Traeger and Pit Boss make some of the most popular pellet grills on the market. Our team has owned and tested 8 different Pit Boss models and all the popular Traeger models, so we understand what each brand does best.

In this guide, we break down the differences between Traeger and Pit Boss and compare two of the top grills from each company to help you decide which pellet grill is right for you.

Traeger vs Pit Boss Key Differences

It’s always hard to do a direct comparison between two brands because it depends on which models you are looking at. There’s a world of difference between the Traeger Woodridge and Traeger Timberline. Not to mention the $3,000 price gap.

So we’ll give you a broad overview of the key differences and then drill down and compare two similarly priced models to give you a more direct comparison.

To help you compare, we’ve selected two of Traeger and Pit Boss‘s most popular grills and compared them across a range of categories.

With the Traeger you will be paying more for a similar-sized grill, with no flame broiler. It’s also more recent, with the latest digital controller and Traeger’s fantastic app.

In the next section, we go into more specific detail about the two models. If you want a detailed overview of each brand and their different models, check out our recommendations for the best pellet grills from Pit Boss and the best Traeger pellet grills.

Traeger vs Pit Boss tested and compared

For our direct comparison, we decided to compare the “entry-level” Traeger Woodridge against the Pit Boss Sportsman 820.

The Woodridge is available in three models. The base starts with 860 square inches of cooking space, and then for an extra $200, you bump that up to 970 and add a super smoke mode. An even more premium Elite model is set to release soon.

Considering the base is already more expensive than the Pit Boss, we’ll stick to comparing the base model.

Pit Boss sells a few other grills in the Sportsman series, including a larger 1100 square-inch version, a vertical, and a portable grill, but for this comparison, we’ll focus on the 820, which comes with 849 square inches of space. Go figure.

Build quality

The Traeger is made of 16-gauge steel. The lid handle is well positioned and everything about the frame feels solid.

The lid is standard 16-gauge steel.

Everything about the Sportsman feels sturdy. The grill body, heat shield plate, and legs are all constructed from heavy gauge steel.

The lid is made from 1.5mm thick steel and feels nice and heavy.

Pellet hopper

The Sportsman has a 21-lb hopper, which is big enough for an overnight cook. However, I recommend checking every 6 hours or so, as it tends to ‘log jam’, where the pellets don’t fall into the hopper.

The Sportsman has a hopper window for monitoring pellet levels. The base Woodridge does not have a pellet sensor, but if you upgrade to the Pro or Elite, that is included.

You also get a larger 24lb hopper, so you’re going to be able to smoke for a little longer. In our test cooks, we found the Woodridge to be incredibly efficient, with lots of pellets remaining even after long overnight cooks.

Both the Traeger and the Sportsman have an easy way to dump pellets, which is great if you want to change out to a different type of wood pellet.

Controller

The Sportsman has a digital analog controller with a temp range of 180 – 500°F in increments of 25 or 50F°. You get two probe ports, and they send you one meat probe.

Older versions didn’t include WiFi, but this has since been added. Make sure you check the version you are shopping for has WiFi if this is important to you. The Pit Boss app isn’t one of our favorites, but it works fine for checking temperatures on your phone.

The Traeger Woodridge has a WiFi-capable PID controller that works in 5° increments up to 500°F. The features on the controller are great, and the large ‘retro style’ temperature read out are a standout feature.

The auger prime feature is also handy if you want to clear out all of your pellets. The one downside with the Traeger controller is the single probe port, but you can always get around this with a third-party thermometer like the ThermoWorks Signals or by using a wireless option like the Meater Pro.

Cooking grates and configuration

You get 849 square inches of cooking space split between 593 on the cast iron bottom rack and 256 on the steel top shelf.

The Woodridge comes with 860 square inches of cooking space, but before we declare it the winner it’s worth noting that the primary is actually smaller with only 520 primary.

Traeger achieved the large total square inches with a much larger upper rack then we normally see. That’s not necessarily a bad thing especially when smoking things like ribs, but it’s something to keep in mind as you’re going to need to remove it for smoking taller items.

Prep areas, cart and wheels

When it comes to prep areas, the Sportsman is way ahead of the Traeger. It includes the front folding shelf and a side shelf. You can also use the hopper lid to place things.

The stainless steel side shelf is removable, and you get an extra bottom shelf for storage.

With the Traeger, the only prep area included is on the lid of the pellet hopper. While it’s large enough to fit a good-sized tray or butcher block, you’ll probably want to upgrade to the folding front shelf will cost you an extra $89.99

You only get two non-rotating wheels on the Pit Boss, so you have to lift one side to move it around. We wish they would add a good pair of rotating caster wheels.

The base Woodridge also cheaped out and comes with two peg legs, so you’ll need to lift one side to move the grill around.

Legs on both pits feel rock solid and don’t rock around.

Smoking and grilling tests

We smoked a whole turkey on the Pit Boss, and it turned out fantastic. We also grilled some shrimp skewers, and the 820 did a fantastic job with the flame broiler system. You can’t beat being able to hit your food with some real flame.

We also grilled up some burgers and again took advantage of the flame broiler.

You can crank the Traeger up to 500°F for grilling, but it doesn’t have a direct-flame broiler system. When we cranked it to 500°F for burgers, we were still disappointed with the lack of char.

Traeger has recently released the Modifire Sear Grate which is going to help you get sear food at high temperatures, but again, it’s going to cost you extra.

For low and slow cooking, the Woodridge produced a nice subtle smoke flavor with excellent temperature stability.

The smoke flavor on the Traeger is not overpowering by any means. Once you step up to the Woodridge Pro or Ironwood you get a smoke boost feature, but neither the Pro or the Pit Boss have this option.

Cleaning

The Sportsman requires an extra step to open up the inside for cleaning which is a little annoying, as you need to disconnect the handle connected to the sear plate and then unclip the rod above the sear plate. From there, you need to remove the trays and vacuum out all the dust.

It’s worth it if you’re going to make regular use of the sear plate, but the Traeger is definitely easier to clean.

You get an integrated grease catch, which is a huge upgrade over the old ‘hang it off the side’ design where rain gets in and pets can easily knock it off.

Some ash will fall into the grease bucket, but you’ll still need to remove the grates, scrap down any charred bits and vacuum out the interior like any other pellet grill.

Final verdict

It’s hard to argue that the Pit Boss doesn’t give you better value for money.

For less than the Traeger, you get a similar-sized grill, which includes a front shelf, side shelf, storage rack, larger hopper with a window, and the Flame Boiler for direct searing.

The Traeger gives you a better controller, and the WiFi and app experience is really nice. I’d say the Traeger also gets the edge in build quality.

We wouldn’t say that you can’t grill on the Traeger, but you definitely can’t beat actual flame for flavor.

That said, the sear zone on the Pit Boss is quite a small part of the total grill area.

We’ve only compared two out of dozens of grills both brands offer. We have more detailed reviews if you want to learn more about a certain model.

Pit Boss Reviews

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August 3, 2021

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July 17, 2020

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February 10, 2020

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November 19, 2019

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June 12, 2019

If you want the latest and greatest from Pit Boss, they’ve recently released two retailer exclusives that come with a lot of new tech.

The Pit Boss Titan just launched as an exclusive with Academy Sports, while the Platinum will be sold at Walmart.

It’s a strange strategy to launch your latest tech through these exclusive partnerships, but it seems to be where Pit Boss are focussing their marketing.

Brand History

Other brands to consider

If you still haven’t decided between Traeger or Pit Boss, we have some other strong contenders for you to consider.

Another budget alternative – Z Grills

If your primary reason for considering a Pit Boss is price, you might want to look at Z Grills

The company has been building pellet grills for other companies like Traeger for many years before selling direct to consumers under the Z Grills brand.

The most popular model is the Z Grills 700D4E which comes with a PID WiFi temperature controller, better screen, and easy pellet clean-up features.

We’ve cooked a lot of food on the 700D4E (be sure to check out our full review) and think it’s a fantastic pellet grill. It’s also one of the only pellet grills that has a full cabinet with doors, which is something we wish more brands would include.

A solid mid-range alternative – Camp Chef

We’re huge fans of Camp Chef’s pellet grills, and have the popular Woodwind in our list of the best pellet grills.

While not the largest grill for the price, you get excellent build quality, easy cleanup, and very efficient pellet consumption.

We also really like Camp Chef’s approach to searing. Like the Pit Boss, you get a slide plate to open for direct sear, or you can add the Sidekick with either a grill or griddle top that runs off propane.

While that seems simple, it’s actually the best approach to searing we’ve seen from a pellet grill.

We also did an in-depth Camp Chef vs Traeger comparison, where you can learn what distinguishes these grills from each other.

You can also check out our full list of Traeger grill alternatives.

Pit Boss vs Traeger: which brand should you buy?

Hopefully, you now know a lot more about the differences between Traeger and Pit Boss.

Pit Boss Sportsman 820 Wood Pellet Grill	Traeger Woodridge Pellet Grill
Great size for the price Porcelain-coated cast iron grates perform well Includes front and side shelves	Large size for the price Digital controller and app Quite and efficient
Small searing zone Subpar app experience	Lack of smoke flavor on base model Poor high heat searing Base model lacks features
CHECK PIT BOSS PRICE	CHECK TRAEGER PRICE

Pit Boss Sportsman 820 Wood Pellet Grill

• Great size for the price
• Porcelain-coated cast iron grates perform well
• Includes front and side shelves

• Small searing zone
• Subpar app experience

CHECK PIT BOSS PRICE

Traeger Woodridge Pellet Grill

• Large size for the price
• Digital controller and app
• Quite and efficient

• Lack of smoke flavor on base model
• Poor high heat searing
• Base model lacks features

CHECK TRAEGER PRICE

Both brands have loads of different models, so be sure to check out our Pit Boss Reviews and Traeger Reviews for a more comprehensive breakdown of each brand’s different models.

I hope we haven’t angered any hard-core Traeger fans with our analysis. We aren’t saying they make bad grills, just that for the price Pit Boss gives you more bang for your buck.

Having said that, the latest grills from Traeger offer WiFi connectivity and the ability to control your grill from your phone, which is too tempting for some people to pass up.