Fresh dog food has exploded in popularity over the last few years, and two brands that come up a lot are Ollie and The Pets Table. Both promise better ingredients than traditional kibble and meals tailored to your dog’s needs, but they take slightly different approaches to how they get there.
Ollie focuses entirely on fresh, human-grade recipes delivered on a subscription basis, while The Pets Table offers a mix of fresh and air-dried options designed to balance quality with affordability.
If you’re trying to decide which one actually makes more sense for your dog (and your budget), it helps to look at how they compare on ingredients, convenience, customization, and overall value.
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Best Overall
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Best Variety
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Description: Fresh, human-grade food made from real ingredients for a healthier pup today and tomorrow. Recipes made from whole food ingredients, slow cooked for nutrition and flavor and always fresh. LIMITED TIME OFFER 70% OFF FIRST BOX + FREE WELCOME KIT |
Description: The Pets Table doesn’t just offer fresh dog food, it clearly understands how people actually use it. From the way the meals are packaged to the flexibility of the plans, everything feels designed for real households. GUARANTEED BEST PRICE SAVE 50% OFF YOUR FIRST BOX + 20% OFF YOUR SECOND |
Fresh, human-grade food made from real ingredients for a healthier pup today and tomorrow. Recipes made from whole food ingredients, slow cooked for nutrition and flavor and always fresh.
LIMITED TIME OFFER
70% OFF FIRST BOX +
FREE WELCOME KIT
The Pets Table doesn’t just offer fresh dog food, it clearly understands how people actually use it. From the way the meals are packaged to the flexibility of the plans, everything feels designed for real households.
GUARANTEED BEST PRICE
SAVE 50% OFF YOUR FIRST BOX +
20% OFF YOUR SECOND
How it Works
Both Ollie and The Pets Table run on a subscription model with customized meal plans, so the setup process is pretty similar. You’ll answer a few questions about your dog, the company builds a plan around those details, and meals show up on your doorstep on a regular schedule. Here’s the basic idea of how each one works:
- Ollie: You start by filling out a detailed questionnaire about your dog’s age, breed, weight, activity level, and any health considerations. From there, Ollie builds a personalized meal plan using its fresh, human-grade recipes.
- The Pets Table: The process starts the same way—with a quick quiz about your dog’s size, lifestyle, and dietary needs. The Pets Table then recommends a customized plan built around its fresh meals or air-dried recipes. Fresh food arrives frozen and ready to thaw, while the air-dried option stores more like kibble and can be served straight from the bag.
Ingredient Quality & Sourcing: It's a Tie
Honestly, in terms of ingredient quality both brands are equally outstanding. They both meet AAFCO standards, use real meat, and stick with recognizable ingredients that you can pronounce.
- Ollie keeps things fairly simple and straightforward. Their fresh recipes use human-grade meats along with fruits and vegetables like carrots, spinach, and blueberries. There are no fillers, artificial flavors, or preservatives.
- The Pets Table takes a slightly broader approach to ingredients because they offer both fresh and air-dried meals. Their fresh recipes also use real meats and vegetables, while the air-dried options rely on gently processed ingredients designed to retain nutrients while giving you the convenience of shelf-stable food.
Both brands list the ingredients on their product pages, which I appreciate. Some brands make you go through almost the whole process of signing up before showing you any information about your dog’s food.
Taste, Texture & Recipe Variety: The Pet's Table Wins by a Nose
Both brands focus on real, whole-food ingredients, so you’re not dealing with the typical brown mystery pellets here. That alone tends to make dogs pretty enthusiastic at mealtime. Still, there are a few differences in how the food looks, feels, and how much variety you get.
- Ollie sticks strictly to fresh food recipes (they used to have baked options as well but seem to have discontinued them). The texture is soft and slightly chunky, almost like a hearty stew once it’s warmed to room temperature. Their current lineup includes a handful of protein options like chicken, beef, turkey, and lamb. Most dogs seem to love it, and in my house, it definitely passed the taste test.
- The Pets Table, though, edges ahead when it comes to variety. In addition to fresh recipes, they also offer air-dried meals, which have a texture closer to treats but with less processing (and obviously a lot healthier). That gives you two completely different feeding experiences to choose from. It makes things easier if you want something shelf-stable for travel or training.
Flavor-wise, both brands offer multiple protein choices and pretty tasty (at least according to Freya) ingredient combinations. But because The Pets Table gives you two different textures and feeding styles, it offers a little more flexibility overall.
If your dog is picky, likes variety, or you want the option to mix things up occasionally, that extra range gives The Pets Table a slight edge in this category.
Packaging & Convenience: A Straight Tie
When it comes to packaging and day-to-day convenience, Ollie and The Pets Table are pretty evenly matched. Both deliver food on a subscription schedule so you’re not constantly running to the store, and both ship their fresh meals frozen in insulated boxes designed to keep everything cold during transit.
- Ollie’s fresh food arrives in flat, easy-to-store packages that thaw quickly in the fridge. New customers also get a starter kit with a storage container and scoop, which helps keep things tidy once you open a pack.
- The Pets Table follows a similar system for its fresh meals, with pre-portioned packs that thaw and serve easily. Their air-dried food adds a convenience bonus since it’s shelf-stable and doesn’t require refrigeration, which some people may prefer for travel or simpler feeding routines.
Overall, both brands do a good job making fresh feeding manageable for everyday life. Between the insulated shipping, portioned packaging, and flexible delivery schedules, it’s essentially a wash in the convenience department.
Which is Cheaper? Ollie Wins by $1
Like most fresh dog food subscriptions, both brands try to hook you with a pretty generous first-box discount. Ollie and The Pets Table regularly offer deals of 50% off or more for new customers, so your first delivery will almost always cost a lot less than the regular price.
Where things start to look a little different is in the types of promos they run. Ollie tends to lean into the “big discount plus a fun freebie” strategy. Over the past year I’ve seen them bundle in extras like free treats, ice cream for dogs, and even partner promotions with things like dog DNA tests or smart collars. It’s not guaranteed every time, but when they run those promos they’re pretty fun.
The Pets Table, meanwhile, usually keeps it simpler with stacked discounts across the first few boxes. A typical offer might look like something along the lines of 50% off your first box and 20% off the next two, which spreads the savings out a bit instead of packing it all into the first delivery.
As for the regular ongoing price, the difference between the two is honestly pretty small. Of course, the exact cost will vary depending on your dog’s size, calorie needs, and which plan you choose. For an apples-to-apples comparison, I looked at fresh food plans for a 60-lb dog.
Ollie: about $57.32 per week
The Pets Table: about $58.52 per week
So we’re talking about roughly a one-dollar difference per week, which is basically negligible. In other words, price alone probably won’t be the deciding factor between these two. Other things—like recipe options, feeding style, or convenience—are more likely to tip the scale.
Final Verdict: Ollie is the Winner, But Pet's Table Is an Incredibly Close Second
Which one wins? That’s such a tough question! I feel like it’s a tie, but if I had to choose one I’d go with Ollie. That decision comes down to the really nitty-gritty details though. Taste-wise, Freya loved them both, although I think she loved Ollie just a teensy bit more. Ollie is also cheaper, although only by $1.
Honestly, you can’t go wrong with either one of them, though.
|
Best Overall
|
Best Variety
|
|
Description: Fresh, human-grade food made from real ingredients for a healthier pup today and tomorrow. Recipes made from whole food ingredients, slow cooked for nutrition and flavor and always fresh. LIMITED TIME OFFER 70% OFF FIRST BOX + FREE WELCOME KIT |
Description: The Pets Table doesn’t just offer fresh dog food, it clearly understands how people actually use it. From the way the meals are packaged to the flexibility of the plans, everything feels designed for real households. GUARANTEED BEST PRICE SAVE 50% OFF YOUR FIRST BOX + 20% OFF YOUR SECOND |
Fresh, human-grade food made from real ingredients for a healthier pup today and tomorrow. Recipes made from whole food ingredients, slow cooked for nutrition and flavor and always fresh.
LIMITED TIME OFFER
70% OFF FIRST BOX +
FREE WELCOME KIT
The Pets Table doesn’t just offer fresh dog food, it clearly understands how people actually use it. From the way the meals are packaged to the flexibility of the plans, everything feels designed for real households.
GUARANTEED BEST PRICE
SAVE 50% OFF YOUR FIRST BOX +
20% OFF YOUR SECOND
