Traeger Woodridge Elite vs Woodridge Pro Plus
Identical 970 sq in, identical 180-500 F, identical heat score. The Elite adds a three-setting electric side burner for $400. Whether that hob is worth it.
We pick the Traeger Woodridge Pro Plus
These two cook identically, and the Elite costs $400 more for an electric side burner with three settings. Our reviews score the Pro Plus 7.62 and the Elite 7.5. Both cook on the same 970 sq in across two racks, in the same 180 F to 500 F chamber, with the same controller and app. The Elite adds a glass-panelled electric hob set at LO, MED and HI, and 21 pounds. Unless you specifically want pan heat outdoors, the Pro Plus is the same grill for less.
What actually differs
-
The cooking is the same, down to the degree
Same grate area, same split across two racks, same published range. Both reviews score heat performance 8.0, because the hob publishes no output and the grate is shared.
-
$400 for three settings
LO, MED, HI. Both reviews score value at 6.0, for the same reason: in a line where every other step up buys heat or space, these two steps buy a cupboard and a hob.
-
A glass cooking panel living outdoors
The burner is a glass panel on a grill rolling on casters, and it sits in the three-year tier rather than the ten-year rust cover. It is also one more surface to wipe and cover.
How they score, category by category
The Woodridge Pro Plus scores higher in 2 categories. 4 are level.
-
Heat Performance
Counts for 25% of the scoreTraeger Woodridge Elite 8.0Woodridge Pro Plus 8.0Level: within a tenth of each other.
Why the Traeger Woodridge Elite scores 8.0The Pro Plus's grate, ceiling and Super Smoke window exactly; the side burner publishes no output, so it adds nothing here.
Why the Woodridge Pro Plus scores 8.0Super Smoke over a two-rack 970 sq in barrel, but the published ceiling stops at 500 F and no sear station exists.
-
Long-term Reliability
Counts for 20% of the scoreTraeger Woodridge Elite 7.0Woodridge Pro Plus 7.0Level: within a tenth of each other.
Why the Traeger Woodridge Elite scores 7.0The ten-year headline covers rust-through on sheet metal; the side burner you paid for sits in the three-year row.
Why the Woodridge Pro Plus scores 7.0Ten years is rust-through only; controller, auger and fan get three years, the hot rod and RTD one, and resale voids it.
-
Build Quality
Counts for 18% of the scoreTraeger Woodridge Elite 7.5Woodridge Pro Plus 7.5Level: within a tenth of each other.
Why the Traeger Woodridge Elite scores 7.5Cabinet and 221 lbs of steel feel solid, but a glass cooking panel lives outdoors on caster-only wheels.
Why the Woodridge Pro Plus scores 7.5Gains an unrated cabinet but drops the Pro's rated bottom shelf and all-terrain wheels, and Traeger names no steel anywhere.
-
Ease of Use
Counts for 15% of the scoreTraeger Woodridge Elite 8.5Woodridge Pro Plus 9.0 Better by 0.5Why the Woodridge Pro Plus scores 9.0Four probe channels, WiFIRE and one-touch Super Smoke, offset by 200 lbs rolling on casters alone.
Why the Traeger Woodridge Elite scores 8.5
Traeger's controller and app are as simple as ever, though the burner adds a small rule book of its own.
-
Value
Counts for 12% of the scoreTraeger Woodridge Elite 6.0Woodridge Pro Plus 6.0Level: within a tenth of each other.
Why the Traeger Woodridge Elite scores 6.0Four hundred dollars over the Pro Plus adds an electric hob with three settings and no extra grate space.
Why the Woodridge Pro Plus scores 6.0$250 over the Woodridge Pro buys storage and no cooking at all, in a line where every other step buys heat.
-
Maintenance
Counts for 10% of the scoreTraeger Woodridge Elite 7.5Woodridge Pro Plus 8.0 Better by 0.5Why the Woodridge Pro Plus scores 8.0One keg takes grease and ash together, yet the firepot wants a vacuum roughly every 20 cooking hours.
Why the Traeger Woodridge Elite scores 7.5
One keg catches grease and ash, but the firepot still wants vacuuming and the burner wants wiping and covering.
See all six scores in one table
| Category | Traeger Woodridge Elite | Woodridge Pro Plus |
|---|---|---|
| Heat Performance (25%) | 8.0 | 8.0 |
| Long-term Reliability (20%) | 7.0 | 7.0 |
| Build Quality (18%) | 7.5 | 7.5 |
| Ease of Use (15%) | 8.5 | 9.0 Better |
| Value (12%) | 6.0 | 6.0 |
| Maintenance (10%) | 7.5 | 8.0 Better |
| Avid Griller Score | 7.5 | 7.6 |
Both reviews are scored on the same six weighted categories, on the same 0 to 10 scale, and each reason is the one that review gave. A category is marked better only where the two differ by a tenth or more. How we score →
Where the spec sheets differ
Quoted from each maker's own specifications, as each review records them. Figures the two products publish identically are left out, so only the differences are listed.
Which one is for you
You want a powered hob built into the grill and will use it for sauces and sides.
Check price →You want the cheaper of two grills that cook identically, as most people do.
Check price →More head-to-heads
Every score and figure on this page comes from our own reviews of these two products, linked above. We have not tested them side by side in one place; the comparison is between two full reviews, each built from the maker's published specifications and documentation. Prices move, and the ones quoted are the ones each review checked on its own date.