9.25/10
$134.99petsafe.com
No subscriptionDry-food feederCat & dogApp required
Best Automatic Dog Feeders of 2026: 7 Compared by Cups per Meal and Cost
7 automatic dog feeders compared on subscription, 1st-year cost, hopper and meals/day. Our top pick is the PetSafe Smart Feed Automatic Dog and Cat Feeder, 2nd Generation, $134.99. Read the full summary ↓
By Arina Nikoliukina · Reviewed · Updated · Prices checked 10/14/2026All 7 automatic dog feeders
7 of 7 automatic dog feeders
9.5/10
$69.99petkit.com
No subscriptionDry-food feederCat & dogApp required
9.25/10
PetSafe
Healthy Pet Simply Feed
$95.99petsafe.com
No subscriptionDry-food feederCat & dogNo app
9/10
Whisker
Feeder-Robot
$299litter-robot.com
No subscriptionDry-food feederCat & dogApp optional
9.5/10
PETLIBRO
Granary Smart Feeder
$71.99petsmart.com
No subscriptionDry-food feederCat & dogApp required
9.5/10
PETLIBRO
Granary Smart Camera Feeder
$139.99target.com
Subscription optionalDry-food feederCat & dogApp required
9.25/10
$79.99wopet.com
No subscriptionDry-food feederCat & dogApp required
9.25/10
Dry-food feederCat & dogApp requiredNo subscription
$134.99petsafe.com
9.5/10
Dry-food feederCat & dogApp requiredNo subscription
$69.99petkit.com
9.25/10
9/10
9.5/10
9.5/10
PETLIBRO
Granary Smart Camera Feeder
Dry-food feederCat & dogApp requiredSubscription optional
$139.99target.com
9.25/10
Dry-food feederCat & dogApp requiredNo subscription
$79.99wopet.com
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All automatic dog feeders compared
7 models · prices and specs checked 10/14/2026 · scroll →
| Model | Price | Subscription | 1st-year cost | Hopper | Meals/day | Food | App | Warranty | Returns |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PetSafe Smart Feed Automatic Dog and Cat Feeder, 2nd Generation | $134.99 | No subscription | $135 | 24 cups (6 L) | 12 | Dry | Required | 1 yr | 45 days |
| PETKIT Fresh Element Solo Automatic Feeder | $69.99 | No subscription | not listed by PETKIT | 3 L | 10 | Dry | Required | 1 yr | 30 days |
| PetSafe Healthy Pet Simply Feed | $95.99 | No subscription | $96 | 24 cups | 12 | Dry | Optional | 1 yr | 45 days |
| Whisker Feeder-Robot | $299 | No subscription | $299 | 25 cups | 8 | Dry | Optional | 1 yr | 90 days |
| PETLIBRO Granary Smart Feeder | $71.99 | No subscription | not listed by PETLIBRO | 5 L | 10 | Dry | Required | 2 yrs | 30 days |
| PETLIBRO Granary Smart Camera Feeder | $139.99 | Subscription optional | not listed by PETLIBRO | 5 L | 10 | Dry | Required | 2 yrs | 30 days |
| WOpet Patrol Pro Automatic Pet Feeder | $79.99 sale / $99.99 list | No subscription | not listed by WOPET | 6 L | 15 | Dry | Required | 1 yr | 30 days |
Which automatic dog feeder to buy
We track 7 automatic dog feeders. Our top pick is PetSafe Smart Feed Automatic Dog and Cat Feeder, 2nd Generation, scored 9.25/10. 6 of 7 with a listed plan status work with no subscription. Prices run $69.99 to $299, checked 10/14/2026.
For a medium dog, the PetSafe Smart Feed is the automatic dog feeder we'd point you to: a 24-cup hopper, 1/8 cup to 4 cups per meal, up to 12 meals a day, $134.99 on petsafe.com on 10/09/2026 with no plan to buy. The PETKIT Fresh Element Solo scored highest on our five-point check at $69.99 on petkit.com (10/14/2026), but PETKIT rates it "For cats and small breed dogs." If your dog's kibble is wider than 3/4 in, no vendor here lists it as a fit.
Our top pick
PetSafe Smart Feed24 cups, up to 4 cups per meal, app scheduling, keeps feeding offline if it has power.
Lowest first-year cost
PetSafe Simply Feed$95.99 plus D batteries. Same capacity, no Wi-Fi, the largest printed kibble limit.
For a small dog
PETKIT Fresh Element Solo$69.99 at petkit.com (10/14/2026).
For Litter-Robot owners
Whisker Feeder-RobotWith a 90-day trial and accidental-damage warranty.
For cats, see the automatic cat feeder guide.
How many cups your dog needs, and which feeder serves it
Whisker's manual (p.17) gives one reference: two 1/2-cup meals a day for a 15-pound dog, and "Dogs that weigh 30 pounds or more may require 2-4 cups of food per day," with the advice to check portions with your veterinarian. At 2 to 4 cups a day, a 24-cup hopper lasts about 6 to 12 days.
| Feeder | Hopper | Per meal | Meals/day | Kibble limit | Vendor's size wording |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| PETKIT Fresh Element Solo | 3 L | about 10 g per serving | 10 | under 12 mm (0.47 in) | "For cats and small breed dogs" |
| PetSafe Simply Feed | 24 cups | 1/8 to 4 cups, 1/8-cup steps | 12 | 3/4 in | "cats and small to medium-sized dogs" |
| PetSafe Smart Feed | 24 cups | 1/8 to 4 cups | 12 | not listed by PetSafe | "cats and small to medium-sized dogs" |
| Whisker Feeder-Robot | 25 cups | 1/8 to 1/2 cup; 1/4 to 1 cup with the $10 dispenser | 4 on the panel, 8 in the app | 5/8 in | not listed by Whisker |
| Petlibro Granary Wi-Fi | 5 L | 1/12 cup per portion, 1 to 48 portions | 10 | 2–15 mm (0.6 in) | not listed by Petlibro |
| Petlibro Granary Camera | 5 L | portion volume not on pages we opened | 10 | 2–15 mm (0.6 in) | not listed by Petlibro |
| WOPET Patrol Pro (F07 Pro) | 6 L | 5 g per portion, 1 to 50 portions | 15 | 2–15 mm in the manual, 5–15 mm on the product page | "Small / medium-sized dogs and cats" |
PETKIT Fresh Element Solo (for small dogs)
For a dog that eats well under a cup per meal. $69.99 on PETKIT's own page (petkit.com, 10/14/2026), $54.99 at Walmart on 10/09/2026, plus desiccant packs the product page neither prices nor schedules, before shipping, which we did not capture. It scored highest on our five-point check: up to 10 meals a day, and the manual (p.14) says it keeps feeding "as normal" when home internet drops. What held it back for dogs: a 3 L hopper, about 10 g per serving, kibble under 12 mm, and PETKIT's own "For cats and small breed dogs." One of 10 Walmart reviews we read: "Portions are not coming out in correct quantities" (01/04/2026). Warranty 1 year. More in our PETKIT review.
PetSafe Simply Feed (lowest first-year cost)
For an owner who wants no app and no Wi-Fi. $95.99 on petsafe.com (10/09/2026), free shipping over $49, plus four D-cell batteries a year, which run it by default; PetSafe estimates battery life at 1 year, and the power adapter is sold separately; we did not price the batteries. The numbers match the Smart Feed: 24 cups, 1/8-cup steps up to 4 cups per meal, 12 meals a day. It is the only feeder here with a printed 3/4 in kibble limit, the largest in the table. What held it back: setup on a 5-button LCD, "The setup steps, and any future changes are awful" (petsafe.com, 03/10/2024), and an owner wrote that PetSafe support said they "do not sell spare parts" for the agitator (12/11/2025). We read 5 reviews. Returns 45 days, warranty 1 year. PetSafe's other feeders and fountains are summarized in our PetSafe review.
PetSafe Smart Feed (our top pick)
For a small to medium dog and an owner who wants app scheduling. $134.99 on petsafe.com and $120.99 on Amazon against a $149.99 list (10/09/2026); free shipping over $49 at PetSafe, so the first year is $135 before tax. Up to 4 cups per meal covers Whisker's 2–4 cup range in one meal, and Slow Feed spreads larger meals "over 15 minutes." PetSafe's support article says that offline it "will continue to feed as previously scheduled if it has power." What held it back: schedules live in the My PetSafe app, rated 3.7 on iOS over 779 ratings and 3.0 on Google Play; it needs 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi; and of 5 petsafe.com reviews we read, one says that after a blackout "the app reported everything was fine" while it wasn't (05/28/2026).
Whisker Feeder-Robot
For a Litter-Robot home on the Whisker app, or a buyer who wants a 90-day trial. $299 at litter-robot.com, $339 with the backup battery (10/09/2026); free shipping and no subscription, so $299 for the first year before tax. With the optional $10 1/4-cup dispenser it serves 1/4 to 1 cup per meal and up to 8 cups a day through the app. What held it back: a 1-cup ceiling per meal, a 5/8 in kibble limit, and the highest price here. Of 60 reviews we read on Whisker's own store, 12 mention jams or dispensing faults. The 1-year warranty covers accidental damage and extends to 3 years for $49. See our Feeder-Robot review.
Feeders without a store link
Petlibro Granary Wi-Fi (5L)
$71.99 at PetSmart (regular $89.99) and on Amazon (list $99.99), 10/09/2026, plus about $61 a year in desiccant bags, which the manual says to replace "every half a month," before shipping (PetSmart ships free over $49 for signed-in Treats Rewards members; Amazon's depends on the order; 10/14/2026). Portions are 1/12 cup, 1 to 48 per meal. Warranty is 24 months by Petlibro's policy and 12 months in the manual. We read no owner reviews of it. Closest match with a store link: the PETKIT Fresh Element Solo at $69.99, though for a medium dog the nearer fit is the PetSafe Simply Feed.
Petlibro Granary Camera (5L)
$111.99 at PetSmart, $139.99 at Target (10/09/2026), plus about $61 a year in desiccant, before shipping; cloud video is optional at $5.99/month or $59.99/year (App Store, 10/09/2026). Of 30 owner reviews we read on Target and Amazon, 6 mention subscription upsells: "It would be five stars if not for the overpriced subscriptions they try to sell" (Target, 03/17/2026). Ratings split: 4.8 over 180 at Target, 3.6 over 985 at Amazon. Closest match with a store link: the PetSafe Smart Feed, without a camera.
WOPET Patrol Pro (F07 Pro)
$79.99 on wopet.com against a $99.99 list (10/09/2026), 6 L, 5 g per portion, up to 15 meals, and "Small / medium-sized dogs and cats" in the manual. Schedules exist only in the WOpet Life app, rated 2.7 over 193 on Google Play; three Play reviews describe disconnects, one saying "the app keeps losing the device and I have to re-pair often" (08/12/2026). Closest match with a store link: the PETKIT Fresh Element Solo.
What it really costs, and what owners report
Only the PetSafe and Whisker feeders have a full first-year figure, since their stores publish shipping and none needs a plan or filter: $135 for the Smart Feed, $96 for the Simply Feed before batteries, $299 for the Feeder-Robot. Retail-only prices exclude shipping and sales tax, since we reached no checkout. Petlibro's desiccant adds about $61 a year, close to the Granary Wi-Fi's $71.99 sale price.
No feeder here has 50 independent owner reviews read, so we publish no Owner Complaint Index on this page. Across what we did read, the repeated complaints are missed or jammed meals and apps that lose the feeder.
Safety and recalls
The CPSC database showed no feeder recalls for PetSafe, PETKIT, Whisker, Petlibro, or WOPET on 10/09/2026, and the saferproducts.gov recall API showed the same on 10/14/2026. The only PetSafe-brand recall it returned, from 2010, covered power adapters sold with heated pet sleepers, not feeders.
FAQ
How many cups can an automatic dog feeder dispense per meal?
Up to 4 cups in both PetSafe feeders, in 1/8-cup steps on the Simply Feed (manual, p.9). The Whisker Feeder-Robot tops out at 1 cup per meal with its optional 1/4-cup dispenser, and the Petlibro Granary Wi-Fi at 48 portions of 1/12 cup. PETKIT and WOPET list portions in grams, not cups.
Can an automatic dog feeder handle wet food?
No, not the seven compared here. Whisker says "Do not use canned, wet, or moist pet food," and PetSafe's Smart Feed guide says "For dry food use only," although both PetSafe product pages say "dry or semi-moist." Wet-food feeders, with fixed compartments of 11.5 oz or less, are in our wet food feeder guide.
What happens if the Wi-Fi or power goes out?
Most keep the schedule. PetSafe says the Smart Feed "will continue to feed as previously scheduled if it has power," Whisker's manual says the Feeder-Robot saves its schedule on the unit, and PETKIT's says the Fresh Element Solo "will continue to operate as normal." On a power cut, the Smart Feed, both Granary models, and the WOPET fall back to D batteries you supply, the PETKIT to five AAA; Whisker sells a $40 backup battery rated for about 24 hours.
Can one feeder serve two dogs?
Only with a splitter, and none knows which dog is eating. PetSafe sells a Meal Splitter accessory for both of its feeders, and Petlibro sells a dual-tray Granary. If one dog steals the other's food, a feeder that opens only for a tagged pet is the fix; the SureFeed microchip feeders are covered in our automatic cat feeder roundup.
How we picked
What we checked: product pages and, where published, manuals for 16 automatic feeders on 10/09/2026; 121 owner reviews of the seven compared here, 43 of them on Walmart, Target, Amazon, and Google Play and 78 on the brands' own stores; and the CPSC recall database for every brand on 10/09/2026, rechecked through the saferproducts.gov recall API on 10/14/2026. PETKIT's product pages were read on 10/14/2026.
Every feeder gets the same five-point check (how we research). Feeders we can link to come first, then the rest; inside each group the order is the score, ties going to the lower first-year cost. The top pick also weighs each vendor's dog-size wording. Nine of the 16 are out:
- Microchip and RFID bowls (SureFeed Microchip Pet Feeder and Connect, Petlibro One RFID) open a lid for one tagged pet rather than dispense meals.
- Wet-food feeders (Cat Mate C500 and C200, Petlibro Polar) hold fixed compartments; Cat Mate says one 11.5 oz compartment is "enough for two cats or a small dog." See the wet food feeder guide.
- Catit PIXI Smart Feeder: Catit says it "has been evaluated for use with dry cat food only."
- Petlibro Air: a 2 L hopper and, by Petlibro's listing, at most 16/24 cup per meal.
- PETKIT YumShare Solo 2: PETKIT rates it for "Cats and small-breed dogs," with the same 3 L hopper as the Fresh Element Solo at about twice the price ($149.99 at petkit.com, 10/14/2026); it was left out on 10/09/2026, when no US price was confirmed.