Ollie vs Pet Plate Review – Should you Switch to Fresh Dog Food?

If you’ve ever looked closely at the list of ingredients in your dog’s dry food, you might be shocked to see the number of unhealthy additives and preservatives that go into making it. Many dog owners have noticed and have started looking around for more nutritious alternatives.

Ollie and Pet Plate are two fresh dog food delivery companies that have been growing in popularity. In particular for pet parents who want to provide healthier meals to their dogs.

Not only do they sell human-grade dog food made from fresh, wholesome ingredients. They pre-portion it and deliver it straight to your door as well!

If you’re thinking about trying one of these two brands, deciding which service is best for your pup can be tricky.

This in-depth guide will give you all the information you need to know about them so you can make a better decision for you and your dog.

Is Fresh Dog Food Better than Kibble or Canned Dog Food?

Research so far shows that fresh dog food is more nutritious and healthier than dry dog food and canned dog meals.

Pet owners report seeing a number of benefits to their dog’s health when making the switch to fresh dog food deliveries. From healthier stools and better-smelling breath, to seeing chronic health problems apparently subsiding.

If you haven’t looked into fresh dog food, you may be wondering why it’s any better than regular kibble.

Many of us don’t think twice about giving our dogs the usual dry food. After all, it’s specially made for them so it should be healthy, right?

Is Kibble Bad for Dogs?

The sad reality is that many dry and wet dog foods aren’t great for your dog’s health. There are a number of reasons why this is:

• Dry dog food usually contains meat by-products and fillers (like soybean meal and corn) with poor nutritional value.
• It is then cooked at very high heat, which can remove nutrients. It is also dried to remove 90% of moisture.
• It is often loaded with preservatives to help it last longer.

This process increases the shelf-life of the food to make things more convenient for pet owners. However, the nutritional value of kibble is often reduced because of this process.

Many animal experts are now attributing the rise in health problems seen in dogs to their diets.

For example, obesity is one of the biggest problems seen in the modern-day dog. Up to 40% of dogs are obese in Western society. Experts have linked this to the carbohydrate-dense kibble that we’re feeding them.

And the use of certain preservatives has even been linked to cancer in dogs.

Is Canned Dog Food Good for Dogs?

Canned dog food is slightly better than dry dog food. It provides higher protein content and has less low-quality carbohydrate fillers. However, many are still highly processed. Some are also made with toxic preservatives and chemicals that could be linked to cancer.

At the end of the day, dry and wet dog food is thought to be pretty much fast food for dogs — it may fill them up, but it’s not great for their health.

What do Fresh Dog Food Delivery Services Offer?

They offer freshly prepared dog food made from good-quality, human-grade ingredients, which is a much better choice for your dog’s overall health.

Ollie and Pet Plate are two of the most popular fresh dog food delivery services in the US. Both create well-balanced, pre-portioned meals that are customized to your dog’s needs, and deliver them straight to your home. In addition, they use human-grade ingredients that are free from preservatives, hormones, and other nasty chemicals.

As they have their own veterinary nutritionists formulating the meals they are able to offer pet owners the correct balance of foods and nutrients for their dog.

You could quickly see the benefits to your dog’s health, including:

1. Better digestion
2. Weight maintenance
3. Increased energy
4. Shiny, healthy coat
5. Disease prevention and longer lifespan

Fresh dog food delivery services have become a convenient way for pet parents to provide their dogs with fresh, nutritious food customized to their own dog’s needs.

Ollie vs Pet Plate Compared

Here is a side by side comparison table of where Ollie and Pet Plate stand on a few main points. You can also link to the full review of each brand which is below.

Full Review	Jump to full review	Jump to full review
Ingredient quality	Human-grade meat and other ingredients are sourced from US and Australian farms. Their meats are certified free from hormones.	Pet Plate’s ingredients are all sourced from human-grade farms in the US.
Free from	Hormones Artificial flavors Animal by-products Fillers Preservatives	Hormones Artificial flavors Coloring Animal by-products Fillers Preservatives
Price (USD)	Starting from $4 a day for a small dog. Get a personalised quote: Ollie Quiz	Starting from $1.50 a day for a small dog. Get a personalised quote: Pet Plate Quiz
Free shipping offered?	Yes	Yes
Personalized meal plans	Meals plans vary based on: Breed Age Gender Current and ideal weight Spayed or neutered Activity level Allergy to ingredients	Meals plans vary based on: Breed Age Gender Current Ideal weight Spayed or neutered Activity level Waistline Sensitivities Dietary Support
Who formulates the meals?	Veterinary nutritionist	Veterinary nutritionist
Meet AAFCO and USDA standards	Yes	Yes
Fresh Meal Options	Beef Chicken Lamb Turkey	Barkin’ Beef Chompin’ Chicken Tail Waggin’ Turkey Lip Lickin’ Lamb Power Packed Pork Lean & Mean Venison
Treat options	Baked dry food (Chicken and beef)	Organic Chicken Apple Sausage Bites can be added to meal plans when checking out.
Free trial options or meal samples	No free trials or smaller meal samples. Offers 100% money-back guarantee on the first box.	No free trials or smaller meal samples. Offers 100% money-back guarantee on the first box.
Customizable delivery plan	Yes. You can change: Date of delivery Skip a box Pause your deliveries Ship to a holiday address (within mainland US) All through your online account	Yes, you can: Skip a box Pause your deliveries All through your online account.
Packaging	Food comes in compact, soft, airtight plastic packets. Most of the packets (except for the seal) are recyclable. They also provide: Hard plastic tupperware container (for leftover food) Custom scoop for serving.	Food comes in hard plastic tubs with resealable lids. The tub is microwavable and it’s made from recyclable plastic.
Storage	Store meals in the freezer. The slim packages help to save space. Place meals for serving in the fridge for 24 hours to defrost.	Store meals in the freezer. Place meals for serving in the fridge for 24 hours to defrost.
How long can food last?	Up to 5 days defrosted and up to 6 months frozen.	Up to 5 days defrosted and up to 12 months frozen.
Social contributions	Donates 1% of its revenue to partner dog rescue organization the Sato Project.	–
Special offers	60% off your first box: Ollie	60% off your first box + free bag of treats: Pet Plate

Ollie vs. Pet Plate – Price Comparison

Both brands ask a number of questions before providing a meal plan and quotation. As so many factors affect the price, it’s very difficult to give an exact price range.

So in order to give you a rough guide of the different quotes you may receive, we have created sample profiles for a number of dogs of different sizes. We then applied the same profiles to each brand’s questionnaire to see what prices would be quoted:

We found that Ollie is slightly cheaper for small and large dogs, but Pet Plate is cheaper for the medium sizes. However, both are generally priced quite similarly.

It’s important to note though that these are rough guides. And many factors come into play when determining how much food your dog needs.

The only way to do a true comparison is to answer the questions with your own pet’s details. That way you can get a customised quotation for your dog:

Ollie Quiz
Pet Plate Quiz

60% off your first box: Ollie

Ollie Dog Food Review

Ollie is a New York-based dog food company started by Gabby Slome, Alex Douzet, and Randy Jimenez in 2016.

They themselves are dog owners who wanted to make healthier food more easily available to dogs. With this idea in mind, Ollie was born.

They are committed to using only fresh, nutritious ingredients that are cooked and customized to suit each dog’s needs.

Is Ollie a Good Dog Food?

Ollie is considered to be one of the best fresh dog food delivery services in the US. They have 4 dog meal recipes that are all made from fresh ingredients.

The meals offered are free from hormones, artificial flavors, by-products, fillers, or preservatives.

What goes into each recipe is screened by their own veterinary nutritionist and third-party testers to ensure the best taste and nutrition from each batch of food. They also make sure that they prepare meals at a low temperature using a low-heat kettle cooker, in order to retain the best nutritional value of the ingredients.

They say their ingredients are so good, that it’s even suitable for human consumption! The meats for example come from farms in the US and Australia.

Ollie meals are delivered to your door as part of a subscription service. You can set your preferred delivery frequency and meal selections and your dog’s fresh meals will automatically be sent to your home.

How Do I Get Started with Ollie Meals?

I found Ollie’s ordering process to be really simple. You start with a short quiz which has questions about your dog.

This is so that they are able to personalize a meal plan for your dog’s own needs. It includes their:

• breed
• age
• gender
• current and ideal weight
• spayed or neutered
• level of energy
• allergies

After you’ve provided all your dog’s information, Ollie’s software calculates your dog’s recommended calorie intake for the day.

It also suggests which of their recipes is the best choice (although these are just recommendations and you can still choose your own meals too).

Once you’ve decided on your choice of recipe and delivery frequency you will be given a quote for your pet’s meals.

What Do I Get with Each Ollie Meal Delivery?

You will receive the food packets in a cardboard box lined with padding and dry ice.

This maintains a cold enough temperature to keep the food frozen through the delivery process.

Ollie also includes detailed instructions on how to best store and serve the food. So you are guided through the whole process of transitioning onto their meals.

Inside the box will be the meal packets.

Your first delivery is automatically 14 packets (2 weeks’ worth of food). After that you will continue to get deliveries every 2 weeks for the full meal plans.

If you’ve selected their partial meal plans then it depends on what you’ve selected. If it’s the 25% plan for example, you would get 7 packets of food every 4 weeks.

All meals are shipped for free.

60% off your first box: Ollie

Are Ollie Meals Easy to Store?

Ollie has recently done a revamp of the individual food packaging which makes the storage process even more convenient.

Each packet of food now comes in a standard-sized, soft plastic, airtight wrapping (rather than in their old hard trays). As they’re compact they take up as little space as possible in the freezer.

So once you’ve received your meals in the cardboard box, you’re advised to transfer the bulk of the food to the freezer so that it can remain fresh.

For food that you want to serve soon, leave it in the fridge to defrost for about 24 hours.

How do I Serve Ollie Meals to my Dog?

Once the food is defrosted, it’s immediately ready to serve.

It’s easy to open the packets as you just peel off the top seal, so you don’t even need scissors.

Because each dog’s food portioning is different, Ollie provides a plastic scooper. This helps you to measure the right serving size for your dog.

To reduce the size of each packet, Ollie’s food comes a little mashed. That means you may not really see bits of food and it feels soft and mushy.

It’s not recommended that you further heat up the food by cooking as that could reduce its nutritional value.

However, if you still feel like serving the food warm, the best way to do it is to place the dish in a bath of hot water to warm it up gradually.

How to Store Leftover Meals

You will also be provided with a reusable hard plastic container (with a resealable lid). This is so that you can store leftovers from each packet.

Once opened, the food from each packet can last up to 5 days in the fridge. If the packet is unopened and kept in the fridge, it will remain good for serving for up to 14 days.

Frozen packets can last up to 6 months in the freezer.

Does Ollie Sell Dry Food?

Yes, Ollie has a baked dry food option without the nasty fillers or preservatives found in typical kibble. It’s all made from nutritious, minimally-processed ingredients that are gently baked to retain maximum nutrition. 

It also comes in chicken or beef flavor to suit different tastes!

You can order the dry food on its own or mix and match with your fresh food subscription. Full baked meals start from $1 a meal.

What If I Want to Change My Delivery Settings?

Ollie are also very flexible with their delivery settings. Pausing or skipping a box can also be easily done through your Ollie account.

You are able to set your preferred date for delivery and can change it as long as it’s 4 days before the default delivery date.

If you’re travelling within the Continental US, you can even temporarily update your address, and Ollie will be able to ship the food to your new location.

What Did Dogs and Their Parents Think of Ollie Meals?

When I looked through Influenster and Trustpilot, I found that Ollie had a strong average rating of 4.3 out of 5 stars from 634 reviews.

Taking into account these opinions here are some of the common themes:

Ollie Dog Food Reviews

60% off your first box and free bag of treats: Pet Plate

Pet Plate Review

Pet Plate was started in 2016 by Renaldo Webb, an MIT alumnus who was working as a consultant in the mass-market pet food industry.

As a pet parent himself, he was shocked to see the number of inferior ingredients and chemicals that went into dog food.

Webb decided he wanted to give a healthier alternative to the current choices in the dog food market, and that was how Pet Plate was born.

Today they are a fresh dog food company that makes and delivers customized meals for dogs made from nutritious, wholesome ingredients.

Is Pet Plate Good for Dogs?

Pet Plate only sources its ingredients from human-grade food farms in the US, so whatever your dog is eating is also good enough for humans.

There are no preservatives, colors, artificial flavoring, or low-quality meats allowed in their recipes. Only wholesome, nutritious food goes into making these meals. Their recipes are also kettle-cooked at low temperatures to allow the ingredients to retain as much of their nutrition as possible.

To ensure that your dog receives well-balanced meals, Pet Plate consults their own veterinary nutritionist. This ensures that the meals give dogs all the nutrition they need in the long term and to maintain a wide variety of ingredients.

Each small batch of food that is made is also tested by third parties to ensure the best meal quality is maintained.

Pet Plate runs on a subscription basis and delivers your dog’s meals straight to your door every few weeks.

So there’s no more running out to the store to buy dog food or having to repeatedly place your order.

You are able to set your own preferred delivery frequency and wait for the meals to come to you.

How Do I Get Started with Pet Plate?

Pet Plate’s ordering process was very straightforward and easy to follow.

You will be asked some questions about your dog so that they can create the optimal, customized plan for him or her.

The information they require about your dog includes:

• breed
• age
• gender
• current and ideal weight
• spayed or neutered
• activity level
• waistline
• sensitivities 
• dietary support

Based on your dog’s own details, Pet Plate’s online system will calculate their recommended calorie intake. It will also suggest which of their recipes would best suit it.

What Do I Get With Each Pet Plate Delivery?

Following the initial questions you complete about your dog, you will be asked to select whether you’d like the full meal or topper plan.

Full meal plans get delivered every 3 weeks. The food delivered will be enough to form 100% of your dog’s meals.

The topper plan gets delivered every 4 weeks and will cater to 25% of your dog’s meals. You will need to top up the remaining 75% of your dog’s meals with alternative food.

The meals come in a hard plastic circular tub with a lid. They will arrive frozen in an insulated box with dry ice to keep temperatures cool.

You will find instructions on the tub on the amount to serve your dog, but here are the general guidelines:

• Dogs under 9 pounds: 3-4 full meals/container
• Medium dogs: 2 full meals/container
• Large dogs (a.k.a. big boys & girls): 1 full meal/container

Like Ollie, Pet Plate offers free shipping on all meals.

Billing is linked to your chosen delivery frequency, and you will be billed 3 days before your food is shipped out.

60% off your first box and free bag of treats: Pet Plate

How Do I Store Pet Plate Meals?

You will need to transfer the individual tubs of food to the freezer so that it can stay fresh.

To serve the food, leave it in the fridge to defrost for about 24 hours. It can then be served straight from the fridge.

If you’d like you can defrost it in the microwave as well. The tub itself is microwave safe.

Pet Plate doesn’t mash its food up too finely, so you will still be able to see chunks of vegetables and meat. It also remains good for consumption for up to 5 days after defrosting. The frozen meals can be kept in the freezer for up to 12 months.

What If I Want to Change my Delivery Settings?

Pet Plate allows you flexibility in your arrangements. You can always pause or skip a box through your online account with them.

Skipping a box means your subscription will resume after your specified no-delivery period has ended.

Pausing means no more meals will be sent to your home until you choose to resume delivery.

It also offers a 100% money-back guarantee on the first box, which makes it a risk-free way of trying out fresh food for your dog.

What Did Dogs and Dog Parents Have to Say About Pet Plate?

I only managed to find star ratings of Pet Plate on their own website, and they were mostly verified buyers. It seems that Pet Plate had rounded up their average to 5/5 stars, but it’s most probably about 4.5/5 stars as I saw most of the 929 reviewers either giving 4 or 5 stars.

Here were some of the common themes reported in the reviews:

PetPlate Reviews

Would I Recommend Ollie or Pet Plate?

I would recommend Ollie if you have limited storage space for fresh dog food. Their meals have more compact packaging, and they are more finely ground, so they take up less space in the fridge or freezer. 

On the other hand, I would recommend Pet Plate if you want a wider variety of proteins, as they six meal options versus Ollie’s four. 

Overall it was very difficult choosing which brand I prefer because both Ollie and Pet Plate do a great job of sourcing the best ingredients for your dogs. The fact that a veterinary nutritionist screens all recipes, means you’ll get well-balanced meals for your dog.

Also, the majority of reviews for both brands praised their food quality and reported that their dogs enjoyed it. Therefore, I couldn’t really see the advantage of one over the other just by looking at the food alone.

To determine the winner for me, I considered the next biggest factors that could influence a pet parent’s decision-making: price, variety, storage, and dry food options.

Ollie vs. Pet Plate: Which is Better on Price?

While both brands have quite similar pricing, Ollie was slightly cheaper for small and large dogs. And Pet Plate was cheaper for medium-sized dogs. Do note though, that actual quotes can vary from dog to dog as each meal plan is customized to your dog’s particular details. 

Ollie vs. Pet Plate: Meal Options

Another point of difference is the type of proteins available. Ollie has four flavors (beef, chicken, lamb and turkey). This is a standard number for most brands. But Pet Plate stands out in this respect with six flavors — beef, chicken, turkey, lamb, pork, and venison. So it might better for pups who like variety in their meals. 

Ollie vs. PetPlate Packaging

When you’ve got 14-28 packets of food to store in the freezer, every little inch of space counts.

Packaging-wise, Ollie is more storage-friendly. The meals come in soft, compact pouches instead of hard tubs like Pet Plate’s. So those that have smaller fridges or freezers might be better off with Ollie.

Ollie also mashes its food more so that it takes up less space. This means that Ollie’s food consistency is a bit mushier, whereas with Pet Plate you can actually see the chunks of food. Dog owners may have their own preference on food consistency. Although I haven’t found a review where a dog has minded, many owners like to see the ingredients in the food in chunks. 

Ollie vs. PetPlate: Snack Options

Ollie also has baked dry food options that are like kibble but without the nasty additives and fillers. You can order these snacks alone or with their fresh food recipes. So Ollie snacks are a good choice for pet parents that want to mix and match dry and fresh meals or who just want a healthier kibble alternative. 

And finally…

Ollie and Pet Plate are some of the best fresh dog food delivery services. So I highly recommend making the switch to fresh food and hope that it helps you to enjoy a healthier, happier dog.

If you’re still on the fence about a long-term subscription, you can always try each one out, knowing that you can get a 100% money-back guarantee if your pup doesn’t take to it.

FAQs

How do I transition my dog from kibble to fresh dog food?

The best way to transition your dog to a new type of food is to do it gradually.

Generally, you start with about 10-20% of the new fresh food mixed with 90-80% current food.

Then you slowly increase the portion for new food by 10% each day, while decreasing the portion of current food until you end up with 100% fresh dog food.

Do Ollie and Pet Plate have grain-free options?

Yes. Both have recipes with and without grains in their ingredients.

Do Ollie and Pet Plate use organic ingredients?

While it’s not organic, both companies source all their ingredients from USDA human-grade farms. Ollie also sources some ingredients from Australian farms.

Are Pet Plate and Ollie safe?

Yes, both brands produce safe, nutritionally-balanced meals for dogs as all their recipes are created with the input of veterinary nutritionists. Plus, both brands also use human-grade ingredients that are free of the preservatives and chemicals usually found in kibble.

Is Ollie dog food recommended by vets?

Ollie dog food recipes are recommended by vets because the recipes are carefully formulated by veterinary nutritionists to meet your dog’s nutrition needs. 

Is Pet Plate low fat?

Some of Pet Plate’s recipes are low fat, including the chicken and venison option. 

How much does fresh dog food cost?

If you’re thinking of making the switch from dry to fresh food for your dog, price will be one of your main factors to consider.

The exact price depends on the size and breed of your dog as each meal plan is customised.

A price range for each brand is provided in the table below. However these are only rough estimates. You will receive a quote which is customised around your dog’s details. It will take into account their:

• breed
• size
• age
• portion (whole meal or partial meal)

Fresh dog food is more expensive than dry or canned food as it’s made from fresh ingredients that are nutritionally balanced.

You may think that you’re saving money by choosing more affordable dry dog food. But some dog owners consider that it could actually be more more costly. If you consider the ongoing costs of trips to the vet because of your dog’s diet-related health problems, fresh dog food may make more sense.

What about homemade dog food?

Some pet owners have tried to make homemade dog food. But they have struggled to get the right balance of protein, vitamins, and minerals.

A study was conducted of 200 homemade recipes – some even created by veterinarians. It found that the majority were not appropriate for canine health in the long term, as they didn’t provide the required levels of essential nutrients.

Partial meal plans

One way to provide your dog with fresh food in a more affordable way is to go for Ollie or Pet Plate’s partial meal plans.

When you opt for this arrangement, you will receive fewer portions of food in each delivery and the frequency of delivery will also be reduced.

The fresh food will serve as a top up for your dog’s current food. This can be a great way to give your pup a nutritional boost without it costing as much as a full meal.

What’s Inside Ollie’s Dog Meals?

We took a deeper look at what’s inside their 4 dog meal recipes:

Other options from Ollie: 

Mix and match meal options

When you go to order your first meals, you’ll be prompted to choose a recipe for your dog. If you’re finding it hard to choose between the recipes, you can always mix and match up to 2 different recipes in 1 delivery.

And with your first delivery, you’ll be allowed to try all 4 recipes if you’d like. That way your dog gets some variety at mealtimes.

Ollie snacks can be added onto orders

You can also always add on Ollie treats for your dog in your order request.

Their treat range includes: Savory Beef Strips, Sweet Potato Slices, Tasty Chicken Strips, and Trusty Turkey Strips.

How easy is it to make changes to your account?

You can always make updates to your dog’s online account to inform Ollie of any changes to your dog, which includes things like weight or activity level.

Customer service line

If you’d like to report any issues with your dog’s food or cancel your subscription, you will need to call or email Ollie’s customer service.

It also offers a 100% money-back guarantee on the first box, which makes it a risk-free way of trying out fresh food for your dog.

Pet Plate

We took a deeper look at what’s inside their 4 dog meal recipes: 

After you’ve entered your pup’s details you will then be asked to select which of their 4 recipes you’d like for your dog.

If you’d like you can mix and match and choose all of them — especially if you would like to test it out for the first time.

On checking out you also have the option to add chicken and apple bites for snack time as well.

If you want to get started, here are the first order offers from each brand.

Alternatives to Ollie and Pet Plate

Apart from Ollie and Pet Plate, here are some other fresh dog food delivery services to choose from:  

Nom Nom is a great choice for those that like easy-peel packaging. 

Farmer’s dog is another option that will especially suit pups with health issues. 

Check out our Nom Nom vs Ollie review and Ollie vs. Farmer’s Dog review for more details.