Camp Chef Flat Top vs Arteflame: Gas Griddle or Wood Fire?

The Camp Chef Flat Top Grill and Arteflame both put a big steel cooking surface in your backyard, but they heat it in completely different ways. The Camp Chef Flat Top Grill 600 (FTG600) is a propane flat top with four burners, and it comes with a swap-in grill grate as well as the griddle plate. An Arteflame is a wood- or charcoal-fired grill: a live fire in a steel bowl, with a thick steel cooktop ring around it and an open grate over the flames, so the griddle and the grate work at the same time. This page compares the two on what decides which one belongs on your patio: how they cook, how hot they get, how much they hold, what they cost and how long they are built to last.

Camp Chef vs Arteflame at a glance

Camp Chef details are from retailer product listings as of October 2026. Camp Chef sells other flat top models too; this page compares the FTG600. Prices change often.

The core difference: four burners vs. a live fire

The Camp Chef works like a big stovetop. Four propane burners sit in a burner box under the steel plate, each with its own knob on the front, so you can run one side hot and the other low. Heat comes up quickly, it is easy to repeat and it is hard to get wrong. That makes it a great choice for pancakes, bacon and eggs, hash browns and big group breakfasts.

An Arteflame has no burners. You build a hardwood or charcoal fire in the center bowl. The heat rises through an open grate right above the flames and spreads outward through the steel cooktop ring, giving you a range of temperatures on one surface: over 1,000\u00b0F on the center grate, about 450\u2013550\u00b0F next to the fire and 250\u2013350\u00b0F toward the outer edge. Instead of turning a knob, you slide food to the temperature it needs.

Griddle or grill, vs. both at once

The Camp Chef's selling point is that it does two jobs: you can cook on the flat griddle plate, or swap in the included grill grate to grill burgers and steaks. You use one at a time.

An Arteflame does both at once. The cooktop ring around the fire is the griddle, and the open grate in the center sits directly over the flames. You can sear a steak on the grate while eggs, onions and buns cook on the cooktop beside it, without changing anything.

Searing and heat

A gas flat top is great for the cooking most people do on one: eggs, pancakes, smash burgers, fajitas and fried rice. For a thick steak, an Arteflame gives you something a flat top does not: an open grate directly over a wood or charcoal fire at 1,000\u00b0F or more. You get a fast, deep crust and grill marks, then move the steak onto the cooler cooktop to finish. Read how the 1,000\u00b0F sear zone works.

Cooking area and cooking for a crowd

The FTG600 gives you 604 square inches as a griddle, a good size for a family breakfast or a small group. Arteflame's 30″ model has more than 700 square inches and its 40″ models more than 1,250, and because the cooktop is round, people gather around it while you cook. For a big backyard cookout, the 40″ Arteflame has the bigger surface.

Flavor: propane vs. wood and charcoal

Propane burns clean, so food on a flat top tastes like the seasoning, the fat and the browning on the steel. An Arteflame cooks over a real wood or charcoal fire, so food on and near the center grate picks up smoke and char. Whether that matters to you is personal, but if you want wood-fired flavor, a gas flat top cannot give it to you.

Convenience and cleanup

This is where the Camp Chef is strongest. You turn the knobs, light the burners and the flat top heats up in minutes, with no ash to empty.

An Arteflame asks more of you. You light a fire about 20\u201330 minutes before you cook (about 15 on the ONE20), you add fuel for longer cooks and you clear the ash afterwards. In return you get a fire to sit around when the cooking is done. Both cooktops are steel and need the same care: scrape them clean while warm and wipe on a light coat of oil, like a cast-iron pan.

Build, materials and lifespan

The Camp Chef is a steel flat top over a powder-coated steel burner box, built to be affordable and practical for backyard cooks.

Arteflame fire bowls and bases are heavy Corten (weathering) steel, which forms a protective rust-colored patina instead of needing paint. The Platinum Series has a stainless steel bowl instead. The cooktop is a separate slab of hot-rolled carbon steel, up to 1/2″ thick on the 40″ models, with no burners, valves or moving parts. Arteflames are built to stay outside in one place for many years. Every one is made in Phoenix, Arizona, and comes with a 3-year limited warranty against manufacturing defects. Read whether Corten steel is safe for cooking.

Price

The Camp Chef is far cheaper to buy. The FTG600 typically sells for about $340 to $430 at retailers.

Arteflame starts at $895 for the ONE20 20″ grill and $1,495 for the ONE30 30″ grill. The 40″ Fire Pit with Cooktop starts at $1,995 and the Classic 40″ grill at $2,495. You are paying for a wood-fired grill, a flat top and a fire pit in one piece of heavy American steel.

Which should you buy?

So is Arteflame better than Camp Chef? It depends on how you like to cook. Camp Chef wins on price and push-button convenience. Arteflame wins on live-fire flavor, a griddle and a 1,000°F+ grate working together, and a fire pit that doubles as the centerpiece of your patio.

The Camp Chef is the better fit if:

• Budget is the main concern.
• You want to start cooking within minutes, with no fire to manage.
• You mostly griddle: breakfasts, smash burgers, fajitas, fried rice.
• You want four independent, knob-controlled burners and the option to swap in a grill grate.

Arteflame is the better fit if:

• You want wood-fired or charcoal flavor.
• You want a griddle and a 1,000°F+ grate working at the same time.
• You like cooking in zones that the fire creates, with everything ready at the same time.
• You want a fire pit grill combo: a grill to cook on, then a centerpiece to gather around after dinner.
• You want a heavy, American-made grill built to stay outside for years.

Still comparing? See Blackstone vs Arteflame, Traeger Flatrock vs Arteflame, all our comparisons and the gas vs. wood-fired grill guide.

Frequently asked questions

Is Arteflame better than Camp Chef?

It depends on what you want. Camp Chef is better for budget and quick, knob-controlled heat. Arteflame is better for live-fire cooking, using a griddle and a 1,000\u00b0F+ grate at the same time, and doubling as a fire pit.

Can the Camp Chef flat top also grill?

Yes. The FTG600 includes a grill grate that swaps in for the griddle plate, so you can griddle or grill, one at a time.

Can an Arteflame grill and griddle at the same time?

Yes. The steel cooktop ring is a flat griddle, and the open grate in the center sits over the fire, so both work together.

How hot does an Arteflame get?

With a well-established hardwood fire, the center grate passes 1,000\u00b0F. The cooktop runs about 450\u2013550\u00b0F toward the inner edge and 250\u2013350\u00b0F toward the outer edge.

Does an Arteflame use propane?

No. Arteflame grills burn hardwood or lump charcoal. There is no propane tank or gas line.

Which is easier to use?

The Camp Chef. You light the burners and set each one with a knob. An Arteflame takes about 20\u201330 minutes to get the fire ready (about 15 on the ONE20), and you control heat by moving food between zones.