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30-second read
Our picks in 30 seconds
The same rules, limited to the 20 horizontal pellet grills at $1,000 or less.
#1Cheapest with Wi-Fi app control
Pellet grill
Z Grills 10502B WiFi XL
1,080sq in total
"WiFi and Bluetooth built in". 1,080 sq in (443 main), 21 lb hopper. It is also the cheapest with 1,000 sq in or more.
- Type
- pellet grill
- Hopper
- 21 lb
- Temperature
- 160 to 500°F
- Weight
- 130 lb
- Connectivity
- Wi-Fi: Z Grills app (WiFi and Bluetooth)
- store shows a compare-at price of $899
- Z Grills publishes a full-hopper run time: "21-lb hopper: up to 20 hours of continuous cooking at 225°F"
$559 $899price checked November 7, 2026; it may have changed
#2Cheapest that runs 12 hr on one hopper at 2 lb/hr
Pellet grill
Z Grills 7002C2E WiFi
697sq in total
28 lb hopper: 14 hours at Pit Boss's 2 lb/hr low-and-slow rule of thumb [calc]. Z Grills itself says: "28 hours of non-stop cooking with a full hopper".
- Type
- pellet grill
- Hopper
- 28 lb
- Temperature
- 160 to 500°F
- Weight
- 134 lb
- Connectivity
- Wi-Fi: Z Grills app (Z-Smart)
- store shows a compare-at price of $777
- Z Grills publishes a full-hopper run time: "28 hours of non-stop cooking with a full hopper"
$697 $777price checked November 7, 2026; it may have changed
#3Cheapest with 1,000 sq in or more, after the Z Grills 10502B WiFi XL above
Pellet grill
Pit Boss Odessa (Onyx Edition)
1,323sq in total
1,323 sq in published. Pit Boss says: "With over 1,300 square inches of cooking space, you can grill up to 55 burgers, 7 whole chickens, or 8 racks of ribs at once."
- Type
- pellet grill
- Hopper
- 33 lb
- Temperature
- 180 to 500°F
- Weight
- not published
- Connectivity
- Wi-Fi: Pit Boss Grills app (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth)
- capacity published in food: With over 1,300 square inches of cooking space, you can grill up to 55 burgers, 7 whole ch
- assembled weight not published on the page we read
$697.99price checked November 7, 2026; it may have changed
Check price at Pit Boss#4Cheapest Traeger in our check
Pellet grill
Traeger Westwood
653sq in total
653 sq in (428 main), 18 lb hopper, 180 to 450°F. Traeger says: "Westwood Capacity: 21 Chicken Breasts, 6 Rib Racks, 20 Burgers".
- Type
- pellet grill
- Hopper
- 18 lb
- Temperature
- 180 to 450°F
- Weight
- 116 lb
- Connectivity
- Wi-Fi: Traeger app (WiFIRE)
- capacity published in food: Westwood Capacity: 21 Chicken Breasts, 6 Rib Racks, 20 Burgers
- Traeger's support guide gives 660 sq. in. total and a 435 sq. in. main grate; the product page says 653 and 428.
$699.99price checked November 7, 2026; it may have changed
Check price at TraegerPrices shown by each store on November 7, 2026, sale prices included. We have not tested any of these grills: we compare the published product pages. The commission never decides a pick. How we compare: criteria, sources and dates
Contents
Smoke Hours is paid through affiliate links: if you buy through a link to Pit Boss, Traeger, Z Grills or Camp Chef, we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. No program has accepted the site yet, and the commission never decides the order or the picks. How we choose.
The 20 horizontal pellet grills (portables and vertical smokers left out, the Pit Boss Lockhart grill-and-cabinet combo kept) that five stores listed at $1,000 or less on November 7, 2026, cheapest first, with their published cooking area, hopper, temperature range, weight and connectivity.
All grills at $1,000 or less
| Grill | Price (store) | Cooking area | Hopper | Temperature | Weight | Connectivity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pit Boss Carbon 500 pellet grill | $349.99 Pit Boss | 543 sq in | 13.5 lb | 180 to 500°F | not published | no Wi-Fi |
| Pit Boss Carbon 700 pellet grill | $379.99 Pit Boss | 718 sq in | 13.5 lb | 180 to 500°F | not published | no Wi-Fi |
| Z Grills Pioneer 450B pellet grill | $399 Z Grills | 459 sq in (331 main) | 18 lb | 160 to 450°F | 77 lb | no Wi-Fi |
| Pit Boss FB2 500 pellet grill | $399.99 Pit Boss | 518 sq in | 5 lb | 180 to 500°F | not published | no Wi-Fi |
| Pit Boss FB2 700 pellet grill | $549.99 Pit Boss | 747 sq in | 21 lb | 180 to 500°F | not published | no Wi-Fi |
| Z Grills 10502B WiFi XL pellet grill | $559 Z Grills | 1,080 sq in (443 main) | 21 lb | 160 to 500°F | 130 lb | Wi-Fi: Z Grills app (WiFi and Bluetooth) |
| Pit Boss FB2 850 pellet grill | $599.99 Pit Boss | 840 sq in | 21 lb | 180 to 500°F | not published | no Wi-Fi |
| Z Grills 7002C2E WiFi pellet grill | $697 Z Grills | 697 sq in (504 main) | 28 lb | 160 to 500°F | 134 lb | Wi-Fi: Z Grills app (Z-Smart) |
| Pit Boss Odessa (Onyx Edition) pellet grill | $697.99 Pit Boss | 1,323 sq in | 33 lb | 180 to 500°F | not published | Wi-Fi: Pit Boss Grills app (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) |
| Traeger Westwood pellet grill | $699.99 Traeger | 653 sq in (428 main) | 18 lb | 180 to 450°F | 116 lb | Wi-Fi: Traeger app (WiFIRE) |
| Camp Chef Woodwind 24 (side shelf) pellet grill | $749.99 Camp Chef | 811 sq in (429 main) | 22 lb | not published | 123 lb | Wi-Fi: Camp Chef Connect app |
| Pit Boss Sportsman 850 pellet grill | $749.99 Pit Boss | 849 sq in | 21 lb | 180 to 500°F | not published | Wi-Fi: Pit Boss Grills app (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) |
| Z Grills 700D4E WiFi pellet grill | $777 Z Grills | 697 sq in (504 main) | 28 lb | 160 to 500°F | 132 lb | Wi-Fi: Z Grills app |
| Pit Boss Navigator 850 pellet grill | $799.99 Pit Boss | 932 sq in | 30 lb | 180 to 500°F | not published | Wi-Fi: Pit Boss Grills app (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) |
| Traeger Westwood XL pellet grill | $799.99 Traeger | 823 sq in (540 main) | 18 lb | 180 to 450°F | 128 lb | Wi-Fi: Traeger app (WiFIRE) |
| Z Grills 1000D4E WiFi pellet grill | $827 Z Grills | 1,056 sq in (428 main) | 28 lb | 160 to 450°F | 145 lb | Wi-Fi: Z Grills app |
| Pit Boss Sportsman 1100 pellet grill | $849.99 Pit Boss | 1,610 sq in | 30 lb | 180 to 500°F | not published | Wi-Fi: Pit Boss Grills app (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) |
| Pit Boss Lockhart Platinum pellet grill + smoker cabinet | $899.99 Pit Boss | 2,234 sq in | 40 lb | 180 to 500°F | not published | Wi-Fi: Pit Boss Grills app (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) |
| Traeger Woodridge pellet grill | $899.99 Traeger | 860 sq in (520 main) | 24 lb | up to 500°F | 138 lb | Wi-Fi: Traeger app (WiFIRE) |
| Pit Boss Navigator 1300 pellet grill | $999.99 Pit Boss | 1,329 sq in | 30 lb | 180 to 500°F | not published | Wi-Fi: Pit Boss Grills app (Wi-Fi and Bluetooth) |
What $1,000 buys, and what it does not
Under $1,000 you can already get Wi-Fi control (Z Grills from $559, Pit Boss from $697.99, Traeger from $699.99), a hopper of 28 lb or more (Z Grills 7002C2E from $697, 700D4E and 1000D4E at 28 lb, Pit Boss Navigator 850 and 1300 at 30 lb, Odessa at 33 lb) and more than 1,000 sq in (Z Grills 10502B and 1000D4E, Pit Boss Odessa and Navigator 1300). What you mostly do not get in this bracket, on the pages we read: a published pellet-level sensor (Traeger lists one on the Woodridge Pro Plus at $1,399.99) or a fully insulated, gasketed chamber (Z Grills' Multitasker 11002B, $1,399).
Run the cook you care about through the pellet cost per cook calculator before you buy: a cheaper grill with a small hopper can mean a refill at 3 a.m. Or compare everything, over $1,000 too, in the full comparison.
Frequently asked questions
What is the best pellet grill under $1,000?
It depends on the need, which is why our picks follow written rules instead of a score. On November 7, 2026, the cheapest Wi-Fi grill under $1,000 in our check was the Z Grills 10502B ($559), the cheapest with a 24 lb or bigger hopper the Z Grills 7002C2E ($697), and the cheapest Traeger the Westwood ($699.99).
Is a $500 pellet grill good enough?
For the numbers we can read, yes: the horizontal grills under $600 in our check publish top temperatures of 450 to 500°F, like most dearer ones, and 459 to 1,080 sq in of space. What the specification sheets do not show (steel gauge, insulation, controller stability, warranty claims handling) is where price differences usually sit, and we have not tested any of them.
Do cheaper grills burn more pellets?
No maker publishes burn rates by model in a way we could compare. Z Grills says its Multitasker uses "up to 40% less pellet consumption in cold winter conditions" thanks to its insulated, gasketed chamber, which tells you insulation matters; it does not tell you how much a thin-walled grill burns.