The smart oven pitch is that a countertop box with a camera, an app and precise heating can cook better than your range. The track record so far is mixed, and the biggest risk has nothing to do with cooking.
June was the most talked-about early smart oven, built around a camera that recognized food. Weber bought the company in 2021 and has since stopped selling it. That is the danger with any appliance that leans on an app and a company's servers. When the company loses interest, the smart part stops getting better and can eventually go away.
The most serious option today is the Anova Precision Oven 2.0, launched in November 2024 at $1,199. It adds steam and humidity control to convection heating, holds temperature within about half a degree, and has a camera that recognizes food and adjusts settings. It can steam, air fry, dehydrate, proof and even cook sous vide style without a bag. Some recipe features sit behind a subscription of $1.99 a month or $9.99 a year.
At the other end is Tovala, which is really a meal kit company that sells an oven. The oven lists at $299 but is often free if you commit to weeks of its meals, which run roughly $10 to $13 a serving plus shipping. You scan a meal's barcode and the oven runs the program. It is convenient and it works, but the value depends entirely on liking the meals.
The honest test for any smart oven is to ignore the app and ask what the hardware does. Steam injection and accurate temperature are genuinely useful. Bread gets a better crust, leftovers reheat without drying out, and roasts cook evenly. A camera that tells you your toast is done is a nice extra, not a revolution.
I would also ask what still works if the app dies. An oven with physical controls for temperature, steam and time stays a good oven. One that needs the cloud to do anything is a gamble.
The short version: if you cook a lot and want steam, the Anova is the one worth considering, and it is a real oven first. Tovala makes sense only if you want the meal service. Buy for the hardware, not the software.
