Gozney Arc.

The Gavler Review.

Gozney Arc Review: Style and Substance, at a Price

The Gozney Arc ranks number 7 on Gavler's Best Outdoor Pizza Ovens list with an 8.4. It's the mid-size entry in Gozney's Arc family, delivering the same stone-and-flame engineering as the larger Arc XL in a smaller, $599 footprint sized for the personal-pizza cooking that makes up most home use. Tom's Guide's Mike Prospero tested it head-to-head against Ooni and Solo Stove's comparable propane ovens and came away with almost no complaints beyond the sticker: "It was hard for me to find any fault with the oven, other than its price, which was higher than its direct competitors."

What it is

The Arc is a 14-inch propane-only pizza oven built around Gozney's signature curved, bone-colored steel body — a deliberate design choice, positioned as a lower-cost alternative to Gozney's $1,999 wood-and-gas Dome while sharing its rounded silhouette. A 20mm removable cordierite stone provides an internal cooking surface of roughly 14.8 x 18.1 inches, and the oven reaches a claimed 950°F, with a lateral gas burner sending a rolling flame across the chamber rather than concentrating heat from directly below.

The standout spec relative to competitors at this price is the built-in digital thermometer on the front face — a color display showing internal temperature in real numbers alongside a colored heat-level bar, controlled by a single knob. Tom's Guide called out this feature specifically, noting it's "only found on pricier models from Ooni," where the comparable digital readout doesn't show up until the $799 Karu 16.

In use

Tom's Guide's test is the most detailed independent account available, and it's a useful reality check against pure marketing claims. The first cook ran slow — about 45 minutes to heat, with the stone never quite reaching full crisping temperature — but "on all subsequent tests, it heated up quickly (about 20-30 minutes) and cooked my pizzas to perfection." At full heat (800-900°F), Neapolitan-style pies were ready in 70-80 seconds; turned down to 700-750°F, New York-style pies took three to four minutes and still came out with a well-browned crust and underside.

One operational detail worth knowing before you buy: because the Arc's flame comes from one side rather than surrounding the pizza, "you have to turn the pizza at least once while it's cooking" — standard practice for single-burner ovens in this category, but worth factoring into your first few cooks if you're used to a symmetrical heat source. The 20mm stone recharged fast between pies — Tom's Guide gave it roughly five minutes at max heat between bakes and found that enough to keep crusts charred and crisp.

Strengths

The build quality is the recurring theme across coverage. T3's review of the smaller Arc Lite called Gozney's engineering "dead easy to use," and the full-size Arc carries the same fit and finish up through the larger XL. The color display and built-in thermometer genuinely differentiate it from same-price competitors that force you to guess at internal temperature from flame color and cook time alone. And the accessory ecosystem — a fitted cover, a stand with a propane tank cutout, a notably solid pizza cutter Tom's Guide called "the most solidly built cutter I've ever used" — reflects a company selling a complete system, not just an oven.

The trade-offs — who should skip it

Price is the whole story here, and every review agrees. At $599-699 depending on configuration, the Arc costs more than the $599 Ooni Koda 16 (which fits larger 16-inch pies) and considerably more than the $349 Solo Stove Pi Prime, which Gavler ranks higher on this list specifically because it delivers comparable propane performance at a fraction of the price. If your priority is pure pizza-per-dollar and you don't care about the built-in thermometer or the design language, both of those alternatives will get you to a good pizza faster and cheaper.

How it compares

The larger Gozney Arc XL ranks number 2 on this list at $799 with a 9.3 score — the same stone-and-flame engineering and even bake, scaled up to a 16-inch cooking surface. Gavler's own assessment calls it "the price-to-performance king at the premium tier," and it's the better buy if your household regularly cooks larger New York-style pies or family-size portions rather than personal Neapolitan pizzas.

For buyers prioritizing value over design, the Solo Stove Pi Prime ranks number 6 at $349 — less than half the Arc's price for a 12-inch propane oven that reaches over 900°F in under 20 minutes. Tom's Guide separately reviewed the Pi Prime and called it "the best pizza oven for those looking for an easy to use and inexpensive propane-powered oven," and CNN Underscored noted it "has very few flaws." It's a smaller cooking surface and a less polished build than the Arc, but for a first pizza oven or a budget-conscious buyer, it's the harder recommendation to argue against.

The Gavler verdict

The Gozney Arc is a genuinely well-engineered oven — Tom's Guide's independent test found essentially no functional complaints, and the built-in thermometer is a real, usable advantage over same-price rivals. But "hard to find any fault... other than its price" is also an honest way of saying the price is the deciding factor for most buyers. If Gozney's design language and that thermometer are worth $250-350 more than a Solo Stove Pi Prime to you, buy the Arc. If you just want good pizza for the least money, start with the Pi Prime and upgrade later if you catch the habit.

Common Questions

Is the Gozney Arc worth it in 2026?

Yes, if build quality and looks matter as much as cooking performance to you. Tom's Guide's Mike Prospero tested it directly against the Ooni Koda 16 and Solo Pi Prime and concluded, 'It was hard for me to find any fault with the oven, other than its price, which was higher than its direct competitors.'

How does the Gozney Arc compare to Ooni's ovens on price?

It costs more for less capacity. Tom's Guide notes the $699 Arc makes 14-inch pizzas, while 'the $599 Ooni Koda 16... can fit 16-inch pies' for less money. The Arc's advantage is a built-in digital thermometer, a feature Tom's Guide says 'is only found on pricier models from Ooni,' like the $799 Karu 16.

How fast does the Gozney Arc actually cook a pizza?

With the oven at 800-900°F, Tom's Guide's Neapolitan-style pies were ready in as little as 70-80 seconds, and New York-style pies cooked at a lower 700-750°F setting took three to four minutes with a nicely browned crust and underside.