Best Pellet Grills of 2026
We have tested and scored 21 pellet grills. The best is the Broil King Regal Pellet 400 at 8.8 out of 10. Wood pellet grills and pellet smokers, from compact patio models to large cabinet cookers.
Our picks
- Best overall Broil King Regal Pellet 400 8.8
- Best for the money Traeger Tailgater Pellet Grill 7.7
- Best for high heat Weber Searwood XL 600 Pellet Grill 8.3
- Most reliable Broil King Regal Pellet 500 8.6
- Easiest to use Nexgrill Oakford 875 Pro Pellet Smoker Grill 8.3
Best pellet grill overallBroil King Regal Pellet 400
Pellet grill
Our verdict: Broil King built a pellet grill its gas customers would recognise. Heavy, gasketed, cast iron, with the rotisserie already in the box. What it did not build is a line saying how hot Grill goes. Buy it for the mass and the upkeep, and treat searing as upside.
- Strongest: Build Quality 9.6
- Weakest: Long-term Reliability 8.0. Heavy steel and rated paint last well, yet auger, fan and controller carry the risk, and no warranty term is published.
Best for the moneyTraeger Tailgater Pellet Grill
Pellet grill
Value 9.5: $1.48 per square inch against $2.73 for the Ranger, and $35.11 less money than that smaller grill.
- Strongest: Value 9.5
- Weakest: Long-term Reliability 6.5. Seven years on the body, one on the fan, hot rod and auger motor, which are the parts that stop a pellet grill.
Best for high heatWeber Searwood XL 600 Pellet Grill
Pellet grill
Heat Performance 9.0: A 180 to 600 span with no large sheet diffuser is unusual reach for an auger-fed cooker.
- Strongest: Ease of Use 9.3
- Weakest: Long-term Reliability 7.0. Weber covers the cook box for five years, and everything that burns or fails for three.
Most reliableBroil King Regal Pellet 500
Pellet grill
Long-term Reliability 8.6: A stainless burn pot and 2 mm painted steel outlast the category norm; auger, fan and controller carry the wear.
- Strongest: Build Quality 9.4
- Weakest: Ease of Use 7.4. The dial and presets read instantly, but 250 lbs and 58.75 in of width make placement and refilling real work.
Easiest to useNexgrill Oakford 875 Pro Pellet Smoker Grill
Pellet grill
Ease of Use 9.5: Full-color PID controller with Wi-Fi, two probe channels, a rear pellet dump and a fuel gauge that counts hours, not inches.
- Strongest: Ease of Use 9.5
- Weakest: Long-term Reliability 7.0. The auger, igniter, fan and controller carry 3 years while the plain steel firebox gets 5, and you pay shipping on every claim.
Pellet grill ratings: all 20 ranked
Every pellet grill we have scored on all six categories, best first. Swipe the table sideways on a phone.
| # | Pellet grill | Scoreout of 10 | Heat25% | Reliability20% | Build18% | Ease15% | Value12% | Upkeep10% |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Broil King Regal Pellet 400 | 8.8 | 8.7 | 8.0 | 9.6 | 8.3 | 9.3 | 9.4 |
| 2 | Broil King Regal Pellet 500 | 8.6 | 8.2 | 8.6 | 9.4 | 7.4 | 9.2 | 9.3 |
| 3 | Weber Searwood XL 600 Pellet Grill | 8.3 | 9.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 9.3 | 8.0 | 9.0 |
| 4 | Nexgrill Oakford 875 Pro Pellet Smoker Grill | 8.3 | 9.0 | 7.0 | 9.0 | 9.5 | 7.0 | 8.0 |
| 5 | Traeger Woodridge Pro | 8.2 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 8.5 | 9.5 | 9.0 | 8.0 |
| 6 | Traeger Ironwood 885 Pellet Grill | 8.2 | 9.0 | 6.5 | 8.5 | 9.0 | 8.7 | 7.5 |
| 7 | Traeger Westwood Wood Pellet Grill | 8.2 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 8.7 | 9.5 | 9.3 | 8.0 |
| 8 | Weber Smoque XL Pellet Smoker | 8.2 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 9.0 |
| 9 | Weber Smoque Pellet Smoker | 8.1 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 9.5 | 8.0 | 9.0 |
| 10 | Traeger Ranger Pellet Grill | 8.1 | 8.0 | 7.5 | 9.0 | 9.0 | 7.0 | 7.5 |
| 11 | Traeger Woodridge Wood Pellet Grill | 8.0 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 9.5 | 8.5 | 9.0 |
| 12 | Cuisinart CPG-256 | 8.0 | 8.2 | 6.9 | 8.1 | 8.6 | 8.4 | 8.3 |
| 13 | Traeger Westwood XL Pellet Grill | 7.8 | 7.0 | 7.0 | 8.5 | 9.0 | 8.5 | 8.0 |
| 14 | Nexgrill Oakford 36A Pellet Grill Smoker | 7.8 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 8.0 | 9.0 | 7.5 |
| 15 | Traeger Tailgater Pellet Grill | 7.7 | 8.0 | 6.5 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 9.5 | 7.5 |
| 16 | Traeger Woodridge Pro Plus | 7.6 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 9.0 | 6.0 | 8.0 |
| 17 | Nexgrill Oakford 28A Pellet Grill Smoker | 7.6 | 8.0 | 6.5 | 8.5 | 7.0 | 8.0 | 7.5 |
| 18 | Blackstone 900 Pellet Grill Airfryer Combo | 7.5 | 7.7 | 6.4 | 7.9 | 8.6 | 7.3 | 7.1 |
| 19 | Traeger Woodridge Elite | 7.5 | 8.0 | 7.0 | 7.5 | 8.5 | 6.0 | 7.5 |
| 20 | Blackstone 900 Pellet Grill | 7.3 | 7.4 | 6.2 | 7.8 | 8.6 | 6.9 | 7.2 |
Older reviews, scored before the six-category scorecard
What we learned testing 20 pellet grills
The average pellet grill we have scored earns 8.0 out of 10. They are strongest on ease of use, averaging 8.7, and weakest on long-term reliability, averaging 7.0. Short warranties and parts that wear are where most of them lose points, so read the reliability line before you buy.
- Ease of Use8.7
- Build Quality8.3
- Maintenance8.1
- Value8.1
- Heat Performance8.1
- Long-term Reliability7.0
How we picked
Nobody chose these picks by hand. Each award goes to the top pellet grill on one column of our scorecard: the best overall score, then the best value, heat, reliability and ease of use scores. A pellet grill can win only one award. Picks come from the 18 that a retailer we check had in stock; the table above ranks all 20. Every score is built the same way, from six weighted categories. How we score grills, and what our data says about price.
Head to head
- Broil King Regal Pellet 400 vs 500
- Traeger Ironwood 885 vs Weber Searwood XL 600
- Traeger Ironwood 885 vs Westwood
- Traeger Ironwood 885 vs Westwood XL
- Traeger Ironwood 885 vs Woodridge
- Traeger Ironwood 885 vs Woodridge Elite
- Traeger Ironwood 885 vs Woodridge Pro
- Traeger Ironwood 885 vs Woodridge Pro Plus
- Traeger Ranger vs Traeger Tailgater
- Traeger Westwood vs Traeger Woodridge
- Traeger Westwood vs Weber Searwood XL 600
- Traeger Westwood vs Weber Smoque
- Traeger Westwood XL vs Woodridge
- Traeger Westwood XL vs Woodridge Pro
- Traeger Woodridge Elite vs Weber Searwood XL 600
- Traeger Woodridge Elite vs Woodridge Pro
- Traeger Woodridge Elite vs Woodridge Pro Plus
- Traeger Woodridge Pro Plus vs Weber Searwood XL 600
- Traeger Woodridge Pro Plus vs Woodridge Pro
- Traeger Woodridge Pro vs Weber Searwood XL 600
- Traeger Woodridge Pro vs Weber Smoque XL
- Traeger Woodridge Pro vs Woodridge
- Traeger Woodridge vs Weber Searwood XL 600
- Traeger Woodridge vs Weber Smoque XL
- Weber Searwood XL 600 vs Weber Smoque
- Weber Searwood XL 600 vs Weber Smoque XL
- Weber Smoque vs Smoque XL