People have used wood-fired ovens to bake pizza for centuries. Electric pizza ovens are the newer option, designed to hit similar temperatures in a fraction of the space and time.

Both can produce a pizzeria-quality pie with a crispy crust and melty cheese. But they get there very differently, and the right choice for your backyard depends on your space, budget, and cooking style.

Here's how wood-fired and electric pizza ovens compare across flavor, cost, performance, and more.

How Each Type of Pizza Oven Works

Both wood-fired and electric pizza ovens reach high temperatures to bake pies, but how that heat is generated and how long the oven takes to warm up differ considerably. 

As the name suggests, wood-fired ovens burn wood to reach cooking temperatures. The process is long and labor-intensive as it involves:

• Harvesting or buying firewood 

• Hauling your firewood to your oven and chopping it down to size

• Carefully stacking wood to fit into your oven’s firebox

• Lighting your fire and closely monitoring it until it comes up to temperature

To use an electric pizza oven, you just plug it in and let it rapidly reach the desired temperature. While wood ovens can take six hours to crack 850°F, electric models like the Model P+ Electric Pizza Oven can do so in under 15 minutes.

Flavor and Cooking Performance Comparison

Cook the same pie in a quality wood-fired oven and a quality electric one, and the taste will be nearly identical. The cooking experience varies greatly between the two, though.

Wood-Fired Pizza Ovens

Large wood-fired pizza ovens have two unique features:

• Varied heat zones. They typically have three temperature zones: the blazing back near the firebox, the relatively cooler front, and the radiant area near the roof. Skilled pizza chefs use these zones to their advantage by baking quick-cooking varieties near the back and other styles at the cooler front. They’ll also lift pizzas toward the domed roof for a few seconds to melt the cheese and crisp up the toppings.

• Higher maximum temperatures. Wood-fired ovens can also reach 900°F while electric ovens top out at 850°F. While this temperature difference is minor for most bakers, the extra 50°F may come in handy for extremely adept pizzaiolos.

Electric Pizza Ovens

Ovens like the Model P+ offer a few key benefits:

• Even heating. While wood-fired ovens have hot and cold zones, electric models are more evenly heated. This leads to a more uniform cook and less need to closely monitor the pizza as it bakes. You also won’t need to turn or lift the pizza toward the domed roof.

• Instant temperature adjustment. Different pizza recipes require different cooking times and temperatures. Electric pizza ovens let you raise or lower the heat with a twist of a knob or, if you’re using the Model P+, via the Current® app. In comparison, you may have to feed a wood fire for hours, or let it burn down, to hit your desired pizza cooking temperature. 

Pro tip: Since electric pizza ovens are well insulated, it can take time to reduce temperatures. We recommend starting at a lower temperature and increasing heat for different pizza styles. 

• Intelligent cooking features. Wood-fired ovens are basic: add wood and they heat up; let the fire burn out and they cool down. Electric ovens like the Model P+, however, feature Bluetooth® and Wi-Fi integration, allowing you to control your oven’s temperature while you entertain your guests. The Current® app and Pizza Build Calculator™ also help you pick cook times based on your ingredients, monitor your pizza, and pull your pie out the second it's done.

Setup, Space, and Maintenance Needs

Wood-fired pizza ovens are behemoths. Next time you’re at an authentic, Italian-style pizzeria with a brick oven in the back, take a look at how much space it takes up. Chances are, it wouldn’t fit well in your kitchen, backyard, or balcony. 

Building a pizza oven is also complex, so homeowners generally hire a certified contractor or take a course to learn how. Building your oven is just the beginning. Wood-fired oven maintenance is also complicated. You have to:

• Find and prepare enough firewood to burn throughout the baking process

• Sweep away ash and burnt bits of wood

• Scrub off soot and charred pieces of pizza

Conversely, you won’t need specialized training to run an electric pizza oven. Take it out of the box, plug it in, and start your pie. Upkeep is also minimal. Simply wipe the oven clean after it cools off, and you’re ready for your next pizza night.

Cost Differences 

The price of wood-fired pizza ovens ranges from a few thousand dollars to tens of thousands of dollars, and that doesn’t include installation. At $699, the Model P+ is more economical and practical than even the most basic wood-fired oven. 

Materials are also a cost consideration. An electric pizza oven efficiently uses power from your electrical outlet while wood-fired ovens can burn through about seven pounds of wood per hour. This may not be a factor if you have access to abundant firewood, but most people will have to purchase wood regularly.

Which One Is Right for Your Cooking Style?

Beyond practical and financial concerns, personal preference makes a major impact on which type of oven is right for you.

H3: Wood-fired may be a better choice if:

• You have plenty of space. Wood-fired ovens are enormous. They won’t fit in most apartments, townhomes, or smaller properties. If you have a large backyard and are willing to dedicate a sizable chunk of it to your oven, though, wood may be for you.

• You enjoy the process. Wood-fired ovens take a long time to get hot, but some people love tending a fire. If you enjoy preparing firewood, loading the firebox, and monitoring your blaze while you wait to eat, go for a brick oven.

• You’re off-grid. One of the major benefits of wood ovens is their lack of electricity. If you’re living off-grid and power-free, you can still enjoy hot, fresh pizza whenever you want it.

H3: Electric may be a better choice if:

• You prefer convenience over showmanship. Wood ovens are impressive to watch, but electric gets pizza on your plate faster.

• You value safety. Electrical appliances are grounded, feature failsafes, and don’t rely on open flames. Wood fires, on the other hand, can grow out of control if you’re not careful.

• You crave versatility. The intense heat of wood-fired ovens makes outstanding pizzas but isn’t useful for many other recipes. Meanwhile, electric ovens are easily adjustable, allowing you to prepare a wide range of dishes.

• You like to experiment. Smart pizza ovens, like the Model P+, are better for trying out new recipes. Simply input your pizza style, toppings, and preferences into the Current® app, and it’ll suggest the perfect cooking temperature and time for your pie.

The Model P+: A Cut Above Other Electric Pizza Ovens

For most people, electric ovens are simply more economical, convenient, and useful than wood-fired pizza ovens. That makes the Model P+ one of the best electric pizza ovens you can buy: wood-fired results, without the wood. With the ability to hit 850°F, it produces the same crisp, leopard-spotted crust as a brick oven without any of the extra work.