Solo Stove vs Arteflame: Which Fire Pit Grill Is Right for You?

Solo Stove and Arteflame both burn real wood, but they're built for different evenings. Solo Stove makes smokeless fire pits and sells cooking as an add-on. Arteflame makes a wood-fired grill with a full flat-top cooktop that turns into a fire pit when dinner is over. If you're looking for a Solo Stove alternative that cooks for a whole party, this comparison covers the differences that matter: cooking area, heat, materials, price, and where each one is made.

Solo Stove vs Arteflame at a glance

Solo Stove prices and specifications are from solostove.com as of September 2026 and may change.

The core difference: a fire pit that can cook vs. a grill that's also a fire pit

Solo Stove built its name on one idea: a fire pit that burns with less smoke. Its double-wall design pulls air in at the bottom and feeds preheated air back into the top of the fire, which burns off much of the smoke. The Ranger, Bonfire, Yukon, Canyon and Summit models are all built around that airflow. Cooking came later, as an add-on system: a Cooking Hub that sits on the rim, plus interchangeable cast-iron grill, griddle and wok tops.

Arteflame starts from the opposite end. Every Arteflame is designed first as a cooking tool. A wood or charcoal fire burns in the center, directly beneath a thick, solid steel cooktop that covers the whole rim. When the cooking is done, you add a few logs and it becomes the centerpiece fire pit for the rest of the evening.

Neither approach is wrong. They're answers to different questions. If your question is "how do I get a clean-burning campfire?", Solo Stove answers it well. If your question is "how do I cook a real meal over wood for eight people?", that's the question Arteflame was built to answer.

Can you cook on a Solo Stove?

Yes, but you'll need extra parts, and there's less room to cook. The Solo Stove fire pit cooking system works like this:

• The Cooking Hub sits on the fire pit and holds a cooking top above the flames.
• Cast-iron tops drop into the Hub: a grill top, a griddle top or a wok top. The grill top for the Bonfire, Yukon and Canyon is 17.75 inches across. The Ranger's is 14.25 inches.
• A bundle of the Bonfire Grill Top and Hub lists for about $210–$230.

That's a nice setup for cooking a few burgers or steaks over a campfire. But a 17.75-inch circle holds a meal for a small group, one insert at a time. If you want to griddle breakfast, you swap in a different top. Solo Stove also makes Steelfire griddles, but those are separate propane griddles on their own stands, not wood-fired and not part of the fire pit.

On an Arteflame, the cooktop is the grill. The 40-inch cooktop is a solid steel ring roughly 40 inches across. You sear steaks at the hot inner edge, cook burgers and vegetables in the middle, and toast buns or fry eggs at the cooler outer edge, all at the same time. The center grill grate sits right over the flames, so you also get classic grill marks.

Which one cooks better?

Cooking area

This is the biggest practical difference. Solo Stove's largest fire pit cooking top is 17.75 inches in diameter. An Arteflame 40″ gives you a cooking ring 40 inches across, many times the usable surface. Even the 30″ and 20″ Arteflame models offer more room to spread out than a single cast-iron insert.

Heat and searing

Arteflame's cooktop sits right at the edge of the fire. The center grill grate over the flames passes 1,000°F, hot enough for a true steakhouse crust (see how the 1,000°F sear zone works). The cooktop next to it runs about 450–550°F and gets gradually cooler toward the rim, down to about 250–350°F, which gives you built-in heat zones without knobs or burners. Solo Stove doesn't publish cooking temperatures for its fire pit tops. Cast iron over a live fire gets very hot, but the whole insert sits over the flames, so there's less room to move food to a gentler zone.

Versatility

On one Arteflame cooktop you can sear, griddle, sauté and warm all at once. That means steak and eggs, fajitas, smash burgers, fried rice, pancakes and seafood. With the Solo Stove Hub system, you choose one mode (grill, griddle or wok) and swap tops to change it.

Flare-ups

Food on the solid steel cooktop doesn't drip into the fire, so flare-ups are rare there. The center grate is open over the flames, like any grill. Solo Stove's grill top has open grates, like a traditional grill.

Smokeless design vs. open fire

Solo Stove deserves real credit here. Its secondary-combustion design produces noticeably less smoke than an ordinary open fire pit once the fire is burning hot, and that is its main selling point. If your patio is small, your neighbors are close, or smoke in your eyes is the thing you hate most about fire pits, that's a genuine advantage.

Arteflame is an open wood fire. Seasoned, dry hardwood burns cleanly once it's going, but you will get the smell and some smoke of a real campfire, which many people consider part of the flavor. When you cook on Arteflame, that wood fire is what gives food its subtle smoky character.

Materials and build: Corten steel vs. stainless steel

Solo Stove fire pits are made of stainless steel. It's light, it resists rust, and it's easy to carry to the beach or a campsite. Over time, the high heat of the fire discolors stainless steel, often to a golden or bronze patina.

Arteflame fire bowls and bases are made from American Corten (weathering) steel. Corten is designed to form a stable, rust-colored patina that protects the steel underneath, so it needs no paint or coating and gets better-looking with age. (The Platinum Series offers a stainless steel fire bowl for those who prefer it.) The cooktop itself is a separate hot-rolled steel plate (¼″ on the 20″, ⅜″ on the 30″ and ½″ on the 40″), seasoned like a cast-iron skillet, which gives it a naturally non-stick surface over time. Arteflames are heavy, permanent pieces of outdoor furniture, built to stay in one place rather than travel. Read more about the chemistry behind Corten steel.

How much do they cost?

On sticker price alone, Solo Stove is far cheaper to get into. Its fire pit and stand bundles start around $230 for the Ranger, and the popular Bonfire bundle is about $300. Adding a grill top and Hub brings a Bonfire cooking setup to roughly $500–$550.

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 with Tall Round Base at $2,495. Every price includes the full steel cooktop.

The fair way to compare is cost per usable cooking area, and for how long. A 17.75-inch cast-iron top is a campfire cooking accessory. A 40-inch solid steel cooktop is a full outdoor kitchen that replaces a gas grill and a griddle, and it's built to stay outside for years.

Which should you buy?

Solo Stove is the better fit if:

• You mainly want a fire to sit around, and you'll cook occasionally.
• Low smoke is your top priority.
• You want to take your fire pit camping, to the beach or to a friend's house.
• You're working with a smaller budget or a small patio.

Arteflame is the better fit if:

• Cooking is the main event, and you want to feed family and friends from one fire.
• You want a real steakhouse sear, plus griddle-style breakfasts, fajitas and smash burgers, all over wood or charcoal.
• You want one piece that replaces a grill, a griddle and a fire pit.
• You value American-made, heavy-gauge steel built to stay in your backyard.

Still comparing? See all our comparisons, our guide to gas vs. wood-fire grills, and how much space an outdoor grill area needs.

Frequently asked questions

Is Arteflame a good Solo Stove alternative?

Yes, if you want to cook. Arteflame gives you a large wood-fired flat-top cooktop with a 1,000°F+ sear zone and a Corten steel fire pit in one unit. If you want a portable, low-smoke fire pit mainly for sitting around the fire, Solo Stove is the more direct fit.

Can you cook directly on a Solo Stove fire pit?

Not without accessories. To cook over a Solo Stove fire pit, you add the Cooking Hub plus a cast-iron grill, griddle or wok top: 14.25″ for the Ranger, 17.75″ for the Bonfire, Yukon and Canyon.

Is an Arteflame also a fire pit?

Yes. The fire burns in a Corten steel fire bowl, so once you're done cooking, you add logs and enjoy it as a wood-burning fire pit. Arteflame also sells a dedicated 40″ Wood Burning Fire Pit.

Is Arteflame smokeless like Solo Stove?

No. Arteflame is an open wood fire, with the look, smell and flavor of a real campfire. Dry, seasoned hardwood keeps smoke to a minimum once the fire is established, but if near-smokeless burning is your top priority, that's Solo Stove's specialty.

Are Solo Stove products made in the USA?

Solo Stove is headquartered in Texas, but according to an AllAmerican.org investigation, its stoves and fire pits are manufactured in China, Vietnam or India. Arteflame grills are made in the USA, in Phoenix, Arizona.

Which is better for a big backyard cookout?

Arteflame. Its cooktop is up to 40 inches across, with heat zones from about 250°F to 1,000°F+, so you can cook proteins, sides and bread for a large group at the same time. Solo Stove's largest fire pit cooking top is 17.75 inches.

How hot does each one get?

Arteflame's center sear zone exceeds 1,000°F with a well-established hardwood fire. The cooktop runs about 450–550°F near the fire and 250–350°F at the outer edge. Solo Stove doesn't publish cooking temperatures for its fire pit cooking tops.

Which lasts longer outdoors?

Both are built for outdoor use. Arteflame's heavy-gauge Corten steel is designed to weather naturally and protect itself, and the hot-rolled steel cooktop stays protected with a light coat of oil after each cook. Solo Stove's stainless steel resists rust but will discolor from the heat.