Guides/Worth it
Is Open Farm worth it in 2026?
Open Farm is worth it when you want a traceable ingredient story, you will pay boutique-kibble prices on purpose, and the dog does well on the recipe your veterinarian already saw.
It is not worth it as a medical diet, as a default large-breed puppy food you picked off a farm photo, or as proof that a bag is “better” because Pro Plan looks industrial. Official: openfarmpet.com. Dated September 23, 2026. Not a veterinarian. The grocery comparison is Blue Buffalo vs Pro Plan.
Gregory Greenstein·Editor, Petacent
Published September 23, 2026
Updated September 23, 2026
Pricing checked September 23, 2026
12 min read
Not a veterinarian, not medical advice. Petacent publishes buying guides. We do not diagnose, prescribe, or endorse treatments. Diet changes, pain, litter-box avoidance, and sudden behavior shifts belong with a licensed veterinarian who has examined your animal.
Verdict
Worth it: a healthy adult dog, a grain-inclusive recipe (their ancient-grains line, not the grain-free one by default), a household that will keep buying the same SKU, and a veterinarian who has seen the bag.
Not worth it: you needed the cheapest complete diet, you needed a prescription food, or you think “humanely raised” replaces the nutritional adequacy statement on the label. Read whether that bag says it was fed in trials or formulated to meet a profile. We are not auditing the mill. A photograph of a pasture is not a trial.
If the dog is already stable on Pro Plan or Hill’s, switching to make the pantry look nicer is a stool experiment, not a health upgrade.
What you are buying
Open Farm sells dry food, with a long flavor list, plus softer formats (gently cooked, freeze-dried, mixes) that are a different price and a different storage problem. This page is the kibble decision. The fresh-food transition, if you were actually shopping stew, is how to transition to fresh food and is The Farmer’s Dog worth it.
The sourcing pages are the product. Lot codes, a list of ingredients they want you to recognize, and a welfare story. That can be a real preference. It is not a digestibility score we measured.
Goodbowl is their cheaper line. If you only wanted “the Open Farm name” at a grocery price, you are shopping a different bag. Read that label too. Do not assume the $20 bag is the $100 recipe in a smaller font.
The money (September 23, 2026)
On Open Farm’s own grass-fed beef grain-free page, the 4 lb bag has been listed at $29.99 ($7.49/lb), the 11 lb at $64.99 ($5.90/lb), and the 22 lb at $102.99 ($4.68/lb), sometimes with a first-order discount struck through above those numbers. Ancient-grains recipes on the collection page often start near $30 for the small bag. Goodbowl has listed closer to $20–$24. Confirm the SKU. We are not quoting your cart.
A large Pro Plan bag is often about $50–$90 and usually more pounds per dollar than a 22 lb Open Farm bag near $100. Call Open Farm several dollars a pound on the big bag and higher on the small one. A 60-pound dog eating the small bag “to try it” is how the month gets away from you. Buy a size you can finish while it is fresh, then decide.
There is no partner code of ours on the button. Official site or a retailer with a return policy. Chewy Autoship only helps if you have already finished the transition.
Open Farm’s published bag math for one grain-free beef kibble, not every recipe
| Bag | Listed price | Per pound on that page |
|---|---|---|
| 4 lb | $29.99 | $7.49 |
| 11 lb | $64.99 | $5.90 |
| 22 lb | $102.99 | $4.68 |
Grain-free is still grain-free
A lot of the famous Open Farm recipes are grain-free. The brand also sells ancient-grains recipes. Our default, here and on the grain-free page, is the grain-inclusive bag unless a veterinarian told you otherwise.
The FDA’s DCM investigation is about a pattern of diets, many of them grain-free and legume-heavy, not about one logo. Open Farm does not get a pass because the cow had a name. Pro Plan does not get a pass on its own grain-free SKUs either.
Puppy and large-breed growth is a clinic conversation. “Complete and balanced for all life stages” is a sentence you read, not a sentence you assume.
Skip-ifs
Skip Open Farm if $5 a pound is the entire food budget and you still need flea prevention, a crate, and a checkup. The first-year cost guide is the honest stack. A prettier bag does not shrink the vaccine line.
Skip it as a treatment for itch, ears, or diarrhea. That is allergy food and a veterinarian. Skip mixing it with leftovers as a homemade topper plan. Farmer’s Dog math and Open Farm math do not become moderate if you combine them.