Frisco by Chewy is the strongest all-around pick in this comparison for cheapest everyday clay.
Strong raw value with easy Chewy availability and decent automatic-box compatibility if you can live with more dust.
A grocery-store staple with broad availability, lots of variants, and okay overall performance without excelling anywhere specific.
Frisco is cheaper per day and comes to the door. Tidy Cats clumps a little better and sits in every supermarket. Neither is a low-dust litter, so pick on delivery against convenience.
This comparison page is maintained by the ReviewCatLitter editorial team and grounded in the same scoring framework used across the published review catalog.
Choose between them on texture, clumping, dust and price. Then, if the room still tells you where the box is, Purrify is activated carbon you mix into whichever bag you chose. It is what we use in our own homes.
Read our Purrify guide to picking a litter for odor control.
Every figure below is a reading from our own test runs, not a rating. Where a run never took a reading it says so.
| Reading | Frisco by Chewy | Purina Tidy Cats | Gap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dust weighed per pourDust caught on a filter and weighed while the bag goes into the box. Lower is better. | 0.58 mg | 0.50 mgbetter | 0.08 mg |
| Clumps that survived the drop testShare of clumps still whole after a three-foot drop. Higher is better. | 58% | 62%better | 4 points |
| Bag priceWhat the tested bag cost. Bag sizes differ, so read it next to cost per pound. | $13.00 | $15.49 | $2.49 |
| Cost per poundBag price divided by what is in the bag. Lower is better. | $0.33better | $0.44 | $0.11 |
| Cost per dayWhat the box costs to keep running each day. Lower is better. | $0.30better | $0.39 | $0.09 |
| Cost across a yearThat daily cost carried over a full year of use. Lower is better. | $110better | $142 | $32 |
Neither run recorded granules outside the box, ammonia after one day and ammonia after three days, so those rows are left out rather than filled in from a similar bag. The full test data shows every reading we have.
Primary tradeoff: Frisco by Chewy's weakest area here is dust control.
It is also the cheapest daily option at $0.30 per day.
Scroll sideways to see every litter. Scores are editorial judgments out of 10.
| Product | ||
|---|---|---|
| Overall Score | 8.0Good | 7.9Fair |
| Pricing | ||
| Price | $13.00 | $15.49 |
| Weight | 40 lbs | 35 lbs |
| Cost / Day | $0.30 | $0.39 |
| Performance | ||
| Dust Control | 5.5 0.58mg per pour | 5.8 0.50mg per pour |
| Clumping | 7.4 Acceptable | 7.2 Average |
| Odor Control | 7.3 Fine with daily scooping | 7.5 Solid for budget clay |
| Tracking Outside the Box | 5.8 Moderate-high | 5.9 Moderate-high |
| Value for Cost | 9.4 $0.30/day · $13.00 | 8.2 $0.39/day · $15.49 |
| Features | ||
| Type | Budget Clumping Clay | Budget Clumping Clay |
| Flushable | ||
| Scented | No | Yes |
| Our Verdict | ||
| Best For | Cheapest everyday clay | Easy grocery-store replenishment |
| Read ReviewCheck Price | Read ReviewCheck Price | |
Frisco by Chewy makes the most sense for cheapest everyday clay.
You want strong raw value with easy chewy availability and decent automatic-box compatibility if you can live with more dust.
You need a formula that solves cheapest everyday clay better.
Purina Tidy Cats makes the most sense for easy grocery-store replenishment.
You want a grocery-store staple with broad availability, lots of variants, and okay overall performance without excelling anywhere specific.
You need a formula that solves cheapest everyday clay better.
The nearest options to this matchup on score and on price.
Weighed 0.52mg per pour and runs at $0.35 a day.
Weighed 0.42mg per pour and runs at $0.40 a day.
Weighed 0.08mg per pour and runs at $0.31 a day.
Frisco by Chewy comes out ahead on the balance of dust, clumping, odor control, tracking and daily cost. Purina Tidy Cats is still the one to buy for easy grocery-store replenishment.
Frisco by Chewy runs at $0.30 a day against $0.39 for Purina Tidy Cats.
Purina Tidy Cats scored higher: solid for budget clay, against fine with daily scooping for Frisco by Chewy.
Purina Tidy Cats keeps more litter in the box: moderate-high, against moderate-high for Frisco by Chewy.
Clump & Seal is worth the step up from Tidy Cats if smell is the reason you are shopping. Tidy Cats is cheaper by the bag and easier to find.
Frisco is the cheapest clay bag we have tested, and it shows in the dust and the crumbling clumps. Ultra is the opposite trade.
Ultra beat Tidy Cats on every performance reading we took, so this comes down to whether you will pay more per day.
Frisco is cheaper per day and has no added scent. Clump & Seal is the one to buy if the box sits in a room you actually sit in.
Tidy Cats is the cheap habit. World's Best is the upgrade that flushes, stays in the tray, and stops the cloud when you pour.
Tidy Cats is fine while the box is working. Cat Attract is what you switch to when it stops. Nothing in a Tidy Cats bag addresses avoidance.