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The Farmer's Dog vs Ollie (2026): Which Fresh Plan to Pick

GroomBoard Team·· 4 min read

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These two brands are the category. Both sell human grade, gently cooked food portioned to your dog and delivered frozen on a subscription. Both quiz you before quoting. Both run a large first box discount. And for the same dog, both quote nearly the same money.

So the useful comparison is not which is better. It is which of the handful of real differences matters to you.

Side by side

The Farmer's Dog Ollie
Small dog, monthly $60 to $120 $60 to $90
Medium dog, monthly $120 to $240 $150 to $240
Large dog, monthly $240 to $360 $240 to $330
Partial plan Available, less prominent Half fresh, a headline option
Format Frozen fresh, pre portioned Fresh, plus mixed plans
Portioning Pre portioned packs Pre portioned packs
Billing Per shipment, not calendar monthly Per shipment, not calendar monthly

Read those price rows as overlapping brackets rather than a scoreboard. The spread inside one brand, driven by your dog's weight and activity, is far wider than the gap between the brands.

The three differences that actually decide it

1. Do you want to feed half?

This is the big one. Ollie treats a half fresh plan as a proper option, and for a 65 pound dog that turns a $250 a month decision into a $125 one. The Farmer's Dog is more oriented around feeding its food as the complete diet. If the honest budget will not carry a full fresh plan for a big dog, Ollie is the brand built for that answer.

2. How much freezer do you have?

Full fresh plans for a large dog arrive roughly every two weeks and take real volume. This is the most common practical reason people quit fresh food, and it is worth measuring before you subscribe rather than after the first delivery.

3. What are you actually trying to fix?

A picky eater, a dull coat, a sensitive stomach and a weight problem are four different goals. Palatability and weight control are the two that fresh food reliably delivers, and both are achievable on a partial plan. If digestion is the concern, Nom Nom and its simpler recipes deserve a look before either of these.

Which one to pick

Best if you want a full fresh plan from the most established name

The Farmer's Dog

The default choice for small and medium dogs whose owners want the complete fresh diet and have the freezer for it. Pre portioned packs, human grade ingredients, and a long track record in a category that has seen brands come and go.

See current pricing at The Farmer's Dog →

Best if you have a large dog or want to feed half fresh

Ollie

Prices in the same band, but the half fresh plan makes it the realistic option for a big dog. Getting fresh food into half the bowl at half the price beats a full plan you cancel in month three.

See current pricing at Ollie →

What neither of them fixes

Fresh food is not a medical intervention. It will not resolve allergies on its own, it is not a substitute for a prescription diet, and a coat that looks better after a switch usually has more than one thing going on, including the brushing routine that tends to start at the same time. Feed the dog well, keep them lean, and keep the coat maintained. That combination does more than any single purchase.

Category prices are laid out in our fresh dog food cost comparison, and the case for and against the whole category is in is fresh dog food worth it.

Prices compiled August 2026 from both brands' published figures and current price guides. Plans are quoted per dog, so treat these as brackets rather than quotes.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is cheaper, The Farmer’s Dog or Ollie?

On full fresh plans, neither in any consistent way. Quotes land within a few dollars a week of each other for the same dog, and the winner flips depending on recipe and portion size. Ollie is clearly cheaper only when you choose its half fresh plan, which is a smaller plan rather than a better price.

Which is better for a picky eater?

Both solve this more often than not, because the food is palatable in a way kibble is not. If palatability is the only problem you are solving, start with a partial plan from either brand rather than a full one. You may find half the calories does the whole job.

Which needs less freezer space?

Ollie, if you take the half fresh plan, simply because there is half as much food. On full fresh plans they are comparable, and both need serious room for a large dog. If freezer space is the binding constraint, an air dried option such as Spot & Tango UnKibble sidesteps the problem entirely.

Can I switch between them?

Yes, and both are month to month rather than contracted. Transition gradually over a week or so the way you would with any food change, because repeated abrupt switches are hard on a dog’s digestion.

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