Scratch
Frontier Pets
Scratch vs Frontier Pets
A score-by-score comparison of Scratch and Frontier Pets: 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 | Scratch | Frontier Pets |
|---|---|---|
| Overall scoreOut of 100 · higher is better | 86Leads | 84 |
| Our ratingThe band that score falls in | Strong | Strong |
| Pillars ledOf 6 scored pillars | 3 of 6Leads | 2 of 6 |
| Cheapest per kgLower is better · editorial estimate | $10.62/kgLeads | $64/kg |
| Cost per dayLower is better · a ~15kg adult dog | $3.19Leads | $6.40 |
| Price tierWhere it sits in the market | Premium | Super-premium |
| Retailers we indexHigher is better · chains we price-check | Direct only | 2 retailersLeads |
| Recipes we priceDepth of our index, not a score | 4 | 2 |
| FormatHow the food is sold | Dry · Raw | Air-dried · Freeze-dried raw |
| Made inCountry of manufacture | Australia (dry kibble made in NSW; raw made in Australia) | Australia |
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.
Scratch
Premium
Brand pack shot
Scratch is an Australian-owned, direct-to-consumer dog food brand sold by flexible subscription from its own website rather than in shops. It is best known for radical label transparency: it is the only major Australian brand to publish the exact percentage of every ingredient, and it sources the large majority of its ingredients from local Australian farms. The range spans high-protein grain-free kibble, a lamb-and-ancient-grains recipe and a complete frozen raw line, with an in-house vet and B-Corp certification backing the brand story.
- Format
- Dry · Raw
- Made in
- Australia (dry kibble made in NSW; raw made in Australia)
- Price per kg
- $10.62-$14.62/kg
- Cost per day
- $3.19-$4.39
- Retailers indexed
- Direct only
Frontier Pets
Super-premium
Brand pack shot
Australian air-dried raw made from free-range, regeneratively farmed meat. The ingredients, ethics and transparency are about as good as it gets, and it is a complete diet that sits in the pantry rather than the freezer. The catch is the price per kg, which is steep, and availability that is mostly direct from the brand.
- Format
- Air-dried · Freeze-dried raw
- Made in
- Australia
- Price per kg
- $64-$66/kg
- Cost per day
- $6.40-$6.60
- Retailers indexed
- 2 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.
Scratch leads on
3of 6 pillars
Frontier Pets leads on
2of 6 pillars
Level on transparency (95 each).
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Scratch | $3.19 | $3.76 | $4.39 |
| Frontier Pets | $6.40 | $6.50 | $6.60 |
Dog Food Reviews index
| Recipe | Format | Price per kg | Cost per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grain-Free Turkey & Beef Dry Dog Food 8kgScratch | Dry · 8kgAll life stages | $10.62 | $3.19 |
| Pasture-Raised Lamb with Ancient Grains Dry Dog Food 8kgScratch | Dry · 8kgAll life stages | $12.37 | $3.71 |
| Grain-Free Mackerel & Salmon Dry Dog Food 8kgScratch | Dry · 8kgAll life stages | $12.74 | $3.82 |
| Sensitive Kangaroo Grain-Free Dry Dog Food 8kgScratch | Dry · 8kgAll life stages | $14.62 | $4.39 |
| Free-Range Chicken Air-Dried 1kgFrontier Pets | Air-dried · 1kgAll life stages | $64 | $6.40 |
| Free-Range Beef Air-Dried 1kgFrontier Pets | Air-dried · 1kgAll life stages | $66 | $6.60 |
Which fits your dog
Should you pick Scratch or Frontier Pets?
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 Scratch if
- On our scorecard it leads price & value (72 to 62, a pillar worth 25 points), availability & convenience (62 to 58, a pillar worth 10 points) and customer sentiment (90 to 88, a pillar worth 5 points).
- It is the cheaper of the two to feed: the cheapest recipe we price works out at about $3.19 a day against $6.40, as an editorial estimate for a ~15kg adult dog.
- Owners who want full ingredient transparency and Australian sourcing
- Dogs with skin or tummy sensitivities needing single-protein or fish recipes
- Households that prefer auto-delivered, subscription feeding
Choose Frontier Pets if
- On our scorecard it leads ingredient quality (95 to 84, a pillar worth 25 points) and nutrition & suitability (88 to 85, a pillar worth 20 points).
- It is the easier one to buy: we index 2 retailers stocking it, against none for Scratch, which sells direct.
- Owners who want raw nutrition without freezer hassle
- Feeders who care about animal welfare and farming practices
- Dogs with sensitive stomachs that do well off lighter cooked food
Before you commit
Where each one is the wrong answer
Skip Scratch if
- You want the lowest possible cost per kilo
- You prefer buying food in-store rather than by subscription delivery
Skip Frontier Pets if
- You are feeding on a tight budget
- You want something you can grab off any supermarket or big-box shelf
Our verdict
Scratch finishes ahead on our index, 86 to 84, a gap of 2 points. Scratch takes price & value, availability & convenience and customer sentiment. Frontier Pets takes ingredient quality and nutrition & suitability. They are level on transparency. On the recipes we price, Scratch is the cheaper of the two to feed: about $3.19 a day against $6.40 for a ~15kg dog, as an editorial estimate. Frontier Pets is the easier one to buy: we index 2 retailers stocking it, against none for Scratch, which sells direct. 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. Strong vs Strong 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
Scratch and Frontier Pets 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.
Scratch 72Frontier Pets 62
25pts
Ingredient Quality
Named meat first, protein source quality, wholefoods, fillers, artificial colours/flavours, grain quality.
Scratch 84Frontier Pets 95
20pts
Nutrition & Suitability
Complete & balanced claim, life-stage suitability, protein/fat levels, sensitive-stomach and vet use cases.
Scratch 85Frontier Pets 88
15pts
Transparency
Clear ingredient list, country of manufacture, ownership, feeding-guide clarity, recall visibility.
Scratch 95Frontier Pets 95
10pts
Availability & Convenience
Stock availability, delivery options, repeat delivery and retailer availability.
Scratch 62Frontier Pets 58
5pts
Customer Sentiment
Review sentiment, repeat complaints and product consistency feedback.
Scratch 90Frontier Pets 88
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, Scratch edges ahead (72 vs 62). Value is about cost per day, not sticker price: compare the per-kg figures above and the cheapest retailer for each before deciding.
Frontier Pets scores higher on ingredient quality (95 vs 84) in our index. We look at named-meat-first, protein source quality, wholefoods and fillers.
Both brands score 95 on transparency. Transparency covers ingredient clarity, country of manufacture, ownership and feeding-guide detail.
Scratch works out at about $3.19 to $4.39 a day across the 4 recipes we price. Frontier Pets works out at about $6.40 to $6.60 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.
Scratch sells direct rather than through the retail chains we price-check, so there is no retailer row for it. Frontier Pets is stocked at Pet Circle and PETO 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 Scratch and Frontier Pets point to, scored on the same 100 points.
Lyka
Super-premium · Strong
Lyka is a genuinely premium, transparent fresh-food subscription that does the homework for you: vet-formulated, human-grade, portioned to your dog and complete and balanced across all six recipes. The main trade-offs are cost and the subscription-only, freezer-space model rather than anything to do with the food itself. Best for owners who want a research-backed fresh diet and are happy to pay for it; cleaner-label value is available elsewhere if budget is the priority. Not veterinary advice.
- Value
- 66/100
- Ingredients
- 90/100
Best forOwners wanting a vet-formulated fresh diet without DIY guesswork
Petzyo
Premium · Strong
Petzyo is a genuinely transparent, Australian-made brand that pairs single-protein kibble with raw BARF in one flexible subscription, making it a strong everyday option for owners who value local sourcing and clean labels. It sits at the premium end on price and is mostly sold direct or through Petstock rather than the big pet retailers, so cleaner value can be found elsewhere if budget and in-store availability are the priority.
- Value
- 70/100
- Ingredients
- 85/100
Best forOwners who want Australian-made food on a convenient repeat delivery
ZIWI Peak
Super-premium · Strong
The ingredients are excellent, but the price per kg is steep enough that value drags the whole score down: you're paying a hefty premium for the air-dried format and small bags. Work out the cost per day before committing; on anything bigger than a small dog it gets expensive fast.
- Value
- 64/100
- Ingredients
- 88/100
Best forOwners prioritising ingredient quality over cost