35% OFF
Primal &
Natural Balance
First Auto-Ship
20% OFF
Primal &
Natural Balance
First Auto-Ship w/ Code: PAWDIET20
15% OFF
Primal &
Natural Balance
For New Customers w/ Code: AFPAWDIET
Compare Primal To
Compare Natural Balance To
Brands Similar To
Ingredient Reviews
35% OFF
Primal &
Natural Balance
First Auto-Ship
20% OFF
Primal &
Natural Balance
First Auto-Ship w/ Code: PAWDIET20
15% OFF
Primal &
Natural Balance
For New Customers w/ Code: AFPAWDIET
Primal vs. Natural Balance
In this comparison article for Primal vs Natural Balance, we'll highlight the key differences between these two pet food brands. To properly compare Primal 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 Primal comparison, we've utilized average data to make general comparisons. If you'd like to see individual product reviews, visit our Primal Review Page or Natural Balance Review Page.
Guaranteed Analysis: Natural Balance vs. Primal
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.
Primal Dog Food vs. Natural Balance Dog Food
| Dry Dog Food | Primal | Natural Balance |
| Crude Protein | 48.0% | 27.6% |
| Crude Fat | 26.7% | 14.4% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.6% | 5.2% |
| Wet/Canned Dog Food | Primal | Natural Balance |
| Crude Protein | 49.5% | 39.7% |
| Crude Fat | 28.4% | 20.5% |
| Crude Fiber | 5.3% | 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.
The comparison table above shows that Primal dry dog foods provide significantly more protein than Natural Balance. More specifically, Primal guarantees at least 20.38% more protein. Similarly, Primal wet dog foods provide significantly more protein than Natural Balance wet foods.
Crude Fat Comparison For Dog Food
Fats are an absolutely vital component of a balanced canine diet. Not only do fats provide energy, but they also serve important roles in the normal development and function of your dog's body. For example, fats help dogs produce prostaglandins, which reduce inflammation among many other significant functions.
Primal dry dog foods clearly provides more fat than Natural Balance. In fact, the difference between the fat content is roughly 12.36%, which is a significant amount. For wet dog foods, Primal provides more fat (about 7.93% more).
There is a relatively insignificant difference between the crude fiber content of the two brands. For wet dog foods, Natural Balance typically provides a little more fiber (about 3.18% more).
Primal Cat Food vs. Natural Balance Cat Food
| Dry Cat Food | Primal | Natural Balance |
| Crude Protein | 50.1% | 36.8% |
| Crude Fat | 24.0% | 14.3% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.8% | 5.5% |
| Wet/Canned Cat Food | Primal | Natural Balance |
| Crude Protein | 54.6% | 46.7% |
| Crude Fat | 25.4% | 20.2% |
| Crude Fiber | 4.1% | 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.
On average, Primal dry cat food recipes contain 13.35% more protein than Natural Balance recipes. Clearly, there is a significant difference between the protein content of Natural Balance and Primal. For wet cat foods, Primal provides more protein (about 7.82% 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):
- Fats help with the digestion and absorption of fat-soluble vitamins
- Reduce inflammation associated with arthritis
- Slow the growth of yeast infections
- Prevent or reduce the likelihood of certain heart problems.
- Aid in the development of the retina and visual cortex.
When you look at the average percentages of crude fat for dry cat food, it's clear that Primal provides significantly more fat. On average, Primal guarantees about 9.72% more protein than Natural Balance. For wet cat foods, Primal provides more fat (about 5.17% more).
Both brands provide roughly the same amount of crude fiber. For wet cat foods, Natural Balance typically provides a little more fiber (about 3.00% more).
Primal 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 Primal & Natural Balance?
Primal has been recalled 2 times.
- March 13, 2015: low thiamine level
- Dec. 22, 2017: incorrect bone grind size
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 | Primal | Natural Balance |
| Per Pound | $45.57 | $5.23 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0227 | $0.0029 |
| Dry Cat Food | Primal | Natural Balance |
| Per Pound | $45.93 | $3.69 |
| Per Calorie | $0.0230 | $0.0023 |
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 Primal 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 Primal 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 Primal 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 Primal Pet Foods
You can purchase Primal 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 | Primal | Natural Balance |
| Dry Dog Food | None | 39 Recipes |
| Wet Dog Food | None | 27 Recipes |
| Dog Treats | 6 Treats | 33 Treats |
| Dry Cat Food | None | 16 Recipes |
| Wet Cat Food | None | 43 Recipes |
| Cat Treats | None | None |
Top Rated Primal Recipes
Top Rated Natural Balance Recipes
