Is PupBox Worth It? (2024 Review)

Filed in Dog Subscription Boxes by on May 7, 2020

Smiling Maltese next to title of article 'Is PupBox Worth It?'Are you deciding whether PupBox is worth it? You may have heard about this popular subscription service.

In this review, I’ll take an in-depth look at PupBox to explain how the service works, pricing, pros, cons, and more.

Let me help you decide whether to subscribe to PupBox and what things to consider.

Note: Lately I’ve been receiving lots of complaints on PupBox’s quality of toys and treats. However, if still interested, keep on reading to find out more.

Just so you know, I may collect a small commission from the links below, but I only recommend products I find trustworthy.

What Exactly Is PupBox?

PupBox is a monthly subscription service which originally was geared toward new puppy parents, but now is for all life stages.

PupBox originally appeared on the show Shark Tank and were later sold to Petco.

Each month, you’ll receive a box at your door containing 5-7 items, along with helpful training guides. These items include a variety of toys, treats, chews, or grooming/cleaning products. The items change each month by taking into account your puppy’s age.

How Does Pupbox Work

Step 1- Build your profile

When signing up, you will provide specific information about your dog to help PupBox personalize the items in your box.

You will provide your dog’s name, birthday, gender, size. and coat type, along with any allergies they have.

Step 2- Choose your plan

You will then choose the length of your subscription plan for either 1, 3, 6 or 12 months.

You pay less per box based on the length of your subscription plan (see “How much is PupBox?” below).

Keep in mind that your plan automatically renews unless you cancel before the end of the chosen term.

Step 3 – Wait for delivery

PupBox states that your box will ship within one week of processing your payment.

Then it will take 5-10 business days to arrive, after you receive a tracking notification.

Note: when I signed up, my box was shipped in 2 days from entering my order, so they may be overestimating the time frames.

Shipping is free in the U.S. and $5 to Canada.

Pro Tip: If receiving a monthly box is too much for you, PupBox will allow you to have the boxes shipped every other month. However, it is not entirely recommended since the boxes grow on each other and you may miss some content.

Dog sitting next to a PupBox in the grassHow Much Is It?

The length of your subscription plan determines your cost per box. PupBox charges the following prices:

  • 1 Month for $39/month
  • 3 Months for $34/month
  • 6 Months for $32/month
  • 12 Months for $29/month

PupBox Coupons:

Get 50% off your first box with coupon code: PUPPY50

Get 90% off your first box with coupon code: BEAR

Get 85% off on select items with coupon code: YAPPYBDAY

Pros

1. PupBox can save you time and possibly money.

If you have a busy life, pet subscription boxes can help save you time. You won’t need to spend time shopping for toys and treats anymore.

Instead, you’ll have a box delivered each month to your door. In some cases, these boxes can save you money depending on where you buy dog toys. Each box has a retail value greater than $40.

2. The items are customized and tailored to the age and size of your dog.

One benefit of PupBox is that you will receive monthly products and training guides tailored to the age and size of your puppy. For example, if your puppy is in a teething phase, you will get teething toys.

However, if they are older, they may receive more interactive toys.

3. You’ll receive monthly training guides to help raise your puppy.

You will get these guides throughout the development of your puppy. The guides are created by Andrea Arden, who is a celebrity puppy trainer.

They can help save you time and research on how to properly raise your puppy. If you’re a new puppy owner, these guides are a definite plus when deciding whether PupBox is worth it.

4. They offer discounts throughout the year.

Throughout the year, PupBox offers different coupons and promotions.

5. You’ll receive new toys and treats each month to surprise your dog.

With 5-7 items in each box, your puppy should be entertained and surprised every month. You’ll receive a mix of toys, treats, chews, or grooming/cleaning products.

6. They’re allergy-friendly.

PupBox caters to common food allergies which you can indicate when subscribing. If your puppy has another type of allergy, they’ll also try to accommodate you.

7. All treats and chews are sourced in the U.S. or Canada.

Due to more regulations in the U.S. and Canada, you will have less to worry about such as harmful ingredients or additives.

8. Free shipping in the U.S.

Cons

1. PupBox is slightly more expensive than some other boxes.

With prices between $29-$39 per month depending on the length of your subscription, this is slightly higher than some other boxes.

For example, BarkBox costs between $22-$35 per month.

However, these services are not exactly the same and cater to different audiences.

More specifically, PupBox is more puppy focused and offers more products in their boxes.

2. You can only contact customer service by email.

As far as I can tell, communication is limited to email with their customer service.

There is an option for chat on their website, but it doesn’t appear to be available right now.

3. Their plans automatically renew, but you can turn off online.

There are some complaints online (Better Business Bureau) about problems with cancelling their subscription. I have read through these complaints. It appears that some consumers have confusion over the terms of cancellation.

While you can cancel anytime, you will still be billed and receive the remaining boxes under  your subscription plan. For example, if you sign up for a 3 month plan and cancel after the first month, you will still receive and pay for the remaining boxes under the plan (2 more boxes).

I personally have ordered PupBox for my dog, and cancellation was simple by turning off auto-renewal on their website.

4. Lately I have received some complaints on the quality of their toys and treats.

To be honest with my visitors, I have lately been receiving negative comments on PupBox (see comments below for example). These complaints have been about their toys and treats being lower quality.

On the other hand, I have also seen positive reviews, so I cannot explain what is happening. If you need stronger toys for a heavier chewer, I would probably recommend BarkBox Super Chewer or KongBox.

So Is PupBox Worth It?

Whether PupBox is worth it really depends on your needs. As mentioned, lately I have received some complaints on PupBox such as customers receiving lower quality toys and treats.

If your dogs are stronger chewers, I would look at some other boxes such as Super Chewer or Kong Box mentioned in my article on the best dog subscription box.

Personally, I had a great experience with PupBox and think it’s a good choice for dog owners especially puppy parents. But it’s important to review the pros and cons in this article to help decide if PupBox meets your goals and needs. For example, if saving time is important to you, then you may benefit from PupBox delivering handpicked items to your door each month.

You may also benefit from the guidance and training provided to new puppy owners. On the other hand, if you are already a seasoned dog owner, you may have no need for the training guides.

If you’re price sensitive, PupBox may or may not work for your budget. Keep in mind, you save money with the longer plans, plus can use coupons on your first box.

Another common concern with all dog subscription boxes is receiving too many toys over time. However, PupBox will allow you to alter your shipping schedule to every other month. However, PupBox doesn’t recommend altering the schedule since the boxes build upon each other.

Lastly, if you’re still unsure of whether PupBox is worth it, you can try out their monthly plan first.

PupBox Coupons:

Get 50% off your first box with coupon code: PUPPY50

Get 90% off your first box with coupon code: BEAR

Get 85% off on select items with coupon code: YAPPYBDAY

Comments (24)

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  1. JS says:

    We had a bad experience with Pupbox. We ordered 3 months worth. Upon making our first order we stated what our pup was allergic to (chicken) so that we wouldn’t get those treats. They then sent us fish treats that were open and smelled up everything we received in the box. We also received pumpkin treats that our dog would not eat. We emailed them and they sent us turkey treats to make up for the others that lead to our dog throwing up. In the second box they sent us chicken treats, even though we said that our dog was allergic to chicken orginally. I went into our account preferences and updated all of these to do not send for treats, turkey, chicken, fish and pumkin. our third box had turkey treats as well. Not to mention that all of the toys in each box were cheap and everything in the box could have been purchased at the store for less than half of the price we paid.

    • Todd says:

      Sorry to hear that you had a bad experience. Sounds like someone dropped the ball on your subscription. I hope they can do something to make up for it like refund your money.

      • Nic Cole says:

        We had a pretty similar experience with our 3 month subscription and will NOT be renewing. The pumpkin treats are just awful, by the way.

    • Team PupBox says:

      Hey JS, thanks for the feedback. We’re so sorry to hear that notes were missed on your pup’s profile. Please feel free to shoot an email to info@pupbox.com so we can help make things right for you.
      Woofs and Wags,
      – Team PupBox

  2. Mimi says:

    Not really happy with the subscription, I should have read that you are force to keep the subscription, I have a Doberman puppy and expect the box to be geared towards her breed, but it is just a generic box. The toys they sent were destroyed the same day, treat bag seemed half empty. Totally unhappy with it.

    • Todd says:

      Sorry to hear your experience. Lately I have been getting some negative comments on their service. I plan to edit my review with these recent concerns. Thanks for your feedback. I would contact their customer service if you haven’t done so already.

    • Team PupBox says:

      Hi Mimi,

      Here at PupBox we don’t have “breed” specific boxes to make sure that all breeds are included, but rather we focus on the different stages of puppyhood with handpicked items to help pup pawrents during that specific stage of puppy adolescence. Feel free to check out our site here to learn more about us: https://pupbox.com/how-it-works/

      If you have any other specific questions, please feel free to shoot an email to info@pupbox.com so our team can help you out!

      Woofs and Wags,
      – Team PupBox

  3. Jesse Kerlin-Smith says:

    I don’t recommend pupbox at all. The products are low quality. I had a treat bag that broke within minutes of using. The water bottle busted on one use. Every box had the same products. You are forced to keep the subscription, and forced to still pay monthly even when you cancel. 0/10 do not recommend

    • Team PupBox says:

      Hi Jesse,

      Thanks for the feedback! Each box is tailored based on your pup’s age and size, including training guides, which offer an abundance of variation. 🙂
      However we are so sorry to hear that the products didn’t last in your box. Please feel free to shoot an email to info@pupbox.com so we can help replace them for you and make things right.

      Woofs and Wags,
      – Team PupBox

  4. Mendy McNulty says:

    We have have been very disappointed with pupbox. The toys have been cheap and fell apart this the first day. You can’t cancel the subscription if you sign up for a year you are locked in even if you don’t like the service. It has to be worth the money. Now we are stuck.

  5. Jessica Reid says:

    Pupbox has been great for our Aussie puppy! She has loved all of the toys and treats and looks forward to her new box every month. Although some of the treat bags are small, it has been nice to try them out and then add them to her training with the larger bags after the treats were a hit. Our Aussie has several toys but her favorites are from Pupbox!

  6. Elena says:

    I wish I saw this before ordering pupbox! I had an awful experience with them! Horrible company and do not recommend! I was surprised I wasn’t the only one that felt this way but validates that it truly is a bad company. Very terrible customer service too!

  7. Wendi says:

    I have a 9 month Aussie Doodle and he has loved everything in the pup box. I have found the toys of the highest quality and better priced than store bought. He loves his rooster, lama, story book and melting Santa.
    I enjoy trying out all the snacks and though haven’t yet, plan to order just the snacks if possible.
    I also find the training tips great, new information to add to all the training I do with him. Thank you.

  8. Mike W says:

    Terrible experience. I didn’t find the auto renew so I got charged for 6 months of junk instead of the 3 I wanted. And, the toy were destroyed in an hour as they weren’t made for a chewer, even though they are supposed to be designed for the breed of dog. Be careful of the treats because some of them aren’t healthy.

  9. Richard Hernandez says:

    Its a great idea, except all the toys are just stuffed animals/plush toys. Change it up a bit. Cant imagine that all puppy stages are stuffed toys.

    • Todd says:

      Thanks for the feedback. Hopefully, Pupbox will read your comment. I know that Kong and Superchewer offer stronger toys, among a few others.

  10. Sheryl says:

    Don’t waste your money on PupBox. We have a small dog and every toy with the exception of a tug rope had to be thrown away within 24 hours. The treats are so so. Nothing special. Most everything can be purchased online or at a store. I signed for a 3 month subscription and they are telling me that it is a 6 month subscription and will not let me out of it.

  11. Srl says:

    Similar issues to above and I wish I’d read the fine print that cancellation doesn’t really mean cancel. It just means don’t auto renew even though it said cancel at any time. Some of the treats are good. Toys, especially plush, don’t seem appropriate for puppies. I requested no plush which they did honor. Could buy double the treats for this monthly price.

  12. Laura L says:

    I went to cancel PupBox 2 months ago and upon trying to cancel I was prompted to pause my subscription for 2 months. I selected this option, thinking I may come back and if not I’ll cancel later. This, unfortunately, was misguided thinking. Just yesterday, I went back to finally cancel my subscription, and found I could not cancel without first unpausing my subscription. So I unpaused, then I cancelled within 20 seconds of unpausing. I checked my bank statements LATER THAT DAY and saw where I was charged $35 for a PupBox. Confused, I emailed PupBox explaining my situation. They responded today by confirming my cancellation, by saying “All of our subscriptions renew at the end of their term unless they are cancelled beforehand. Our renewal and cancelation policy can be found on the sign up page while selecting your original subscription as well as on the emailed receipt that you would have received shortly after placing your initial order.” I DID NOT PLACE AN INITIAL ORDER, I COULD NOT CANCEL WITHOUT UNPAUSING. They then mentioned it is too late to refund me as the box has already been sent. This representative also had the audacity to prompt me to continue my subscription by saying they will offer me the lowest rates at $29. I responded saying any reputable company would have refunded the customer, and at the very least would have asked for the box to be sent back in order to receive refund. I rarely leave a bad review, but in this case I felt lied to and mislead. I want to warn others about this company and its customer service. Use BarkBox, their boxes are of way higher quality, not to mention much better customer service.

  13. Janelle says:

    Just received my first pup box. What a DISAPPOINTMENT!!! I’ve seen nicer toys at the dollar store. The treats were decent but everything else was a total joke. Canceled my subscription and of course it isn’t prorated so I’m on the hook for many more months? This is the biggest SCAM ever.

  14. Matt says:

    I would not recommend Pupbox at all. Primarily because each box has contained something dangerous to my dog. Incredibly thin toys that easily break in puppies mouth. My puppy is so very far from a super chewer.

    The price is way over the value of what is inside and when you sign up for a certain month subscription I expected that to be the term of the agreement, but I missed the small print on auto renewal.

    I would not recommend these at all. Go to Chewy or your local pet store and buy what you want.

  15. Jameson Barrow says:

    Pupbox is garbage. I’m currently paying nearly as much for this as I do for a super chewers barkbox and the quality is just garbage. I’m fairly certain I would save money by buying these toys and treats separately. Unfortunately I’ve committed to six months, but I’m done the second that’s over.

  16. Terrance Cummings says:

    Thank you all for your comments. I am a new owner of a small breed dog and was about to order pup box.

    Nope…

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