Head to head
Patio heater vs fire pit
The fire pit usually wins on rated output and loses on where the heat goes. Which one is right turns on whether people gather in a ring or sit spread out.
A patio heater heats a seating area; a fire pit heats a ring of people around it. A 58,000 BTU fire bowl outranks any patio heater on paper and sends much of that output straight up. Buy a heater if seating is spread out, a fire pit if people gather around it.
Why the BTU comparison goes wrong
Put the specifications side by side and the fire pit looks like the stronger heater. A propane fire bowl at 58,000 BTU/h beats a 48,000 BTU patio heater by more than twenty percent. Both figures are honest ratings of fuel consumed per hour.
Neither figure says where the heat goes, and that is where the two products separate completely.
A patio heater has a reflector engineered to push output down and outward across an area. That is its entire mechanical purpose. An open fire bowl has no reflector and no aim: hot gas rises, and what reaches you is the radiant fraction that leaves sideways. Both appliances burn the fuel; only one of them is trying to direct the result.
The five axes
| Patio heater | Fire pit | |
|---|---|---|
| Typical rated output | 46,000 to 48,000 BTU/h | 35,000 to 58,000 BTU/h gas; wood is higher still |
| Heat direction | Reflected down and out across a circle | Mostly upward; radiant sideways from the flame |
| Who it warms | People seated across an area | People close in, facing it |
| Cost per hour | About $1.40 at 48,000 BTU | $1.02 at 35,000, $1.70 at 58,000; wood varies too much to price |
| In wind | Convected warmth stripped away; flame can go out | Flame survives better; heat and embers do not stay put |
| Under a roof | Yes, with 36 in clearance for gas | Never. Open flame under any overhead structure is out |
| On a deck | Ballast the base, watch the surface | Heat barrier mandatory |
| Fire bans | Usually unaffected | Wood pits often restricted; propane frequently permitted |
Gas cost figures computed at $2.674 per gallon of propane. Wood is deliberately unpriced: firewood cost varies enormously by region and by whether you bought it.
The prices every cost figure on this site uses
- Electricity: 18.34 cents per kWh. U.S. average residential retail price, June 2026. EIA, Electric Power Monthly, Table 5.6.A (residential, U.S. total).
- Propane: $2.674 per gallon. U.S. average residential price, week ending March 30, 2026. EIA, Weekly Heating Oil and Propane Prices (residential, U.S. average). That series only runs through the heating season, which is why the latest reading is a March one.
- Propane energy content: 91,420 BTU per gallon (higher heating value, the same basis appliance BTU ratings use). U.S. DOE Alternative Fuels Data Center, Fuel Properties Comparison.
- Conversion: 1 kWh = 3,412 BTU. Which is why a 1,500 W electric heater is a 5,118 BTU/h appliance, and why comparing it to a 48,000 BTU propane tower is not the comparison it looks like.
The geometry question that actually decides it
Forget output for a moment and picture the seating.
If your chairs form a ring, facing inward, four to six feet apart — a fire pit is the better product, and by a clear margin. Everyone is inside the radiant zone, everyone is facing the source, and the fire is the reason people are outside in the first place. No patio heater replicates that.
If your seating is a sofa against a wall, a dining table, or two chairs at opposite ends of a terrace — a patio heater is the better product, and it is not close. A fire pit warms whoever is nearest and nobody else, and you cannot put a dining table around one.
That is the whole decision. Output, fuel and price are secondary to it.
Quick picks
Ranked for fit, not for hype. Output is the maker’s published figure; reach is computed from it or from the maker’s own radius claim, and the table says which. Tap a row for the full write-up, or go straight to the listing.
| # | Product | Best for | Output | Reach | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Amazon BasicsNo photo Amazon Basics 46kOne of the very few towers whose maker publishes a coverage radius rather than a vague area, and the 9 ft figure survives the arithmetic. That alone puts it ahead of most of the field. | The published-radius honesty test | 46,000 BTU | 254 sq ft claimed | Check price on Amazon |
| 2 | Outland LivingNo photo Outland Firebowl 89358,000 BTU is more rated input than any patio heater in this registry, in a 19 in bowl you can carry. The catch is that an open bowl throws most of that straight up. | The highest published output here | 58,000 BTU | 2,900 sq ft | Check price on Amazon |
| 3 | Solo StoveNo photo Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0The secondary-burn design does genuinely reduce smoke, and a wood fire puts out more heat than any patio heater here. It heats a circle of people, not a patio, and those are different products. | Heat you gather around | Not published | Not published | Check price on Amazon |
Reach marked “claimed” is the maker’s own published figure. Reach without that label is ours, computed from published output at 20 BTU per square foot for an open patio. Neither is a measurement we took.
Top pick · The published-radius honesty test
Amazon Basics 46,000 BTU Outdoor Propane Patio Heater
One of the very few towers whose maker publishes a coverage radius rather than a vague area, and the 9 ft figure survives the arithmetic. That alone puts it ahead of most of the field.
- Fuel
- Propane
- Output
- 46,000 BTU/h
- Reach (claimed)
- 254 sq ft · 9.0 ft radius
- Cost per hour
- $1.35
What works
- A published 9 ft radius is a 254 sq ft circle, and 46,000 BTU is far more than that area needs — a claim on the conservative side of its own specification, which is rare here
- The water-fill base box is a real anti-tip measure, not a sticker: filled, it is the difference between a windy evening and a repair bill
- One-touch ignition and a chain for the cylinder are both small things the cheap clones drop
What does not
- The listing does not name a safety certifying body, only the tilt valve, so we cannot tell you it is CSA listed
- 91 in tall with an open flame: the same wind exposure as every other tower of this shape
- The water box has to be emptied before a freeze or it splits
| Published specification | |
|---|---|
| Rated input | 46,000 BTU/h |
| Published reach | 9 ft radius |
| Dimensions | 32.1" L x 32.1" W x 91.3" H |
| Fuel | 20 lb propane cylinder, not included |
| Safety | Tilt auto-shutoff valve; chain to secure the cylinder |
| Base | Water-fill box for ballast, wheel kit included |
| Maker’s coverage claim | 9.0 ft radius, which is 254 sq ft |
| Safety listing | Tilt auto-shutoff valve; the listing does not name a certifying body |
Who it is for
An open patio where you want the largest honest circle of warmth per dollar and are happy to handle cylinders.
What it is not for
Anywhere enclosed, and anywhere the base cannot be filled with water — an empty ballast box makes this a tall, light, tippy object.
Sources for this entry
2 · The highest published output here
Outland Firebowl 893 Deluxe Portable Propane Fire Pit, 19 in
58,000 BTU is more rated input than any patio heater in this registry, in a 19 in bowl you can carry. The catch is that an open bowl throws most of that straight up.
- Fuel
- Propane
- Output
- 58,000 BTU/h
- Reach (computed)
- 2,900 sq ft · 30.4 ft radius
- Cost per hour
- $1.70
What works
- 58,000 BTU with no wood, no smoke and no ash — it is on in ten seconds and off in one
- Propane means it is legal in most fire-ban conditions where wood is not, though check your own county before assuming
- Portable enough to take camping, which no other heat source here manages
What does not
- An open bowl is a chimney. The rated input is the highest here and the useful radiant fraction is among the lowest — do not read 58,000 BTU as 58,000 BTU of warmth on people
- At full output a 20 lb cylinder empties fast. The runtime table has the exact figure
- The hose runs across the ground to the cylinder, which is a trip hazard and a design compromise the fire tables avoid
| Published specification | |
|---|---|
| Rated input | 58,000 BTU/h |
| Diameter | 19 in |
| Fuel | 20 lb cylinder via the included hose and regulator |
| Included | Cover and carry kit on the Deluxe |
| Fill | Lava rock included |
| Maker’s coverage claim | None published — the reach figure above is ours |
| Safety listing | CSA certified per the maker's published product data |
Who it is for
Somewhere that needs instant, smokeless flame on demand, including places where a wood fire is not permitted.
What it is not for
Efficient heating, decks without a [heat barrier](/fire-pits/deck-safe), and anywhere with anything overhead.
Sources for this entry
3 · Heat you gather around
Solo Stove Bonfire 2.0 Smokeless Fire Pit with Stand, 19.5 in
The secondary-burn design does genuinely reduce smoke, and a wood fire puts out more heat than any patio heater here. It heats a circle of people, not a patio, and those are different products.
- Fuel
- Wood
- Output
- Not published
- Reach (computed)
- Not published
- Cost per hour
- n/a
What works
- A wood fire's output is not comparable to a patio heater's — this is the reason the heater versus fire pit question resolves the way it does
- The stand is not an accessory, it is the thing that makes it usable on a surface. Buy the version that includes it
- Removable ash pan turns cleanup from a chore into a step, which is the difference between using it weekly and using it twice
What does not
- Smokeless is a comparison, not an absolute. It smokes noticeably less than an open pit; it does not produce no smoke, especially while it comes up to temperature
- The heat is radiant and low — it warms a ring of people standing close, and does nothing for anyone six feet back
- Even with the stand, this needs a heat barrier on a wood deck. The stand reduces transferred heat, it does not eliminate it
| Published specification | |
|---|---|
| Diameter | 19.5 in |
| Height | 16.75 in |
| Weight | 21.75 lb |
| Material | 304 stainless steel with a high-heat ceramic coating |
| Maker's capacity | Suits 4 to 6 people |
| Ash handling | Removable ash pan under the base plate |
| Maker’s coverage claim | None published — the reach figure above is ours |
| Safety listing | No safety listing applies; this is a wood-burning appliance, not a gas one |
Who it is for
A group that gathers around the fire rather than sitting in a spread-out seating arrangement, on a patio where wood smoke is not a neighbor problem.
What it is not for
Anywhere with a roof — this is an open wood fire and belongs under open sky. Also not for anyone who wants heat at the flick of a switch.
The constraints that override the geometry
- Anything overhead. A roof, a pergola, an awning, a low branch — an open fire underneath is out. Not marginal, out. If your space is covered, read the covered patio page and the fire pit conversation ends there.
- A wood or composite deck. Both products need care; a fire pit needs a rated heat barrier without exception. The deck page.
- Fire restrictions. Wood pits are commonly restricted during dry conditions; propane fire features are frequently permitted when wood is not. Check your own county rather than assuming either way.
- Neighbors. Wood smoke travels and it is the most common source of complaint about outdoor fires. Propane produces none, which is a real advantage in a dense neighborhood.
- Wind. A fire pit's flame handles a breeze better than a patio heater's, and its embers handle it much worse. On an exposed evening a wood pit is a hazard rather than an annoyance.
Buy a patio heater if
- Seating is spread out, against a wall, or around a table.
- The space is covered — this rules the fire pit out entirely.
- You want warmth on demand and off in one second, with no ash and no smoke.
- You need to warm an area rather than provide a focal point.
Buy a fire pit if
- People gather around it in a ring — this is what it is for.
- The fire itself is the reason you are outside, not a means to being outside.
- The space is open to the sky with nothing overhead.
- You want the highest raw output available and are close enough to receive it.
The answer plenty of people land on
Both, and for different evenings. A mounted or freestanding heater makes the seating area usable in October; a fire pit is what you light on the nights it is the point. They cost different amounts and they answer different questions, and neither is a worse version of the other.
If you have landed on the heater side, the flagship roundup has the picks. If you have landed on the fire pit side, the fire pit picks are here, and the deck-safe ones here.
Common questions
Is a patio heater or a fire pit better for heat?
A patio heater, for warming a seating area. A fire pit has a higher rated output but sends most of it upward, so only people close in and facing it feel much. A fire pit wins when people gather in a ring around it.
Does a fire pit actually warm a patio?
It warms the people around it, not the patio. Radiant heat from an open fire falls off quickly with distance, so the effect is strong at four feet and slight at ten. A heater with a reflector spreads warmth across an area instead.
Is a propane fire pit cheaper to run than a patio heater?
Not per hour. A 58,000 BTU fire bowl costs about $1.70 an hour against roughly $1.40 for a 48,000 BTU patio heater, at published U.S. average propane prices. The fire bowl also empties a 20 lb cylinder in about 7.4 hours against 9.
Can I use a fire pit under a covered patio?
No. An open flame under any overhead structure is out, whatever the clearance. If your patio is covered, a mounted electric heater is the appropriate answer.
Sources
Read next
The best fire pits for heat
Fire pits ranked on delivered warmth rather than rated output, with runtime and cost computed.
The best patio heaters, sorted by the patio
Six heaters covering every real patio case, with published output, computed reach and cost per hour.
Deck-safe fire pits
The stand-plus-barrier combination that protects decking, and the pits that suit it.
Patio heaters for a covered patio
The clearance arithmetic for a roofed patio, and the mounted heaters that actually fit.
Fire table vs fire pit
What a fire table costs, what it heats, and the patio where it is genuinely the right buy.