Definitely cleaner. You can buy the pellets in bags so the is minimal dirt. Even the cleanup of ash is reduced. Very efficient, easy to use, my son loves it. The stove was already in his house when he bought it. He's used it two years and is very happy. It has it's own thermostat and blower. Room he has it in is big with two ceiling fans, it heats most of his house.
He lives upstate near Rochester so it works in tough winters.