Anova Precision Oven 2.0 Review (2026): Is the $799 Smart Countertop Oven Worth It?

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Six years after the original cult-favorite combi oven landed on our counters, Anova has finally shipped a proper sequel. Our anova precision oven 2 review is based on six weeks of daily cooking, a Thanksgiving-sized turkey, and about thirty dollars of stress-tested short ribs. The short version: the 2026 APO 2.0 is a meaningful upgrade, but at $799 it is no longer the weird cheap-steam-oven bargain it used to be.

We came in skeptical. The original Anova Precision Oven (APO 1) was a beloved, quirky appliance that did three or four things better than any countertop competitor and a few things worse than a $120 toaster oven. The APO 2.0 set out to fix the rough edges, add air fry, plug into Matter, and justify the new price. After putting it through six cook tests in our kitchen, here is the honest take.

60-Second Verdict

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars. The Anova Precision Oven 2.0 is the best countertop steam oven you can buy under $1,000 as of April 2026. Buy it if you already love sous vide, bake bread, or want one appliance to replace three. Check price on Amazon. Skip it if you mostly reheat leftovers or cannot spare 24 inches of counter depth.

Best for: sous vide enthusiasts, bread bakers, small-kitchen dwellers who want a single do-everything box.

Skip if: you have a high-end wall steam oven, live in a cramped apartment, or just want a fast toaster oven.

What Is the Anova Precision Oven 2.0?

The Anova Precision Oven 2.0 (APO 2) is a 1800-watt countertop combi oven that combines true sealed steam injection, convection, and a redesigned air-fry mode in one box. It plugs into a standard 120V outlet, connects over Wi-Fi and now Matter, and is controlled through a front-mounted color touchscreen or the Anova Oven app on iOS and Android.

If you are new to combi ovens, here is the core idea. Most countertop ovens can only blow hot dry air. The APO 2 can inject steam at a precise percentage of humidity while holding a specific temperature to within a degree or two. That unlocks techniques a toaster oven cannot touch, from 72-hour sous vide short ribs to bakery-grade baguettes with real crust.

The APO 2 ships with two wire racks, a full-size steel roasting pan, a wire sous vide rack, a dual-channel probe thermometer, and a removable 1.4-liter water reservoir. A direct-plumb adapter is a $79 optional add-on if you want to skip reservoir refills, which we did not bother testing in a rental kitchen.

What’s New in the 2026 Refresh

This is not a cosmetic update. Anova redesigned enough of the APO that we treated it as a genuinely new appliance rather than a spec bump. Here is how it differs from the 2020 original.

Full 1800-watt power draw now unlocks a 700F top temperature, up from 482F on the original. That is the difference between “toasty pizza” and real Neapolitan pizza with char on the cornicione. A redesigned convection fan enables a true air-fry mode, with an airflow profile that actually crisps wings rather than just shouting at them.

Sealed steam is the most under-appreciated upgrade. The original APO dumped warm condensation onto the counter in front of the door. The APO 2 routes moisture through a rear condensation channel and a heated door gasket. In six weeks of steam-heavy cooking, we never once had to wipe up a puddle.

The Matter integration is a practical, conservative implementation. Apple Home and Google Home can both see cook status, probe temperature, and time remaining, but neither platform can start or stop a cook remotely. This is a safety decision we actually applaud. You do not want a stray automation preheating the oven while a cookbook is resting on top.

On-device recipe cards, dual-probe thermometer support, and an AI-guided cook mode in the revamped Anova Oven app round out the software changes. We’ll get to how the AI mode actually performs below.

Unboxing and Build Quality

The APO 2 arrives in a shipping box the size of a small dishwasher. The oven itself measures 24 x 18 x 15 inches and weighs about 51 pounds. This is not apartment-friendly in the usual sense. If you have 24 inches of counter depth and a GFCI outlet, you are fine. If you live in a Manhattan studio with 18-inch counters, you will need to either store it on a rolling cart or accept that it owns the kitchen.

Build quality is a clear step up. The door hinge feels weighted and damped, not the rattly drop of the original. The interior is bright enough to read temperatures off a probe without opening the door. Four rack positions and the included fold-out sous vide rack cover almost every use case we threw at it.

Our one complaint: the fingerprint-magnet black stainless finish looks great in photos and terrible after a week of real cooking. If Anova makes a matte version, we would pick that.

Six Real-World Cooking Tests

We ran the APO 2 through six tests that cover the range of what we think buyers will actually use it for. Specific numbers and results below.

72-hour sous vide short ribs at 135F. The combi mode held 135F plus or minus one degree for the full three days, verified against a calibrated Thermapen. The ribs came out with a clean, uniform red center and a rendered bark after a 500F finish. This is the single cook that most justifies the price.

Neapolitan pizza at 700F. A 00-flour dough on a pizza steel, 90 seconds per pie. We got real leopard char on the crust. For context, our previous go-to was a dedicated Ooni outdoor oven, and the APO 2 landed within shouting distance of that.

French baguette with steam vs without. With steam injection during the first five minutes of baking, we got a shatter-thin crust and an open crumb. Without steam, the same dough came out pale and tight. This is the kind of A/B test that sells the steam feature better than any spec sheet.

14-pound Thanksgiving turkey in combi roast mode. This was the most stressful test of the review. The bird fit, barely, in the included roasting pan. Combi roast at 325F with 50 percent humidity for the first hour, then dry at 400F for the final 20 minutes. Breast came out 165F, thighs at 175F, and the skin was genuinely crisp.

Air-fried wings vs a dedicated Ninja air fryer. Two pounds of wings, same marinade, same time. The APO 2 got closer than we expected. The Ninja still wins on single-batch crispness by a small margin, but the APO cooked almost twice the volume at once.

Creme brulee at 195F with 100% steam. Six ramekins, flat tops, perfect wobble. Low-temperature steam precision is where combi ovens genuinely outclass water baths, and this cook confirmed it.

Price and Value: Is $799 Fair?

Check current price on Amazon

Here is the 2026 pricing table for the APO 2 and its closest competitors, verified against each brand’s official site in April 2026.

At $799, the APO 2 is priced between the upgraded-but-aging original and Breville’s smaller air-fry-focused unit. Direct-plumb adds $79, and AnovaCare extended warranty runs $99 for a second year. There are no ongoing subscription fees for the app or AI cook mode, which is one of the nicer surprises in 2026’s subscription-everything landscape.

For serious bread bakers or sous vide hobbyists, we think $799 is fair. For anyone whose main use case is reheating pizza and baking the occasional sheet of cookies, a $499 Breville remains the smarter buy.

App, AI Mode, and Smart Home Integration

The Anova Oven app got a full rewrite for the APO 2 launch. It is faster and less crashy than the original, which was an easy bar to clear. Push notifications for cook completion now arrive within five seconds on our test network. Firmware updates happen in the background and have not interrupted any of our cooks.

The headline software feature is AI-guided cook mode. You type or voice-dictate something like “bake a loaf of sourdough with a crisp crust” and the app suggests a multi-stage program with steam, temperature, and time. In our testing, its bread and roast suggestions were reliably good. Its fish suggestions were more conservative than we would pick ourselves. Treat it as a thoughtful starting point, not a chef.

Matter integration is read-only, as we mentioned. We linked the APO 2 to Apple Home, Google Home, and Samsung SmartThings without issue. You can build automations that react to cook status (like flashing a smart light when the probe hits temperature) but not ones that start a cook. For anyone building out a broader Matter setup, our guide to setting up a Matter smart home in 2026 covers the rest of the ecosystem.

Noise, Heat, and Energy Use

Countertop ovens live and die on their impact to the kitchen around them. We measured.

Noise at 18 inches, convection mode only: 48 decibels. In air-fry mode, the redesigned fan hits 56 decibels at max. Both readings are quieter than a standard dishwasher and a meaningful step below the original APO.

Exterior cabinet clearance: Anova specifies four inches on the sides and six inches on top. We measured the top surface at 138F during a one-hour 400F roast, which is warm but not dangerously so. Do not install this oven under an upper cabinet with less than six inches of clearance.

Energy use for a 40-minute roast at 400F came in at 1.1 kWh on our Kill-A-Watt meter. At the US residential average of $0.16 per kWh (per the US Department of Energy), that is about 18 cents per roast. Running the APO 2 for an hour of sous vide costs less than running our dishwasher through one cycle.

How It Compares to the Competition

A quick paragraph on each alternative, based on our own testing history or hands-on demos at the IBS 2026 show.

Breville Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro ($499). Smaller footprint, identical air-fry performance, humidity-only “steam.” Buy this if you want air fry and toaster-oven duties in a smaller box and don’t care about true steam. We reviewed it in detail in our Breville Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro hands-on.

Original Anova Precision Oven (refurbished, ~$499). Still an excellent steam oven. No air fry, no Matter, and the counter condensation is real. Buy refurb if you can find one and you specifically want steam on a budget.

Miele CM7 ($1,599+). Pro-grade build, better insulation, smaller usable cavity, no Matter. If you are willing to spend wall-oven money on a countertop unit, this is the step up.

A built-in wall oven with steam. If you cook for a big family every night, a dedicated wall oven with steam remains the better long-term purchase. Countertop combi ovens are best as a second oven or the only oven in small kitchens.

Who Should Buy the APO 2

Buy it if you are a sous vide enthusiast ready to upgrade from an immersion circulator, a bread baker who wants consistent crust from steam injection, or a small-kitchen dweller who needs one appliance to do the work of a toaster oven, air fryer, and steam oven. Our broader roundup of the best smart kitchen appliances for 2026 places the APO 2 at the top of its category.

Skip it if you mostly reheat leftovers and bake the occasional sheet of cookies, have less than 24 inches of counter depth, or already own a high-end wall oven with built-in steam.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• True sealed steam with no counter condensation
• 700F max unlocks real pizza and high-heat roasting
• Quieter convection and air-fry fan than the original
• Matter integration (read-only, which is safer)
• Excellent app with a genuinely useful AI cook mode
• No subscription for app or AI features

Cons

• Large 24-inch footprint is not apartment-friendly
• Black stainless finish shows fingerprints immediately
• Matter is status-only, not full remote control
• $799 price is no longer a screaming bargain
• Direct-plumb kit is a separate $79 purchase

Final Verdict

The Anova Precision Oven 2.0 is a confident, thoughtful sequel that fixes most of what was frustrating about the original without losing the weird versatility that made it a cult favorite. At $799 it is priced fairly for what it does, but it is no longer the underdog value pick it used to be. For the right buyer (sous vide enthusiast, bread baker, one-appliance-to-rule-them-all small-kitchen dweller), it is the clearest four-star recommendation we have made this year.

We are leaving our long-term test unit plumbed into the kitchen for the next six months and will update this review if anything changes. So far, after six weeks of daily use, it has earned its counter space.

Buy the Anova Precision Oven 2.0 on Amazon

FAQ

Is the Anova Precision Oven 2.0 worth the $799 price?

If you already own a sous vide circulator, bake bread regularly, or want one appliance to handle roasting, steaming, and air-frying, yes. For casual reheating and toast, the cheaper Breville Joule Oven Air Fryer Pro at $499 is the smarter buy.

Does the APO 2 replace a full-size oven?

For small households and most weeknight meals, yes. For anyone regularly roasting a turkey larger than 14 pounds or cooking multiple trays at once for a family, a full-size oven is still necessary. Think of the APO 2 as an exceptional second oven rather than a replacement.

Do I need to direct-plumb the water line?

No. The included 1.4-liter reservoir handles roughly two hours of continuous steam before needing a refill. Direct-plumb is a convenience upgrade for heavy daily users, not a requirement.

Can I control the APO 2 remotely through Apple Home or Google Home?

You can see cook status, temperature, and time remaining through Matter. You cannot start or stop a cook remotely. Anova made this a safety decision and we think it is the right call.

How loud is the air-fry mode compared to a dedicated air fryer?

The APO 2 in air-fry mode measured 56 decibels at 18 inches. A typical Ninja basket air fryer measures 62 to 65 decibels. The APO 2 is noticeably quieter, though the dedicated air fryer still slightly wins on crispness for single batches.

More Tools We Pair With the APO 2

Beyond the kitchen, our sister site OpenToolHQ covers the software side of a modern connected home. If you lean on the APO 2’s AI cook mode, see our roundup of the best AI tools of 2026, our head-to-head AI chatbot comparison for recipe brainstorming, and the productivity tools we rely on to plan weekly meal prep alongside smart kitchen hardware.

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