Ponds are regarded as greenhouse gas (GHG) emission hot spots, but how hot are they? We examined this question by measuring methane (CH₄) and carbon dioxide (CO₂) fluxes in six forest and open land ponds on grasslands in Denmark during summer and winter. We used floating chambers with do-it-yourself sensors and automated headspace venting, allowing for 7404 hourly measurements. We found highly variable gas fluxes within ponds and between seasons and pond types. Ebullitive CH₄ fluxes were more variable than diffusive CH₄ fluxes. Ebullition was absent when total CH₄ fluxes were lowest (15 µmol m⁻² h⁻¹), dominant (> 90%) at the highest fluxes (> 400 µmol m⁻² h⁻¹), and increased with water temperature. In summer, a minor daily increase in diffusive fluxes was found on days with high wind speed, while CH₄ ebullition remained constant. CO₂ fluxes paralleled the day-night balance of photosynthesis and respiration. Mean CH₄ ebullition in open and forest ponds exceeded CH₄ diffusive fluxes 4.1 and 7.1-fold in summer (avg. 22.5 °C) and 2.3 and 2.5-fold in winter (9.6 °C), respectively. CO₂ emissions were higher on a molar basis than CH₄ emissions, both in summer and winter, while their annual global warming potentials were similar. Mean annual gas emissions from open and forest ponds (1092 and 2527 g CO₂e m⁻² y⁻¹) are naturally high due to extensive external input of dissolved CO₂ and organic carbon relative to pond area and volume.