Traeger Woodridge Pro Plus vs Woodridge Pro

Identical 970 sq in, 500 F ceiling and 24 lb hopper. The Pro Plus swaps the rated bottom shelf for a cabinet and adds $250 and 26 lb. Which Woodridge to buy.

Our pick Black Traeger Woodridge Pro pellet grill on a flagstone patio at golden hour, side shelf out, garden bed behind
Pellet grill Traeger Woodridge Pro 8.2out of 10
Our verdict

We pick the Traeger Woodridge Pro

Buy the Woodridge Pro unless your patio has nowhere dry to keep tools. Everything that cooks matches: 970 sq in as 585 below and 385 above, a 500 F ceiling, Super Smoke from 185 to 225 F, a 24 lb hopper and a rating of eight pork butts. Both reviews score heat performance 8.0 for that reason. The $1,399.99 Pro Plus spends its extra $250 on a two-door cabinet, and pays for it with weight and wheels.

What actually differs

  1. A shelf with a number against a cupboard without one

    The Pro's open bottom shelf is rated to 60 lbs, so a bag of pellets has a known home. The Pro Plus cabinet carries no load rating at all. A small utility rack in the open bay is what remains of the shelf.

  2. 200 pounds on casters alone

    The Pro rolls on casters at one end and all-terrain wheels at the other, at 174 lbs. The Pro Plus is 26 lbs heavier and loses the big wheels. On flagstones that is nothing; on a lawn or gravel it decides where the grill lives.

  3. Dry storage is a real benefit, on the right patio

    Tongs, gloves and pellets kept behind doors stay out of rain and out of sight. If you have a shed or a deck box, the Pro and that box do the same job for less.

How they score, category by category

The Woodridge Pro scores higher in 3 categories. 3 are level.

Avid Griller Score, all six categories weighted
Traeger Woodridge Pro Plus 7.6out of 10
Woodridge Pro 8.2out of 10 Higher by 0.6
  1. Heat Performance

    Counts for 25% of the score
    Traeger Woodridge Pro Plus 8.0
    Woodridge Pro 8.0

    Level: within a tenth of each other.

    Why the Traeger Woodridge Pro Plus scores 8.0

    Super Smoke over a two-rack 970 sq in barrel, but the published ceiling stops at 500 F and no sear station exists.

    Why the Woodridge Pro scores 8.0

    Super Smoke and a two-rack 970 sq in barrel, though the published ceiling stops at 500 F and there is no sear station.

  2. Long-term Reliability

    Counts for 20% of the score
    Traeger Woodridge Pro Plus 7.0
    Woodridge Pro 7.0

    Level: within a tenth of each other.

    Why the Traeger Woodridge Pro Plus scores 7.0

    Ten years is rust-through only; controller, auger and fan get three years, the hot rod and RTD one, and resale voids it.

    Why the Woodridge Pro scores 7.0

    Ten years covers rust-through only; the controller, auger and fan carry three years, and the hot rod and cord one.

  3. Build Quality

    Counts for 18% of the score
    Traeger Woodridge Pro Plus 7.5
    Woodridge Pro 8.5 Better by 1.0
    Why the Woodridge Pro scores 8.5

    Load-rated shelves, casters and staging hooks at 174 lbs, but Traeger publishes nothing at all about the steel.

    Why the Traeger Woodridge Pro Plus scores 7.5

    Gains an unrated cabinet but drops the Pro's rated bottom shelf and all-terrain wheels, and Traeger names no steel anywhere.

  4. Ease of Use

    Counts for 15% of the score
    Traeger Woodridge Pro Plus 9.0
    Woodridge Pro 9.5 Better by 0.5
    Why the Woodridge Pro scores 9.5

    WiFIRE control, a pellet sensor reporting in 5% steps with app alerts, and one-touch Super Smoke and Keep Warm.

    Why the Traeger Woodridge Pro Plus scores 9.0

    Four probe channels, WiFIRE and one-touch Super Smoke, offset by 200 lbs rolling on casters alone.

  5. Value

    Counts for 12% of the score
    Traeger Woodridge Pro Plus 6.0
    Woodridge Pro 9.0 Better by 3.0
    Why the Woodridge Pro scores 9.0

    $250 over the base Woodridge buys the flavor feature, two shelves and 110 sq in; the next step buys a cabinet.

    Why the Traeger 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.

  6. Maintenance

    Counts for 10% of the score
    Traeger Woodridge Pro Plus 8.0
    Woodridge Pro 8.0

    Level: within a tenth of each other.

    Why the Traeger Woodridge Pro Plus scores 8.0

    One keg takes grease and ash together, yet the firepot wants a vacuum roughly every 20 cooking hours.

    Why the Woodridge Pro scores 8.0

    Grease and ash share a single keg, but the manual still asks for a firepot vacuum after about 20 hours of cooking.

See all six scores in one table
Category Traeger Woodridge Pro PlusWoodridge Pro
Heat Performance (25%) 8.0 8.0
Long-term Reliability (20%) 7.0 7.0
Build Quality (18%) 7.5 8.5 Better
Ease of Use (15%) 9.0 9.5 Better
Value (12%) 6.0 9.0 Better
Maintenance (10%) 8.0 8.0
Avid Griller Score 7.6 8.2

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.

Weight Traeger Woodridge Pro Plus 200 lbs, rolling on casters Woodridge Pro 174 lbs, on casters and all-terrain wheels

Which one is for you

Choose the Traeger Woodridge Pro Plus

Your grill is the whole outdoor kitchen, on hard ground, and nothing nearby keeps tools dry.

Check price →
Choose the Traeger Woodridge Pro

You want the same cooking for $1,149.99, a rated bottom shelf and wheels that handle soft ground.

Check price →

More head-to-heads

All comparisons →

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.