Spot and Tango vs. Ollie 2023: Which is the Most Pawsome?

Spot & Tango and Ollie are 2 of the biggest names in the fresh dog food industry. Both feature a subscription-based service and only work with 100% human-grade ingredients to create high-quality recipes for pups everywhere. 

The 2 services are neck-and-neck, so it may be difficult to choose between them. Ultimately, the decision comes down to your pooch’s taste preferences, but there are a few other details to take into account.

My extensive research places Ollie as the top dog, as it offers a more diverse menu by combining fresh and dry recipes. However, Spot & Tango comes in a very close second. If you’re on the fence, make sure to read until the end to see which is a better fit for your pet.

At a Glance: Who Won Each Category?

Ingredient Quality

Winner: Tie

Both services focus on creating delicious fresh meals for dogs of all ages, starting from puppyhood. The recipes are vet-formulated to fit diverse preferences and needs, and all the ingredients are gently cooked in small batches at low temperatures to optimize nutrient retention. 

Both companies use human-grade ingredients sourced from US farms and fresh-food suppliers. All the recipes meet and exceed AAFCO guidelines for all life stages. Spot & Tango only uses real, high-quality, whole-muscle meats and organ meats, while Ollie’s recipes are all cooked in a USDA-certified kitchen. 

Spot & Tango meals are entirely free of artificial preservatives, ingredients, or colors. Also, there are no fillers, such as soy, corn, or wheat, and all the recipes are gluten-free, except for the Beef & Barley UnKibble. 

I also liked the fact that every Spot & Tango recipe contains 50% USDA meat, which naturally contains Taurine. Taurine is a critical ingredient for dogs and helps with digestion, proper heart functioning, vision, and more. If you’re looking for a healthy source of Omega acids, all the UnKibble recipes contain fish oil as well. 

In the spirit of catering to all dogs, Spot & Tango has both grain-inclusive and grain-free recipes (like the Turkey and Red Quinoa blend), so if your pup suffers from any grain intolerances, make sure to check the list of ingredients.

Ollie takes the same level of care when choosing the ingredients for its recipes, and most of its suppliers are US-based. The only exception is the premium lamb meat, which comes from sources in the U.S., New Zealand, and Australia.

Every Ollie ingredient, including produce, seeds, and oils, is 100% human-grade and doesn’t contain any by-products, fillers, artificial flavoring, or preservatives. However, keep in mind that 3 out of the 4 recipes include grain-based products. The only grain-free recipe is the Fresh Beef with Sweet Potatoes formula.

Ollie also has 2 Baked formulas designed to be served as is or in combination with fresh food. These are made with real meats and veggies and contain a wide range of vitamins and superfoods, such as fish oil and chia seeds. 

I like that the fresh recipes from both brands are gently cooked and flash-frozen for delivery. This way, I don’t have to worry about any harmful bacteria that may develop in raw foods, and the meals stay fresh and safe for consumption. Plus, the UnKibble and Baked recipes are slow-cooked at low temperatures, which makes them shelf-stable.

Meals and Customization

Winner: Ollie

Both companies focus on creating the best meals for your pooch and feature somewhat similar fresh foods, but I liked Ollie the best because you can create a more diverse menu by mixing baked and fresh meals. Spot & Tango doesn’t have this option – you can order either fresh food or UnKibble.

In terms of customization options, you can’t change the composition of the recipe with either service, but you can customize your dog’s meal plan to fit its needs. You do this by filling in a quiz where you describe your dog’s food preferences and more.

The quiz is short (8 questions for Spot & Tango and 7 questions for Ollie) and includes questions on gender, breed, age, activity level, and if the dog is spayed or neutered. The main difference between these quizzes is that Ollie is more straightforward when it comes to choosing allergies and food sensitivities, while Spot & Tango makes it easier to identify your dog’s body type.

Spot & Tango also has a section in the quiz dedicated to special health conditions, but it provides you with a list of health conditions that don’t have a clear impact on the final meal plan. This was a bit confusing, although Ollie’s was straightforward and easy to understand.

The Spot & Tango menu includes 4 dried recipes (aka the UnKibble) and 3 fresh meals:

• Cod & Salmon (grain-free, min. 29.67% crude protein)

• Beef & Barley (min 26.58% crude protein)

• Chicken & Brown Rice (gluten-free, min 26.58% crude protein)

• Turkey & Sweet Potato (gluten-free, min 25% crude protein)

• Turkey & Red Quinoa (grain-free, min 13.69% crude protein)

• Beef & Millet (grain-free, min 11.85% crude protein)

• Lamb & Brown Rice (min 11.8% crude protein)

The downside is that Spot & Tango doesn’t support a mix-and-match option between the 2 recipe types (dried and fresh), so you have to choose 1 or the other when building your dog’s meal plan.

Ollie, on the other hand, offers 4 fresh meals and 2 dried formulas (aka the Baked items): 

• Fresh Beef with Sweet Potatoes (grain-free, min 9% crude protein)

• Fresh Chicken with Carrots (min 10% crude protein)

• Fresh Lamb with Cranberries (min 10% crude protein)

• Fresh Turkey with Blueberries (min 11% crude protein)

• Baked Beef with Sweet Potatoes (min 23% crude protein)

• Baked Chicken with Carrots (min 24% crude protein)

Both of these brands offer treats that you can add to your plan. Spot & Tango offers 3 different treat recipes (sweet potato, chicken breast, bison kidney) with minimal ingredients. Unlike Ollie, however, it doesn’t offer any nutritional supplements.

Ollie has a slightly better variety of extras. While it only offers 2 flavors of jerky treats (Chicken and Apple, Beef and Sweet Potato), it also has 3 all-natural supplements designed to keep your dog happy and healthy: a calming formula, a formula for hips and joints, and a probiotic formula.

Ordering and Delivery

Winner: Ollie

Both Ollie and Spot & Tango are subscription-based services that make it easy to place your first order and make changes as time goes by. However, Ollie makes it easier to create profiles for several dogs from your online account, while you’ll have to call Spot & Tango’s customer service to add a second pet. 

You’ll be assigned a customized meal plan that fits your pup’s caloric needs (based on your answers to the initial quiz) for your first order. However, if your dog doesn’t like a recipe, both brands make it easy to change the meal plan for subsequent orders.

In both cases, you can easily change an order, pause/delay a delivery, adjust the delivery frequency and portion sizes, or cancel a subscription using your online account. However, you’ll have to pay attention to the cut-off dates and times, which are available on your account for each order.

Both brands offer a starter box for first-time buyers. The box includes the necessary amount of food for 2 weeks, feeding instructions, and a scoop to make feeding easier. The starter box is also backed by a 100% money-back guarantee (for both Spot & Tango and Ollie) in case your pooch doesn’t like the food. Just make sure to send in your refund request before the trial period ends (2 weeks from receiving the order).

Lastly, both companies ship to verified addresses in the 48 contiguous U.S. states, so most pups in the country can get delicious food right at their doorstep. In a nutshell,  Ollie’s more flexible account management features  help place the brand at the top of this category.

How Do the Meals Arrive?

Winner: Ollie

Both companies freeze their fresh meals for delivery. Dry food comes in easy-to-open bags. Plus, each delivery comes in a recyclable cardboard box that’s lined with dry ice insulation for fresh foods. 

However, Ollie’s unboxing experience is better overall. Ollie’s box is well organized and includes feeding instructions for each of your pups. Every food package is labeled with detailed information on nutrients, ingredients, and ideal storage conditions. This is also true for dry foods, which are delivered in zip-locked bags that can be stored in cool, dry places (like a pantry).

The first box comes with a scoop (to make portioning easier) and a “puptainer,” which is a suction-sealed bamboo-crafted container for storage of fresh food while in the fridge. The puptainer is dishwasher safe and makes it easier to keep your dog’s food in the fridge, right next to yours. 

Ollie recommends keeping any Fresh food in the freezer unless you plan on feeding it to your dog over the next few days. This way, it will stay fresh and safe to eat for up to 6 months. Meals take around 24h to defrost using the puptainer. Put it in the fridge, and the food will stay fresh and safe to eat for up to 4 days.

Spot & Tango’s box is just as well-organized. The fresh food arrives in sealed packages that you’ll need to cut open. You’ll also get a food clip with your first order to seal up any leftovers and safely store them in the refrigerator. 

If you’ve ordered UnKibble, your first box will also include a personalized scoop, which you can use for accurate portioning. If you’ve placed an order for 2 dogs or if you have a large dog, you may receive several boxes, depending on how Spot & Tango decides to pack everything.

Every shipment is customized for your dog’s caloric needs, but it’s up to you to portion out the food using the instructions and feeding guide (in the box or online). Fresh meals must be stored in the freezer, where they’ll stay safe for up to 6 months. 

Before giving your dog a portion of fresh food, you’ll have to thaw a pack in the fridge overnight in a bowl of water. If you forget and your pup threatens to go on strike, you can quickly thaw a sealed packet by running it under hot water for several minutes. Any leftovers are safe to keep in the fridge for up to 4 days. 

If you’re feeding UnKibble or Snacks, you can keep them in a cool and dry place. The dry food stays fresh and safe for up to 12 months before opening and lasts 8 weeks after opening (provided you use the seal to close it). 

Both companies care about their environmental paw print, but Ollie shows more initiative through its store drop-off program for the Baked Bites bags. Overall, both Spot & Tango and Ollie work hard to make most of the packaging materials recyclable, but I think there’s more work to be done.

Pricing

Winner: Spot & Tango

Ollie and Spot & Tango feature customized meal plans, so the cost varies depending on your dog’s size and caloric needs. Plus, it also depends on whether you want to feed your pooch only fresh food or you combine dry and fresh. 

For a small dog that’s exclusively fed Ollie’s food, the cost should be less than $4/day and around $8/day for average-sized dogs. Spot & Tango’s UnKibble plans start at $1/day, and Fresh plans start at $2/day. In both cases, shipping is free.

Spot & Tango is the more affordable option. If you start with UnKibble, prices start from $1.45 per meal for the Beef & Barley version, going up to $2.12 per meal for Cod & Salmon. With the cheapest option, my 1.5-year-old Boston Terrier’s 2-week starter box would have cost $25.36/week (price is without a discount).

If you opt for Spot & Tango’s fresh food, the costs vary between $2.28-$3.48 per meal, depending on which recipe you choose. The total cost for 2 weeks with the cheapest option would’ve been $39.87/week (no discount applied).

Adding Spot & Tango treats will cost you between $12 and $16 per bag (each bag weighs between 2.5 and 3 oz), but if you stick to just fresh food or use the fresh food in combination with regular dry foods, Spot & Tango remains more affordable than Ollie.

For the same time period and dog, Ollie designed a meal plan that costs $42 per week for the Beef recipe, $44.10 per week for the Chicken and Lamb recipes, and $43.40 per week for all 3 combined. Treats are $10 per bag (5 oz per bag) and $22 per jar (60 chews per jar) for supplements. Again, these are prices without discounts.

Spot & Tango’s live discount is Get 50% + FREE Chicken Bites on TWO orders, and Ollie’s is 70% Off your first box + FREE bowl and jerky strips With these discounts, my final cost for 2 weeks' worth of fresh food (no treats or supplements) was $63.80 with Spot & Tango and $34.40 with Ollie. 

Features Comparison: Spot & Tango vs. Ollie

And The Winner Is: Ollie

Ollie offers more variety, but it's also more expensive. So, if you're on a tight budget, Spot & Tango is just as good in terms of the quality of ingredients and food. 

If neither option is suitable for you or your pup, check our list of the best fresh dog food delivery services - one of them might pique your interest instead!

FAQ

How good is Spot and Tango UnKibble?

Spot & Tango’s UnKibble is made from 100% fresh, whole ingredients and contains no artificial preservatives, fillers, or additives. The food is gently dried to retain its shape and nutrients and can be used for a steady diet or in combination with fresh food.  

Is Ollie cooked or raw?

However, to keep the meals safe to eat, you have to keep the packs in the freezer. To serve, the food needs to be thawed in the refrigerator.

Are Ollie and Spot & Tango vet approved?

Yes, the fresh and dried meals meet and surpass AAFCO requirements. Plus, both services created their recipes in collaboration with veterinary nutritionists to make sure the meals are appropriate for dogs in all stages of life, of all sizes and breeds. Also, the delivery process is designed to ensure the safety of the food while in transit.