Chewy vs PetSmart – Differences and Price Comparisons in 2025

Review Summary

Chewy and PetSmart are fierce rivals in the world of pet supply companies. Both provide extensive selections of products while keeping prices fair and offering convenient shopping options. Chewy is an online-only company, and it excels at providing this service since it is its only focus. On the other hand, PetSmart offers many services, making it more of a one-stop-shop experience.

Both stores are, rightfully, quite popular among pet enthusiasts. The appeal of their frequent sales and seasonal product rotations keeps both companies relevant and competitive. They offer fast shipping options, with PetSmart even offering same-day home delivery and pick-up in stores to get your products to you fast.

Chewy seeks to provide products to people with pets of all types, even livestock like pigs and chickens. PetSmart happily focuses exclusively on small animal products, serving people with dogs, cats, reptiles, fish, and other small animals. Both sell products for pond care, although Chewy’s selection is more extensive.

At a Glance

Let’s look at the key points of each company.

Overview of Chewy:

Shipping

Chewy has quickly established itself as one of the top sellers of pet supplies in the US. They offer fast shipping with free 1–3 day shipping for orders over $49, and they can ship anywhere within the contiguous US. Unfortunately, they cannot ship to Alaska, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, APO addresses, or international addresses.

Product Selection

They carry supplies for everything from cats and dogs to horses and pigs. They also have supplies for pond care and maintenance. Chewy is a fantastic source of supplies to care for all of your pets, as well as the wild birds and squirrels in your yard.

Some people find it challenging to order in-demand items that have recently been on sale, but Chewy sets aside products to meet the needs of customers who have auto-ship orders set up, so you’re not left hanging without necessary products, like pet food.

Customer Service

Chewy prides itself in excellent customer service, and they are known to send gifts and cards to customers after the loss of a pet, during the holidays, or during a pet’s birthday. Their customer service is available via chat, email, and phone, giving you plenty of options to reach out with questions or concerns about products or your orders.

Physical Locations

At this time, Chewy does not offer in-store shopping options. This allows them to focus on the processes associated with online order fulfillment to ensure customers receive their items in a timely manner. If you run out of a product at the last minute, you may have to make a trip to a local pet store while waiting for your Chewy order to arrive.

Overview of PetSmart:

Shipping

Like Chewy, PetSmart can only ship within the contiguous US and cannot service customers with APO addresses. However, PetSmart offers free shipping on orders over $49 and, in most areas, same-day delivery via DoorDash. It also offers curbside pick-up options.

Product Selection

PetSmart focuses on small animals, so it carries all the supplies you need for cats, dogs, reptiles, fish, and other small animals. It does not have supplies for livestock animals or horses. It has some pond supplies, but its pond products are limited and less inclusive than Chewy’s.

Customer Service

PetSmart has existed since 1986, and it hasn’t made it this far with poor customer service. PetSmart works hard to provide excellent customer service and offers hassle-free returns in stores and online. They also work with local rescues and shelters to adopt out animals, and they work with charities to provide for animals, which shows PetSmart’s commitment to the communities they are in.

Physical Locations

PetSmart has around 1,500 physical store locations, so you’re never too far from a PetSmart store if you live in the contiguous US. The in-person and online shopping options make their products more accessible to many people, and it allows you to quickly run by the store to grab things at the last minute.

What Are the Differences Between Them?

Shipping

Chewy and PetSmart are almost tied regarding shipping, but PetSmart pulls slightly ahead because of its same-day home delivery and curbside pick-up options. Having physical store locations allows PetSmart to provide faster shipping to more people.

Price

The prices between PetSmart and Chewy are similar, but Chewy wins this category as its products are regularly slightly less expensive. Both stores periodically put items on sale and offer deals that make expensive products more affordable. Chewy has fewer overhead expenses associated with its products since they are not shipped from warehouses to stores, where employees would then be paid to put the items on the shelves.

Some Chewy products run up to 20% less expensive than PetSmart, although the prices at baseline tend to be very similar.

Product Selection

Chewy carries more products than PetSmart. They have a broader focus and have supplies for small and large animals, while PetSmart’s product selection is condensed only to serve small animals. Even in the realm of small animals, Chewy’s has a wider selection.

Convenience

Since there are so many physical locations, PetSmart is the clear winner of the convenience category. If you need a last-minute item, you can run by PetSmart and grab it. Unfortunately, Chewy cannot keep up with this convenience since it doesn’t have in-person stores. Due to its lack of physical locations, Chewy can’t provide same-day shipping or pick-up options.

What the Users Say

We’ve looked to see what people are saying about Chewy and PetSmart to help you determine which store is better for your needs. Both companies are neck-in-neck when it comes to the services and products they provide, although PetSmart edges out Chewy on convenience and shipping options, while Chewy often provides lower prices.

Customers rave about PetSmart’s product selection for aquarium décor and pet toys. One customer even considers PetSmart a great place to get “virtually everything” needed for the care of small animals. They find the staff to be generally kind and helpful. Overall, PetSmart’s customer service is highly praised, and most people are satisfied with it.

For Chewy, customers regularly discuss the excellent customer service the employees provide. The large selection of products and fair prices are a hot topic in Chewy reviews, and most customers are blown away by the product options and lower prices found through Chewy than other large pet supply retailers.

The consensus between Chewy and PetSmart is that many people seem happier with Chewy than with PetSmart. This is partly due to the extended services that PetSmart offers, like grooming and boarding, which opens more opportunities for people to be unhappy with the service. On the other hand, Chewy only provides products to customers and doesn’t offer additional services, which means that if people are happy with the products, selection, and prices, they’re likely to be pleased with the company.

Conclusion

Chewy may not be the clear winner of all categories, but it is the overall winner compared to PetSmart. Chewy offers more products for more animals, generally at lower prices than PetSmart. They have fantastic customer service and fast shipping, although they cannot provide same-day delivery or pick-up.

The appeal of PetSmart comes from its convenience of having so many stores and same-day shipping and pick-up options. Their customer service is top-notch, but their higher prices and smaller product selection allow Chewy to eke PetSmart out of the top spot.

• You may also want to read: 10 Best Cat Foods at PetSmart – Reviews & Top Picks