As a restaurant chef with over 10 years of experience at Dequte Restaurant LironBoylston, I’ve had the opportunity to test and cook with a wide range of pizza ovens. In this article, I’ll be comparing the Ooni Koda 2 and the Ooni Fyra 12—two popular models from Ooni that I’ve personally used in my kitchen.
I’ve compared both ovens based on key factors like quality and materials, temperature control, shape, first-time usage impressions, power source, size, ease of cleaning, and finally, conducted a real pizza cooking test to see how long it takes to make a proper Neapolitan-style Margherita. If you’d like to know how I approach testing ovens in detail, be sure to check out my separate article, “How We Test Pizza Ovens.”
The Ooni Koda 2 is Ooni’s newest gas-powered oven, designed for convenience, speed, and precise control with its upgraded G2 Gas Technology™.
The Ooni Fyra 12, on the other hand, is their flagship wood pellet model known for its portability and the traditional wood-fired flavor it delivers in a compact design.
I’ve compared the Ooni Koda 2 and the Ooni Fyra 12 in detail in this article, using my own test results.
Disclaimer: This article contains affiliate links. If you decide to purchase through these links, I’ll earn a small commission—at no extra cost to you. These commissions greatly help keep this blog alive and support the time I spend thoroughly testing and reviewing these ovens.
Ooni Koda 2 VS Ooni Fyra 12: Quality and Materials
| The Ooni Koda 2 is made with premium die-cast aluminum that ensures durability while maintaining a lightweight feel. Its thicker pizza stone holds heat better and enhances crisping. |
The Ooni Fyra 12 features a carbon-steel shell and cordierite stone, optimized for heat retention. It’s sturdy and lightweight but not as refined as the Koda 2.
|
Ooni Koda 2 VS Ooni Fyra 12: Temperature Control
| With the new G2 Gas Technology™, the Ooni Koda 2 offers precise and consistent heat. It reaches 950°F in just 15 minutes and maintains stable temperature throughout cooking. |
The Ooni Fyra 12 offers good temperature control once you get the hang of managing wood pellets. It heats up to 950°F, though requires more user input.
|
Ooni Koda 2 VS Ooni Fyra 12: Shape
| The compact, rectangular body of the Ooni Koda 2 is sleek and efficient, allowing for even airflow and minimal heat loss. |
The Ooni Fyra 12’s tall, chimney-equipped design promotes upward heat flow, ideal for creating wood-fired flavors but less streamlined than the Koda 2.
|
Ooni Koda 2 VS Ooni Fyra 12: First-Time Usage Impressions
| Unboxing the Ooni Koda 2 feels premium. It’s solid, stylish, and setup is intuitive. The smart design and quality finish are noticeable immediately. |
Unboxing the Ooni Fyra 12 shows solid build quality. Setup is fairly easy, though managing pellets may be unfamiliar for beginners.
|
Ooni Koda 2 VS Ooni Fyra 12: Power Source
| Ooni Koda 2 uses propane gas exclusively, offering plug-and-play simplicity without the hassle of managing solid fuel. |
The Ooni Fyra 12 uses wood pellets as its only fuel source, offering that authentic wood-fired taste but with more prep and cleanup effort.
|
Ooni Koda 2 VS Ooni Fyra 12: Size
| Weighing 35 lbs, the Ooni Koda 2 is portable and well-balanced in size, with a 14-inch cooking surface ideal for personal and family-sized pizzas. |
At 22 lbs and compact dimensions, the Ooni Fyra 12 is lighter and more space-efficient. It fits comfortably in small outdoor areas.
|
Ooni Koda 2 VS Ooni Fyra 12: Ease of Cleaning
| The Ooni Koda 2’s gas-only system and pyrolytic cleaning capability make maintenance quick and easy—no ash, no mess. |
Cleaning the Ooni Fyra 12 takes more time due to ash and soot. Interior parts must be cooled before wiping or brushing out residue.
|
Pizza Cooking Test: Ooni Koda 2 vs Ooni Fyra 12
To fairly assess both ovens, I prepared identical Neapolitan-style Margherita pizzas using the same dough, sauce, and fresh mozzarella. I tested each oven’s heat-up time, cook time, and the final taste and texture of the pizza.
Ooni Koda 2 heated up in exactly 15 minutes, reaching a consistent 950°F on the pizza stone, thanks to its G2 Gas Technology™. Once the oven was fully preheated, I launched the Margherita pizza and it cooked in just about 60 seconds. The crust developed a perfect leopard-spotting, while the bottom was evenly charred and crisp. The cheese melted beautifully, and the sauce retained its freshness without burning. The taste was exceptional — light, airy, and with just enough char to bring out the smokiness without bitterness.
Ooni Fyra 12, using hardwood pellets, took slightly longer to heat up — about 18 minutes to reach peak temperature. While it can technically reach up to 950°F, maintaining that level with pellets requires close attention. The pizza took about 2 minutes to cook fully. The flavor had a wonderful wood-fired essence, and the crust had good structure, though the underside was slightly uneven due to the learning curve of managing pellet flame consistency. The cheese and sauce combination was delicious, but the final pizza lacked the same evenness and texture I achieved with the Ooni Koda 2.
In short, Ooni Koda 2 delivered faster heat-up, quicker cook time, and a slightly more refined result in terms of both texture and taste. Ooni Fyra 12 still made a great pizza with that distinct wood-fired flavor, but required more manual control and precision to achieve even results.
How We Tested
To test the Ooni Koda 2 and Ooni Fyra 12 fairly, I used my experience as a professional chef at Dequte Restaurant LironBoylston and approached both ovens under the same conditions. I cooked with each one multiple times outdoors over several weeks, aiming to understand how they perform in a real-world setting. For consistency, I used the same Neapolitan-style dough recipe, homemade tomato sauce, and fresh mozzarella for every pizza. This helped ensure that any differences in results came down to the ovens, not the ingredients.
I timed how long it took for each oven to preheat to its optimal temperature. With the Ooni Koda 2, this meant reaching 950°F using gas, while the Ooni Fyra 12 needed to build consistent heat using wood pellets. I used an infrared thermometer to check stone temperature before launching each pizza.
During cooking, I observed how quickly and evenly each oven baked a classic Margherita pizza. I paid attention to crust rise, cheese melt, and spotting. Once the pizzas were done, I tasted them immediately, focusing on flavor, crispiness, and the finish of the crust—especially looking for that signature leopard spotting on the base.
I also evaluated the overall user experience: how easy each oven was to set up, how intuitive the controls felt, and how much effort it took to manage the flame or pellets. After cooking, I cleaned each oven to assess the effort needed to keep them in good shape.
This hands-on, repeatable process gave me a clear understanding of how the Ooni Koda 2 and Ooni Fyra 12 compare in terms of real pizza-making performance.
Conclusion
In the end, whether you go with the Ooni Koda 2 or the Ooni Fyra 12 depends on your personal cooking style. If you prefer effortless gas-powered precision and speed, the Ooni Koda 2 is likely your best pick. But if you’re drawn to the charm of wood-fired flavor and enjoy a more hands-on experience, the Ooni Fyra 12 delivers great results too.
Whichever oven you decide to bring home, I’d truly appreciate it if you used my referral links when purchasing—this helps keep my blog running and allows me to continue testing and reviewing gear like this. It costs you nothing extra.
Here’s the Ooni Koda 2 referral link and the Ooni Fyra 12 referral link. Thank you for your support!