Traeger Westwood vs Pit Boss 700FB2: the app or the flame

There is no universal winner. The Traeger offers app control, an included wired probe and a 7-year limited headline warranty. The Pit Boss offers 747 square inches across two tiers, a 500°F stated ceiling and a lever that exposes food to direct flame. Both automate pellet feed, but neither removes the need for supervision, safe maintenance or food-temperature checks.

747 against 653, counted two different ways

The Pit Boss is the bigger cooker by the totals, 747 square inches against 653, and both totals count the same generous way. Two tiers of racks, added up.

The counting is where listings go wrong. The 653 breaks down into 428 square inches on Rack 1 and 225 on Rack 2. The 747 is one pooled figure across two tiers of porcelain-coated steel. Two brands, two ways of counting, both generous. So 747 against 653 is fair, totals against totals. 747 against 428 is not, and a listing that sets those two side by side is comparing a whole grill against half of one.

One caution on the Traeger side. The tiers are named Rack 1 and Rack 2 rather than main grate and warming rack. Reading 428 as the main grate is the natural reading. It is a reading, not a fact, so size the cook off it with a little slack.

Treat either total as a lower grate plus an upper tier rather than one uninterrupted surface. The upper rack can suit food that benefits from gentler heat, but it does not expand the lower direct-flame area. If you are not sure how much of either you would fill, the pellet grill sizing guide settles that question before the brand question arrives.

The sear is the only real hardware gap

The Pit Boss wins the sear argument on two counts. The first is the Flame Broiler lever, which slides a plate open and lets fire reach the food. The Westwood has no sear mechanism of any kind. The second is heat. 180 to 500°F on the Pit Boss. 180 to 450°F on the Traeger.

The published floors match at 180°F. At the top end, the Westwood lists 450°F while the Pit Boss lists 500°F and adds direct-flame access. Those are documented design differences, not a measured side-by-side result.

An older Traeger I used did not sear like the gas grill beside it, but that experience does not predict either current model. Only the Pit Boss provides a direct-flame path. If that mechanism matters to the way you cook, it may outweigh the app.

An app, or a walk outside

The Traeger has WiFIRE, which puts the cook in the Traeger app, and a wired meat probe comes in the box. The Pit Boss has no WiFi and no app. Its digital control board adjusts in 5°F increments. You make those adjustments standing in front of the grill.

The Traeger can put controller and probe information on your phone. The Pit Boss requires changes and checks at the grill. Remote information is convenient during a long cook, but it does not make the fire safe to leave unattended.

The Westwood does not list the Woodridge line's pellet-level sensor, so both hoppers still need a visual check. Confirm the app alerts available on the exact Westwood before relying on a particular notification.

Fuel, ash, and what a hopper buys

The Pit Boss holds 21 pounds of pellets to the Traeger's 18. Neither number converts into reliable hours because burn rate moves with the set point, weather, grill condition and pellets. The Pit Boss has three pounds more reserve under the same conditions; learn actual consumption during supervised cooks before building a refill plan.

Both need dry pellet storage and regular fire-pot and grease-path cleaning. Follow the exact manual after shutdown, unplugged and completely cold; possible embers and an ordinary vacuum are a dangerous combination. A fitted cover can reduce exposure once the grill is cold, but it does not replace the maker's storage guidance.

Check the hopper before every long cook and continue to monitor it according to the manual.

Seven years against five, and what limited means

The Traeger publishes a 7-year limited headline warranty and Pit Boss publishes 5 years. Duration does not establish which parts or failures are covered for the whole term. Read both current documents, note owner obligations and exclusions, and register the grill if the terms require it.

Delivery day, and what to check while the carton is open

The Westwood lists a weight of 116 pounds. Confirm the Pit Boss's assembled weight and dimensions before delivery, then measure the gate and route and arrange enough help for a controlled move.

Grate material is worth the same pass. The Pit Boss racks are porcelain-coated steel across both tiers. Confirm what the Westwood in front of you carries before a wire-brush decision depends on it.

Inspect both grills for shipping damage, then follow the exact assembly, startup and burn-off procedure in the manual. Do not turn an auger by hand or expose yourself to an operating igniter unless the maker explicitly instructs it. Confirm the Pit Boss lever and Traeger probe through the documented first-use checks, and contact support for a binding part or unexplained leftover hardware.

Who should buy which

Get the Traeger Westwood if:

• You value remote controller and probe information while continuing to supervise the cook
• The current 7-year limited terms cover things you value beyond the Pit Boss's 5 years
• An included wired probe matters to the package

Get the Pit Boss 700FB2 if:

• Searing over open flame is part of why you grill at all
• The hardware numbers decide it: 747 square inches across two tiers against 653, a 500°F ceiling against 450, and 21 pounds of hopper against 18
• You prefer controls at the grill and do not need remote monitoring

Either answer has a neighbor worth a look. The step up inside Traeger is Westwood vs Woodridge Pro, and the Woodridge Pro meets this same Pit Boss in Woodridge Pro vs 700FB2. If 747 square inches across two tiers is more grill than you would ever fill, the smaller half of the FB2 pair is the 500FB2, and 700FB2 vs 500FB2 covers where it gives ground. The Westwood is a 2026 release, and the full reviews are the Traeger Westwood review and the Pit Boss 700FB2 review.