The Best Automatic Pet Feeders of 2025

Encased in BPA-free camo-colored plastic, this certainly isn’t the sexiest model on the market. But it gets the job done, being seamless to set up, effortless to wash, and intuitive to use. It accommodates five pre-portioned meals at up to 1 cup each, which is a generous amount of food for a smart feeder intended for cats and small dogs. A built-in digital clock with LCD is simple to operate and always dispenses food for us at the exact time requested.

The model runs on batteries, eliminating the worry of electric malfunctions. Plus, a carousel tray can be quickly removed and popped in the dishwasher for effortless cleaning. The only downside is that it doesn’t come with ice packs or any other options for keeping wet food cool. So if you plan actually to run it for five days straight, it’s best to stick to kibble.

With its sleek black and white build, the Arf is surprisingly attractive for a machine not generally known for its looks. Holding 1.14 gallons of food at a time, you can set their feeding schedule for up to four meals a day with customized portion sizes (each amounts to 24ml and you can request up to 10 portions at a time). You can record 10-second personal messages on the Arf to play during mealtimes, so pets are not only notified when food is dispensed, they get to hear the sound of your voice.

The feeder runs on electricity or batteries, which provides an important backup system. It also has a magnetic lock lid, making it tricky for pets to break in. Like all hopper models, it works with kibble only, so this isn't ideal for animals on a wet food diet. Some features were a bit of a struggle to figure out, as it took us time to determine how to dispense food manually or trigger a reset.

Another versatile option for any-sized pet, the Simply Feed holds up to 24 cups of dry kibble at a time and can be dispensed in a ⅛ cup to 4 cup increments. Special features include a “slow feed” option, which releases portions of your pet’s meal a little bit at a time over 15 minutes—a benefit for quick-gobble animals that are prone to vomiting and bloat. A conveyor belt design accommodates kibble of all shapes and sizes and helps prevent jams, while a locking lid prevents pets from breaking into it. Downsides include that the set-up isn’t very intuitive, and even after adjusting portion settings, it often dispenses less food than requested.

The Qpet boasts a six-compartment capacity, which means you can offer your pet multiple small meals throughout the day or assure they’re fed over many days. And it’s suitable for both wet and dry food. That said, there’s no cooling mechanism to ensure that damp food stays fresh. There’s also an option to record a 6-second message to your pet, which, besides being sweet, is a helpful way to let them know it’s dinner time.

Looking sort of like a teal blue UFO (in the best way possible), the feeder is light and portable, although the round design prevents it from sitting flush in a corner. A locking top prevents pet break-ins, although it’s equally forboding to humans—we often struggled hard to remove it, as we were afraid we’d snap the latches.

This feature-rich model is easy to program. And not only does the app let you determine the day, time, and amount of each feeding—and change it remotely at will—it offers portion size suggestions and dietary info based on FAQ’s you plug in about your pet (such as breed, age, activity level, and their preferred brand of food). It also lets you know if the hopper is running low, so if you intend to stock your machine to run over long periods, you’ll know when to refill. That said, the Petnet didn’t always dispense the accurate amount asked.

It also doesn’t let you record a message or provide an audible cue when it’s mealtime, which is surprising for an otherwise smart machine. And there’s no question the Petnet is heavy and bulky, so while you can bring it with you on a trip if need be, it’s a bit of a pain to have to lug around and store.