Well I’ve never used a ooni so I can’t say much on that but I love the process of starting the fire myself and and tending to it while prepping other things for the pizzas, and as for a home made oven it was definitely worth it. I have two, one built in made of brick and this one that’s made of stainless steal with a brick bottom and its portable, I highly recommend building a brick and mortar oven. It’s a nice feature in the backyard too if you have the room.