Best Cheap Fresh Dog Food Alternatives (2026 Guide)
Key points
- Best overall alternative: Sundays, based on Copper and Skye’s reaction, convenience and shelf-stable format.
- Best budget option: UnKibble, based on my monthly price of $164.40 for Copper and Skye.
- Best fresh food: The Farmer’s Dog remains the lowest-priced fresh dog food subscription I’ve tested at $251 a month.
- Best for picky eaters: Sundays, based on Copper and Skye consistently eating it for over a year.
- Best for personalization: The Farmer’s Dog and UnKibble offer superior personalization and portioning.
- What I currently feed: I currently feed frozen raw food as part of my We Feed Raw subscription.
Are you looking to switch your fresh dog food subscription to a more affordable option?
Quick verdict
If you’re trying to spend less on your dog food subscription, UnKibble is the best choice as the cheapest option I’ve tested at around $164.40 a month for Copper and Skye. If you want a balance between shelf-stable food, picky -eater approved, and overall value, I’d choose Sundays. If you’ve been feeding fresh dog food and want a lower price, The Farmer’s Dog is my recommendation. It remains the best-value fresh subscription.
I love feeding my Alaskan Klee Kai dogs fresh dog food, but their subscription plans can be expensive, given the rising living costs.
Some fresh dog food companies quoted me over $250 to feed their custom meals to my mini huskies. I couldn’t justify the cost.
While my Klee Kai tended to prefer fresh frozen meals, I found dog food delivery companies that offer human-grade dog food at affordable prices.
We updated this article in 2026 to ensure the pricing is correct, considering some of the brands mentioned have increased their subscription prices.
Want to see cheaper alternatives to fresh dog food? Here’s our real-world look at more affordable options after feeding them.
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Watch: Cheap Fresh Dog Food Alternatives In Action
Sundays Food For Dogs
My top pick is Sundays Food For Dogs. My Alaskan Klee Kai dogs love their air-dried food, which contains human-grade ingredients and is gently cooked with a treat-like texture.
Skye is a fussy eater, but Sundays offer a good variety of recipes: beef, chicken, and turkey. Copper and Skye’s favorite recipe was beef!
Their recipes have a high meat content and a treat-like texture, which kept Skye interested in Sundays. We continue to use Sundays in 2026.
I had no problems completing their sign-up questionnaire. It was easy to serve, and once mealtime was over, I resealed the bag and popped it in the cupboard.
I signed up for Sundays and paid $218 a month to feed their air-dried food to Copper and Skye. Sundays still represent good value despite our subscription increasing.
Pros
- Strong picky-eater appeal for Copper and Skye.
- Jerky-like, treat-style texture.
- Shelf-stable and convenient.
- No fridge or freezer space required
- Can be used as main meal and topper
Cons
- More expensive than UnKibble
- Less personalized than The Farmer’s Dog and UnKibble
- Limited recipe range compared with some other subscription brands
The Farmer’s Dog
I know The Farmer’s Dog provides fresh dog food, but they’re significantly cheaper than every other fresh dog food brand I’ve reviewed. So I included them!
They offer four different recipes (beef, chicken, pork and turkey). This is sufficient variation for you’ve got a picky dog like Skye.
We’ve retested The Farmer’s Dog every year, and it remains Copper and Skye’s favorite fresh dog food brand. They’ve stood the test of time.
I love that The Farmer’s Dog follows through on their customization promise, with individually labelled meals and pre-portioned guidelines.
The Farmer’s Dog is the only fresh dog food brand that my Klee Kai would consistently eat.
We paid $251 a month for The Farmer’s Dog, an increase from $193 when we first reviewed the brand in 2023.
Pros
- Best fresh dog food alternative for personalization and value
- Individually labeled meal pouches
- Portion guide on each meal packet
- Strong personalization
- Copper and Skye enjoyed their recipes
Cons
- More expensive than Sundays, The Pets Table and UnKibble
- Requires fridge and freezer space
- Less convenient for dog owners who travel a lot or limited storage
UnKibble
If you don’t like the sound of Sundays and you’d prefer a brand that offers something more like kibble, you won’t go wrong with UnKibble.
Spot and Tango created UnKibble to cater to pet owners who prefer to feed dry food rather than fresh food.
UnKibble has four recipes to cater to fussy pups like Skye. My Klee Kai’s favorites were the Beef & Barley and Chicken & Brown Rice.
I appreciated UnKibble included a custom scooper to take the brainwork out of getting the portions right at mealtime. I’ve reviewed over 30 dog food brands, but UnKibble is the only one that includes a custom scooper.
Once I completed UnKibble’s sign-up questionnaire, I was charged $164 a month to feed their dry food to my Alaskan Klee Kai dogs.
While UnKibble has increased its price from $140 to $164, it’s the most affordable option that we’ve reviewed on our website.
Pros
- Cheapest option at $164.40 a month
- Shelf-stable and easy to store
- Includes custom scooper
- Personalized meal plan
- Copper and Skye liked eating it
Cons
- Only three recipes
- Still dry food format rather than fresh
- Fewer recipes and formats than The Farmer’s Dog and The Pets Table
The Pets Table
You may be new to The Pets Table. They’re a dog food company powered by HelloFresh, which most pet owners will likely have heard of.
While The Pets Table offers fresh dog food meals, I’m interested in their air-dried food plan for this guide. The Pets Table only has two recipes: beef and chicken.
Copper and Skye were happy to eat their beef and chicken dishes, although they didn’t show the same mealtime motivation as with the other brands.
I paid $193 to get a month’s supply of The Pets Table for my Klee Kai dogs. This is still cheaper than most fresh dog food subscription plans I’ve previously reviewed.
Wrapping Up
So there we have it. We’ve reached the end of our guide to the best cheap, fresh dog food alternatives, if you’re ready to reclaim your freezer space without sacrificing your dog’s diet.
My pick would be Sundays Food For Dogs based on my experience feeding their air-dried food to Copper and Skye over the past year or so.
I’d recommend UnKibble as a good option if you’ve tried Sundays and are interested in a different human-grade dog food brand.
If you’re eager to give fresh dog food a try, The Farmer’s Dog passed my Klee Kai’s taste test and is friendlier on the bank balance than some other brands.