Grillio vs The BBQ Authority: Comparing Premium Grill Options Online

Buying a good grill online is harder than it should be. You end up with 50 browser tabs open, specs that all sound the same, and no real sense of which store is actually worth trusting with $2,000 or more of your money.

Two stores keep coming up when people shop for premium grills: Grillio.com and The BBQ Authority. Both offer free shipping, carry the same top brands, and promise to match any price you find elsewhere. But they’re not the same store, and which one fits you depends on what you actually need.

Here’s how they compare.

The Quick Answer

Go with Grillio if you want the biggest selection, you’re building a full outdoor kitchen, or you just want to browse everything in one place.

Go with The BBQ Authority if you already know you want a Napoleon or Fire Magic grill, you want someone on the phone who really knows the product, or you want to read detailed buying guides before you decide.

Both are good. They just suit different people.

Each Store Compared One by One

Grillio is a large online grill store with over 11,000 products in stock. They carry every major brand: gas grills, charcoal, pellet, kamado, built-ins, outdoor kitchens, accessories, the works. If it exists in the grill world, Grillio probably has it. Orders over $49 ship free; they offer 0% financing, and you can reach a grill expert by phone or chat if you need help choosing.

The BBQ Authority is smaller on purpose. They’re based in Lisle, Illinois, with a physical store and an online shop. Instead of carrying every brand, they’ve gone deep on a few, mainly Napoleon and Fire Magic. Their blog has some of the most detailed grill comparison guides you’ll find anywhere, and their customer service has a strong reputation for actually following up after a sale.

What They Carry

Grillio stocks basically everything. Their built-in gas grill section alone has options from Blaze, DCS, Alfresco, Hestan, Lynx, Coyote, and more. If you’re putting together a full outdoor kitchen,  grill, side burner, fridge, and access doors, Grillio can usually source the whole thing from one brand. They even have a free design service for bigger projects.

BBQ Authority goes narrow but deep. Napoleon is their main brand, and they carry the full lineup from the entry-level Rogue all the way up to the Prestige PRO 825. Fire Magic and Summerset fill out the rest. You won’t find every brand here, but the ones they do carry, they know well; every size, every fuel option, every configuration.

Grillio: Two Grills Worth Knowing

Napoleon Prestige PRO 665 Elite Gas Grill

This is Napoleon’s top freestanding grill for 2026, and it shows. It connects to your phone via Wi-Fi and Bluetooth so you can check the temperature, monitor propane levels, and control the lights without walking back outside. The grill runs eight burners at a combined 99,000 BTUs and gives you 1,140 square inches of cooking space.

There’s an infrared rear burner for the rotisserie, an infrared side sear zone for steaks, and a built-in electric smoker box so you don’t need a separate device for smoking. The control knobs glow in whatever color you set.

It costs around $5,699. That’s a lot, but you’re not giving anything up at this price. Grillio currently includes a gift with purchase and backs it with their price-match guarantee.

Blaze Professional LUX 44-Inch 4-Burner Built-In Gas Grill

If you’re building an outdoor kitchen and want a built-in grill that’ll last a decade without problems, the Blaze Professional LUX 44 is one of the most popular choices at this level. Four stainless steel H-burners produce 72,000 BTUs total, plus a rear infrared burner for rotisserie. The grill grates are 12mm thick, thicker than most competitors, which means they hold heat better and produce better sear marks. Internal lights and red LED control knobs make it easy to use after dark.

Blaze covers all stainless components with a lifetime warranty. Grillio is currently bundling it with a free pizza oven, and since they carry the full Blaze outdoor kitchen line, you can match it with access doors, drawers, and a fridge from the same brand.

The BBQ Authority: Two Grills Worth Knowing

BBQ Authority calls this the sweet spot of the Napoleon lineup, and they’re right. At around $2,749, it’s significantly cheaper than the 665 Elite but still has the features that matter: four main burners, an infrared side sear zone, an infrared rear rotisserie burner, thick 9.5mm cooking grids, a built-in smoker with a wood chip tray, and Napoleon’s Lifetime Bumper-to-Bumper warranty. It’s also more compact than the 665, which makes it a better fit for most patios.

One small but satisfying detail: when you walk up to the grill, a light projects the Napoleon logo onto the ground in front of it. BBQ Authority’s staff knows this grill inside and out; they’ve sold it for years and can answer specific questions about setup, parts, and long-term maintenance.

Fire Magic Aurora A790i 36-Inch Built-In Gas Grill

Fire Magic has been making grills in California for over 75 years, and you can feel the build quality the moment you lift the lid. The A790i is a 36-inch built-in with three cast stainless steel burners, 792 square inches of primary cooking space, and 90,000 BTUs. The burners use hot surface ignition instead of the push-button spark igniters on most grills; hot surface ignition lights faster and doesn’t wear out over time. The cooking grates have a flat-topped design that transfers heat more directly to the food, giving you better crust on steaks and chops.

LED-backlit control knobs and interior halogen lights mean you can cook at night without squinting. BBQ Authority has a detailed Fire Magic pricing guide on its site that walks you through every size and configuration, which is genuinely helpful when you’re trying to figure out which version to order.

Shopping Experience

Grillio’s website is clean and easy to use.

• Filter by grill type, brand, installation style, or price; product pages include full specs, warranty details, and accessory recommendations.
• Chat and phone support are easy to find.
• Their 30-day return policy and price-match guarantee are spelled out clearly, not buried in fine print.

BBQ Authority’s website is also simple to use.

• Their articles on Napoleon and Fire Magic pricing, model comparisons, and what to buy in 2026 are detailed and honest, not just manufacturer copy.
• On Trustpilot, customers regularly mention that a real person called them after the order, included a handwritten note, or threw in a gift.

Wrapping Up

Choose Grillio if you want the widest selection, you’re building an outdoor kitchen, or you’re looking at a brand that BBQ Authority doesn’t carry. Their catalog and design services are hard to beat for big projects.

Choose The BBQ Authority if Napoleon or Fire Magic is already on your list, you want buying advice from people who know the products deeply, or you just want a more personal experience when spending serious money. The customer service reviews are real, and they’ve earned them.

You can’t go wrong with either store. Both are actual grill specialists, not a big-box retailer that happens to sell grills on the side. That alone puts them ahead of most of the competition.