Comparisons
AlphaPak vs. Instinct: Freeze-Dried Raw Beef, Side by Side
AlphaPak · Reviewed by our veterinary and formulation team · Updated September 14, 2026
AlphaPak Beef and Instinct FreshDried Raw Meals Grass-Fed Beef are both freeze-dried raw. Both are made in the USA. Instinct runs a large, well-documented safety program. AlphaPak has the shorter label: whole meat, organ, bone, and produce, no added vitamin and mineral premix, 51% protein, and calories printed per cup.
Instinct is a big, established brand with a serious safety program, and it deserves a fair look. If you are choosing between Instinct and AlphaPak, here are the facts from both labels, side by side. We read them from each company's own website on September 14, 2026, and we link to every page at the bottom.
The facts, side by side
| AlphaPak Beef | Instinct FreshDried Raw Meals Beef | |
|---|---|---|
| Main protein | Beef | Beef |
| First five ingredients | Beef meat, flaxseed, beef kidney, beef liver, beef heart | Beef, beef liver, beef kidney, beef spleen, pumpkin seeds |
| Crude protein (min) | 51% | 36% |
| Crude fat (min) | 27.5% | 29% |
| Calories | 246 kcal per cup (4,458 kcal/kg) | Not published on their product page |
| Added vitamin & mineral premix | None. The list ends with mixed tocopherols, a natural preservative | Yes: vitamins (vitamin E supplement, thiamine mononitrate, vitamin D3 supplement), tricalcium phosphate, potassium chloride, minerals (zinc, copper, and manganese proteinates, calcium iodate). Also salmon oil, montmorillonite clay, and lactic acid |
| AAFCO statement | AlphaPak Freeze-Dried Dog Food is formulated to meet the nutritional levels established by the AAFCO nutritional profiles for all dog life stages, including growth and development of large size dogs (70 lbs or more as adult dogs). | Not on the product page. Their FAQ: 'Our frozen raw meals and freeze-dried raw meals offer complete and balanced nutrition, following the AAFCO dog and cat food nutrient profiles.' |
| Made in | USA | USA (company-owned kitchens in Lincoln, Nebraska) |
| Safety process, as each brand describes it | We run a kill-step process and test the finished food, and the equipment it is made on, for Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli. | 'Cold-pressured' (HPP) on all frozen and freeze-dried raw; every batch tested by an external ISO 17025 certified lab before it ships |
| Format | Cubes; add warm water before serving | Small bites (3 oz to 45 oz bags) |
Both foods lead with beef, liver, and kidney. Both are made in the USA, and both are complete meals. Instinct's recipe is 85% meat and organ with 15% produce and other ingredients, and it adds a vitamin and mineral premix. From there the labels part ways.
What Instinct does well
Instinct's food-safety program is one of the most thorough in raw. Every frozen and freeze-dried batch goes through high-pressure processing, and every batch is tested by an outside certified lab before it leaves their Lincoln, Nebraska kitchens. They own those kitchens. The bites are small and easy to pour, the bags come in many sizes, and you can find the brand in most pet stores. The recipe includes salmon oil, a marine source of omega-3.
Where AlphaPak pulls ahead
Read past the produce on Instinct's label and you reach the added nutrients: three vitamins, four minerals, two phosphate and chloride salts, plus clay and lactic acid. That is a normal, accepted way to build a complete food. It is not the only way.
AlphaPak reaches the same complete-and-balanced standard with whole food alone. The beef, organs, bone, and produce supply every vitamin and mineral in the bag. Our list ends with mixed tocopherols, a natural preservative, and nothing else.
The protein gap is also wide. AlphaPak Beef is 51% protein at 27.5% fat. Instinct's beef is 36% protein at 29% fat. Similar fat, far more protein. And we print calories per cup and per kilogram on the product page, where Instinct's page leaves them off.
On omega-3, we will be straight with you. Instinct's salmon oil is a real plus. Our omega-3 comes from flaxseed, a plant source.
What the research says about digestibility
In a University of Illinois study, adult dogs fed raw and mildly cooked diets digested more of their food than dogs fed kibble (Algya et al., 2018). A later study saw the same pattern with freeze-dried raw (Geary et al., 2024). These are findings about diet types, not tests of any one brand. Both AlphaPak and Instinct are raw and never cooked, so both sit on the right side of that line. Where we go further is keeping the whole-food approach all the way to the end of the label.
How each is made safe
Instinct runs high-pressure processing on all of its raw and tests every batch with an external certified lab. We run a kill-step process and test the finished food, and the equipment it is made on, for Salmonella, Listeria, and E. coli. Both approaches are serious. Freeze-drying does not cook the food, so treat either one like raw at home: wash hands and bowls, seal the bag, and toss rehydrated leftovers after two hours. More in is freeze-dried raw safe?.
Which one is right for your dog?
If you want a brand you can grab at most pet stores, with HPP and marine omega-3 in the food, Instinct is a dependable pick. If you want the shortest label, no added vitamin and mineral pack, much more protein, and the numbers printed where you can check them, AlphaPak is built for you. Switch slowly over about a week, and talk with your vet if your dog has special needs.
Where these numbers come from
- Instinct FreshDried Raw Meals Grass-Fed Beef Recipe, product page, read September 14, 2026
- Instinct, FAQs and Is Raw Food Safe for My Cat or Dog?, read September 14, 2026
- AlphaPak Freeze-Dried Raw Beef, product page
AlphaPak is a food, not a medicine, and nothing here replaces your vet's advice. Not sure which recipe fits your dog? Find your recipe takes about a minute, and we are happy to help.
Common questions
- Is Instinct FreshDried Raw Meals complete and balanced?
- Instinct's FAQ says its frozen and freeze-dried raw meals offer complete and balanced nutrition following the AAFCO dog food nutrient profiles. The formal statement is not printed on the beef product page. AlphaPak Beef carries the AAFCO statement for all life stages and prints it on the product page.
- How many calories are in Instinct FreshDried beef?
- Instinct does not publish calorie content on the FreshDried Raw Meals Grass-Fed Beef product page. AlphaPak Beef is 246 kcal per cup and 4,458 kcal per kilogram, printed on our product page.
- Which has more protein, AlphaPak or Instinct?
- AlphaPak Beef is 51% protein and 27.5% fat (minimums, as sold). Instinct FreshDried Raw Meals Grass-Fed Beef is 36% protein and 29% fat. AlphaPak has a good deal more protein at a similar fat level.
More in Comparisons
Sources
- Algya, K. M., Cross, T.-W. L., Leuck, K. N., Kastner, M. E., Baba, T., Lye, L., de Godoy, M. R. C., & Swanson, K. S. (2018). Apparent total-tract macronutrient digestibility, serum chemistry, urinalysis, and fecal characteristics, metabolites and microbiota of adult dogs fed extruded, mildly cooked, and raw diets. Journal of Animal Science. DOI: 10.1093/jas/sky235
- Geary, E. L., Oba, P. M., Templeman, J. R., & Swanson, K. S. (2024). Apparent total tract nutrient digestibility of frozen raw, freeze-dried raw, fresh, and extruded dog foods and their effects on serum metabolites and fecal characteristics, metabolites, and microbiota of healthy adult dogs. Translational Animal Science. DOI: 10.1093/tas/txae163
AlphaPak is a food, not a medicine. Our products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Statements about nutrition describe the role of whole-food ingredients in supporting normal health and are not a substitute for veterinary care. Individual results vary.