fortune. Gozney's Arc oven is its second-cheapest offering after the Roccbox and it's hundreds of dollars more than the Fyra 12.
However, the Arc is an incredibly good pizza oven, packed with features that make it easy to use. The Fyra 12, on the other hand, has a steep learning curve. One of the first times I tried it was after a hike with friends, and it felt outdoors to come down off the hills and fire up a wood oven for smoky outdoor cooking.
However, if I were to use this oven all the time, I think I'd quickly become annoyed with the rigmarole of tending to the fire. The Arc has a digital thermometer with notifications when it reaches temperature, an extra-wide mouth to make it easy to maneuver your pizza, and you can control the temperature with a dial, rather than worrying about feeding the flames. If you want a good pizza oven for cheap, the Fyra 12 is easily the better choice, but it can be frustrating to master.
Pizza oven FAQ
Is everything included in an Ooni or a Gozney?
My biggest pet peeve about these brands is that they don't include essential equipment as standard. With both brands, you'll have to pay extra for a pizza peel so that you can load your pizza into the oven.
For more help with pizza ovens, check out my guide to how to clean a pizza oven, and what else you can cook in a pizza oven.
