Pit Boss vs Traeger: Which Pellet Grill Brand is Best in [currentyear]? - Smoked BBQ Source (2024)

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, as well as all the popular models from Traeger 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.

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 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 Pro 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 more of a direct comparison.

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

With the Traeger Pro 780 you will be paying more for a smaller grill, but you get the WiFIRE system to control the grill via an App, plus a more advanced control system.

With the Pit Boss Sportsman 820 you save a bit of money, and get a larger grill that has some nice usability features like the slide plate for grilling and a removable side shelf to help with prep work.

In the next section, we go into more specific detail about the two brands.

Traeger vs Pit Boss tested and compared

It’s time to meet the contenders. For our direct comparison, we decided to compare the “entry-level” Traeger Pro series against the Pit Boss Sportsman 820.

The Traeger comes in two sizes, 575 and 780, which refers to the number of 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.

Pit Boss sells a few other grills in the Sportsman series including 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 780 is made out of 16-gauge steel. The lid handle is well positioned and feels solid, and you also get a side handle to make wheeling it around easier.

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 21lb hopper which is big enough to do an overnight cook. I would still recommend checking every 6 hours or so, as it does tend to ‘log jam’ where the pellets don’t fall into the hopper.

You get a hopper window on the Sportsman to keep an eye on pellet levels, while the Traeger Pro has the option to add a pellet sensor so you can get alerts via the app.

The Pro only comes with an 18lb hopper, so you’re not going to be able to smoke for as long without refilling. It’s not a big difference, but it’s nice to be able to dump a full standard sized 20lb bag of pellets into the hopper at once on the Pit Boss.

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.

You can upgrade to the WiFi legacy connected control board for $99.99 which allows you to connect to the Pit Boss app. We haven’t tested it on the Sportsman, and on other Pit Boss grills have found the app to be less polished than the Traeger.

The Traeger Pro 780 has a WiFi-capable PID controller that works in 5° increments up to 500°F. The features on the controller are great, including the reverse feature in case you ever get a jam.

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.

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 Traeger 780 comes with (you guessed it!) 780 square inches of cooking space. There are two cooking levels, one full-sized rack on the bottom and a 1/3 shelf on top.

Prep areas, cart and wheels

When it comes to prep areas the Sportsman is way ahead of the Traeger. You get the front folding shelf and a side shelf included. 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. We think that’s not enough room for placing your meat and or cutting boards. Adding the folding front shelf will cost you an extra $79.99

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 Traeger back wheels are made of composite plastic rubber, while the front ones are poly.

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 780 up to 500°F for grilling, but it doesn’t have any direct flame broiler system.

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, I think the lack of the sear plate gives the Pro the edge, as the heat gets distributed a little more evenly.

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

Cleaning

The Sportsman requires an extra step 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.

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 larger grill, 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. You can upgrade to the WiFi Pit Boss controller, but the app isn’t as polished.

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.

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.

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.