35% OFF
Essence &
Natural Balance
First Auto-Ship
20% OFF
Essence &
Natural Balance
First Auto-Ship w/ Code: PAWDIET20
15% OFF
Natural Balance
For New Customers w/ Code: AFPAWDIET
Compare Essence To
Compare Natural Balance To
Brands Similar To
Ingredient Reviews
35% OFF
Essence &
Natural Balance
First Auto-Ship
20% OFF
Essence &
Natural Balance
First Auto-Ship w/ Code: PAWDIET20
15% OFF
Natural Balance
For New Customers w/ Code: AFPAWDIET
Essence vs. Natural Balance
In this comparison article for Essence vs Natural Balance, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Essence and Natural Balance, we'll use up-to-date nutritional and price information.
There are many factors to consider when choosing the best pet food brand for your pet. Factors such as ingredient quality, guaranteed analysis, product safety, brand history, and cost are among the most important factors to consider.
Throughout this Natural Balance vs Essence comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Essence Review Page or Natural Balance Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Natural Balance vs. Essence
According to AAFCO, all pet food labels must provide a guaranteed analysis of nutrient content. The analysis must provide guaranteed minimum percentages of crude protein and crude fat, and maximum percentages of crude fiber and moisture.
All percentages used in this comparison are averages reported on a dry matter basis.
Essence Dog Food vs. Natural Balance Dog Food
| Dry Dog Food | Essence | Natural Balance |
| Crude Protein | 40.9% | 27.6% |
| Crude Fat | 19.3% | 14.4% |
| Crude Fiber | 5.7% | 5.2% |
| Wet/Canned Dog Food | Essence | Natural Balance |
| Crude Protein | 46.2% | 39.7% |
| Crude Fat | 32.6% | 20.5% |
| Crude Fiber | 6.0% | 8.5% |
Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food
Dogs require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Twelve of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining ten are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these ten essential amino acids.
On average, Essence dry dog food recipes contain 13.24% more protein than Natural Balance recipes. Clearly, there is a significant difference between the protein content of Natural Balance and Essence. For wet dog foods, Essence provides more protein (about 6.53% more).
Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food
Like protein, fats are an essential part of a dog's body. Fats are needed for the proper development and function of the canine body.
The table shows that Natural Balance provides far less fat than Essence. The difference in fat content is roughly 4.96%. In addition, Essence wet dog foods also provide more fat than Natural Balance wet foods.
As you can see, Natural Balance and Essence guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber. For wet dog foods, Natural Balance typically provides a little more fiber (about 2.47% more).
Essence Cat Food vs. Natural Balance Cat Food
| Dry Cat Food | Essence | Natural Balance |
| Crude Protein | 44.1% | 36.8% |
| Crude Fat | 18.5% | 14.3% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.8% | 5.5% |
| Wet/Canned Cat Food | Essence | Natural Balance |
| Crude Protein | 46.2% | 46.7% |
| Crude Fat | 31.8% | 20.2% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.8% | 7.1% |
Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food
Cats require twenty-two amino acids to sustain life. Eleven of these amino acids are synthesized naturally, the remaining eleven are consumed. Protein is the nutrient which provides some or all of these eleven essential amino acids.
Our analysis shows that Essence guarantees 7.28% more protein than Natural Balance dry cat food recipes. For wet cat foods, Natural Balance and Essence provide roughly the same amount of protein.
Crude Fat Comparison For Cat Food
There are many ways in which dietary fat contributes to the overall health of our feline friends. Here is a short list of benefits provided by fats (not exhaustive):
- Help transport nutrients across cell membranes
- Fats produce metabolites, which help control inflammation
- Maintain healthy blood pressure
- Slow the growth of yeast infections
- Fats improve the taste/texture of food.
There is a relatively large difference between the fat content of Essence and Natural Balance. On average, Natural Balance dry cat food recipes contain 4.20% less fat than Essence recipes. In addition, Essence wet cat foods also provide more fat than Natural Balance wet foods.
Essence and Natural Balance both provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. For wet cat foods, Natural Balance typically provides a little more fiber (about 2.30% more).
Essence Pet Food Ingredients vs. Natural Balance Pet Food Ingredients
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Natural Balance.
We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.
Here are some of the harmful ingredients used only by Natural Balance.
Product Safety: Recall History of Essence & Natural Balance?
According to our records, Essence has never been recalled.
Natural Balance has been recalled 6 times.
- July 21, 2007: ofbotulinum toxin
- May 4, 2012: Salmonella
- June 18, 2010: Salmonella
- April 27, 2007: Melamine
- April 17, 2007: Melamine
- July 3, 2020: elevated levels of choline chloride
Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?
| Dry Dog Food | Essence | Natural Balance |
| Per Pound | $4.11 | $5.23 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0024 | $0.0029 |
| Dry Cat Food | Essence | Natural Balance |
| Per Pound | $4.64 | $3.69 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0027 | $0.0023 |
| Wet Dog Food | Essence | Natural Balance |
| Per Pound | $4.99 | $6.27 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0090 | $0.0137 |
| Wet Cat Food | Essence | Natural Balance |
| Per Pound | $5.98 | $7.63 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0103 | $0.0183 |
The average cost-per-lb is heavily influenced by the varying amounts of moisture present in each brand's food products (wet vs. dry food, dry vs. freeze-dried food, etc). However, the average cost-per-kcal eliminates the influence of moisture. Therefore, the average cost-per-kcal is the better metric to consider.
If you'd like to calculate the average cost-per-day or cost-pet-year of feeding Essence or Natural Balance, input your pet's weight into our cost analyzer widget.
Averages price data can identify whether or not there exists a significant price difference between two brands. However, the actual price that you'll pay for Essence or Natural Balance will depend on your shopping habits.
Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Essence and Natural Balance. In addition, we currently have some great coupons for our readers.
- 20% Off First Auto-Ship @ PetFlow (Use Code PAWDIET20)
- 35% Off First Auto-Ship @ Chewy (No Code Required)
- 15% Off The Entire Site @ OnlyNaturalPet (Use Code AFPAWDIET)
Disclosure: PawDiet has an affiliate relationship with stores featured (or linked-to) in this article. We are compensated for referring customers. Thank you for shopping with our retail partners!
Where To Buy Essence Pet Foods
You can purchase Essence pet foods from the following stores:
Where To Buy Natural Balance Pet Foods
You can purchase Natural Balance pet food products from these retailers:
Type Of Pet Foods Available
| Product | Essence | Natural Balance |
| Dry Dog Food | 6 Recipes | 39 Recipes |
| Wet Dog Food | 6 Recipes | 27 Recipes |
| Dog Treats | None | 33 Treats |
| Dry Cat Food | 3 Recipes | 16 Recipes |
| Wet Cat Food | 3 Recipes | 43 Recipes |
| Cat Treats | None | None |
Top Rated Essence Recipes
Top Rated Natural Balance Recipes
