Best Smart Grills (2026)

The Ninja Woodfire Pro Connect XL is a 7-in-1 electric outdoor grill, smoker, and air fryer that burns a small box of real wood pellets for flavor while cooking on electric heat. It's Reddit's go-to answer for balconies and apartments where charcoal and gas are banned.

The Z Grills 7002C3E is the value pick of the popular 700 series - 697 sq in of two-rack cooking space, a 28 lb hopper, and an upgraded PID 3.0 controller with dual meat probes, at a price hundreds below the name-brand pellet grills it competes with.

The Smoque is Weber's 2025 answer to the entry-level Traeger, and it deliberately does less than the Searwood to cost $300 less: no direct-flame searing, no 600F mode, just a smoker-first pellet grill that nails the fundamentals. Reviewers and early owners consistently rate its smoke flavor ahead of equivalently priced Traegers - the SmokeBoost setting and SmoqueVent circulation produce visibly better smoke rings and bark - and the Rapid React PID recovers temp fast after lid opens. The porcelain-enameled barrel (the same coating Weber kettles wear for decades) and 5-year warranty make the hardware feel more durable than the sheet-metal norm at this price, and the enclosed grease-plus-ash drawer is genuinely tidy. Trade-offs are real: 500F max with no sear zone means steaks finish better on a separate grill, 594 sq in is one-brisket territory, the single-position upper rack limits tall cooks, and Weber Connect - though improved - still draws occasional app-pairing complaints carried over from the SmokeFire era. Against the $799 Traeger Woodridge you're choosing more smoke flavor and simpler controls over Traeger's bigger 860 sq in and accessory ecosystem.

The Traeger Ironwood 885 is a WiFi-connected wood-pellet grill and smoker from Traeger, the company that popularized pellet grills. It uses the D2 direct-drive controller and WiFIRE app for hands-off cooks. Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Traeger Ironwood XL. (Still sold at $1,399.99 on traeger.com under 'Legacy Grills'; new Ironwood/Ironwood XL (2023) and Woodridge (2025) are the current lines)

The Traeger Pro 575 is Traeger's best-selling entry-level WiFi pellet grill, using the D2 controller and WiFIRE app. It's the model most people picture when they think 'Traeger.' Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Traeger Woodridge. (Retailer-only closeout: traeger.com lists $799.99 but no longer sells direct; remaining retail stock clearing at $500-600)

The Weber Searwood 600 is Weber's 2024 pellet grill that finally fixed the SmokeFire's sins - a 180-600°F range, DirectFlame searing, manual offline mode, and a Rapid React PID controller at a sharper price. Reddit's pellet crowd calls it the redemption arc.

The Traeger Woodridge Pro is the 2025 replacement for the aging Pro series - 970 sq in, a 24 lb hopper with pellet sensor, Super Smoke mode, and a 10-year warranty at $1,000. Reviewers call it the biggest upgrade to Traeger's entry lineup in years.

The Gravity XT is Masterbuilt's current gravity-fed flagship and a direct response to the #1 complaint about the original 560/800/1050 series: build quality. The XT gets dual-wall FuelSaver insulation, a porcelain-coated interior, beefier hardware, and a 3-year warranty (up from 1), while keeping the party trick that made the line famous - real charcoal flavor with pellet-grill automation, from a 225F smoke to a legitimate 700F cast-iron sear in minutes. Owners and reviewers consistently call it the best-cooking gravity smoker you can buy, with better fuel efficiency and steadier temps than the old 1050 and the Char-Griller Gravity 980. The honest caveats: at $1,799 it costs nearly triple what a Gravity 800 street-prices for, it's a 199 lb two-person assembly job, and the electronics-in-a-charcoal-grill concern hasn't vanished - fans, switches, and control boards remain the failure points owners report, though XT-generation complaints are notably rarer. The hopper's 12 lbs of lump or 18 lbs of briquettes genuinely runs an overnight brisket. If you want charcoal taste with an app and don't want a Big Green Egg's learning curve, this is the class leader.

The current-generation Ironwood replaced the discontinued Ironwood 885 in Traeger's lineup, trading raw cooking area for a dual-wall insulated barrel, a color touchscreen, and Smart Combustion tech that owners on r/pelletgrills consistently say holds temps within a few degrees even in wind and cold. The EZ-Clean ash keg is the sleeper feature — cleanup drops from a shop-vac session to emptying a bucket. The honest knocks: at $1,800 you're paying a steep premium over a Woodridge Pro that cooks nearly as well with more space, the 500F ceiling still won't sear like a gas grill or a Weber Searwood's 600F, and Traeger's smoke profile stays on the mild side unless you lean on Super Smoke and 225F cooks. Some owners report WiFIRE connectivity drops and occasional startup temp overshoot, and the induction fan is audible. But as a set-and-forget smoker with genuinely modern controls and a 10-year warranty, it's the best-sorted mid-size Traeger yet — just know you're paying for polish, not capacity.

The Woodridge is the grill that finally retired Traeger's ancient Pro Series platform — it's the true successor to the Pro 575/780, and at $799 it undercuts them while fixing their two biggest complaints: cleanup and hopper size. You get 860 sq in (more than the old Pro 780), a 24 lb hopper with a clean-out chute, WiFIRE, a wired probe, and the same EZ-Clean ash keg as the $1,800 Ironwood, all under a 10-year warranty. Owners on r/pelletgrills call it the best value Traeger has ever shipped, with steady temps from the new digital controller. The honest trade-offs: no Super Smoke mode (that's the $1,149 Woodridge Pro), no pellet sensor or side shelf, and like every Traeger it tops out at 500F with a mild smoke profile — Camp Chef's Woodwind and the Weber Smoque both produce noticeably more smoke flavor. Early-batch owners reported some app-pairing friction and thin-ish lid steel. If you want the Traeger ecosystem without flagship pricing, this is the one to buy; if you mostly chase heavy smoke, look at the Pro trim or a competitor.

The Masterbuilt Gravity Series 800 is a digital, app-controlled charcoal grill, griddle, and smoker that uses a gravity-fed charcoal hopper and a fan-driven digital controller to automate charcoal cooking. It blends real charcoal flavor with set-and-forget convenience.

The Kamado Joe Konnected Joe is an 18-inch ceramic kamado with pellet-grill convenience bolted on: a push-button electric fire starter lights the charcoal for you, and a WiFi-connected fan holds your set temperature automatically while real lump charcoal does the flavoring.

The Masterbuilt 30-inch Digital Electric Smoker is the best-selling electric smoker in the US, a vertical cabinet with digital temperature control and a side wood-chip loader. It's the simplest way to smoke meat.

The Traeger Timberline XL is Traeger's top-of-the-line flagship pellet grill, with a fully insulated double-wall body, induction side burner, and a touchscreen controller. It's aimed at serious enthusiasts.

The Char-Griller Gravity Fed 980 is a WiFi-controlled gravity charcoal grill and smoker with a 16 lb hopper, fan-driven 200-700°F range, and 980 sq in of space. It's the budget rival to Masterbuilt's Gravity Series with a triple-insulated body.

The Pit Boss Pro Series 1150 is a value-focused WiFi pellet grill sold through Lowe's, featuring a sliding Flame Broiler plate for direct-flame searing and a digital PID controller. Pit Boss is owned by Dansons. Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Pit Boss Pro Series V3 1150. (Original Pro Series 1150 replaced by V2 (10576) then V3 (10980/PB1150PS3) at Lowe's; V3 sells ~$699)

The Camp Chef Woodwind Pro 24 is a WiFi pellet grill with a reinvented Smoke Box that lets you burn wood chunks, chips, or charcoal alongside pellets for real-wood smoke flavor. It's a favorite of smoke-flavor purists.

The Weber SmokeFire EX6 is Weber's WiFi pellet grill, notable for reaching 600°F to sear and using a steep-walled firebox for direct grilling. The 2nd-gen revision fixed many early reliability issues. Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Weber Searwood XL 600. (SmokeFire line discontinued 2024, replaced by Searwood; no new-stock retail, used units ~$350-700)

The Yoder YS640s is a 315 lb pellet smoker welded from 10-gauge American steel in Yoder, Kansas, with the FireBoard-based ACS controller and true direct-flame grilling. On BBQ forums it's the buy-once-cry-once pellet grill.

The Recteq Backyard Beast 1000 is the successor to the beloved RT-700 'Bull', pairing 1,014 sq in of stainless cooking space with a dual-band WiFi PID controller and a class-leading 180-700°F temperature range that lets it sear as well as it smokes. Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Recteq Backyard Beast 1200 (RT-1200BB). (RT-1000 discontinued; Backyard Beast 1200 replaces it (and the Flagship 1100) at $1,199.99, frequently on sale at $1,049.99. No verified non-Amazon rating for the discontinued RT-1000)

The Recteq Deck Boss 590 is the mid-size workhorse of Recteq's lineup, bringing the same 180-700°F WiFi PID controller and stainless build as its bigger siblings in a family-friendly 590 sq in footprint that fits comfortably on a standard deck or patio. Note: this model is no longer sold new as of 2026. Its current equivalent is the Recteq Deck Boss 900 (RT-900DB). (RT-590 lineage: Deck Boss 590 -> Deck Boss 800 -> Deck Boss 900 (introduced 2026) at $999.99. No verified non-Amazon rating with sufficient count for the discontinued 590)

The Green Mountain Grills Ledge Prime 2.0 is the successor to the popular Daniel Boone, a mid-size WiFi pellet grill that runs on 12V direct power and spans a wider temperature range than most rivals - from a 150°F cold-smoke setting up to a 550°F sear.