Fire pits are available in a range of styles, and most are either wood- or propane-burning. Whether you’re aiming for cozy nights by the fire or hosting year-round gatherings, the right fire pit can upgrade just about any outdoor space.
To help you find the perfect fit, our team took a look at some of the best fire pits on today’s market. Our top four recommendations cover a range of budgets, style preferences, and use cases.
Top 4 Fire Pits
- Endless Summer Outdoor Glass Top Fire Pit: Best Glass Pit
- BALI OUTDOORS Wood-Burning Fire Pit: Best Traditional Pit
- UCO Flatpack Portable Stainless Steel Grill and Fire Pit: Most Portable
- YAHEETECH Outdoor Metal Fire Pit: Best Multipurpose Pit
Best Glass Pit
Endless Summer Outdoor Glass Top Fire Pit
This propane-fueled fire pit holds 12 pounds of fire glass in the center of its table. When the fire is ignited, it looks like the glass is burning. Around the center are reflective tempered glass side pieces that can hold drinks and other items. When you aren’t burning a fire, you can add the included glass cover to the center to make it a fully functioning table.
Key Features
- Propane fuel source
- Made of metal and glass
- 80 pounds
- One-year warranty
- Glass beads, center insert, and cover included
What People Are Saying About The Endless Summer Outdoor Glass Top Fire Pit
Many customers noted that this propane fire pit was beautiful. In addition to this, many said that it was sturdy, a great value for the money, and easy to assemble. On the other hand, unhappy customers pointed out that it wasn’t well-packaged, as the parts sometimes arrived scuffed or not at all.
Best Traditional Pit
BALI OUTDOORS Wood-Burning Fire Pit
This versatile fire pit is equipped with a height-adjustable and rotating metal grill that can be positioned over the fire for grilling food or off to the side for an open flame. In addition, the BALI OUTDOORS Wood-Burning Fire Pit comes with a log rack that holds logs for better ventilation and a poker that tends to the fire.
Key Features
- Wood fuel source
- Made of metal
- 27 pounds
- Grill, log rack, and poker included
What People Are Saying About The BALI OUTDOORS Wood-Burning Fire Pit
Customers said that this wood-burning pit was great for camping and backyard activities. Many noted that it was lightweight and easy to assemble and maneuver. Negative reviews pointed out that the metal felt cheap and that pit arrived with missing parts.
Most Portable
UCO Flatpack Portable Stainless Steel Grill and Fire Pit
This fire pit can be set up in just 30 seconds, offering campers an easy-to-use fire for grilling food or providing warmth. Once you’re done using it, it folds into a compact shape and fits into an included bag for easing transportation back to your car.
Key Features
- Wood fuel source
- Made of metal
- 3.3 pounds
- Lifetime warranty
- Carrying bag included
What People Are Saying About The UCO Flatpack Portable Stainless Steel Grill and Fire Pit
Customers were impressed with how many items this grill could cook at one time. Many reviews said that it worked well for camping because of how lightweight and easy to assemble it was. Negative reviews noted that it was challenging to fit this grill in the included canvas bag and that its parts sometimes snapped off.
Best Multipurpose Pit
YAHEETECH Outdoor Metal Fire Pit
This fire pit is capable of burning a fire to warm guests or grill food and holding ice to store drinks. Additionally, the included waterproof cover helps to protect this outdoor metal fire pit from rust when it’s not in use.
Key Features
- Wood fuel source
- Made of metal
- 22.8 pounds
- Screen, cover, fire bowl, log rack, and poker included
What People Are Saying About The YAHEETECH Outdoor Metal Fire Pit
Amazon customers praised this outdoor fire pit’s high-quality protective cover. Additionally, reviews brought up that this outdoor fire pit was lightweight, maneuverable, and easy to assemble. Unsatisfied customers criticized this product for not coming with a grill grate, being made from cheap, thin metal, and rusting quickly.
Fire Pit Buying Guide
When purchasing a fire pit, we recommend looking at factors that impact each model’s performance and user experience. Here are three to keep in mind.
Size
When deciding on what size fire pit to purchase, consider how many people will use it and what your intended use is. For example, if you plan on having gatherings around your fire pit, consider a larger model that emits enough heat to warm a crowd. If you want a fire pit for grilling food or warming a few people, a small model, such as the UCO Flatpack Portable Stainless Steel Grill and Fire Pit, should do.
Fuel Source
Fuel source determines the amount of maintenance your fire pit requires. A wood-burning fire pit needs regular stoking to keep the wood lit at a constant temperature. However, propane fire pits depend on a tank to fuel its flame and can run at a constant temperature until the tank is empty.
Accessories
Some fire pits come with accessories that help protect the fire pit from the elements or assist in starting or maintaining a flame. Common accessories include rain covers to prevent rusting, fire pokers to move logs, and mesh lids to prevent ash and embers from spitting out of the fire.
Fire Pit FAQs
How far should a fire pit be from my house?
Keep your fire pit 20 feet away from your house and any surrounding structures.
Should I put sand in the bottom of my fire pit?
If you own a wood-burning fire pit, layering the bottom with sand can be an effective way of preserving the metal bottom and evenly distributing heat.
Can I leave a fire pit burning overnight?
No. A fire pit’s lingering embers, no matter how dull, have the ability to spark the dwindling wood and create an unattended fire. To prevent an accidental fire, let the fire burn out, spread the ashes throughout the pit, and extinguish the embers with water. Once the embers are extinguished, dispose of them in a fireproof ash bucket.
Our Methodology
To provide our readers with the best product recommendations possible, we rely on several key sources of information to help guide our selection process.
Initial Research: Our research process began by generating a list of fire pits with a significant number of verified buyer reviews and an average customer review rating of 4–5 stars. We looked at positive and negative reviews alike, focusing on information from both satisfied and critical buyers.
Expert Insights: Through years of experience, we’ve learned that listening to what others have to say is key to building accurate, well-rounded articles. To complement our in-house expertise, our team looked at reviews and videos from trusted publications and independent testers, spoke with subject matter experts, and drew insights from reader contributions.
Final Product Selection: We then began fine-tuning our list by replacing older models with the latest versions and eliminating any discontinued models. From there, we pared the list down by comparing each model’s feature set and selecting the best-in-class options for a variety of buyers, budgets, and scenarios.
Why You Can Trust Us
This Old House has empowered homeowners and DIYers for more than four decades with top-notch home improvement advice in the form of television programs, print media, and digital content.
Our team focuses on creating in-depth product and service review content. To date, we’ve published over 1,600 reviews on products for the home, from doorbell cameras and dining room decor to circular saws and snow blowers.
Once we conclude the research and testing phases, we craft a comprehensive, user-friendly article of recommended products and additional information to help our readers make the right purchase.