Fancy Feast vs Friskies: which is better?

Get Friskies to spend less: about $1.34 a day for the typical recipe, against $3.33 for Fancy Feast. For fewer carbs, get Friskies Extra Gravy Paté with Salmon in Savory Gravy (3%) or a Fancy Feast pâté such as Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Pâté in Gravy (4%). Most other Friskies pâtés are 11 to 20%. Purina makes both brands.

By Curiouser Cats editors · Published · Numbers from each brand's own labels

Friskies Pâté Seafood & Chicken

Cheapest per day

Friskies Pâté Seafood & Chicken

11 to 20% carbs · 41 to 50% protein · $1.21 a day1

$32.76 on Amazon
Friskies Extra Gravy Paté with Salmon in Savory Gravy

Cheapest low-carb

Friskies Extra Gravy Paté with Salmon in Savory Gravy

3% carbs · 44% protein · $1.42 a day2

$20.16 on Amazon
Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Pâté in Gravy

Lowest-carb Fancy Feast variety pack

Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Pâté in Gravy

4% carbs · 47% protein · $3.14 a day3

$22.86 on Amazon

How we pick: Every pick is a meal its maker states is complete and balanced, for adult cats. Cheapest per day: the Friskies variety pack that costs the least per day. Cheapest low-carb: the cheapest meal per day under 10% carbs. Fancy Feast: the Fancy Feast variety pack with the fewest carbs. Prices on Amazon, October 27, 2026. Cost per day is for a 10 lb adult cat eating only this food.4, 5

At a glance

Typical recipe of each brand, once the water is out

FriskiesFancy Feast
Cost per day10 lb cat$1.34$3.33
Carbs, typical pâté17%6%
Protein, typical recipe50%50%
Calories per cantypical13082

From Purina's label files. Prices on Amazon, October 27, 2026.

Why Friskies costs less per day

  1. Bigger cans. Most Friskies cans are 5.5 oz with 123 to 181 calories. Most Fancy Feast cans are 3 oz with 49 to 106. A 10 lb cat eats about 1.5 cans of Friskies Pâté Seafood & Chicken a day, or 2.8 cans of Fancy Feast Classic Pâté Chicken & Beef.5
  2. Lower price per can. $0.82 a can in the 40-can Friskies Pâté Seafood & Chicken pack, against $0.95 in the 24-can Fancy Feast Classic Pâté Chicken & Beef pack. See the cheapest wet cat food per day across all brands.4
  3. Protein is about the same. The typical Friskies recipe is 50% protein once the water is out; the typical Fancy Feast recipe is 50%.6, 7

When Fancy Feast is the better buy

Your cat needs fewer carbs. Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Pâté in Gravy is 4% carbs. Most Friskies pâtés run 11 to 20%. One exception: Friskies Extra Gravy Paté with Salmon in Savory Gravy is 3% at $1.42 a day, the cheapest low-carb meal we found. See all low-carb meals.2

You want to skip carrageenan. All 10 of the Friskies pâtés we read list carrageenan, a seaweed thickener some owners avoid, including Friskies Extra Gravy Paté with Salmon in Savory Gravy. 5 of the 18 Fancy Feast pâtés do. See wet cat food without carrageenan.

Your cat eats small meals. A 3 oz can is gone in one sitting, so there are no half-used cans in the fridge. For Friskies on its own, see is Friskies good for cats. Sheba trays are smaller still; see Sheba vs Fancy Feast.

Every best-selling pack, side by side

Carbs and protein are shares of the food once the water is taken out, so cans and pouches compare fairly. Lab = from the brand's own lab test; the rest are estimates from the label, which run low for very meaty cans. Cost per day = what a 10 lb adult cat eating only this food would cost.

RecipeCarbsProteinCans a dayCost per day
Friskies Pâté Seafood & Chicken (40 cans)11 to 20% carbs41 to 50% protein1.5$1.21 a day
Friskies Prime Filets (48 cans)12% carbs56% protein2.1$1.53 a day
Friskies Tasty Treasures (12 cans)20% carbs50% protein1.9$1.62 a day
Friskies Shreds (40 cans)17 to 19% carbs50% protein2.0$1.65 a day
Friskies Prime Filets Surfin' & Turfin' (40 cans)12% carbs56% protein2.1$1.71 a day
Friskies Extra Gravy Chunky (24 cans)14% carbs50% protein2.1$1.72 a day
Fancy Feast Classic Pâté Chicken & Beef (24 cans)9 to 10% carbs46 to 50% protein2.8$2.69 a day
Fancy Feast Classic Pâté Seafood (30 cans)10 to 15% carbs50 to 54% protein3.0$2.84 a day
Fancy Feast Classic Pâté Seafood (24 cans)10 to 15% carbs50 to 54% protein3.0$2.89 a day
Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Pâté in Gravy (24 cans)4% carbs47% protein3.3$3.14 a day
Fancy Feast Grilled Seafood (24 cans)14 to 16% carbs55% protein3.7$3.49 a day
Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Poultry & Beef (30 cans)14% carbs50% protein4.0$3.72 a day
Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Poultry & Beef (24 cans)14% carbs50% protein4.0$3.79 a day

Source: Purina label files for each can in each pack; pack contents from retailer listings; Amazon prices read October 27, 20264

Cost per day vs carbs, every recipe we price

$0$1$2$3$4$50%5%10%15%20%25%Carbs, once the water is out

Fancy Feast (15)Friskies (16) · Up: cost per day. Across: carbs, once the water is out.

Questions people ask

Is Fancy Feast better than Friskies?
Neither is better overall. Friskies costs less per day. Most Fancy Feast pâtés have fewer carbs than most Friskies pâtés, which run 11 to 20%. One Friskies pâté, Friskies Extra Gravy Paté with Salmon in Savory Gravy, is just 3%.
Are Fancy Feast and Friskies made by the same company?
Yes. Both are Purina brands, and Purina's label files list the same maker for both.
Why is Friskies cheaper?
Its cans are bigger (5.5 oz against 3 oz) and cost less each. A 10 lb cat needs about 1.5 cans of Friskies a day, or about 2.8 of Fancy Feast.
Can I mix Fancy Feast and Friskies?
Yes. Both are complete meals. Count the calories of each can so your cat gets about the same total each day.
Is Friskies healthy for cats?
The Friskies meals we read are complete meals under AAFCO rules. Friskies Prime Filets has the most protein of its packs (56%). Most Friskies pâtés and Shreds run higher in carbs than Fancy Feast pâtés.

Review log

  • Prices checked on Amazon October 27, 2026.
  • : Published

Notes and sources

  • Numbers are Purina's own, from its label files, read October 2026. See how we do the math.
  • What is inside each variety pack comes from retailer listings of the same pack; Amazon's pages don't list it.
  • Product photos come from Amazon.
  1. What is in the Friskies Pâté Seafood & Chicken pack: retailer listing of the same pack, read October 27, 2026.
  2. Friskies label: Extra Gravy Paté with Salmon in Savory Gravy, read October 2026.
  3. What is in the Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Pâté in Gravy pack: retailer listing of the same pack, read October 27, 2026.
  4. Prices: Amazon product data, read October 27, 2026. Cost per can = listing price divided by the number of cans.
  5. Merck Veterinary Manual, "Nutritional Requirements of Small Animals" (resting energy = 70 x body weight in kg to the 0.75; neutered adult cat = 1.2 x that), read October 27, 2026.
  6. What is in the Friskies Prime Filets pack: retailer listing of the same pack, read October 27, 2026.
  7. What is in the Fancy Feast Classic Pâté Chicken & Beef pack: retailer listing of the same pack, read October 27, 2026.
  8. What is in the Friskies Tasty Treasures pack: retailer listing of the same pack, read October 27, 2026.
  9. What is in the Friskies Shreds pack: retailer listing of the same pack, read October 27, 2026.
  10. What is in the Friskies Prime Filets Surfin' & Turfin' pack: retailer listing of the same pack, read October 27, 2026.
  11. What is in the Friskies Extra Gravy Chunky pack: retailer listing of the same pack, read October 27, 2026.
  12. What is in the Fancy Feast Classic Pâté Seafood pack: retailer listing of the same pack, read October 27, 2026.
  13. What is in the Fancy Feast Classic Pâté Seafood pack: retailer listing of the same pack, read October 27, 2026.
  14. What is in the Fancy Feast Grilled Seafood pack: retailer listing of the same pack, read October 27, 2026.
  15. What is in the Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Poultry & Beef pack: retailer listing of the same pack, read October 27, 2026.
  16. What is in the Fancy Feast Gravy Lovers Poultry & Beef pack: retailer listing of the same pack, read October 27, 2026.

Labels for the recipes in the tables