You want to grill. Great. Now you have to pick one. Walk into any hardware store and you've got a wall of grills staring you down at every price point from $149 to "please call for pricing." It's overwhelming, and most buying guides online read like they were written by a committee of people who have never actually eaten a burger off a grill.
So here's the deal. I'm breaking this down by category — propane, charcoal, and pellet — and inside each category I'm giving you the Top 5 ranked, then calling out the clear winner for Best Overall, Best Value, and Best Budget. No fluff. Let's get into it.
Propane Grills
Propane is still king for most backyard cooks. It's fast, it's hot, it's convenient. You turn a knob, you've got fire. The category runs from sub-$200 weekend warriors all the way to $2,000+ stainless steel beasts. Here are the five best on the market right now.
Weber has been making grills since 1952 and the Genesis E-325s is the reason the brand still has a stranglehold on the premium propane market. Three independent burners give you serious zone control — you can sear on one side and do indirect on the other without even thinking about it. In real-world testing, it absolutely nailed ribs, steaks, and chicken, with reviewers calling out the deep mahogany color on sauced chicken without burning it. That's heat control doing its job.
The 12-year limited warranty is class-leading and the grease management system makes cleanup painless. This is the grill you buy when you want to stop messing around with cheap stuff and invest in something that will last a decade. It runs on propane or natural gas depending on the model you choose.
If money is less of an object and you want the most feature-packed propane grill on the market, Napoleon's Prestige Pro 665 is the answer. This thing has soft-close storage doors, condiment racks, tool hooks, a built-in bottle opener with a cap catcher, infrared rear and side burners, and a rotisserie kit included. It's a full outdoor kitchen in one unit.
The cooking performance matches the price tag — infrared burners get searing temps that rival a steakhouse, and the 665 square inches of primary cooking space means you're never running out of room. This is the grill for the person who grills seriously and wants everything in one place.
Weber completely overhauled the Spirit line in 2025, and the new E-325 is flat-out the best value propane grill you can buy. It now comes with features previously reserved for the Genesis — including a dedicated sear zone that hits 700°F by combining the two right burners into one concentrated blast of heat. Cast iron grates, a new hidden propane storage door, and 360 square inches of cooking space round out a grill that competes with models twice its price.
This is the grill I'd recommend to 80% of people who ask me what they should buy. You get Weber quality and Weber reliability at a price that doesn't make your eyes water. It fits most patios, it cooks everything well, and it'll last you years.
The Monument 4-Burner is the dark horse of the propane grill world. Four 304 stainless steel burners pump out 36,000 BTU, the enamel firebox holds heat like a champ, and the porcelain-enameled cast iron grates sear beautifully. You get a viewing window in the lid, a built-in thermometer, and a 570 square inch cooking surface — all at a price that undercuts most comparable grills by $100 or more.
It's not as refined as a Weber and it's not going to last as long, but if you want serious cooking power without serious spending, Monument delivers.
If you need a functional propane grill and you can't or don't want to spend more than $200, the Char-Broil American Gourmet is the honest answer. It's not going to win any awards for build quality and it won't last a decade, but it delivers 30,000 BTU, three burners, and a decent cooking surface for a price that is genuinely hard to argue with.
Buy this if you're a casual griller, if you need a second grill for a tailgate or rental property, or if you're just figuring out whether you even like grilling before spending real money on it. It does the job.
Charcoal Grills
Charcoal is the purist's choice. It takes more effort, more time, and more patience — and the payoff in flavor is absolutely worth it. Nothing replicates what real charcoal does to a steak or a rack of ribs. Here are the five best charcoal grills you can buy right now.
This is the easiest call in the entire guide. The Weber Kettle has been around for nearly 70 years and the design has barely changed — because it doesn't need to. The 22-inch Premium is the sweet spot: 363 square inches of cooking surface, the One-Touch cleaning system with a large enclosed ash pan, a built-in thermometer, porcelain-enameled lid and bowl that resist rust and retain heat beautifully, and lid hook so you're not dropping your lid in the dirt.
In testing it is consistently the easiest charcoal grill to control temperature on — the vents respond predictably and you can dial things in for a slow smoke just as well as a screaming hot sear. With the right know-how and accessories like the Slow N' Sear, this $219 grill does things that grills ten times the price struggle to match. It's the benchmark.
If you're serious about charcoal and want to move into kamado territory, the Kamado Joe Classic III is the best one you can buy. The ceramic shell holds heat at a level that a steel grill simply cannot match — you can hold 225°F for 12+ hours without touching the vents, or hit 700°F for a proper sear. The spring-assisted hinge on the lid is a game-changer because those ceramic lids are heavy and slamming one shut gets old fast.
The built-in ash drawer makes cleanup dramatically easier than traditional kamados, and you get two levels of cooking with the divide-and-conquer system. It's expensive, it's heavy, and it will outlive you if you take care of it.
The Master-Touch is the Weber Kettle's more grown-up sibling, and it earns its extra price. The hinged cooking grate makes adding charcoal and wood chunks mid-cook dramatically easier — you don't have to move your food around to feed the fire. The gourmet BBQ system insert lets you use a Dutch oven, griddle, or wok directly on the grill grate, expanding what you can cook considerably.
For the serious backyard cook who has outgrown the base Kettle but isn't ready to drop $1,300 on a Kamado Joe, the Master-Touch is the perfect step up. Same great Weber reliability, just more versatility built in.
The PK360 is one of the most underrated charcoal grills on the market. The cast aluminum body (not steel — aluminum) means it will never rust, ever. The rectangular shape and flat bottom make it dead simple to set up two-zone cooking — coals on one side, food on the other — without fighting the grill. Four vents give you precise control over airflow from all angles.
It's an ideal grill for the serious weekend cook who wants something built to last but doesn't want to deal with the weight and price tag of a ceramic kamado. Distinctively designed and genuinely built for life.
Same Weber DNA as the #1 pick, just smaller and cheaper. The 18-inch Kettle doesn't have the lid hook or the enclosed ash catcher of the Premium 22", and it's a bit tight for feeding more than four people — but it's pure Weber quality for under $140, often even less on sale. It sets up in under 10 minutes and requires zero tools to assemble.
Perfect for apartment balconies, camping, smaller families, or anyone who just wants an honest, reliable charcoal grill without spending a lot of money. Don't overthink it.
Pellet Grills
Pellet grills are the set-it-and-forget-it category. You load wood pellets, dial in your temperature, and the grill feeds itself automatically — holding temps within a few degrees for hours. The smoke flavor is real, the convenience is unbeatable, and the category has exploded with great options at every price point.
After testing 12+ pellet grills across every price point, serious pitmasters keep landing on the Traeger Ironwood XL as the best overall pellet grill you can buy. The 924-square-inch cooking area across two levels of porcelain grates is enormous — you're fitting full briskets, multiple racks of ribs, and everything else without playing Tetris. Two included meat probes mean you're tracking temp without buying accessories. The touchscreen controller is genuinely intuitive.
The WiFIRE technology and Traeger app are the best in class — pellet level gauge, temperature control, timers, all from your phone. It runs a Super Smoke mode that cranks up wood flavor below 225°F for max smoke penetration on long cooks. Catherine Ward, Taste of Home's Prep Kitchen Manager and grill expert, calls this her go-to recommendation for anyone serious about smoking. For the price, it's earned it.
Camp Chef's Woodwind Pro 24 is the choice for cooks who want maximum versatility from their pellet grill. The unique Smoke Control feature lets you dial in exactly how much smoke flavor you want on a scale from 1 to 10 — something no other pellet grill does this well. You can also attach a Sear Box accessory that hits 900°F for proper direct-flame searing, turning this into a true two-in-one cooker.
The ash and grease management systems are some of the best in the business — cleanup takes minutes. If you find the Traeger price prohibitive but don't want to compromise on performance, the Woodwind Pro 24 is the answer.
The Pit Boss Sportsman 820 is the grill that makes Traeger fans nervous, because it delivers comparable performance for about half the price of a Traeger Pro. The heavy gauge steel construction is genuinely sturdy — not flimsy budget metal. You get 820 square inches of cooking space (more than the Traeger Pro 780), a slide-and-sear plate for direct flame access, and a 21-lb hopper that handles overnight cooks.
The one area where it genuinely trails Traeger is the app and WiFi controller — Pit Boss's version works fine but it's not as polished. If that doesn't matter to you, the Sportsman 820 is an absolute steal. Incredible value per square inch, per dollar.
Traeger's new Woodridge series is what happens when a company decides to stop ignoring the mid-range market. The Woodridge Pro brings WiFIRE technology, a digital pellet sensor, Super Smoke mode, and a 24-lb hopper to a price point that's actually reasonable for the Traeger name. Assembly is quick, the app integration is seamless, and it delivers the same consistent, even results that made Traeger the dominant brand.
For a first-time pellet grill buyer who wants the full Traeger experience without the Ironwood price tag, the Woodridge Pro is the smart buy. Shopping Editor Mary Henn called it "streamlined for hassle-free grilling" — exactly what a beginner needs.
The Z Grills 7002E is the best budget pellet grill on the market — it's not even close. For under $450 you get smart temperature control, WiFi connectivity, an 8-in-1 cooking system (grill, smoke, bake, roast, sear, braise, barbecue, and char-grill), and 700 square inches of cooking space. Features that would cost you $800+ anywhere else.
Build quality is not at the level of Traeger or Camp Chef — this is a budget grill and it will feel like one. But for someone who wants to get into pellet grilling without committing $700+, the Z Grills 7002E will absolutely teach you what you're getting into and produce great food while doing it.
The Bottom Line
Here's how to pick your category: if you want fast and easy with precise temp control, go propane and get the Weber Spirit E-325 if you're being smart about money, or the Genesis E-325s if you want to invest properly. If you want the best flavor and you don't mind putting in the work, go charcoal and buy the Weber Kettle Premium 22" — nothing at twice the price beats it for most cooks. And if you want smoke flavor with the convenience of propane, go pellet — the Pit Boss Sportsman 820 is the value king, the Woodridge Pro is the smart Traeger buy, and the Ironwood XL is what you get when you go all in.
Buy the best you can afford and actually use it. That's it. No grill looks good sitting in a garage with a cover on it in July.
Fire it up. 🔥