Spot & Tango vs. The Farmer’s Dog 2025: Best for Fresh?

I get it – picking the right food for your pup can feel like a slog. There are so many brands out there, and they all promise the best for your dog. It’s easy to feel disappointed when the product doesn’t live up to the hype.

That’s why I decided to compare 2 of my top picks side by side: Spot & Tango vs. The Farmer’s Dog. While both are some of the best out there, after testing and research, I found that The Farmer’s Dog pulls slightly ahead. It uses the highest-quality ingredients and offers a meal customization process that actually feels personal and useful.

That said, Spot & Tango holds its own and even surpasses The Farmer’s Dog in a few key areas. Though each service may suit different needs, The Farmer’s Dog is the stronger all-around option – but not by that wide a margin. Let’s take a closer look at what each brand brings to your pup’s dish.

At a Glance: Who Won Each Category?

The Farmer’s Dog has a slight edge thanks to its excellent ingredient quality, although both are great options.

Both The Farmer’s Dog and Spot & Tango use ingredients recommended by veterinarians, and they contain no fillers, preservatives, or shortcuts. Meals are made fresh and preserved through freezing, not additives, and each company partners closely with local farms and suppliers to keep quality consistent from sourcing to serving.

While both companies prepare human-grade food in USDA-approved kitchens and these meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO. The Farmer’s Dog takes this a step further. Its meals are created and approved by in-house Board Certified Veterinary Nutritionists.

Spot & Tango also includes vet-created, human-grade ingredients, and it only uses humanely raised proteins. No powdered meats or ill animals are used in its foods. Neither company’s fresh meals are shelf-stable – each meal is gently cooked before being frozen for shipping and storage.

Alongside its fresh offerings, Spot & Tango offers kibble called “UnKibble”, which is made with the same high-quality, 100% non-GMO ingredients. As mentioned, the primary preservation process is freezing. The company also uses mixed tocopherols in its dry food, which is a natural preservative derived from vitamin E.

The Farmer’s Dog offers some grain-free recipes, and none of its recipes contain fruit. Spot & Tango includes fresh fruits in some of its dishes. While skipping grains or fruits isn’t essential for every dog, certain breeds or dogs with specific dietary needs might benefit from these exclusions, so this may be a consideration for you.

When it comes to protein, Spot & Tango has a slight edge in the range. Its fresh recipes typically offer around 10-11% crude protein, compared to The Farmer’s Dog’s as-fed range of 7-11%. The highest-protein fresh meals include Spot & Tango’s Beef & Brown Rice and The Farmer’s Dog’s Beef and Chicken, both topping out at 11%.

Spot & Tango’s dry UnKibble recipes come in at about 25–27% crude protein, with the Beef & Barley and Cod & Salmon varieties leading the pack at 27%.

Meals and Customization: Spot & Tango Has More Options Overall

Spot & Tango wins in terms of the sheer number of options: it’s got 4 dry food recipes (UnKibble), 3 fresh food options, and several types of snacks and supplements.

Its UnKibble recipes include:

• Cod + Salmon  

• Beef + Barley  

• Chicken + Brown Rice  

• Turkey + Sweet Potato

Its fresh options include:

• Turkey + Quinoa

• Beef + Brown Rice

• Lamb + Sweet Potato

For snacks, you get various options, including:

• Sweet Potato, Chicken, or Bison Bites

• Turkey Strips

• Cheese Bites

• Beef Trainers

And finally, Spot & Tango’s supplements include:

• Probiotic

• Hip + Joint

• Allergy + Immune

• Calming

The Snacks are made with the same high-quality ingredients and prep standards as the main meals. You can add these to your normal plan, order them once, or order them as a separate plan regularly.

The Farmer’s Dog, on the other hand, offers all fresh recipes, along with a few snacks. Its recipes are based around the following 4 proteins:

• Turkey

• Beef

• Chicken

• Pork

Its treats include pork, chicken, or turkey “snap sticks”, which are a form of dried meat stick akin to “human” meat jerky. Simply snap a piece off to give your pup a calorie-controlled treat.

Both companies offer recipe customization quizzes tailored to your dog’s needs. You’ll answer questions about things like breed, weight, activity level, body type, and whether your pup is a picky eater. Once you’re done, each service suggests the recipes it thinks will be the best fit for your dog.

They’re not too complicated, either – each quiz only took me between 3 and 5 minutes to complete.

Keep in mind that neither company actually customizes its ingredients. The quiz results are simply used to tailor portion sizes and recommend meals that are best for your pup’s dietary needs. You’re not even required to order those meals – you’re free to either accept the suggestions or purchase any other meals you like.

Both services offer toppers, which are smaller portions of the same recipes that you can mix into your dog’s current meals. This is great if you don’t want to pay for a full plan but know that your pup could use an extra nutritional boost. Toppers are also a great way to find out if your dog likes the food without committing to a full (and more expensive) order.

Ordering & Delivery: Spot & Tango’s Ordering Process Is Simpler

Ordering isn’t exactly super fast with either brand, but Spot & Tango makes it a bit easier. You can browse recipes and extras, though you can’t add anything to your cart until after you complete the quiz. On the other hand, the Farmer’s Dog is slightly more restrictive – you have to finish its quiz to view meals or treats.

Both brands make treats, and Spot & Tango also offers supplements. Neither vendor makes them easy to find, though. Spot & Tango helps a little with its “Shop” section, but The Farmer’s Dog doesn’t have an equivalent feature. The Farmer’s Dog makes you do the quiz and start the checkout process before getting your hands on treats.

Both companies deliver to the 48 contiguous states and start you off with a 2-week trial. After that, regular shipments begin. Spot & Tango offers deliveries every 1, 2, 4, or 8 weeks, depending on your plan. 

The Farmer’s Dog adjusts its deliveries based on your dog’s portion size. You can manage everything through your account with either brand, from pausing shipments to changing delivery dates or updating meal selections.

For customer support, you can call, text, or email either company. Both are responsive – Spot & Tango lists its support hours clearly, and The Farmer’s Dog offers 24/7 call and text support.

Unboxing: Both Have Individually Packaged Meals

Both companies send you the fresh food in pre-portioned packages. All you have to do is defrost them, divide or portion the package as directed, and pour it into your pup’s bowl.

Fresh foods for both companies are kept cool in insulated cardboard boxes with dry ice. You can place some food in the fridge and freeze the rest until you need to defrost it. The box and contents from both services are fully recyclable. The Farmer’s Dog’s food containers are recyclable too.

Meal Prep: The Farmer’s Dog Is Simpler

Both services make it simple to serve the right amount of food, but The Farmer’s Dog is slightly more streamlined. It only offers fresh food, which is portioned based on your dog’s profile, and each delivery includes a personalized feeding guide.

I found the transition plan easy to follow, but portioning meals can take some guesswork as the bags don’t have markings for partial portions. Figuring out halves or quarters isn’t difficult, but if you’re on the topper plan, it might be a bit harder. Still, the whole process felt just as quick as my usual kibble and wet food routine.

Spot & Tango is also easy to use, though its flexibility adds a few steps. The UnKibble arrives in a bag with a custom scoop, and I had to do some quick math to figure out the right mix when supplementing. Once I got the hang of it, serving became second nature.

The frozen fresh food from Spot & Tango was even easier. I liked that the feeding guide made it clear how much I should feed my dog for one meal. For Baxter, one pack covered one day, although this will vary for every dog. Some dogs may require a full pack per meal, and for others, it may be more or less. Everything felt simple once the initial setup was done.

The Farmer’s Dog felt more hands-off for full-time fresh feeding. Spot & Tango worked better for me when mixing it with other food, even if it required a little more upfront effort.

Pricing: Both Offer Substantial Discounts & Free Shipping

The Farmer’s Dog and Spot & Tango are premium brands, but I find both pretty good value for what you get. Feeding fresh food can be pricey, so both companies have discounts for first-time customers, which makes trying them out more affordable. These discounts change over time, but generally, I find that The Farmer’s Dog offers bigger savings for new customers.

For an active 25 lb dog without dietary issues, Spot & Tango’s fresh turkey recipe costs around $32 with the current discount, rising to about $40 after the discount period. The Farmer’s Dog starts at $35 per week for its turkey recipe, increasing to $72 post-discount. 

However, Spot & Tango’s UnKibble is the most economical option overall, as dry food usually is. The same 25 lb dog would cost about $21 per week with Spot & Tango’s Beef & Barley UnKibble.

Pricing for both brands depends on the recipe and your dog’s size – larger dogs cost more to feed. For a 75 lb active dog, Spot & Tango’s Beef & Barley UnKibble runs about $42 per week, while the fresh turkey meal is closer to $65. The Farmer’s Dog fresh turkey recipe is $68 per week, which rises to around $137 after the initial discount.

Both brands offer fresh toppers. This option is great if you don’t want to commit to a full plan but still want to improve your dog’s meals. You’ll also get free shipping with both companies. 

Spot & Tango vs. The Farmer’s Dog – Pros & Cons

Spot & Tango

Pros

• Fresh and dry options, plus snacks

• Simple ordering process without mandatory quizzes

• Free shipping

Cons

• Can’t pick a delivery date

• Limited recipe customization

• Snacks and supplements are hard to find on the site

The Farmer’s Dog

Pros

• Great new customer discounts

• Easy-to-use recipe customization quiz

• Packaging is eco-friendly and recyclable

Cons

• Fewer options compared to Spot & Tango

• Requires quiz completion before seeing meal options

• Limited snack and supplement choices

Spot & Tango vs. The Farmer’s Dog – Quick Overview

And the Winner Is: The Farmer’s Dog

Honestly, it’s a tough call between these 2 excellent companies. Both Spot & Tango and The Farmer’s Dog offer outstanding quality with human-grade ingredients, vet-approved recipes, and personalized meal plans. Both are strong choices if you’re looking to upgrade from standard kibble to something more nutritious and customized for your dog’s needs.

However, after testing both, The Farmer’s Dog edged out Spot & Tango just slightly for its fresh meals, and I rated its personalized packaging and feeding guide to make the transition smooth. 

That said, the difference is pretty minimal. If you’re after more variety or prefer the option of premium dry food, Spot & Tango’s UnKibble and additional add-ons could be a better fit for you.

FAQ

Is The Farmer's Dog better than Spot and Tango?

Both offer high-quality, human-grade options. The Farmer’s Dog is more affordable for fresh food and has a simpler pricing model, which makes it a better fit for many pet owners. Its soft, fresh meals are also ideal for picky eaters or dogs with dental issues. 

But Spot & Tango offers more variety, including fresh food and dry UnKibble. It gives you more control over product type and delivery frequency, which may suit your needs better.

Is Spot and Tango a good dog food?

Yes, Spot & Tango makes high-quality dog food using human-grade ingredients without any artificial preservatives or fillers. Its meals are cooked in USDA-certified kitchens and formulated to meet AAFCO standards for balanced nutrition.

The company also gives you lots of choices. You can pick between fresh meals or UnKibble, which is a healthier alternative to regular dry food. It’s a convenient option for pet parents who want quality and flexibility.

Is Spot and Tango approved by vets?

Yes, Spot & Tango’s meals are formulated by veterinary nutritionists to meet the nutritional levels established by AAFCO. These experts make sure each recipe supports a healthy diet for dogs of all ages and sizes.

Although not all vets endorse one specific brand, Spot & Tango follows science-backed guidelines and uses ingredients considered safe and beneficial for dogs.