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Evolve &
Instinct
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20% OFF
Instinct
First Auto-Ship w/ Code: PAWDIET20
15% OFF
Instinct
For New Customers w/ Code: AFPAWDIET
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35% OFF
Evolve &
Instinct
First Auto-Ship
20% OFF
Instinct
First Auto-Ship w/ Code: PAWDIET20
15% OFF
Instinct
For New Customers w/ Code: AFPAWDIET
Evolve vs. Instinct
In this comparison article for Evolve vs Instinct, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Evolve and Instinct, 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 Instinct vs Evolve comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Evolve Review Page or Instinct Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Instinct vs. Evolve
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.
Evolve Dog Food vs. Instinct Dog Food
| Dry Dog Food | Evolve | Instinct |
| Crude Protein | 28.6% | 36.2% |
| Crude Fat | 15.3% | 24.1% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.7% | 4.4% |
| Wet/Canned Dog Food | Evolve | Instinct |
| Crude Protein | 44.9% | 42.1% |
| Crude Fat | 28.4% | 27.7% |
| Crude Fiber | 6.6% | 10.0% |
Crude Protein Comparison For Dog Food
Protein is an extremely important part of your dog's diet. Without sufficient protein, dogs can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.
Evolve dry recipes contain 7.59% less protein than Instinct dry recipes. This difference in protein content is a notable difference between Instinct and Evolve. For wet dog foods, Evolve typically provides a little more protein (about 2.86% more).
Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food
Dietary fats serves a multitude of roles in the proper development and function of our canine companions. Here are some of the benefits (not exhaustive):
- Help produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among other critical functions.
- Aid in the absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
- Improve skin and coat health
- Improve the palatially of your dog's food
Instinct dry dog foods clearly provides more fat than Evolve. In fact, the difference between the fat content is roughly 8.82%, which is a significant amount. For wet dog foods, Evolve and Instinct provide roughly the same amount of fat.
Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. For wet dog foods, Instinct typically provides a little more fiber (about 3.37% more).
Evolve Cat Food vs. Instinct Cat Food
| Dry Cat Food | Evolve | Instinct |
| Crude Protein | 38.4% | 43.7% |
| Crude Fat | 16.8% | 25.4% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.5% | 3.7% |
| Wet/Canned Cat Food | Evolve | Instinct |
| Crude Protein | 50.2% | 47.1% |
| Crude Fat | 23.6% | 25.0% |
| Crude Fiber | 6.1% | 8.6% |
Crude Protein Comparison For Cat Food
Protein is an extremely important part of your cat's diet. Without sufficient protein, cats can develop a wide-range of serious health problems.
The table shows that Evolve provides far less protein than Instinct. The difference in protein content is roughly 5.22%. For wet cat foods, Evolve typically provides a little more protein (about 3.16% more).
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):
- Aid in the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
- Improve the health of skin/coat
- Slow the growth of yeast infections
- Slow the development and spread of certain type of cancers.
- Maintain healthy blood pressure
On average, Instinct dry cat food recipes contain 8.52% more fat than Evolve recipes. Clearly, there is a significant difference between the fat content of Evolve and Instinct. For wet cat foods, Instinct and Evolve provide roughly the same amount of fat.
As you can see, Instinct and Evolve guarantee a similar amount of crude fiber. For wet cat foods, Instinct typically provides a little more fiber (about 2.50% more).
Evolve Pet Food Ingredients vs. Instinct Pet Food Ingredients
Evolve and Instinct both use the following controversial ingredients in many of their products:
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Evolve.
Here are some of the controversial ingredients used only by Instinct.
We believe that certain pet food ingredients are linked to adverse health affects; these ingredients are classified as harmful.
Evolve and Instinct both use the following harmful ingredients in many of their products:
Product Safety: Recall History of Evolve & Instinct?
Evolve has been recalled 2 times.
- July 29, 2021: Aflatoxin
- Nov. 27, 2018: elevated levels of Vitamin D
Instinct has been recalled 2 times.
- July 24, 2015: Salmonella
- Feb. 15, 2013: Pieces of clear plastic in bag
Price Comparison: Which Brand Is More Expensive?
| Dry Dog Food | Evolve | Instinct |
| Per Pound | $3.03 | $8.93 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0019 | $0.0044 |
| Dry Cat Food | Evolve | Instinct |
| Per Pound | $3.11 | $11.49 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0019 | $0.0057 |
| Wet Dog Food | Evolve | Instinct |
| Per Pound | $4.91 | $6.31 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0133 | $0.0107 |
| Wet Cat Food | Evolve | Instinct |
| Per Pound | $5.93 | $8.87 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0155 | $0.0179 |
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 Evolve or Instinct, 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 Evolve or Instinct will depend on your shopping habits.
Pet owners who use our price comparison feature typically save more than 25% off retail prices for Evolve and Instinct. 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 Evolve Pet Foods
You can purchase Evolve pet foods from the following stores:
Where To Buy Instinct Pet Foods
You can purchase Instinct pet food products from these retailers:
Type Of Pet Foods Available
| Product | Evolve | Instinct |
| Dry Dog Food | 12 Recipes | 37 Recipes |
| Wet Dog Food | 7 Recipes | 10 Recipes |
| Dog Treats | 26 Treats | None |
| Dry Cat Food | 5 Recipes | 20 Recipes |
| Wet Cat Food | 11 Recipes | 16 Recipes |
| Cat Treats | None | None |
Top Rated Evolve Recipes
Top Rated Instinct Recipes
