It may sound cheesy, but we love pizza ovens at Ideal Home. We’ve tested more pizza ovens than you can shake a pizza peel at, and throughout our reviewing process, we’ve found that two brands stick out more than most: Gozney and Ooni.
Both Gozney and Ooni have staked their claims in our best pizza oven guide, allowing everyday pizza lovers to cook up restaurant-standard pizzas in the comfort of their garden or outdoor kitchen. But when you’re faced with two pizza oven brands that offer style and substance, it can be hard to choose which one you want a slice of.
That’s why we’ve decided to settle the Gozney vs Ooni debate once and for all. Sure, we know how a pizza oven works, but now we’ve compared these two pizza oven brands against each other in terms of their design, user experience, portability, added extras, and affordability. And using all of this info, we’ve been able to see which brand is truly the cream of the crust.
Gozney vs Ooni pizza ovens
As two of the biggest players in the pizza oven game, Gozney and Ooni offer everything you need to make delicious pizzas at home. But there’s no doubt that there are some differences between these two brands. Below, we’ve outlined them all - and explained our favourite of the two.
Gozney vs Ooni: Design
In our eyes, adding any pizza oven to your outdoor kitchen will up the style ante. And while Gozney and Ooni both offer impressive designs across the board, there’s no doubt that Gozney goes the extra mile.
In fact, it’s often hard to distinguish one Ooni pizza oven from the next. All Ooni pizza ovens offer the same D-shape opening, the same four legs, and often the same silver or black colourway. The only real difference is that some Ooni pizza ovens also sport a chimney.
And while this sleek and modern design is perfect for those who ultimately prefer Ooni to Gozney, the latter brand offers a lot more in terms of variation. This is particularly obvious with the Gozney Dome.
When our Ideal Home reviewer took this pizza oven for a spin in her Gozney Dome review, she was won over by its stylish design and unique appearance. You could even say that it looks more rustic than many other pizza ovens on the market - making it perfect for those who want to add a rustic touch to their cottage garden.
So, if you’re looking for sleek and minimal, Ooni wins on design. But if you’re looking for something different, Gozney is your guy.
Gozney vs Ooni: User experience
There’s a reason why Gozney and Ooni are often pipped against each other, and that's because they’re considered some of the top players in the pizza oven game. They’re celebrated for their impressive cooking abilities, ease of use, and versatility.
Through our own testing, the Ideal Home team has found that both pizza oven brands excel in the finished product: the pizza. And coming in first place as the ‘best overall’ pizza oven is the Ooni Fyra Portable Outdoor Pizza Oven.
In our 5-star review of the Ooni Fyra 12, our tester, Helen McCue, said, ‘The Ooni makes it pretty simple to make authentic crisp pizzas and these are by far some of the best pizzas I’ve ever made. When I got it right I was rewarded with pizza that had a crisp base and fluffy, charred crust.’
But it’s important to note that even the best pizza ovens can be alien to those who have never used one before. Adding on to our Ooni Fyra 12 review, Helen explained, ‘It’s certainly a learning curve and there are a lot of variables, like the quality of the dough and the temperature of the oven, so you have to be prepared to have the odd less successful one along the journey!’
Thankfully, it’s easy to play around with your Ooni pizza oven when you’re at home and craving a pepperoni pizza. If you want perfection the first time around, however, some would say that Gozney Roccbox is the option for you.
This Gozney offering is a restaurant-grade, dual-fuel portable pizza oven. And as Harry Hook from Raw Food & Drink PR explains, ‘The Gozney Roccbox is a firm favourite of industry professionals.’
Ideal Home’s E-Commerce Editor and pizza oven aficionado, Molly Cleary, has tested the Roccbox for herself, and gave it an impressive 5-star review. She said, ‘I'm a huge fan of this pizza oven and its various talents. If you like cooking, and plan to spend a lot of time outdoors this summer, then the Roccbox is a purchase well worth your investment.’
And while the dual-fuel aspect of this Gozney pizza oven is a perk, there was one clear fuel winner for Molly. ‘I started with using gas burner, the standard with the Roccbox. I quickly found that using a gas pizza oven is much easier and quicker than burning wood, as was also the case in our Ooni Koda review,’ she explained.
‘With the Roccbox, you simply attach the burner, ignite it and keep an eye on the temperature gauge as it begins to rise. If you haven't prepped your pizzas fully yet, using the gas burner gives you the flexibility to get to those other tasks (sprinkling mozzarella and such) done without needing to tend to the oven much at all.'
‘Within 25 to 30 minutes, the Roccbox was at the right temperature to make a start, which you can see on the inbuilt temperature gauge.’
Of course, it’s also important to note that while both brands offer different fuel types, Ooni is the only brand to offer an electric pizza oven in the form of the Ooni Volt.
Gozney vs Ooni: Portability
In today’s day and age, the pizza possibilities are endless - especially now many of the best pizza ovens are portable. This means that your pizza parties can be taken to the beach or to the park, or even just moved elsewhere in your garden to avoid the rain.
But if you’re torn between Gozney and Ooni and portability is a deciding factor, it’s fair to say that there is a big difference between them.
The best option for portability on the Ooni side of the fence has to be the Ooni Koda 12. This pizza oven was specifically designed to be portable, offering folding legs, a simple setup, and a weight of just 9.25 kg. Our reviewer gave it 4.5 stars out of 5 in her review, losing half a point for its lack of a door and the lack of wood-fired flavour.
On the other side of the fence, however, you have the Gozney portable offering. Technically, that is the Gozney Roccbox. And while the brand claims that the Roccbox is the ‘world’s first portable pizza oven,’ the practicality of this has to be questioned.
Although the Roccbox comes with a strap to help you move it with ease, it still weighs a hefty 29kg. Because of this, Ooni wins the portability round.
Gozney vs Ooni: Added extras
Both Gozney and Ooni sell more than just pizza ovens. There are so many added extras and accessories that you can buy - from the best-selling Ooni Baking Stone from Lakeland to the Acacia Wood Pizza Peel & Server from Gozney. You can even buy pizza cutters, dough trays, thermometers, cleaning brushes, and so much more.
But while Gozney offers you all of the accessories you need, Ooni also offers what you need and want. And our favourite accessory just has to be the Ooni Pizza Topping Station from Amazon, which allows you to turn your outdoor space into the ultimate chef’s pizza kitchen.
In fact, this extra variety is why Dennis Littley, a fine dining chef and owner of askchefdennis.com, particularly loves the Ooni brand.
He says, ‘The Ooni isn't just a one-trick pony. While it excels at cooking up perfect Neapolitan-style pizzas, it's also versatile enough to tackle a wide range of dishes. Think perfectly seared steaks, smoky roasted vegetables, or even freshly baked bread – the possibilities are endless.'
‘And with the addition of accessories like the cast iron skillet or the grizzler plate, you can take your outdoor cooking game to the next level, whipping up everything from sizzling stir-fries to decadent desserts, all with that signature wood-fired flavour.’
Because of this, we’re going to say that Ooni wins on the accessories front.
Gozney vs Ooni: Affordability
When buying a new pizza oven, price is something you definitely need to consider. After all, everyone wants to get more bang for their buck. But which is cheaper: Gozney or Ooni?
The cheapest Ooni pizza oven is a tie between the Ooni Karu 12 Multi-Fuel Pizza Oven and the Ooni Fyra 12 Wood Pellet Pizza Oven, which both retail at £299 on the Ooni Website. The most expensive Ooni pizza oven, on the other hand, is the Ooni Volt 12 Electric Pizza Oven, coming in at £799.
However, it’s important to note that you can often save money when buying an Ooni pizza oven bundle, and other retailers slash the price of their pizza ovens throughout the year. That’s why it’s always a good idea to keep an eye on our Ooni pizza oven deals page for the latest discounts.
If you’re leaning more towards Gozney, the cheapest Gozney pizza oven is the Gozney Roccbox, which retails at £399 - which is £100 more than the cheapest Ooni pizza oven. The most expensive offering from the pizza oven brand is the Gozney Arc XL, which retails at £699.99. Interestingly, this is just under £100 cheaper than the most expensive Gozney.
Of course, buying a pizza oven is an investment no matter how much you spend or which brand you opt for. With this in mind, cleaning and maintaining your pizza oven is essential, as this will extend its lifetime.
For more info, check out our guide on how to clean a pizza baking stone and how to clean an Ooni pizza stone.
Final verdict: Which one should you buy?
Now that we’ve compared these two cult pizza oven brands, you probably want to know whether there’s a clear winner. Well, as Harry says, ‘At times, it feels like it could be comparing apples and pears, so in the end, it comes down to which is your favourite fruit!’
And this is something that Molly agrees with, too, as Ooni and Gozney are ultimately two quite different brands that have their own positives and negatives.
Molly has taken pizza ovens from both brands for a spin over the years, and her final verdict is: 'In a head-to-head battle, I think that Ooni definitely takes the crown when it comes to affordability. The Ooni Fyra, our top-rated oven, which our reviewer gave an easy five stars, can usually be found for around £240, whereas the entry-level Gozney Roccbox will set you back closer to £399.’
‘After testing, though, I can vouch for the quality of the Roccbox, so if you have more to spend, you won't be disappointed. I personally sway a tiny bit more towards all things Gozney as I just love the designs, but in terms of performance, the competition between these two is almost impossible to call, which is why these brands are as popular as they are!'
So, ultimately, you need to find which brand is the cream of the crust for your needs and requirements.
FAQs
What's better, Ooni or Gozney?
This ultimately comes down to personal preference and your own requirements in terms of budget, design, and accessory choice. After all, both Ooni and Gozney are brand leaders in the pizza oven field and both offer you the chance to make restaurant-standard pizzas at home.
If you’re looking for an affordable pizza oven, Ooni wins. But if you’re looking for something stylish and substantial, Gozney just pips it to the post.
Is Roccbox too small?
The Gozney Roccbox is designed to cook pizzas up to 12” in diameter, which is the perfect size for some people. But if you have a larger family or want to make multiple pizzas at the same time, the Roccbox may be too small.
However, there’s a reason why the Roccbox is considered to be one of the best (and fastest) pizza ovens on the market. And even if you want to cook multiple pizzas in a short amount of time, you won’t have to wait too long. You should be able to cook back-to-back pizzas in just a few minutes.
So, who wins in the Gozney vs Ooni debate for you?
