This article is a paid partnership with Touchstone Home Products.
Electric fireplaces have come a long way, and Touchstone has become one of the more serious players in the space, especially if you care about flame realism and smart home integration. The tricky part isn’t whether their fireplaces are good (they are). It’s figuring out which one actually makes sense for your home. We broke down six models by the type of buyer each one genuinely suits best. Right now, there’s also a 15% off code: SPRING15 that’s worth stacking if you’re already considering one.
At a glance:
- Most popular: Sideline 50-inch recessed smart electric fireplace
- Best for tech enthusiasts: Sideline Elite 60-inch recessed smart electric fireplace
- Best for flame realism: Sideline Elite Pro 60-inch smart electric fireplace
- Best for design-forward spaces: Sideline Infinity Pro 72-inch 3-sided recessed smart electric fireplace
- Best for existing fireplaces: Fireplug™ Pro 33-inch smart electric fireplace insert
- Best for small spaces: BurnBrite 22-inch smart electric log insert
Most popular: Sideline 50-Inch Recessed Smart Electric Fireplace $466.65 $829.00
This one’s for you if… you want the full smart home package and a good-looking install, but you’re not trying to spend designer money to get there.
The Sideline 50 is the model Touchstone built for people who’ve done their research. You get Wi-Fi, Alexa, and Google Home out of the box, five brightness levels, five flame speeds, and a pulsing ember bed that runs independently from the heater, meaning you can run the ambiance year-round without heating a room in July. Three flame color options (orange, blue, or blue-orange) plus 10 ember bed colors give you more customization than you’d expect at this price. It comes with both a faux log set and glass crystals, so you can dial in either a traditional or contemporary look.
The front-facing heating vent means it can sit truly flush in the wall, and it’ll supplementally heat up to 400 square feet when you need it to. It recesses into the wall or mounts flat on the surface, plugs in, or hardwires: genuinely one of the more flexible installs in the lineup. For what it costs, it’s hard to find a credible argument against it.
- Wi-Fi + Alexa + Google Home included
- Heats up to 400 sq. ft. (5,000 BTUs)
- 30 flame & media combinations; pulsing ember bed
- Heater and flames operate independently
- Recessed or wall-mounted; plug-in or hardwired
- Cool-to-the-touch glass; safe around kids and pets
For the tech enthusiast: Sideline Elite 60-Inch Recessed Smart Electric Fireplace $1,104.15 $1,949.00
This one’s for you if… you’ve already automated most of your home, and a fireplace you can’t control from your phone feels weirdly archaic at this point.
The Elite steps up from the standard Sideline in a few meaningful ways. You go from 30 flame combinations to 60: six flame color options and 10 media bed colors across five intensity settings. The frame is slimmer, which sounds minor but makes a real visual difference. Once it’s recessed, it reads more like a feature than an appliance, with a viewing area of 56 x 14.375 inches. There’s also a built-in timer (up to 8 hours), two heat settings with a thermostat that runs from 68 to 88°F, and it comes with a log set, crystals, and driftwood, so you’re not buying accessories separately. Full smart home connectivity, remote included.
- 60 flame/media combinations across 6 flame + 10 media colors
- Adjustable flame speed & intensity (not just preset levels)
- 8-hour timer; dual heat settings with thermostat
- Slimmer frame for a cleaner recessed look
- Full Wi-Fi smart home; remote included
- Larger flame display than the base Sideline
For the realism seeker: Sideline Elite Pro 60-Inch Smart Electric Fireplace $1,316.65 $2,329.00
This one’s for you if… you’ve been burned (no pun intended) by electric fireplaces that look great in photos and cartoonish in person.
The difference with the Elite Pro is depth — literally. At 6.25 inches deep, it has the deepest flame display in Touchstone’s lineup, and that extra dimension is what makes the flames read as real rather than digital. The media bed uses thicker faux driftwood and painted crushed glass crystals, and 13-color downlighting throws shadow and texture across the whole display in a way that flat-panel units simply can’t replicate. There are 78 total color combinations: 6 flame colors, 13 ember bed colors, 5 flame speeds, plus a built-in crackle speaker with adjustable volume that sells the illusion further. The soft-stop and soft-start flame transitions are a small detail that makes a big difference; flames don’t just snap on and off.
It’s also designed with professional installs in mind, with a spacer kit available for standard 2×4 walls and a slimmest-in-class frame border. If you’re the kind of person who noticed everything just described, this is your fireplace.
- Deepest flame display of any model in the lineup
- 78 color combinations; 13-color downlighting
- Thicker faux driftwood + painted stones media bed
- Built-in crackle speaker with adjustable volume
- Full smart home control; adjustable speed and intensity
- Timer up to 9 hours; heats up to 400 sq. ft.
For the design devotee: Sideline Infinity Pro 72-Inch 3-Sided Recessed Smart Electric Fireplace $1,937.15 $3,499.00
This one’s for you if… you’re in the middle of a renovation and you want one thing in the room that genuinely stops people.
Three-sided viewing is a different category of fireplace. The Infinity Pro recesses fully into the wall: no frame, no border, just fire visible from the front and both sides, with cool-to-the-touch glass on all three. It has the largest flame display in the entire Touchstone range, the same Pro-grade enhanced flame-depth technology as the Elite Pro, and four different installation configurations to fit different room layouts. The built-in crackle speaker, 13-color downlighting, and 78 color combinations mean the ambiance is as customizable as the install.
Touchstone also offers an add-on solid pine wood mantel that mounts with no assembly required, if you want to frame the whole thing out. In an open-concept space, used as a room divider, or anchoring a feature wall, it’s legitimately architectural. This isn’t the pick for someone who just wants warmth and ambiance. It’s for someone building a room around a focal point.
- Three-sided viewing with cool-to-the-touch glass on all sides
- Largest flame display in the Touchstone lineup
- Fully frameless when recessed; no visible border
- Four installation configurations for flexible room placement
- Smart home ready; adjustable flame speed and intensity
- Same Pro-grade flame technology as the Elite Pro
- 78 color combinations; 13-color downlighting; built-in crackle speaker
For the fireplace upgrader: Fireplug™ Pro 33-Inch Smart Electric Fireplace Insert $934.15 $1,649.00
This one’s for you if… you have an existing fireplace that hasn’t been used in years because gas conversion quotes are absurd, and wood fires are more work than they’re worth.
The Fireplug Pro is an insert — it goes directly into your existing fireplace opening, which means no demolition, no construction, no contractor. It comes with 2-inch and 4-inch trim kits that cover any gaps around the opening for a clean, built-in look. Under the hood, it’s running the same Pro-grade flame technology as the Elite Pro and Infinity Pro: 6.25-inch depth, black crushed glass crystals, enhanced driftwood, 13-color downlighting, and 78 total color combinations. The built-in crackle speaker with adjustable volume genuinely completes the illusion.
It’s also light-switch compatible if you want a hardwired setup that behaves exactly like a real fireplace. Comes in 24″, 29″, and 33″ to fit most standard openings, and yes, fully smart home connected.
- Fits existing fireplace openings; trim kits included for a seamless finish
- Same Pro-grade flame tech as the Elite Pro and Infinity Pro
- Built-in crackle speaker with adjustable volume
- Wi-Fi, Alexa, and Google Home connectivity
- 78 color combinations; 13-color downlighting
- Vent-free, smoke-free, and plug-in ready
For the small-space dweller: BurnBrite 22-Inch Smart Electric Log Insert $254.15 $449.00
This one’s for you if… you live in an apartment or have limited space.
The BurnBrite is the most approachable entry point in Touchstone’s range, and it’s designed for spaces where a full recessed unit would never work. The setup is genuinely one step: place it in an existing fireplace opening or anywhere in a room, plug it in, and it’s running. No venting, no installation, no contractor call. The resin log set and glowing ember bed create a convincingly traditional look, and it’s more customizable than it looks: 3 flame colors, 4 brightness levels, 3 flame speeds, and 10 ember bed colors. There’s also a built-in crackle speaker, a thermostat that runs from 64 to 90°F, and a removable rear flame-effect screen if you want to adjust the presentation. Overheat protection is built in.
At 22 inches, it fits tighter openings without overwhelming a smaller room, and it’ll still heat up to 400 square feet when you need it to. It’s not trying to be the most feature-rich option here; it’s trying to be the right fit for people the other five models weren’t built for.
- Truly zero installation: place it, plug it in, done
- 3 flame colors; 10 ember bed colors; built-in crackle speaker
- Thermostat range 64–90°F; heats up to 400 sq. ft.
- Removable rear screen for customizable presentation
- Overheat protection built in
- Alexa, Google Home, and app compatible
