These 12 automatic cat feeders were the best we tested in 2026
We tested some of the most popular dry and wet automatic pet feeders to see which ones are worth the money.
The best automatic feeder for cats who think it's always dinner time
We tested some of the most popular dry and wet automatic pet feeders to see which ones are worth the money.
Automatic cat feeding may change your life. No more begging at 4am. Plus, it can provide comfort when you're away from your fur baby. As seen with the rise of automatic litter boxes and pet tracking, technology has made it possible for us to keep a close eye on our pets without doing much of the manual work that is normally done.
Automatic gravity-fed dry food dispensers were invented nearly a century ago, but today, most automatic cat feeders use Wi-Fi and connect to a phone app that lets you set a schedule or adjust the food you need remotely, all while monitoring your pet's eating habits. Newer models take this technology even further, like the Petkit YumShare Dual-Hopper 2 Automatic Feeder with Camera ($170), which has an AI-enabled built-in camera that analyzes food left in the bowl and stops dispensing to prevent overfeeding. Automatic wet food dispensers—our top pick in this category is the Petlibro Polar Smart Wet Feeder ($170)—are relatively new and often use ice packs or small cooling systems to keep food fresh.
Automated feeding is also useful for pet parents who want to monitor their pets' health, maintain specialized schedules, or promote healthier eating habits. (An automatic cat feeder can help with the endless vomiting cycle that many cats struggle with.) Almost all of the automatic cat feeders on this list are for cats, but some can also be used with smaller dogs, and I've mentioned those below.
Check out our related guides, such as the best automatic litter boxes, the best cat fountains, the best smart cat collars, and the best pet cameras.
Updated October 2026: I added the Neakasa Riko Automatic Cat Feeder and the Petlibro Granary 2 Vision, and removed the Cheerble Match G1 in stock. I have also updated the prices and links.
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YumShare Dual-Hopper 2 automatic feeder with camera
This is an upgrade to one of my favorites below, the Petkit YumShare Dual-Hopper Automatic Feeder with Camera, with added AI features. It offers a clear video feed, night vision, adjustable food contacts and a dual funnel for two types of food. Through the connected app, you can set feeding schedules or feed both tanks on demand, use two-way audio and monitor the feeder from your phone. Unlike most other brands, the AI-powered camera doesn't require a subscription and can recognize up to 20 pets and log when each one has eaten. The camera also uses artificial intelligence to analyze food left in the bowl and stop dispensing to prevent overfeeding.
This feeder worked very well during testing, and I appreciate that you don't need to subscribe to the AI to identify different pets. However, I still think the Petkit Connect app isn't as reliable or easy to use as the Petlibro app.
Ability to store two types of food (including freeze-dried)
You need a membership plan to access some features
The app is not as user friendly as some others
This Petlibro Polar Wet Food Feeder solves almost every problem I've had with other automatic feeders for storing wet food - it's basically a mini fridge that keeps food fresh and connected to an app where you can schedule and customize meals and keep feeding logs. Food is dispensed into three wide, shallow stainless steel bowls, which means less chance of whisker fatigue with wide bowls or cat acne from bacteria-infested plastic. When it's time to feed, the cover slides back through the hole, revealing the food underneath.
The refrigerator uses thermoelectric cooling and stays at 50 degrees Fahrenheit or less. Cooling is stopped 30 minutes before the scheduled feeding time to ensure it is at the ideal temperature. Bowls are now numbered, so you can easily match foods to specific bowls in the app. Through the app, you can set schedules, manually feed on demand, and control how long it stays open—there's even a sensor to make sure it doesn't close while you're feeding your kitty. This is the best automatic wet feeder on the market in my opinion - I even bought a second one for my other cat.
Note: For certain Amazon locations, this feed is marked as "Frequently Returned Items". I haven't experienced any reliability or performance issues, and it's worked well for the past six months of testing.
This model is a new and improved version of one of my old favorites below, the Petlibro Granary Smart Camera Feeder. As before, it still has a great connected app for scheduling and monitoring nutrition, two-way audio, and a 1080p camera with night vision. But this new version also has a built-in scale to track levels and prevent overfeeding, an AI-powered camera that distinguishes pets and tracks eating habits, and a "smart fill mode" that keeps the bowl full automatically.
These improvements make this feeder one of the best on the market. I love that it now has a built-in scale (which measures food to the nearest gram) to prevent overfeeding, which is especially helpful when you're out of town and may not be closely monitoring your pets' eating habits. Multi-pet detection is also useful because, through the app, you can look at the report and see exactly who is eating and how much. However, some of the cooler features, such as AI camera multi-pet detection recorded by each pet and improved food insights, are only available with a paid subscription service ($96-$160 per year). During testing, the only problems I ran into were that the live camera footage was slow to load and sometimes gave me a "timeout" error message, a bright light automatically turned on when the cat approached at night, and there is no window to visually see how much kibble is in the tank.
Good connected app, built-in camera and two-way audio
Measures remaining kibbles and adjusts to prevent overfeeding
Many cool features can only be unlocked with a paid subscription
No window for visual inspection of food tank levels
I have never tested an automatic feed like this. If you've read my guide to cat water fountains, you know how vital it is to keep your cat hydrated to avoid potentially fatal infections and blockages (especially in males, like Basil the cat). Riko has a completely new design that transforms freeze-dried food into moist, soup-like food at feeding time. Through the connected app, Riko uses the information you provide about your cat(s) to personalize a feeding schedule for up to 20 meals per day, with meals ranging from 0.04 to 0.7 ounces—also ideal, as experts generally agree that cats prefer smaller, more frequent meals. You can also customize the water-to-food ratio, which can be adjusted from 1:1 to 5:1, with a traditional "mix" that is ground frozen and water is added. water only mode; and a food-only mode, which only grinds freeze-dried pieces. Riko is only compatible with freeze-dried food and measures less than 0.6 x 1 inch in length/width (more information can be found in the product specifications section). I used Smalls frozen meal ($24) during testing.
During testing, I primarily followed Ricoh's suggestions for feeding frequency and amount, which ended up being about once an hour. I liked that you could put it on autopilot if you didn't want to program it yourself, and there were also options for whether you wanted the mix wet or not. It's a great concept in theory, and fresh, hydrating foods are preferable to kibble. However, my cats didn't like the hydrated food and refused to eat it, so I would make sure your cats like this style before buying. (My cats had previously eaten the Smalls brand in freeze-dried form and loved it.) The entire process of grinding and rehydrating takes about five minutes and makes a noticeable grinding sound. Then, a little jingle jingle jingle, and the bowl automatically comes out with thick soup. I love this fully automatic system and appreciate that Riko is trying to solve the dehydration problems of cats. It's just a bummer that my (very spoiled) cats couldn't take it.
It is specially designed for cats, but small dogs can use it.
Provides a personalized feeding plan for your cat
If your cats are sensitive like mine, they may not like it
While it's not the most expensive auto feeder on this list, it's reliable, high-tech, and highly customizable. It is controlled via an app and dispenses food from its 5 liter capacity based on the meal plan you create. It has a 1080p HD camera with night vision so you can watch and hear your pet even when they are eating together and communicate with them through the speaker. Through the Petlibro app (for Android and iOS), you set a feeding schedule (up to six meals a day) or snacks in your desired amount, from one-twelfth cup to four cups. The app is easy to use, with highly customizable nutrition plans and meals that you can label individually. Our second option below, the Petkit YumShare Dual-Hopper Automatic Feeder with Camera, is similar in many ways, but the app is a little more intuitive, reliable, and user-friendly (plus we love the built-in camera for spying from afar).
It does not measure the food left in the bowl to prevent overeating
YumShare Dual-Hopper automatic feeder with camera
This model is being phased out in favor of the newer Petkit model above, but you can still find it on third-party sites, and it's still one of my favorite models I've ever tested.
This auto-feed is basically the same as the model above, but it doesn't include the AI-powered camera. It has an HD camera with a 140-degree viewing angle, infrared night vision, two-way audio with adjustable feed and a dual hopper that allows you to store and dispense two different types of food. Through the connected app, you can customize and set feeding schedules for two separate tanks, give snacks, and monitor the feeder from your phone. Additionally, the camera analyzes food remaining in the bowl and stops dispensing (to prevent overfeeding).
I love that the dual hopper can store different types of dry kibbles and frozen foods and dispense them separately. I recommend saving your Mola and just going with this model - unless you need AI to recognize cats, you can tell the difference between cats by camera for under $70.
Best cheap automatic single feeder with connected app
This is a stylish and smaller pet feeder from Petlibro. Although it has a simpler design and smaller capacity (2 liters) than others tested, this automatic feeder has a hygienic stainless steel bowl, rotor design, tight seal and a button that opens the top to keep the cable fresh (and is tamper-proof). It connects to the easy-to-use Petlibro app, where you can schedule up to 10 meals a day in one to 16 servings or feed on demand. Plus, unlike other Petlibro feeders I've tested, this one comes down to a very small 1/24 cup, which makes it easy if you just want to make a small snack.
It also has a rechargeable battery that lasts up to 30 days, so you have the freedom to move or stay put. Unlike many others on the list, it doesn't offer two-way audio or monitor when each pet is fed, and it only works on 2.4GHz Wi-Fi. But if you're looking for a cheaper, more basic auto-feeder (and you don't need a camera or sound), I recommend this model.
It can be used with cats or very small dogs.
It has a rechargeable battery for wireless use
This automatic feeder doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but it is an inexpensive double feeder. There's an app where you can customize meal plans for up to six meals a day, with each serving being 1/12 cup. It also has a front knob for meal planning if you don't want to use the app (I found the app to be very buggy, and I often relied on manual programming.) You can also record a 10-second meal message to play before mealtime. In case of a power outage, it can be plugged in or run on four pen batteries for your peace of mind. I love that the bowls are about a foot apart to make more room for my greedy cats, and the stainless steel sanitary bowls can be removed for easier cleaning. The program is very simple and could use some work, but this dual feeder works reliably, and I consider it to be excellent at this price.