Our Pick: Ooni
Check price on Amazon →Solo Stove Pi Prime vs Ooni Koda 12 (2026): Which Pizza Oven Should You Buy?
Two affordable 12-inch single-burner gas ovens, settled head to head. The Solo Stove Pi Prime is the round, design-forward one; the Ooni Koda 12 is the lighter, hotter, and now cheaper one, with the deeper ecosystem behind it. Both are gas, both 12-inch, both make great fast pizza, so this comes down to whether the Pi Prime's looks are worth about $100 and a slower bake.
By The Pizza Oven Review Desk · ~9 min read · Updated 2026-06-28
Ooni Koda 12
Ooni
A lighter, hotter 12-inch gas oven that hits ~932°F at just 20.4 lb, backed by the category's deepest lineup.
Check price★ Our Top Pick
Best for Heat, Weight & Ecosystem
A lighter, hotter 12-inch gas oven that hits ~932°F at just 20.4 lb, backed by the category's deepest lineup.
Not sure yet? Compare all 2 picks below ↓
The Solo Stove Pi Prime and the Ooni Koda 12 are two of the most cross-shopped entry-level gas pizza ovens, and it's easy to see why. Both are single-burner, 12-inch, propane ovens at the affordable end of serious, the kind of oven a lot of people buy as their first. Solo Stove comes at it from the fire-pit world with a round, design-forward look; Ooni comes at it as the category's biggest name with a lighter body, a hotter ceiling, a lower price, and the deepest lineup behind it. If these two are on your short list, this is the full answer.
We anchor it the way we anchor every comparison: the same objective spine, applied to both. Peak floor temperature, membership in the 60-Second-Pizza Club, and heat recovery between bakes. The spine does reveal one honest difference here: the Koda 12 reaches ~932°F to the Pi Prime's ~850°F per our verified database. Both are gas, both recover instantly, and both make excellent pizza, but the Koda 12 runs hotter, which gives it a little more margin for true 60-second Neapolitan bakes, while the Pi Prime sits closer to the line. That, plus weight, price, and ecosystem, is what actually separates them.
A word on how this page is paid for, because independence is the whole point: no brand sponsored this comparison, neither Solo Stove nor Ooni knew we were writing it, and nobody bought a placement or a ranking. Both ovens below link to Amazon, and if you buy through those links we may earn a commission at no extra cost to you, that never moves a rating or a verdict. Every price, temperature, weight, and size comes from manufacturer-verified specs in our oven database, not marketing copy. We chose these two because they're the fairest matchup in the budget single-burner gas class: same fuel, same 12-inch capacity, each an entry-level flagship.
The short version
- Both are 12-inch single-burner gas ovens. The Koda 12 runs hotter (~932°F vs ~850°F), which gives it a bit more margin for true 60-second bakes; the Pi Prime is still plenty hot for great pizza.
- The Pi Prime's edge is now purely look: a distinctive round, design-forward body at around $400. It is no longer the cheaper oven here.
- The Koda 12's edge is weight, heat, price, and ecosystem: at 20.4 lb it's lighter and more grab-and-go, it runs hotter, it costs about $100 less at ~$299, and it anchors Ooni's deep lineup.
- Which should you buy? For most buyers, the Koda 12, which now wins on every measurable axis and costs roughly $100 less. Choose the Pi Prime only if its round look is worth that premium to you.
- Both are solid entry ovens. Buy the Koda 12 for heat, weight, price, and lineup; buy the Pi Prime for its distinctive design, knowing you are paying about $100 for it.
| Spec | Solo Stove Pi Prime | Ooni Koda 12 |
|---|---|---|
| Fuel | Gas (propane) | Gas (propane) |
| Peak floor temp | ~850°F | ~932°F |
| Max pizza size | 12 in | 12 in |
| Weight | 30.8 lb | 20.4 lb (lighter) |
| Design | Round, design-forward, fire-pit DNA | Wedge, compact, classic Ooni |
| Price (MSRP) | ~$400 | ~$299 |
| Best for | Look and design | Heat, portability, price, ecosystem |
Two 12-inch single-burner gas ovens, head to head, specs verified against our oven database (docs/verified-ovens.json) in June 2026.
01 · Best for Heat, Weight & Ecosystem
Winner: Heat & PortabilityOoni Koda 12
A lighter, hotter 12-inch gas oven that hits ~932°F at just 20.4 lb, backed by the category's deepest lineup.
On the bench: Manufacturer-verified peak floor temperature of ~932°F via the gas burner, a full 60-Second-Pizza Club member with more thermal margin than the Pi Prime, in the lighter body of the two.
The Koda 12 is the hotter, lighter oven, and that combination is hard to argue with at this price. The Koda 12 runs a gas burner to reach the ~932°F peak floor temperature our database records, a full 60-Second-Pizza Club member with real thermal margin over the Pi Prime's ~850°F. That extra heat means more headroom for the fastest Neapolitan bakes and a bit more forgiveness when you're learning to time a pie. Because it's gas, recovery is instant, so a long session stays consistent from the first pizza to the last.
What the Koda 12 gives up is the Pi Prime's distinctive round, design-forward look, and that is now the entire list. The Koda's wedge shape is classic and compact but more utilitarian than statement-making. That is not a real knock for most buyers: the heat, weight, and price advantages are tangible day to day, while the look is taste. For the cook who wants the better-performing, lighter oven with the deepest lineup behind it, Ooni's Koda 12 is the pick.
- Fuel
- Gas (propane)
- Peak temp
- ~932°F (manufacturer-verified)
- Max pizza size
- 12 in
- Weight
- 20.4 lb
- Price
- ~$299
What we like
- Hotter ceiling (~932°F) gives more margin for fast true-Neapolitan bakes
- Lighter at 20.4 lb, the more grab-and-go of the two
- Anchors the category's deepest lineup (gas, wood, multi-fuel, electric, 16-inch)
- Instant gas recovery; full 60-Second-Pizza Club member
Worth noting
- Wedge shape is compact but more utilitarian than the round Pi Prime
- Same 12-inch deck, so no capacity advantage
Who should buy it: Buy the Koda 12 if heat, weight, and ecosystem lead, you want the hotter oven with more margin for fast bakes, the lighter body you can carry one-handed, and the reassurance of the category's deepest, best-supported lineup if you grow into the hobby. It's the right pick for buyers who prioritize performance and portability over a distinctive look, and it now costs about $100 less as well.
What we don't like: Its wedge shape, while compact, is more utilitarian than the Pi Prime's statement-making round design, so if looks lead your decision, the Solo Stove has more presence. That's about it: on the things that affect the pizza, and on price, the Koda 12 is the stronger oven here.
Bottom line: The Koda 12 is the performance-and-portability pick. It runs hotter than the Pi Prime (~932°F vs ~850°F), which gives it more margin for fast true-Neapolitan bakes, and at 20.4 lb it's the lighter, more grab-and-go of the two, plus it anchors Ooni's deep lineup if you grow into the hobby. And at ~$299 it now costs about $100 less than the Pi Prime, so there is no longer a price trade at all. The only thing it skips is the Pi Prime's distinctive round look.
02 · Best for Design
Winner: Design
Solo Stove Pi Prime
A distinctive round, design-forward 12-inch gas oven, Solo Stove's style pick, and now the pricier of the two.
On the bench: Manufacturer-verified peak floor temperature of ~850°F via the single gas burner, hot enough for great fast pizza, just with less thermal margin than the Koda 12, in a distinctive round body.
The Pi Prime is the oven you buy partly because of how it looks, and that's a legitimate reason. The Pi Prime carries Solo Stove's distinctive round, design-forward aesthetic, it reads more like an object and less like a tool than the wedge-shaped Koda 12. On performance, its single gas burner reaches the ~850°F peak floor temperature our database records: hot enough for genuinely good fast pizza, and because it's gas, recovery between bakes is instant. It's a capable entry oven with real visual presence.
The honest caveats are heat and weight. At ~850°F the Pi Prime runs cooler than the Koda 12's ~932°F, so it has less thermal margin for the very fastest Neapolitan bakes, it still makes excellent pizza, but rewards a slightly slower, more deliberate approach and a bit more turning. And at 30.8 lb it's the heavier of the two, so it's less grab-and-go. Solo Stove's pizza lineup is also narrower than Ooni's if you later want to branch out. And it is now the pricier oven here by roughly $100. But for the buyer who wants the look, Solo Stove delivers exactly that.
- Fuel
- Gas (propane)
- Peak temp
- ~850°F (manufacturer-verified)
- Max pizza size
- 12 in
- Weight
- 30.8 lb
- Price
- ~$400
What we like
- Distinctive round, design-forward look with real patio presence
- Instant gas recovery; makes genuinely good fast pizza
- Simple single-burner operation, easy to learn
Worth noting
- About $100 more than the Koda 12 at around $400
- Cooler ceiling (~850°F) means less margin for the fastest bakes
- Heavier at 30.8 lb, less grab-and-go than the Koda 12
- Narrower lineup than Ooni if you later want other sizes or fuels
Who should buy it: Buy the Pi Prime if design leads, you love Solo Stove's distinctive round look, and you're happy to bake a touch more deliberately to suit its ~850°F ceiling. It's the right pick for style-conscious buyers who care more about how the oven looks on the patio than about the fastest bake or the lowest price, because it costs about $100 more than the Koda 12.
What we don't like: At around $400 it costs about $100 more than the Koda 12 while giving up heat and weight. At ~850°F it runs cooler than the Koda 12's ~932°F, so it has less margin for the fastest Neapolitan bakes. It's also heavier (30.8 lb vs 20.4 lb), so it's less grab-and-go, and Solo Stove's pizza lineup is narrower than Ooni's if you later want a different size or fuel.
Bottom line: The Pi Prime is the design pick, and that is now its whole case. It carries Solo Stove's signature round, fire-pit-derived look and makes genuinely good pizza on its single gas burner, but at around $400 it costs about $100 more than the Koda 12 while running cooler (~850°F vs ~932°F) and weighing ten pounds more. Buy it because you want this oven on your patio, not because it saves money, because it no longer does.