Ooni Koda 2 Pro vs. Gozney Arc XL: Which Pizza Oven Should I Get?
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If you want to make professional-size pizzas at home, the 18-inchOoni Koda 2 Proand 16-inchGozney Arc XLare the top twobackyard pizza ovensworth considering. I spent the summer kneading, stretching, topping, and baking pies (and a few other dishes) in both ovens to figure out which one is the better choice for aspiring pizzaiolos looking for an oven that won’t limit their creativity.
Each oven had its strengths and weaknesses — broken down in detail below — and I was able to make excellent pies in either one. But the thickly insulated Gozney stays hotter for longer, turning out perfect pies with consistently crispy bottoms until the dough runs out. The Ooni requires some recovery time after the first few pies, and while its larger size makes it more versatile, it’s also difficult to place.
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Gozney Arc XL
This oven is about the size of a countertop microwave, yet it can make pizzas as large as 16 inches across. It’s heavily insulated on all sides and can cook six (or more) pizzas in a row without pausing.
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This extra-large oven’s dual-burner design preheats very quickly, but the stone needs time to reheat between cooking pizzas after the first two or three pies, and its 26-by-27-inch footprint won’t fit on most tables and countertops.
The Gozney arrives assembled
The Arc XL basically arrives fully assembled out of the box. All you need is a partner to help lift it out and a minute to install the batteries. Everything is clearly documented with words and diagrams in themanual, and there are comprehensivevideo tutorialsas well. The accompanying first-party stand was similarly straightforward to assemble, and it screws right into the bottom of the oven for extra security.
While I appreciate that the Ooni is packaged without styrofoam, the setup process has 21 steps that can be difficult to decipher based on the wordless, illustrated instructions from themanual. The Ooni stand was similarly tricky to assemble, especially because it comes with two different types of bolts that have the same length and color yet are not interchangeable. I accidentally completed half the process using the wrong bolts before realizing I needed to start over.
The Ooni is big — maybe too big
The rectangular Koda 2 Pro is astonishingly large, and its flat design rests on three fold-out legs, making it look a bit like a UFO. At about 27 inches wide and 26 inches deep, it’s actually deeper than a standard countertop, occupying about the same footprint as a standard kitchen range. I can only recommend it if you’re serious about making pizzeria-size pies at home.
Meanwhile, at 20.9 inches wide, 24.8 inches deep, and 13.5 inches tall, the Arc XL is about the same size as a countertop microwave oven. Its rounded edges make it look even smaller and also evoke the dome-shaped brick ovens you might see behind the counter of a Neapolitan pizza joint. (Gozney has produced those kinds of ovensfor commercial kitchenssince 2011.) Despite its compact dimensions, the Arc XL still fits pies as wide as 16 inches across, which, speaking from personal experience, is a more realistic upper limit for what a backyard pizzaiolo can reasonably hope to achieve after a lot of practice. I also liked that the flame-control knob is on the front, whereas Ooni places it halfway down the right side of the Koda 2 Pro.
The Ooni preheats faster (kind of)
Despite its cavernous interior, the Ooni’s dual burners were able to heat the stone to a scorching 694 degrees F in just 15 minutes — according to myOoni infrared thermometer. This was 68 degrees hotter than the Gozney was able to achieve in that same time and sufficiently hot for a New York–style pizza. But the Gozney’s additional insulation helped it catch up to the Ooni 30 minutes in, when I measured both stones at 830 degrees F. Both ovens surpassed the 900-degrees mark, favored by Neapolitan-style recipes, after 40 minutes.
Both make great pizzas — the Gozney is more consistent
Both ovens are great for cooking a few pizzas on a weeknight. I might even give the Ooni a slight edge because its faster preheating lets you plan less and cook quicker. But when hosting a pizza night with multiple guests — as I did on several occasions during testing — I found that the Gozney’s superior heat retention makes it much more reliable when cooking for a crowd.
Both ovens usecordierite baking stonesthat are about 0.8 inches (two centimeters) thick, but the Arc’s stone sits atop a heat-retaining two-inch-thick stone floor, whereas the Koda 2 Pro’s stone simply rests on top of an uninsulated sheet metal chassis. The Arc XL also contains several inches of additional insulation between the oven’s interior lining and exterior walls whereas the Koda 2 Pro is only about an inch thick all the way around.
All this additional thermal mass meant I was able to cook six pizzas one after another in the Arc — pausing only to stretch and top each pie — and have them all turn out with crispy bottoms. The Koda 2 Pro handles two or three pizzas in a row without issues, but after that, you have to give it a few extra minutes to recover between pies. Otherwise, the stone temperature drops by enough that pizzas start coming out with soft bottoms.
The Koda’s dual burners on either side distribute heat more evenly, but I found this wasn’t always a good thing. Pies tend to cook more evenly when undisturbed, but the lack of cool spots means there’s nowhere to turn to if one part starts burning before the rest is finished cooking. Meanwhile, the Arc performs much like any other pizza oven you may have used in the past: The side with the flame is slightly hotter, but that’s why you rotate pies as they cook.
The Koda 2 Pro’s main advantage over the Arc XL is its larger cooking area. Its 18-inch-wide trapezoidal stone is capable of turning out pies the same size as a slice shop’s. But taking full advantage of this requires a level of dough-handling skill that the typical home pizza cook is unlikely to develop — and it’s somehow still not quite big enough to bake two smaller pies at once. The Koda’s larger size gives it more space to accommodate different sizes of pots and pans, and it comes with a removable probe thermometer to monitor cooking progress. But I personally would not reach for either of these ovens for cooking anything other than pizzas if a grill or regular oven were available.
Gozney’s stand is amazing, but Ooni has better tools
Gozney’s Arc Stand (also compatible with the Arc XL)is better designed and easier to assemble thanOoni’s Large Modular Grilling Table. It looks like a natural extension of the oven itself with collapsible wings that put additional surface area and accessory hooks where you want them: right at oven height. I especially appreciate how the Gozney’s base provides a stable resting place for a propane tank. The fact that it screws directly into the bottom of the oven also means that there’s no additional surface that needs to be cleaned. $300 (on top of the $1,000 you’re already paying for the oven) is a lot to ask, but it’s the perfect match for the oven in both form and function. But even if you don’t get the stand, the Arc XL can still fit on top of an existing countertop or table.
Meanwhile, despite its gargantuan 31-inch-square footprint, the Ooni’s shelves are too close together to accommodate a tank. And since the huge, square oven takes up the entire tabletop, the only usable surface area is on a shelf that sits below the oven. For $325, I was expecting a bit more polish, especially considering how few other surfaces are wide, deep, and tall enough to support this oven at a reasonable cooking height.
Putting aside the dreadful table, I actually preferred Ooni’s cooking tools across the board. Itsperforated peelwas easier to slide under a pizza and released pizzas into the oven more readily thanGozney’s Pro Placement Peel, which has hexagonal holes that get caught on the dough. And while I preferred the classic steel-and-wood look ofGozney’s utility turning peelto theplastic-handled aluminum Ooni turner, the Ooni’s lighter weight made it much easier to maneuver, and the perforations gripped the bottoms of the pies more consistently.
While I’m not sure it’s worth the extra $100, I did enjoy having theGozney Mantelinstalled at the front of the Arc XL. The stainless-steel shelf just provides a little extra peace of mind when sliding things in or out of the oven, and I missed having it when using the Ooni.
The Gozney stays cleaner
Both ovens are easy to clean. The exterior wipes down easily with a damp, soft cloth once cooled. The stone and interior are purified by flame — by running it on full blast for 60 minutes. It’s nice that Ooni offers adedicated cleaning brushthat you can buy separately, but the Gozney’s smooth interior doesn’t need one, whereas the Ooni’s split stone and dual burners provide a lot more surface area for trapping bits of burnt cheese, semolina, and toppings.
Overall, I’d get the Gozney
Both the Ooni Koda 2 Pro and the Gozney Arc XL are capable of making a few great pizzas, but for many people, owning a pizza oven (especially at this size) isn’t just about perfecting pizza for yourself. It’s about entertaining friends and family while cooking outside. The Gozney’s superior heat retention means it can cook as many pies as you have dough for without producing a single soggy bottom. While I liked the Ooni, the Gozney is the better oven for hosting guests, which makes it the better oven overall.
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