The choice between a wood-burning fire pit and a gas or propane one is usually framed as ambiance versus convenience, but the honest comparison runs across four axes: what comes out of it, what it costs to install, what it costs to run, and what your jurisdiction allows. Any one of those can be the deciding factor, and the last one sometimes takes the choice out of your hands.
Wood smoke and what it carries
Burning wood produces fine particulate matter, tiny particles small enough to reach deep into the lungs. The EPA’s public health material on wood smoke and your health explains that this fine particle pollution is the main health concern from residential wood burning, and that people with heart or lung conditions, older adults, and children are the most sensitive. The agency’s Burn Wise facts, figures, and safety tips add that burning dry, seasoned wood hot and clean cuts smoke substantially compared with green or wet wood. None of this makes a backyard fire dangerous to a healthy adult in the open air, but it is the reason smoke drift toward a neighbor’s window is worth taking seriously. Treat the health information as informational context, not a diagnosis.
Gas and propane: cleaner, pricier to install, less campfire
Natural gas and propane burn far more completely than wood, so they produce little visible smoke and no sparks or ash. The tradeoff is threefold: higher up-front cost, less of the crackle-and-scent experience people associate with a fire, and a dependence on fuel supply. A gas feature lights instantly, has an adjustable flame, and shuts off cleanly, which is why it wins on convenience and on smoke. What it gives up is the sensory character of burning wood, which no burner fully replicates.
Fuel cost per evening, compared honestly
Running cost depends on local prices, but the shape is predictable. A bundle of firewood for an evening is a few dollars; a full 20-pound propane cylinder runs a larger fire pit for several evenings before it needs a refill; piped natural gas is the cheapest per hour but requires a plumbed line. Wood tends to be cheapest per night if you have a supply, propane is middling and portable, and natural gas is low per-hour but front-loads its cost into installation. The right way to compare is per evening of actual use, not per unit of fuel.
Local burn rules may decide it
Where you live can settle the question before cost does. Many jurisdictions restrict or seasonally ban residential open burning, and a wood fire pit can fall under those rules while a gas appliance does not. Delaware, for instance, publishes its own residential open-burning regulations defining what is and is not allowed. On poor-air-quality days or during dry-season burn bans, wood burning is often prohibited outright while a gas feature stays permitted. Check the current local rules before you commit to wood.
Installing the gas side correctly
If you go with gas or propane, the connection is a code matter, not a weekend improvisation. Fuel lines, regulators, cylinder placement, and appliance connections follow established standards, and NFPA’s LP-gas safety fact sheet summarizes the handling and installation basics for propane systems. Plumbed natural gas and permanent propane lines generally require a licensed installer and a permit. Portable cylinder-fed pits are simpler but still demand correct regulator use, leak checks, and safe cylinder storage away from the flame.
Deciding
Pick wood if you want the classic fire, have a wood supply, and your area allows open burning; pick gas if smoke, convenience, or local bans matter more, and you can absorb the install cost. Keep the health notes as background rather than a verdict, and let the local rules be your first check, because they may make the decision for you.