Lyka vs ZIWI Peak
Lyka (87/100) and ZIWI Peak (81/100), run through the same independent six-pillar, 100-point methodology. Each brand gets credit for exactly the pillars it wins.
Lyka- Cost per day
- $2.68–$2.98
- Retailers
- None: direct only
- Made in
- Australia
ZIWI Peak- Cost per day
- $7.50–$7.90
- Retailers
- 6 indexed
- Made in
- New Zealand
Reviewed by the Dog Food Reviews editorial team
Independent scoringUpdated August 2026Not veterinary advice
Edition· Scores and prices checked by hand
Quick verdict
Fresh bowls against air-dried
Two super-premium foods, two very different formats. Lyka leads overall, takes ingredients, nutrition, transparency and sentiment, and narrowly edges value. ZIWI Peak wins availability by a clear margin: it is shelf-stable, stocked by the big retailers and needs no freezer, while Lyka arrives frozen on subscription. The choice is fresh feeding against pantry convenience and per-day cost.
Lyka
Brand pack shot
- Format
- Fresh
- Made in
- Australia
- Price tier
- Super-premium
- Price per kg
- $8.95–$9.95/kg
- Cost per day
- $2.68–$2.98
- Retailers indexed
- None: direct only
ZIWI Peak
Brand pack shot
- Format
- Air-dried · Wet
- Made in
- New Zealand
- Price tier
- Super-premium
- Price per kg
- $75–$79/kg
- Cost per day
- $7.50–$7.90
- Retailers indexed
- 6 retailers
Lyka wins
ZIWI Peak wins
The scorecard
Pillar by pillar
All six pillars of our methodology, side by side. Higher is better on every row, the weighting shows how much each pillar moves the overall score, and the leader is marked purely by the numbers.
“Lyka wins on what is in the bowl. ZIWI Peak wins on being able to buy it this afternoon.”
Cost per day
What each costs to feed
Air-dried food is fed in much smaller daily amounts than fresh bowls, so price per kg is the wrong comparison. Cost per day is the one that decides this.
Editorial estimate
Cost per day, a ~15kg adult dog
The span runs from the cheapest indexed recipe to the dearest; the heavy rule is the median of the recipes we price.
| Brand | Cheapest | Typical | Dearest |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lyka | $2.68 | $2.98 | $2.98 |
| ZIWI Peak | $7.50 | $7.70 | $7.90 |
Dog Food Reviews index
| Recipe | Format | Price per kg | Cost per day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Free Range Chicken Bowl (fresh, subscription)Lyka | Fresh1kg · Chicken Breast | $8.95/kg | $2.68 |
| Grass Fed Beef Bowl (fresh, subscription)Lyka | Fresh1kg · Beef Mince | $9.95/kg | $2.98 |
| Wild Caught Kangaroo Bowl (fresh, subscription)Lyka | Fresh1kg · Kangaroo Mince | $9.95/kg | $2.98 |
| Grass Fed Lamb Bowl (fresh, subscription)Lyka | Fresh1kg · Lamb Mince | $9.95/kg | $2.98 |
| Barn Raised Turkey Bowl (fresh, subscription)Lyka | Fresh1kg · Turkey Mince | $9.95/kg | $2.98 |
| Hypoallergenic Pro Goat Bowl (fresh, subscription)Lyka | Fresh1kg · Goat Mince | $9.95/kg | $2.98 |
| Air-Dried Beef 1kgZIWI Peak | Air-dried1kg · Beef | $75/kg | $7.50 |
| Air-Dried Lamb 1kgZIWI Peak | Air-dried1kg · Lamb | $79/kg | $7.90 |
Side by side
Key differences
The attributes that are not scores: how each food is made, how it reaches you and what it costs to run.
| Difference | Lyka | ZIWI Peak |
|---|---|---|
| Format | Gently cooked fresh meals, delivered frozen | Air-dried food, shelf-stable in the pantry, plus a wet range |
| Where to buy | Subscription only, direct from lyka.com.au | Widely stocked: Petbarn, Petstock, Pet Circle, Budget Pet Products and Peto |
| Cost per day | About $2.68–$2.98 a day (editorial estimate, ~15kg dog) | About $7.50–$7.90 a day (editorial estimate, ~15kg dog) |
| Proteins | Six single-protein recipes: chicken, beef, kangaroo, lamb, turkey and goat | Very high named-meat inclusion; air-dried lamb and beef lead the range |
| Life stages | Complete and balanced to AAFCO all life stages across the range | Air-dried recipes are formulated for all life stages |
How it reaches you
Lyka
Gently cooked meals delivered frozen on a subscription, portioned to your dog after an onboarding questionnaire.
How it reaches you
ZIWI Peak
Air-dried pieces served straight from the pantry, whole as a complete meal or as a topper over other food.
Which fits your dog
Choose Lyka or ZIWI Peak?
Both are super-premium. The deciding factors are format, freezer space, the size of your dog and what you are prepared to spend each day.
Choose Lyka if
- You want gently cooked fresh meals rather than dried food, portioned to your dog during onboarding
- Australian manufacture matters: Lyka cooks in Sydney and Dandenong South, while ZIWI is made in New Zealand
- You feed a medium or large dog, where air-dried per-day costs climb quickly
- You want the stronger ingredient, nutrition and transparency scores in this pairing
Choose ZIWI Peak if
- You want shelf-stable food with no freezer space, defrosting or delivery windows
- You want to buy in-store: ZIWI wins the availability pillar comfortably
- You have a fussy eater: ZIWI's meat-dense air-dried pieces work whole or as a topper
- You feed a small dog, where the per-day cost of air-dried stays manageable
Before you commit
Where each one is the wrong answer
Skip Lyka if
- You want a budget-friendly everyday feeding cost
- You prefer to buy in-store or have limited freezer space
Skip ZIWI Peak if
- You judge food on value as well as ingredients
- You feed a large dog and the per-day cost matters
Availability
Where you can actually buy each one
This is the pillar ZIWI Peak wins, 72 to 62. One of these foods is on a shelf near you today; the other arrives frozen on a delivery window.
| Retailer | Air-Dried Lamb 1kg | Air-Dried Beef 1kg |
|---|---|---|
 Pet Circle | $76Subscribe $72 | $72Subscribe $68 |
 Petbarn | $84Member $79 | $80Member $75 |
 Petstock | Not in our index | Not in our index |
 Budget Pet Products | $77 | $73 |
 PETO | $75 | Not in our index |
 Habitat | Not in our index | Not in our index |
Retailers we index
- Lyka62/100
- 0
- ZIWI Peak72/100
- 6
Lyka is subscription only, delivered frozen direct from lyka.com.au. There is no shelf price to compare, no member rate and no click and collect, which is exactly why the availability pillar reads 62 against ZIWI Peak's 72.
The method
The same 100 points, applied to both
Fresh food and air-dried food were run through one model, with no category allowance for either format. 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.
Lyka 66ZIWI Peak 64
25pts
Ingredient Quality
Named meat first, protein source quality, wholefoods, fillers, artificial colours/flavours, grain quality.
Lyka 90ZIWI Peak 88
20pts
Nutrition & Suitability
Complete & balanced claim, life-stage suitability, protein/fat levels, sensitive-stomach and vet use cases.
Lyka 88ZIWI Peak 83
15pts
Transparency
Clear ingredient list, country of manufacture, ownership, feeding-guide clarity, recall visibility.
Lyka 91ZIWI Peak 85
10pts
Availability & Convenience
Stock availability, delivery options, repeat delivery and retailer availability.
Lyka 62ZIWI Peak 72
5pts
Customer Sentiment
Review sentiment, repeat complaints and product consistency feedback.
Lyka 86ZIWI Peak 81
Six pillars, 100 points, published in full. The same model scores every brand in our index, and the sub-scores above are the ones it was given.
Questions
Lyka vs ZIWI Peak, answered
Answered from the same index the scores come from. Prices are editorial estimates, and nothing here is veterinary advice.
Per kg, yes, by a distance: ZIWI's air-dried recipes sit around $75 to $79 per kg in our index against $8.95 to $9.95 for Lyka's fresh bowls, though air-dried food is fed in much smaller daily amounts. On per-day editorial estimates for a ~15kg dog, ZIWI works out at roughly $7.50 to $7.90 against Lyka's $2.68 to $2.98. Both are super-premium spends, and per-day figures hinge on feeding assumptions, so treat them as editorial estimates and check live prices.
ZIWI Peak, clearly: it wins availability 72 to 62 in our index, is stocked at Petbarn, Petstock, Pet Circle, Budget Pet Products and Peto, and lives in the pantry with no freezer required. Lyka is subscription only, delivered frozen direct from lyka.com.au.
It is close at the top of the market: Lyka scores 90 on ingredient quality to ZIWI's 88. ZIWI's air-dried recipes carry very high named-meat inclusion with an ingredient panel that holds up to scrutiny; Lyka's bowls are human-grade and gently cooked with full nutrient panels. On transparency, Lyka leads 91 to 85.
ZIWI's meat-dense, air-dried pieces are a standout for fussy eaters and double as a high-value topper over other food. Lyka's gently cooked bowls also convert plenty of fussy dogs, with the beef and lamb recipes the richest flavours in its range. If fussiness is the main battle, ZIWI is the easier low-commitment trial because you can buy a single bag in-store.
Lyka is: its meals are cooked in company-owned kitchens in Sydney and Dandenong South, with cited 85-95% Australian sourcing. ZIWI Peak is made in New Zealand by ZIWI Limited, and that provenance is clearly disclosed. If local manufacture is a deciding factor, Lyka is the Australian option of the two.
Leaning the other way?
The full ZIWI Peak file: scores, recipes and the watch-outs.