Our team has tested and reviewed 7 different Z Grills smokers and all the popular Traeger models.

In this comparison review, we break down the differences between Z Grills and Traeger and do a head-to-head review of a comparable grill from each company to help you decide which pellet grill is right for you.

If you want a detailed overview of each brand and their different models, check out our recommendations for the best Z Grills pellet smokers and the best Traeger pellet grills.

Traeger VS Z Grills Key Differences

There’s a common misconception that Traeger and Z Grills are made by the same company. Back in the 2010s, the company that formed Z Grills did manufacture grills for Traeger, but that’s no longer the case.

Z Grills focuses on providing value for money. Most of their grills are priced between $400 and $1200 and are available via their website and Amazon.

Traeger is much more upmarket, with its top-end grill selling for $3800. You can buy it directly from Traeger or via its large dealer network, which includes Home Depot and Ace Hardware.

For this comparison, we decided to compare the Z Grills 700D4E with the similarly priced Traeger Pro 575.

We’ll run through the key differences and then get stuck into the head-to-head comparison, looking at build quality, grill grates, hopper, controller, storage, and finally, smoking and grilling performance.

Traeger Pro 575 VS Z Grills 700D4E comparison

Traeger vs Z Grills tested and compared

There’s a lot more to comparing grills than just looking at the specs. In the following sections, we’ll see how these two grills compare across a range of categories.

It’s likely that some features will be more important to you than others, so we’ve tried to present the information in the most factual, non biased way so you can make up your own mind.

Before we get started, we should point out that the Pro Traeger comes in two sizes, 575 and 780. Those numbers refer to the square inches of cooking space. The only other difference between the two sizes is the $200 price difference. Plus the larger model will chew through a few more pellets.

The 700D4E is only available in one size.

Build quality

The Traeger Pro is made from 16-gauge steel. The lid handle is positioned well and feels solid, and you also get another handle on the side, which makes wheeling it around easier. The smoker weighs in at 124 lbs.

The Z Grills weighs in slightly heavier at 132 lbs. It boasts dual-wall insulation, although the stainless steel lid feels a little cheaper.

Cooking grates and configuration

Both the Traeger and Z Grills come with a primary and a secondary grate or warming rack.

On the Traeger, you get 425 square inches on the main rack and 150 square inches for the warming rack.

Despite the larger 697 square inches of total cooking area on the Z Grills, the main grate is only 79 square inches bigger than the Traeger.

Depending on what you are cooking, you may have to remove the warming rack entirely, so it’s worth looking at the main grate size. For example if you want to smoke a turkey, you’ll want to remove the warming rack.

Both grates feel similar quality, are lightweight and easy to remove and clean.

Controller and WiFi

Both pellet grills have a PID controller with WiFi connectivity, but the Traeger WiFI is much better.

You can adjust temperatures on the Traeger via the controller or App in 5° increments up to 500°F. The controller includes a reverse feature in case you ever get a jam.

While you don’t get as many features in the App as higher end models, you can still easily check your temperatures, change the grill temp, set it to shut off and set alarms.

Z Grills have only added WiFi to their grills, and the app has been going through the usual teething issues with reports of poor signal and connection issues.

You can adjust the temperature in 5°F increments, which we love, and you do get two probe ports and two probes included.

Pellet hopper

Having a large pellet hopper is great for long overnight cooks (our favorite way to smoke a brisket or pork butt). The Z Grills gets the considerable edge here, with a 28 pound hopper, although there is no window or sensor for keeping an eye on pellet levels.

The Traeger has a much smaller 18 pound hopper, and you can buy an optional sensor that can give you an alert in the app when your pellet levels are low.

You’ll get slightly better efficiency out of the smaller Traeger, so those 18 pounds will stretch a little further.

Both grills have a pellet clean out feature.

Prep areas, cart and wheels

Both Z Grills and the Traeger fall short when it comes to prep areas out of the box. You don’t even get tool hanging hooks! That’s one area where something like the Pit Boss Sportsman really beats out both of these brands.

Both brands offer the side shelves as accessories

The Z Grills does have a nice cabinet with magnetic close doors where you can store a few bags of pellets.

It also outperforms the Traeger in the mobility department, with four rotating castor wheels that make it easy to slide around.

The Traeger has two peg legs, so you’ll need to lift up one side to move it around.

Smoking and grilling tests

On our no-wrap ribs test on the Z grills the final color was a beautiful mahgony and they had a nice smoke ring.

The most memorial cook on the Z Grills was a batch of chicken halves. These came out super juicy with crispy skin and great smokey flavor.

The Z Grills doesn’t get hot enough to get a great sear on steak, but I find it works fine for grilling up burgers or brats.

Food we’ve cooked on the Z Grills 700D4E

We found the Z Grills gives you slightly more pronounced smoke flavor than the Traeger, especially when cooking above 225°F.

When you push the Traeger past 225°F the smoke flavor becomes extremely subtle. This is why we recommend starting most cooks at low temperatures, even if you bump them up later on in the cook.

While the Traeger can get up to 500°F, I’ve found it struggles to get good sear marks when searing burgers, and there’s a noticeable difference at the front.

Food cooked on the Traeger Pro 575

The Traeger performed great on the wings and was able to get nice crispy skin.

Cleaning

Both pits use a side-hanging bucket to catch grease, and neither includes ash catchment systems. They’re both pretty outdated, with brands like Camp Chef and Weber Searwood offering much better ash and grease management and cleaning.

Both companies will try and sell you their own branded liners which you’ll need to replace every few cooks, or you could just buy a bulk no-name brand off Amazon that does the same thing for less.

Cleaning each pit is virtually the same. After running them for 2-3 cooks you’ll need to remove the grill grates and heat deflector and vacuum out the chamber and fire pot with a shop vac.

Customer service

Despite owning multiple models of each brand and using some for several years, we’ve never run into any issues that required contacting customer service from either company.

From researching other folks experience though it seems Traeger gets the edge when it comes to customer support. They are a US-based company that has been around since the 1970s. They also have a vast dealer network so you may be able to get service from where you bought your girll.

They definitely aren’t without their issues as you’ll see if you browse their company’s social media pages.

Final verdict

Z Grills used to be easy to recommend over the Traeger, but in recent years their prices have crept up to the point they are only slightly lower. Although Z Grills does include the cover, which will cost you an extra $79.99 with the Traeger.

The biggest difference is grill real estate and hopper size. The Z Grills offers about 20% more cooking space and costs less.

Traeger has a much better App experience and more reliable WiFi. Traeger has a slight edge for build quality.

Both grills are pretty bare bones when it comes to prep areas and extra functionality.

If you think you’ll need the extra room and want to spend a bit less go for the Z Grills, and if the App experience is important for you, go for the Traeger.

Other brands to consider

For a budget option with more features

For less money than the Z Grills 700D4E, you can get a Pit Boss Sportsman which includes side and front folding shelves, tool hooks, a spice rack and a bottle opener. You also get a slide and sear option which opens up the fire pot for direct heat searing.

Check out our full Pit Boss vs Z Grills comparison for the full break down.

If your budget can stretch

If you can increase your budget by around $100 you can pick up the new Weber Searwood which has direct flame searing across the entire grilling grates.

It’s also got a nice integrated grease and ash catchment system for easier cleaning, adjustable smoke levels, better app, plus you have the option to add griddle and rotisserie attachments for extra versatility.

Should you buy a Z Grills or a Traeger?

If you are happy with a large grill that doesn’t include some of the more modern features, the Z Grills 700D4E is better value than the Traeger Pro 575, especially if you are cooking for larger groups or lots of different cuts at once.

If you want more features like a better App and slightly nicer build quality, you should consider the Traeger Pro.