Royal Canin
Hill's Science Diet
Royal Canin vs Hill's Science Diet
A score-by-score comparison of Royal Canin and Hill's Science Diet: value, ingredients, transparency, what each costs to feed and where you can actually buy it, run through the same independent 100-point methodology.
Reviewed by the Dog Food Reviews editorial team
Independent scoringUpdated August 2026Not veterinary advice
Edition· Scores and prices entered and checked by hand
At a glance
The whole comparison, in one table
Every measure we hold for both brands. Where a figure is comparable, the leading side is marked; where it is a description rather than a contest, neither side is.
| Measure | Royal Canin | Hill's Science Diet |
|---|---|---|
| Overall scoreOut of 100 · higher is better | 68Leads | 66 |
| Our ratingThe band that score falls in | Average | Average |
| Pillars ledOf 6 scored pillars | 5 of 6Leads | 1 of 6 |
| Cheapest per kgLower is better · editorial estimate | $10.60/kgLeads | $11.58/kg |
| Cost per dayLower is better · a ~15kg adult dog | $2.60Leads | $2.70 |
| Price tierWhere it sits in the market | Super-premium | Super-premium |
| Retailers we indexHigher is better · chains we price-check | 6 retailersLevel | 6 retailersLevel |
| Recipes we priceDepth of our index, not a score | 2 | 2 |
| FormatHow the food is sold | Dry · Wet · Prescription | Dry · Wet · Prescription |
| Made inCountry of manufacture | France / Multiple | USA / Multiple |
The contenders
What you are choosing between
Two brands, the same six pillars and the same price index. Each column carries the brand's own product photography, what we hold on it and the door to the full review.
Royal Canin
Super-premium
Brand pack shot
The vet-clinic heavyweight, and the clinical research genuinely is best-in-class. But the everyday ingredient panels don't match the price: they lean on by-product meals, corn and grain rather than named single-source protein, and you're paying a high price per kg for the brand's vet-clinic shelf presence and breed-specific marketing as much as for what's in the bag. The therapeutic lines earn their keep; the standard ranges are expensive for the ingredient quality.
- Format
- Dry · Wet · Prescription
- Made in
- France / Multiple
- Price per kg
- $10.60-$14.60/kg
- Cost per day
- $2.60-$3.60
- Retailers indexed
- 6 retailers
Hill's Science Diet
Super-premium
Brand pack shot
A science-led brand with a deep, well-researched prescription range: clinically rigorous and consistent. Outside the therapeutic lines, though, the value is below average for the price: the standard panels lean on corn, grain and by-product meals rather than named single-source protein, and you carry a vet-clinic price premium for the brand and its shelf presence. The prescription range is the reason to buy it, not the everyday food.
- Format
- Dry · Wet · Prescription
- Made in
- USA / Multiple
- Price per kg
- $11.58-$12.42/kg
- Cost per day
- $2.70-$2.90
- Retailers indexed
- 6 retailers
The scorecard
Pillar by pillar
Every pillar of our methodology, side by side. Higher is better on every row, the weighting shows how far each pillar moves the overall figure, and the leader is marked purely by the numbers.
Royal Canin leads on
5of 6 pillars
Hill's Science Diet leads on
1of 6 pillars
Price per kg, cost per day, subscription discount, sale frequency and value vs similar formulas.
Named meat first, protein source quality, wholefoods, fillers, artificial colours/flavours, grain quality.
Complete & balanced claim, life-stage suitability, protein/fat levels, sensitive-stomach and vet use cases.
Clear ingredient list, country of manufacture, ownership, feeding-guide clarity, recall visibility.
Stock availability, delivery options, repeat delivery and retailer availability.
Review sentiment, repeat complaints and product consistency feedback.
Cost to feed
What each one costs a day
Price per kg is not the comparison that matters. A fresh bowl and a dry kibble are served in very different daily weights, so the figure to compare is what lands in the bowl each day.
Editorial estimate
Cost per day, a ~15kg adult dog
The span runs from the cheapest recipe we price to the dearest; the heavy rule is the median of those recipes.
| Brand | Cheapest | Typical | Dearest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Royal Canin | $2.60 | $3.10 | $3.60 |
| Hill's Science Diet | $2.70 | $2.80 | $2.90 |
Dog Food Reviews index
| Recipe | Format | Price per kg | Cost per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Medium Adult 15kgRoyal Canin | Dry · 15kgAdult | $10.60 | $2.60 |
| Adult Chicken 12kgHill's Science Diet | Dry · 12kgAdult | $11.58 | $2.70 |
| Sensitive Stomach 12kgHill's Science Diet | Dry · 12kgAdult | $12.42 | $2.90 |
| Gastrointestinal (Vet Diet) 15kgRoyal Canin | Dry · 15kgAdult | $14.60 | $3.60 |
Which fits your dog
Should you pick Royal Canin or Hill's Science Diet?
Neither brand is the answer for every dog. These lists are built from the pillars each one wins, the prices we hold and what each brand is best suited to.
Choose Royal Canin if
- On our scorecard it leads ingredient quality (60 to 57, a pillar worth 25 points), price & value (54 to 52, a pillar worth 25 points) and nutrition & suitability (78 to 77, a pillar worth 20 points).
- It is the cheaper of the two to feed: the cheapest recipe we price works out at about $2.60 a day against $2.70, as an editorial estimate for a ~15kg adult dog.
- Vet-prescribed therapeutic feeding
- Genuine condition-specific needs
- Owners who value the clinical research above the panel
Choose Hill's Science Diet if
- On our scorecard it leads transparency (67 to 66, a pillar worth 15 points).
- Vet-prescribed therapeutic diets
- Genuine condition-specific feeding
- Senior and weight-management cases under vet guidance
Before you commit
Where each one is the wrong answer
Skip Royal Canin if
- You judge food on named-meat-first ingredients
- You want value on everyday (non-therapeutic) feeding
Skip Hill's Science Diet if
- You want named-meat ingredients and value on everyday feeding
Our verdict
Royal Canin finishes ahead on our index, 68 to 66, a gap of 2 points. Royal Canin takes price & value, ingredient quality, nutrition & suitability, availability & convenience and customer sentiment. Hill's Science Diet takes transparency. On the recipes we price, Royal Canin is the cheaper of the two to feed: about $2.60 a day against $2.70 for a ~15kg dog, as an editorial estimate. Compare cost per day and where you can actually buy each one before you decide. Not veterinary advice.
Scored out of 100 across 6 weighted pillars
dogfoodreviews.com.au
Not veterinary advice. Average vs Average overall. Prices are illustrative and manually entered for v1, always confirm live pricing with the retailer.
The method
The same 100 points, applied to both
Royal Canin and Hill's Science Diet were run through one model, with no category allowance for either. These are the six pillars it weighs, and what each brand scored on them.
25pts
Price & Value
Price per kg, cost per day, subscription discount, sale frequency and value vs similar formulas.
Royal Canin 54Hill's Science Diet 52
25pts
Ingredient Quality
Named meat first, protein source quality, wholefoods, fillers, artificial colours/flavours, grain quality.
Royal Canin 60Hill's Science Diet 57
20pts
Nutrition & Suitability
Complete & balanced claim, life-stage suitability, protein/fat levels, sensitive-stomach and vet use cases.
Royal Canin 78Hill's Science Diet 77
15pts
Transparency
Clear ingredient list, country of manufacture, ownership, feeding-guide clarity, recall visibility.
Royal Canin 66Hill's Science Diet 67
10pts
Availability & Convenience
Stock availability, delivery options, repeat delivery and retailer availability.
Royal Canin 80Hill's Science Diet 77
5pts
Customer Sentiment
Review sentiment, repeat complaints and product consistency feedback.
Royal Canin 70Hill's Science Diet 67
Six pillars, 100 points, published in full. The same model scores every brand in our index, and the sub-scores above are the ones these two were given.
Frequently asked questions
7 questions
On our value score, Royal Canin edges ahead (54 vs 52). Value is about cost per day, not sticker price: compare the per-kg figures above and the cheapest retailer for each before deciding.
Royal Canin scores higher on ingredient quality (60 vs 57) in our index. We look at named-meat-first, protein source quality, wholefoods and fillers.
Hill's Science Diet scores higher on transparency. Transparency covers ingredient clarity, country of manufacture, ownership and feeding-guide detail.
Royal Canin works out at about $2.60 to $3.60 a day across the 2 recipes we price. Hill's Science Diet works out at about $2.70 to $2.90 a day across the 2 recipes we price. Both are editorial estimates for a ~15kg adult dog, built from the recipes we price and each brand's published feeding guide. Formats feed very differently, so compare cost per day rather than price per kg, and confirm live pricing before you buy.
Royal Canin is stocked at Pet Circle, Petbarn, Petstock, Budget Pet Products, PETO and Habitat in our index. Hill's Science Diet is stocked at Pet Circle, Petbarn, Petstock, Budget Pet Products, PETO and Habitat in our index. The same product can differ by ten dollars or more between retailers, so compare price per kg at checkout rather than the shelf price.
Online-only retailers like Pet Circle and Budget Pet Products are usually the price-to-beat on everyday pricing, while Petbarn is a strong all-rounder with the widest range, stores nationwide and competitive member and Repeat Delivery pricing. Whichever you choose, compare price per kg before buying.
No. Dog Food Reviews is an independent value and comparison resource, not veterinary advice. Prices are illustrative and manually entered for v1, always confirm the live price and speak to your vet before changing your dog's diet.
Still deciding
Other brands worth comparing
Brands our reviews of Royal Canin and Hill's Science Diet point to, scored on the same 100 points.
Black Hawk
Premium · Good
Fine on a discounted big bag if you choose a named-meat-first recipe, but don't assume the whole range is equal: the cheaper lines pad the panel with grain and rice, and a chunk of the price is reach and marketing rather than ingredients. Compare the specific formula on cost per kg against SavourLife and Ivory Coat.
- Value
- 74/100
- Ingredients
- 76/100
Best forEveryday feeding if you pick the right recipe
Prime100
Premium · Good
A capable single-protein option for elimination diets, and the labels are honest. But the rolls especially carry a steep price per kg for what is a deliberately simple recipe, and the range spread across formats muddies value: price the dry against the rolls per serve before you settle on one.
- Value
- 72/100
- Ingredients
- 83/100
Best forSensitive stomachs