Quick Answer: Ooni vs Solo Stove comes down to range versus simplicity. Ooni makes the widest lineup at competitive prices — gas (Koda), multi-fuel (Karu), pellet (Fyra), and electric (Volt) ovens from around $349, including 16-inch models — and is the world’s best-selling pizza oven brand. Solo Stove keeps it to two striking, well-priced ovens: the gas-only Pi Prime ($349.99) and the dual-fuel Pi (~$399). Both brands’ gas ovens reach roughly 900-950°F and bake a pizza in 60-90 seconds, so the crust is nearly identical. Buy Ooni for choice, bigger pizzas, and fuel options; buy Solo Stove for a simpler decision and a beautiful design. If you’re weighing the wood-fired route, our best wood fired pizza oven guide ranks the multi-fuel picks from both.
Ooni and Solo Stove are two of the biggest names in backyard pizza, and plenty of first-time buyers cross-shop them. The good news: there’s no wrong answer — both make ovens that pull proper 90-second, leoparded crust. The real question is whether you want Ooni’s sprawling catalog or Solo Stove’s edited, two-oven lineup. After firing the gas models side by side, here’s how the brands actually differ.
Ooni vs Solo Stove by the numbers
- ~950°F vs ~900°F: the peak temperature of the flagship gas ovens — the Ooni Koda 12 hits about 950°F after roughly 15 minutes of preheat, while the Solo Stove Pi Prime reaches around 900°F in a similar time, per each brand and hands-on testing by GearJunkie and Taste of Home.
- ~60 vs ~90 seconds: the bake time for a 12-inch pizza at full heat — the Koda 12 cooks in about 60 seconds, the Pi Prime in about 90, per reviewers. Both clear the roughly 905°F floor the AVPN (Associazione Verace Pizza Napoletana) associates with true Neapolitan pizza, so both make authentic-style pies.
- $349.99 vs ~$399: the Solo Stove Pi Prime’s launch price against the Ooni Koda 12’s typical price — nearly a wash at entry level, per each brand’s 2026 pricing.
- 13″ vs up to 24″: the cooking-stone gap — every Solo Stove oven uses a 13-inch stone (so a ~12-inch pizza max), while Ooni spans 12, 16, and even a 24-inch deck on the Koda 2 Max, per Ooni. Solo Stove makes no 16-inch oven.
- 2 vs a dozen-plus: the size of each catalog — Solo Stove sells two pizza ovens (Pi Prime, Pi); Ooni sells a dozen-plus across gas, wood, pellet, and electric, having launched the portable-oven category in 2012.
Ooni vs Solo Stove at a glance
| Ooni | Solo Stove | |
|---|---|---|
| Lineup | Widest — Koda, Karu, Fyra, Volt (gas, wood, pellet, electric) | Two ovens — Pi Prime (gas), Pi (dual-fuel) |
| Entry price | ~$349 (Fyra 12) / ~$399 (Koda 12) | $349.99 (Pi Prime) |
| Max temperature | ~950°F (Koda) | ~900°F (Pi Prime) |
| Bake time (12") | ~60 seconds | ~90 seconds |
| Cooking stone | 12", 16", up to 24" (Koda 2 Max) | 13" only (max ~12" pizza) |
| Fuel options | Gas, wood, pellet, electric | Gas (Pi Prime); wood + optional gas (Pi) |
| Best for | Choice, bigger pizzas, any fuel | Simple decision, standout design |
| Flagship | Karu 16 multi-fuel (~$799) | Pi (dual-fuel, ~$399) |
The brands in one line each
Ooni launched in 2012 and, by its own account, is the world’s best-selling pizza oven brand. Its strategy is breadth: whatever fuel you want — gas, wood, pellets, or a plug-in electric for indoors — there’s an Ooni for it, usually at a competitive price. That range is why Ooni dominates our best outdoor pizza oven and best portable pizza oven guides.
Solo Stove built its name on smokeless fire pits, then brought that clean, sculptural design language to pizza with the Pi and Pi Prime. It’s a deliberately tiny lineup — two ovens, both around a 13-inch stone — aimed at buyers who’d rather not wade through a dozen models. See our full Solo Stove pizza oven review for the details.
Heat and bake quality: a near tie
This is the part buyers worry about most, and it’s the smallest real difference. The Ooni Koda 12 reaches about 950°F and bakes a 12-inch pizza in roughly 60 seconds, while the Solo Stove Pi Prime hits about 900°F and bakes in around 90 seconds, per hands-on reviews from GearJunkie, Taste of Home, and Oven Obsession. Both clear the AVPN’s ~905°F Neapolitan bar, so side by side you’d struggle to tell a Koda pie from a Pi Prime pie by taste.
The Koda 12’s slightly higher ceiling and faster bake come from its burner tuning; the Pi Prime counters with Solo Stove’s signature demi-dome shape and a large viewing opening that makes launching and turning easy. For one or two weekend pizzas the difference is negligible — both are dramatically hotter than a home kitchen oven, which the U.S. Department of Energy pegs at a ~550°F maximum.
Ooni Koda 12 (Gas)
- Reaches ~950°F and bakes a 12" pizza in about 60 seconds.
- Instant gas ignition — no fire to build; ready in ~15 minutes.
- Lightest way into the huge Ooni ecosystem of ovens and accessories.
Solo Stove Pi Prime (Gas)
- Reaches ~900°F; bakes a Neapolitan pizza in about 90 seconds.
- Sculptural demi-dome design with a wide, easy-to-use opening.
- Propane-only and dead simple — a great no-fuss first oven.
Lineup: Ooni gives you far more ways to cook
If you already know which fuel you want, Ooni almost always has a model for it. Its multi-fuel Karu line burns wood and charcoal out of the box and takes a bolt-on gas burner, making it our top dual fuel pizza oven pick; the Fyra is a budget pellet oven from ~$349; the Volt 12 is a plug-in electric for indoor use, which anchors our best indoor pizza oven guide; and the Koda 16 steps up to 16-inch pizzas.
Solo Stove keeps it to two. The Pi Prime is propane-only for set-and-forget gas cooking. The original Pi is dual-fuel — it burns wood out of the box (that’s the one to put against the Ooni Karu) and takes an optional ~$130 gas burner. Both share the same 13-inch stone, so neither can bake a 16-inch pie. If a bigger pizza matters, that alone points you to Ooni.
| If you want… | Ooni pick | Solo Stove pick |
|---|---|---|
| Cheapest way in | Fyra 12 pellet (~$349) | Pi Prime (~$350) |
| Simple gas | Koda 12 / Koda 16 | Pi Prime |
| Wood-fired flavor | Karu 12 / Karu 16 | Pi (dual-fuel) |
| 16-inch pizzas | Koda 16 / Karu 16 | — (none) |
| Indoor / electric | Volt 12 | — (none) |
Price and value
At entry level the two brands are nearly matched: the Solo Stove Pi Prime launched at $349.99 and the Ooni Koda 12 runs around $399. Where Ooni pulls ahead is the spread — a ~$349 pellet Fyra at the bottom, a ~$599 Koda 16 in the middle, and a ~$799 Karu 16 flagship, so you can buy exactly the size and fuel you need. Solo Stove’s value play is different: two well-designed ovens, one obvious choice, no analysis paralysis.
Whichever brand you pick, budget for the accessories that actually matter: a good pizza peel and an infrared thermometer are brand-agnostic and work with any oven.
Etekcity Lasergrip Infrared Thermometer
- Confirms your stone is at ~750°F+ before you launch — the #1 fix for pale crust.
- Brand-agnostic: use it on an Ooni, a Solo Stove, a grill, or cast iron.
So which should you buy?
- Buy Ooni if you want the most choice, a specific fuel (wood, pellets, or indoor electric), or a 16-inch pizza — none of which Solo Stove offers. It’s the safest first-oven pick if you think you’ll grow into the hobby. Not sure which Ooni? Our best Ooni pizza oven guide ranks every model, or see the best gas pizza oven guide for the Koda picks.
- Buy Solo Stove if you want a simpler decision and a genuinely beautiful oven at a sharp price — the Pi Prime for easy propane cooking, or the dual-fuel Pi if you want real wood-fired flavor. Just know you’re locked to a ~12-inch pizza.
Both brands make ovens that will outperform anything you’ve baked in a kitchen oven. There’s no bad choice here — only the one that fits how, and how often, you cook. Still deciding on fuel first? Our best gas pizza oven and best wood fired pizza oven guides rank the top picks from both brands.