Quick Answer
There's no dedicated "Tovala air fryer" — Tovala sells a meal-kit smart oven that added air frying as an extra mode. The Smart Oven Pro ($349 list) is the best pick because it keeps steam cooking alongside air fry; the standard Smart Oven ($299 list) drops steam entirely to focus on air frying. Rtings scored the air-fry mode just 5.6 out of 10, citing uneven crisping and a fan it called underpowered — a weaker result than the dedicated basket air fryers covered elsewhere on this site. The advertised $69–$119 prices only apply if you commit to ordering a set number of Tovala's own meal kits.
Searches for "Tovala air fryer" are usually looking for one of two things: a review of Tovala's air-fry mode specifically, or confirmation that Tovala even makes an air fryer at all. The honest answer is that Tovala isn't an air fryer brand the way COSORI or Ninja are — it's a meal-kit delivery company whose signature product is a barcode-scanning countertop oven that auto-cooks its own prepared meals. Air frying showed up later, first as a software-and-basket retrofit to an oven that already had a convection fan, then as a full redesign in Tovala's newest standalone model.
That history matters because it explains two things buyers keep getting surprised by: the air-fry performance itself, and the pricing. Below we rank the two current models, with figures from Rtings, Cook's Illustrated, Top Ten Reviews, and TechCrunch's September 2026 hands-on.
Quick Comparison: Current Tovala Ovens
| Model | Steam | Air Fry | List Price | With Subscription | Best For |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smart Oven Pro | Yes | Yes | $349 | ~$119 | Best overall |
| Smart Oven (standard) | No | Yes | $299 | ~$69 | Lowest price if you don't need steam |
The 2 Current Tovala Ovens, Ranked
1. Tovala Smart Oven Pro — Best Overall
The Smart Oven Pro is the only current Tovala model that doesn't make you choose between steam and air frying — it does both, running a 1,525-watt convection system (Top Ten Reviews) with five cooking settings and a companion app that can scan a barcode on a Tovala meal kit and auto-select time and temperature. It ships with a baking tray, wire rack, mesh air-fry basket, and oven mitt, and weighs about 24.4 lbs.
List price is $349, but TechCrunch's September 2026 hands-on reports the price drops to roughly $119 after ordering six meal kits — kits start at $11.99 each and serve one person, and Cook's Illustrated confirms kits are optional once you own the oven. Skip the subscription commitment and AOL's coverage of a separate promotion puts a real-world price closer to $250–$390 depending on retailer; one listing has it available standalone on Amazon for $390.
Pros: Keeps steam and air fry in one unit, barcode-scanning meal automation, included accessories (tray/rack/basket/mitt)
Cons: Subscription required to reach the advertised low price, Rtings' air-fry score (5.6/10) applies to the shared Tovala air-fry system
Best For: Buyers who want Tovala's meal-kit automation and aren't willing to give up steam cooking for air frying
2. Tovala Smart Oven (Standard) — Lowest Price Without Steam
The standard Smart Oven drops steam cooking entirely in favor of a redesigned air-fry system — The Spoon reports Tovala rebuilt the oven's airflow with a 2-speed motor and a larger fan blade and vent specifically for this model, a response to criticism of the weaker fan in earlier air-fry retrofits. It lists at $299, dropping to roughly $69 with a meal-kit subscription commitment, or around $250 standalone per CNN's reporting — and unlike the Pro, it isn't listed on Amazon at all per available listings, so Tovala's own site is the place to check current pricing.
Sources disagree on how much the redesigned fan actually improved results: Rtings' published 5.6/10 air-fry score predates this redesign and was measured on the original Smart Oven, so treat it as a baseline for the shared technology rather than a confirmed score for the newest fan. If steam cooking isn't something you'd use — Tovala's own meal kits often call for it — this is the cheaper way into the ecosystem.
Pros: Lower list price than the Pro, redesigned fan/airflow aimed specifically at air-fry performance, same meal-kit automation
Cons: No steam function at all, not sold on Amazon per current listings, redesigned fan's real-world air-fry score hasn't been independently re-tested
Best For: Shoppers who want Tovala's meal-kit convenience and air frying only, with no interest in steam cooking
How to Decide If a Tovala Oven Is Right for You
Step 1: Decide If You Actually Want the Meal-Kit System
Both ovens are built around Tovala's barcode-scanning meal-kit workflow. If you have no interest in ordering $11.99-per-serving kits, you're buying a convection oven with an air-fry basket at full list price — $299 or $349 — competing against dedicated basket air fryers covered elsewhere on this site that typically cost less and scored higher on crisping.
Step 2: Steam or No Steam
The Smart Oven Pro is the only model that keeps steam alongside air frying. If you only care about air frying, the standard Smart Oven is $50 cheaper at list and was specifically redesigned (per The Spoon) to improve on the fan that earned the original model its mediocre Rtings score.
Step 3: Price the Oven Without the Subscription Math
The $69 and $119 prices in Tovala's own marketing require committing to a set number of meal kits first. If you're comparing against a standalone air fryer's sticker price, compare against Tovala's real $250–$390 range instead, since that's what you'll pay if you decide the kits aren't for you after all.
Tovala by the Numbers
- 5.6/10 — Rtings' air-fry performance score for the original Tovala Smart Oven, with roughly half the batch coming out properly crisp.
- $250–$390 — the real price range reported for a Tovala oven bought without a meal-kit subscription commitment, versus the $69–$119 figures in Tovala's own marketing.
- 1,525W — the convection wattage Top Ten Reviews lists for the Smart Oven.
- $50 — the list-price gap between the steam-capable Smart Oven Pro ($349) and the air-fry-only standard Smart Oven ($299).
- 0 — CPSC recalls on file for any Tovala oven, as of this check; Tovala's only recall (July 2022, FDA) covered two meal-kit food bowls, not the appliance.
- $11.99 — the starting price per single-serving Tovala meal kit, the purchase that unlocks the discounted oven price.
When to Skip Tovala
If you just want strong, even air frying and have no interest in a meal-kit subscription, Tovala is a harder sell than it first appears: Rtings' 5.6/10 air-fry score trails purpose-built basket fryers, the discounted price depends on a subscription most buyers researching "air fryer" probably don't want, and the standard model that dropped steam to focus on air frying hasn't had its redesigned fan independently re-scored yet. Our best Cosori air fryer and best Instant air fryer guides cover two dedicated brands with independently verified crisping performance and no subscription required.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is the Tovala Smart Oven actually an air fryer?
Not originally. Tovala launched as a steam-and-convection countertop oven built around a barcode-scanning app that auto-cooks Tovala's own meal-kit deliveries. Air frying was added later as a software update plus a mesh basket accessory for the Gen 2 oven, which already had the convection fan needed to support it. Tovala's newest standalone model goes further and removes the steam function entirely to make room for a stronger air-fry fan — so "Tovala air fryer" describes an add-on feature on a meal-kit appliance, not a purpose-built air fryer the way COSORI or Ninja models are.
What's the difference between the Tovala Smart Oven and Smart Oven Pro?
The standard Smart Oven lists at $299 and air fries but drops steam cooking entirely. The Smart Oven Pro lists at $349 and keeps both steam and air frying, making it the only current model that doesn't force a trade-off between the two. If you want air frying without giving up steam — useful for Tovala's own steam-finished meal kits — the Pro is the one to buy.
Do you have to buy Tovala meal kits to use the oven?
No, meal kits are optional — Cook's Illustrated confirms you can cook your own food in either oven without ever ordering a kit. But the eye-catching low prices advertised ($69 for the Smart Oven, $119 for the Pro) are tied to committing to a set number of kit orders, which start at $11.99 each and serve one person. Buy the oven standalone with no subscription commitment and CNN reported a real-world price closer to $250; one retailer listing has the Pro alone at $390 on Amazon, where the standard Smart Oven isn't sold at all.
How good is the Tovala's air-fry mode compared to a dedicated air fryer?
Rtings scored the oven's air-fry performance at just 5.6 out of 10, reporting that it cooks faster than a toaster oven without a fan but produces uneven results — only about half the batch comes out properly crisp — and flagged the fan itself as underpowered. That's a meaningfully weaker score than the purpose-built basket air fryers covered elsewhere on this site, where strong, well-ducted airflow is the entire point of the appliance.
Has a Tovala oven ever been recalled?
No CPSC recall exists for any Tovala oven as of this check. The only Tovala recall on record is unrelated to the appliance: a July 2022 FDA voluntary recall of two specific Tovala meal-kit bowls (Gochujang-Glazed Pork Chop and Gochujang-Glazed Salmon) over undeclared peanuts, handled by the FDA as a food-labeling issue, not the CPSC as a product-safety issue. Tovala also disabled the QR codes used to cook the affected meals as part of that recall.
How much does a Tovala oven cost without a subscription?
Full list price is $299 for the standard Smart Oven and $349 for the Smart Oven Pro. Without agreeing to a meal-kit subscription, expect to pay closer to $250–$390 depending on the model and retailer — the sub-$100 prices in Tovala's marketing only apply after committing to a set number of kit orders.
Final Recommendation
If you want Tovala's barcode-scanning meal-kit convenience and aren't willing to give up steam cooking, the Smart Oven Pro is the only current model that keeps both — just budget for $250–$390 if the subscription math doesn't work out for you. If air frying is genuinely all you're after and a subscription isn't a dealbreaker, the standard Smart Oven saves $50 at list and ships with a fan redesigned specifically to improve on Tovala's mediocre original air-fry score. Either way, go in knowing you're buying a meal-kit oven that added air frying, not an air fryer that Tovala built from scratch.