Gas

Pros: Gas grills burn cleanly, so people who like a clear, non-smoky taste to their food would do well to choose a gas grill. Gas grills cook food much more evenly than the other types of grills, which means less work for the cook. Preparation to use a gas grill is as easy as flipping a switch and gas grills generally burn cooler, which means less burnt fingers or hazards to you and your family. If you are planning to grill regularly, a gas grill is the way to go with its easy start up and low maintenance in comparison to other grill types. When operated properly, gas grills are considered much safer to use than a traditional charcoal grill.

Cons: Gas grills can run to the expensive side of the budget between purchase price and the cost of propane to run it, especially if you forget to shut it off as is easy to do with gas grilling. If you like a smoky barbequed flavor to your food, you won't get it with a gas grill.

Charcoal

Pros: It is the traditional way to grill, which appeals to a large sector of people. The heat source (charcoal) is generally hotter than what you can get with a gas or wood grill which makes grilling go a bit faster. A charcoal grill gives food a smoky more traditional barbeque flavor than you would get over a gas grill which burns cleaner. Charcoal grills are in general much less expensive than gas grills because of the assembly is much simpler. To add to budget friendliness, a bag of charcoal costs less than a comparable amount of propane, so upkeep is less expensive as well.

Cons: While the heat source for a charcoal grill is hotter, it has a tendency to be uneven, which means the cook has to really pay attention to what they're doing or the food may not turn out. A charcoal grill also takes a lot more preparation to be able to use than a gas grill. Charcoal generally takes twenty to thirty minutes to be at perfect cooking temperature and consistency which adds significantly to preparation and cooking time. Charcoal grills require an open flame to operate, which can be dangerous, particularly for families with children and/or pets. Because charcoal burns hotter than propane and isn't as easily controlled, it can also be a danger to adults in preparation and disposal of the coals afterward. Charcoal grills are grills that have to be highly supervised to avoid accidents. Charcoal grills also require a high amount of maintenance to keep them functioning properly.

Wood

Pros: Get the smoky flavor of traditional barbeque without the oily after effects grilling with charcoal can have. With a wood grill, you can also add the woody, earthy flavor of whatever wood you are using to your food such as the fresh taste cedar adds, or the more wild flavor pine can add.

Cons: Wood grills are not common and most often have to be built from scratch which means they are expensive. Sometimes buying a charcoal grill and using wood on it instead of charcoal is your best option. Upkeep on a wood grill can also be expensive.