Bertello Grande vs Ooni Karu 12 (2026): Which Should You Buy?

Neither is universally better, they're both multi-fuel ovens that burn gas and wood, so the right pick depends on size, price, and brand, not fuel. They're nearly tied on performance: ~930°F (Grande, stated) vs ~950°F (Karu 12) is an ~20°F gap you won't taste, both are comfortable 60-Second-Pizza Club members, and recovery is identical (instant on gas, tend-the-fire on wood). The Grande wins on size (a true 16-inch party pie) and offers SimulFIRE for gas-plus-wood at once; the Karu 12 wins on portability and price (26.4 lb vs 50 lb, and $349 vs $549) and on brand ecosystem. Buy the Grande for a bigger pie and gas-plus-wood value; buy the Karu 12 for portability, the lower price, and the Ooni accessory ecosystem.

Only barely. The Karu 12 reaches ~950°F and the Grande a manufacturer-stated ~930°F in our database, an ~20°F difference that's small enough you won't taste it. Both char a Neapolitan crust fast and set leopard-spotting on the rim. So don't choose between these two on temperature; choose on size, weight, price, and brand, where the real differences are. The Grande's figure is manufacturer-stated rather than one we've independently clocked, but even at face value the gap is too small to matter.

It's worth it if you want the size and the deck space. The $200 premium ($549 vs $349) buys a true 16-inch party pie, more room to launch and turn the pizza, and SimulFIRE's ability to run gas and wood at the same time, at a price that undercuts most premium 16-inch gas ovens. It does not buy a meaningfully hotter bake (the Karu is actually ~20°F hotter on paper) or faster recovery (both are identical on each fuel). So if you cook mostly for two to four, value portability, and want the bigger brand and accessory ecosystem, the Karu 12 saves you $200 and half the weight for a pizza experience that's nearly identical at 12 inches. The Grande's premium is about deck size, not performance.

Yes, that's the key thing to understand about this matchup. Both ovens burn gas and wood/charcoal, so the choice between them is not a fuel decision. The Grande's SimulFIRE feature even lets you run gas and wood at the same time, while the Karu 12 runs one fuel per session (and its gas burner is sold separately). Because they share fuels, they also share recovery behavior: both reload the stone instantly on gas and both ask you to tend the fire on wood. The real differences are size, weight, price, and brand ecosystem.

The Karu 12, easily. It weighs 26.4 lb to the Grande's 50, barely more than half, so it's a genuine grab-and-go oven you can carry to a campsite, lift onto a table one-handed, or stow on a shelf between weekends. The Grande is a stay-put 50 lb oven that you place and largely leave. If portability is a priority, a small patio, a balcony, camping, tailgating, or frequent storage, the Karu 12 is the clear pick. If the oven lives in one spot and size matters more than weight, the Grande's heft is less of a concern.

Ooni, clearly, and it's a real factor here. The Karu 12 is backed by the largest owner community and the broadest accessory line in the whole category, peels, covers, thermometers, gas burners, and exhaustively documented fire-craft, so there's always a resource or an add-on when you need one. Bertello is a smaller, mostly direct-sold brand, so its owner-feedback base and accessory ecosystem are thinner. If you value community resources, documentation, and a deep accessory range, that weighs toward the Karu 12. If you mainly care about the larger deck and a fair price, the Grande's smaller ecosystem may not bother you.