Prosumer countertop · Updated October 2026
Anova Precision Oven vs Tovala Smart Oven Pro
The short answer
Both ovens connect to WiFi and lean on a phone app, but that is where the overlap ends. Buy the Anova Precision Oven 2.0 ($999) if you want to set steam anywhere from 0 to 100%, hold a temperature as low as 77°F for sous vide without a water bath, cook to an internal temperature with the included probe, and fit a 12 by 15 inch pan. It is a 52-pound precision tool with a learning curve. Buy the Tovala Smart Oven Pro ($349.99) if you want dinner handled: scan a Tovala meal or one of about 1,000 grocery barcodes and the oven runs the program. Its steam is a fixed mode, not a setting, the range is 225 to 425°F, and it fits a 10-inch pizza. Neither needs a subscription to cook, but the Tovala only makes sense if you like the meal workflow.
Anova Precision Oven 2.0
$999 (was $1,299)
Steam adjustable in 1% steps from 0 to 100%, plus a 77 to 482°F range and an included probe, which no other countertop oven at any price matches.
Tovala Smart Oven Pro
$349.99
Scan a Tovala meal or a supported grocery barcode and the oven sets its own multi-stage program, steam included, with nothing to dial in.
How they differ, factor by factor
| Factor | Anova Precision Oven 2.0 | Tovala Smart Oven Pro |
|---|---|---|
| Price | $999 direct from Anova, down from $1,299 | $349.99 on Amazon; $119 with a meal commitment |
| Steam control | 0 to 100% in 1% steps, set separately from temperature | Single steam mode, on or off, no level setting |
| Probe and range | Probe included; 77 to 482°F; sous vide mode | No probe; 225 to 425°F; no sous vide |
| Capacity | 1.2 cu ft, 12 by 15 inch pan, whole chicken | 10-inch pizza, 4-pound chicken or two Tovala meal trays |
| App dependence | Full manual control on the touchscreen; guided cooking and camera features need the paid tier | All six modes work from the buttons; scanning needs the app, meals need an order |
| Size, power, noise | 22.9 by 20 by 14.1 in, 52 lb, 1,800 W; about 48 dB, 56 dB in air fry | 18.5 by 12.3 by 11.75 in, 20.9 lb, 1,525 W; fan runs on after cooking |
The full picture
Anova Precision Oven 2.0
Steam adjustable in 1% steps from 0 to 100%, plus a 77 to 482°F range and an included probe, which no other countertop oven at any price matches.
- Steam set in 1% increments from 0 to 100%, independent of temperature
- Sous vide mode holds temperatures from 77°F with no water bath
- Temperature probe included; cooks stop at a target internal temperature
- 1.2 cu ft interior takes a 12 by 15 inch pan or a whole chicken
- Manual control from the 5-inch touchscreen works without the app
- $999 on sale, about three Tovalas; list price is $1,299
- 22.9 by 20 by 14.1 inches and 52 pounds; needs a dedicated 15A outlet
- Owner forum reports GFCI tripping, cracked water tanks and a firmware update that bricked ovens
- Guided cooking, camera food detection and recipe conversion sit behind the paid Anova Intelligence tier
- Steep learning curve; the app and interface draw repeated complaints
Owners who cook a lot tend to keep the Anova for years and describe the steam and sous vide results as the reason to put up with the rest. The rest is real. Threads on the Anova community forum cover water tanks cracking, a 2.0 bricked by a firmware update, ovens tripping GFCI outlets, mold in the tank and a warranty claim the company would not honour. The move to a paid Anova Intelligence subscription for guided cooking and camera features is contentious, though owners confirm basic manual cooking stays free. Support is commonly described as slow. The 2.0 fan measures around 48 dB, or 56 dB in air fry.
Tovala Smart Oven Pro
Scan a Tovala meal or a supported grocery barcode and the oven sets its own multi-stage program, steam included, with nothing to dial in.
- Scan-to-cook covers Tovala meals and roughly 1,000 grocery items
- Six modes: bake, broil, toast, reheat, air fry and steam
- Compact at 18.5 by 12.3 by 11.75 inches and 20.9 pounds
- All modes run from the front buttons; the app is only required for scanning
- $349.99 outright, or $119 with a six-week meal commitment
- Steam is a fixed mode with no percentage or level control
- Temperature range is only 225 to 425°F; no sous vide, no dehydrate
- No probe, so no cook-to-internal-temperature
- Fits a 10-inch pizza or two meal trays; one temperature at a time
- Reservoir needs refilling every few steam cooks; condensation collects on the walls
Owners commonly report that the Tovala replaces a toaster oven and a microwave for one or two people, and that steam reheating of pizza and chicken is the mode they use most. The barcode system earns most of the praise, with the caveat that scanned grocery items sometimes come out undercooked and need a few more minutes. Recurring complaints are the small interior, slow toasting at around five minutes, a reservoir that needs topping up every four to six steam cycles, WiFi and app glitches, and occasional reports of units failing outright. Long-term owners rate build quality highly. Meal kits run about $10 to $16 each.
Which should you buy?
Get the Anova Precision Oven 2.0 if…
Cooks who will actually use the dials: bread bakers who want a wet first ten minutes and a dry finish, sous vide users tired of bags and water baths, and anyone who cooks roasts and poultry to a probe temperature. You need 23 inches of counter, a dedicated outlet, a tolerance for firmware and app quirks, and $999. If you only want steam for reheating and vegetables, you are paying for control you will not touch.
Get the Tovala Smart Oven Pro if…
One or two people who want weeknight dinners with no decisions, and who are open to ordering Tovala meals or scanning packaged food from the grocery store. It works as a plain countertop oven with a steam button, so it is not useless without the subscription, but a $350 toaster oven with a 425°F ceiling is a weak buy on its own. Skip it if you cook for a family, want to bake bread, or care about setting steam yourself.
Check current prices
Whichever you buy, you will want these
What owners of these ovens add in the first month. Affiliate links, at no cost to you; they never affect the verdict above.
A 9 x 13 in pan with a grid that keeps food above the drip. Fits inside the Anova Precision Oven; measure other ovens first.
View on Amazon · ~$19
A general-purpose steam-oven descaler, for ovens whose manual allows a generic one (Anova says any descaling liquid works). Miele and Thermador name their own descalers; use those instead.
View on Amazon · ~$21
Only for ovens whose manual asks for distilled or low-mineral water, such as the Anova Precision Oven. Do not use it for Miele, Thermador, Smeg, Wolf or Sharp ovens: their manuals say the water needs minerals.
View on Amazon · ~$30
Steam cooks faster than you expect. A one-second probe stops you overcooking fish and chicken while you learn.
View on Amazon · ~$15How we compared these
We build a comparison only when real buyers genuinely cross-shop the two models. Specs and positioning are checked against manufacturer documentation and dealer data; owner sentiment is drawn from real reviews and owner communities. Prices are shown as ranges because premium models vary by configuration and dealer.
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