Automatic feeders are an excellent option for dog owners. They allow your dog to get meals at routine intervals throughout the day and night, even if you’re not home. They are a great option if you have an unusual schedule that changes frequently or if your dog needs regular feeding for medical reasons. No matter your situation, an automatic feeder is something that can take a little bit of pressure off you by giving you more time to take care of other responsibilities without your dog waiting around for meals.
Use the following reviews to identify which products you think might meet your needs, then get ready to try them out until you find the perfect automatic feeder for your dog!
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites (Updated 2023)
Image Product Details
Best Overall
Dogness Mini Programmable Automatic Feeder
Three color options
Fully programmable for up to four meals per day
Holds up to 8.3 cups of food
Check Price
Best Value
PetSafe Eatwell 5-Meal Automatic Feeder
Dishwasher safe food trays
Only one meal is accessible at a time
Can feed up to five meals per day
Check Price
Premium Choice
Whisker Feeder-Robot
Two color options
Holds up to 8 cups of food
Wi-Fi enabled
Check Price
Best for Puppies
ORSDA Wet Food Automatic Feeder
Great for puppies due to range of food options
Personalized voice recording option
Holds up to 7 cups of food
Check Price
SureFeed Microchip Feeder
Great option for keeping other pets out of the food
Multiple feeding settings
Can identify up to 32 microchips and RFID tags
Check Price
The 9 Best Automatic Dog Feeders
1. Dogness Mini Programmable Automatic Dog Feeder – Best Overall
The Dogness Mini Programmable Automatic Feeder is the best overall automatic dog feeder. This feeder is available in three colors and holds over eight cups of dry or freeze-dried food. It’s fully programmable, allowing you to set up to four meals at any time of the day or night. It also has a voice recording feature, allowing you to leave a message that calls your dog to meal times. It runs via USB but includes a built-in battery backup in case of a power outage. The feeding tray is stainless steel and can be removed easily for cleaning. There is no way to remove the storage hopper for proper cleaning, so it may be difficult for some to clean.
Three color options
Holds up to 8.3 cups of food
Fully programmable for up to four meals per day
Voice recording feature
Has built-in battery backup
Stainless steel feeding tray is easy to remove for cleaning
- Three color options
- Holds up to 8.3 cups of food
- Fully programmable for up to four meals per day
- Voice recording feature
- Has built-in battery backup
- Stainless steel feeding tray is easy to remove for cleaning
Feeding hopper may be difficult to clean
- Feeding hopper may be difficult to clean
2. PetSafe Eatwell 5-Meal Automatic Dog Feeder – Best Value
The PetSafe Eatwell 5-Meal Automatic Feeder is the best automatic dog feeder for the money. This affordable feeder can hold up to five cups of dry or freeze-dried food split into five 1-cup portions. The food trays are dishwasher safe for easy cleaning, and you can set the feeder to feed up to five meals per day. Only one meal is accessible to your pet at a time, keeping them from overeating in one sitting. It requires four D-cell batteries, which can last up to 12 months with daily use. This feeder is not as pet-proof as most of the feeders on the list, so if your dog is extra sneaky about food, this might not be the best option.
Budget-friendly
Holds up to 5 cups of food in 1-cup portions
Dishwasher safe food trays
Can feed up to five meals per day
Only one meal is accessible at a time
Batteries can last up to 12 months
- Budget-friendly
- Holds up to 5 cups of food in 1-cup portions
- Dishwasher safe food trays
- Can feed up to five meals per day
- Only one meal is accessible at a time
- Batteries can last up to 12 months
Requires four D-cell batteries
Not as pet-proof as most feeders
- Requires four D-cell batteries
- Not as pet-proof as most feeders
3. Whisker Feeder-Robot Auto Dog Feeder – Premium Choice
The Whisker Feeder-Robot is the premium pick for automatic dog feeders. This feeder is available in two colors and can hold up to 8 cups of food. It can be used to feed dry, freeze-dried, or semi-moist food. This smart feeder is Wi-Fi enabled, allowing you to make adjustments remotely. It can feed as little as 1/8 cup of food per serving and can feed up to eight meals per day. It has a built-in battery backup that can run for up to 24 hours if the power goes out. It has removable parts within the hopper for easy cleaning. This automatic feeder sells for a premium price, so it may not be in the budget for most people.
Two color options
Holds up to 8 cups of food
Wi-Fi enabled
Feeds up to 8 meals per day
Built-in battery backup lasts for 24 hours in case of power outage
Removable parts for easy cleaning
- Two color options
- Holds up to 8 cups of food
- Wi-Fi enabled
- Feeds up to 8 meals per day
- Built-in battery backup lasts for 24 hours in case of power outage
- Removable parts for easy cleaning
Premium price
- Premium price
4. ORSDA Wet Food Automatic Dog Feeder – Best for Puppies
The ORSDA Wet Food Automatic Feeder is the top pick if you have a puppy to feed. This feeder can feed any type of food, including wet, and holds up to seven cups of food in five portions. You can create a personalized voice recording to call your puppy to meals. The cover and food bowl are removable and dishwasher safe for easy cleaning. It runs on electrical power but also takes three AAA batteries to provide a battery backup in case of a power outage. Although this is intended for wet food, it does not keep food cold, so wet food should be replaced once or twice daily to keep it fresh.
Great for puppies due to range of food options
Holds up to 7 cups of food
Personalized voice recording option
Cover and food bowl are dishwasher safe
Can use electrical power and battery backup
Feeds up to five meals per day
- Great for puppies due to range of food options
- Holds up to 7 cups of food
- Personalized voice recording option
- Cover and food bowl are dishwasher safe
- Can use electrical power and battery backup
- Feeds up to five meals per day
Doesn’t keep food cold
- Doesn’t keep food cold
5. SureFeed Microchip Dog Feeder
The SureFeed Microchip Feeder is a wonderful option if you have multiple pets and want to avoid food stealing. This feeder can feed up to two meals per day or be set to feed when approached by your dog, and it can be used with any type of food. It can be programmed to identify up to 32 microchips, allowing you to set it for as many or as few of your pets as you choose. It will keep food fresh and free of pests, like ants. It automatically opens and closes only when approached by a pet with a programmed microchip, keeping other pets and strays out of your dog’s food. This feeder sells for a premium price and requires C-cell batteries to operate.
Great option for keeping other pets out of the food
Multiple feeding settings
Can identify up to 32 microchips and RFID tags
Keeps food fresh and free of pests
Only opens when approached by a programmed pet
- Great option for keeping other pets out of the food
- Multiple feeding settings
- Can identify up to 32 microchips and RFID tags
- Keeps food fresh and free of pests
- Only opens when approached by a programmed pet
Premium price
Requires C-cell batteries
- Premium price
- Requires C-cell batteries
6. Pawple Automatic Feeder for Dogs
The Pawple Automatic Feeder holds up to 20 cups of dry or freeze-dried food. It can be set to feed up to four meals per day and has a voice recording option to call your dog to meals. The locking lid keeps food fresh and secure, and it runs on USB power or D-cell batteries. The feeding tray is dishwasher safe for easy cleaning. It can be set to feed anywhere from two teaspoons to four and a half cups per feeding, making it a good pick for dogs of any size. The hopper can only be cleaned with a damp cloth, making it difficult to keep properly clean.
Holds up to 20 cups of food
Can feed four meals per day from 2 tsp to 4.5 cups
Locking lid and dishwasher safe feeding tray
Can use USB power or D-cell batteries
Feeding tray is dishwasher safe
- Holds up to 20 cups of food
- Can feed four meals per day from 2 tsp to 4.5 cups
- Locking lid and dishwasher safe feeding tray
- Can use USB power or D-cell batteries
- Feeding tray is dishwasher safe
Feeding tray is the only removable, dishwasher safe part
- Feeding tray is the only removable, dishwasher safe part
7. Cat Mate C500 Digital 5-Meal Automatic Dog Feeder
The Cat Mate C500 Digital 5-Meal Automatic Feeder holds over seven cups of any type of food, separated into five compartments. It can be set to feed up to five meals per day and contains ice packs to keep wet food cold and fresh. The lid and bowl are dishwasher safe, and the lid is tamper-proof, keeping your dog out of the food when it isn’t mealtime. The LCD display is easy to see and use, making this feeder easy to program. Since ice packs are the only way this feeder keeps food cold, you may need to order extras so the feeder stays cold round the clock. It requires three AA batteries for operation.
Holds up to 7.5 cups of any kind of food
Can feed up to five meals per day
Ice packs keep wet food fresh
Lid and bowl are dishwasher safe and lid is tamper-proof
LCD display is easy to use
- Holds up to 7.5 cups of any kind of food
- Can feed up to five meals per day
- Ice packs keep wet food fresh
- Lid and bowl are dishwasher safe and lid is tamper-proof
- LCD display is easy to use
Extra ice packs may be necessary to keep food cold
Three AA batteries required for operation
- Extra ice packs may be necessary to keep food cold
- Three AA batteries required for operation
8. SereneLife Automatic Dog Feeder & Voice Recorder
Check Latest Price
Number of cups: 25 cups
Remotely accessible?: No
Type of food: Dry, freeze-dried
Color: White
The SereneLife Automatic Pet Feeder & Voice Recorder can hold up to 25 cups of dry or freeze-dried food, and it can be programmed to feed up to four meals per day. It has a voice recorder function to allow you to set your voice to call your dog to meals. It uses electrical power and has an option for battery backup. It helps prevent food spills with infrared technology, keeping things clean around the food bowl. Without the addition of batteries, this feeder is completely reset to default after a power outage. The built-in clock may run fast or slow, making it difficult to set specific feeding times, especially if you are attempting to sync two feeders.
Holds up to 25 cups of food
Feeds up to four meals per day
Voice recording option
Infrared technology prevents food spills
- Holds up to 25 cups of food
- Feeds up to four meals per day
- Voice recording option
- Infrared technology prevents food spills
Resets to default after a power outage
Internal clock may run fast or slow
- Resets to default after a power outage
- Internal clock may run fast or slow
9. Gamma2 Nano Automated Dog Feeder
Number of cups: 30 cups
Remotely accessible?: No
Type of food: Dry, freeze-dried
Color: Black
The Gamma2 Nano Automated Feeder holds up to 30 cups of food and can be programmed to feed up to six meals per day. It uses electrical power and can take batteries to serve as a battery backup. After a power outage, it will reset to factory defaults. It detects and prevents food jams in the hopper, ensuring your dog doesn’t miss meals. The hopper doesn’t seem to empty evenly, which may cause the feeder to alert you that it needs food added to it, even when there is still food in the hopper. It has a small door that closes over the food dispensing chute to keep your pets out of the food in the hopper between meals. Some people report this feeder being noisier than most.
Holds up to 30 cups of food
Feeds up to six meals per day
Detects and prevents food jams in the hopper
Small door keeps food chute closed between meals
- Holds up to 30 cups of food
- Feeds up to six meals per day
- Detects and prevents food jams in the hopper
- Small door keeps food chute closed between meals
Resets to factory defaults after a power outage
Hopper may not empty evenly
May be noisy
- Resets to factory defaults after a power outage
- Hopper may not empty evenly
- May be noisy
Buying Guide: How to Select the Best Automatic Feeder for Your Dog
To choose the right automatic feeder, you first need to evaluate what type of food your dog eats. Most automatic feeders don’t allow for wet food, so that limits your options. If you have a large breed dog that requires large quantities of food per meal, then you’ll need to choose a feeder that can keep up with those feeding needs.
You should also pick an automatic feeder that holds enough food for your needs. If you are planning to go out of town for a few days and need an automatic feeder to take care of the meals for your dog between pet sitter visits, then make sure to select a feeder that will hold and dispense enough food. If you have a small dog, your total holding capacity needs will differ from those of a large breed dog.
Also, consider your dog’s age and personality when selecting a feeder. Nervous dogs may not like a feeder with noticeable movement or significant noise. Puppies may need a simplified feeder they can be trained to use, while an older dog may be more accepting of any type of feeder.
Conclusion
For these reviews, we selected the best of the best in the world of automatic feeders. The Dogness Mini Programmable Automatic Feeder is the best overall pick, which works beautifully and comes in multiple colors. The PetSafe Eatwell 5-Meal Automatic Feeder is the more budget-friendly pick, which can feed up to five meals per day and is one of the more simplified feeders available. For a premium pick, try the Whisker Feeder-Robot, which has Wi-Fi capabilities and is reliable.
See also: 6 Effective DIY Dog Feeders You Can Make at Home
