Budget-Priced Cat Litters
Last Updated by Brandon F. on May 8, 2020
This is a listing of all of the budget-priced cat litters that we have reviewed and ranked. This is our most affordable pricing tier, with many of these options being available for under a dollar per pound. Most of these litters are going to be made of conventional clay and some do not have clumping capabilities.
However, despite not having some of the more exotic materials and all the bells and whistles of some of the more expensive offerings, many still perform extremely well and should check off all of the essential boxes you are looking for in a quality cat litter. We list all of our reviews below but for your convenience, we have also included a table with our top choices.
Cat’s Pride Fresh & Light Quick Action
Our Rating:
This has fantastic performance across the board and a great price to go with it. It really has no major qualms and we consider this one of our top choices. It is available in 9 and 15 pound jugs and 21, 28, and 30 pound boxes and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Extremely effective clumping, fights odors with ease, mess-free, affordable
Cons: Minor tracking with multiple cats
Precious Cat Cat Attract
Our Rating:
A great product that really fires on all cylinders. The maintenance requirements of this litter are tiny, making it great for those on the go. In addition, it can handle a lot of urine and feces before concern of odor escaping become an issue. And all of this for a great price. It is available in 20-pound bags and boxes and 40-pound bags, is comprised of clay, and is available in the budget-price tier.
Pros: Great hard clumps, will hide cat odor for several days, very low-maintenance and cleanup, great price
Cons: Clumps can be a bit heavy
Arm & Hammer Platinum Double Duty
Our Rating:
This litter is the updated version of Arm & Hammer’s popular original Double Duty product. It enhances odor control while scaling back some on the powerful perfume scent. It also retains the great clumping that we love. And all of this can be had for a very reasonable price.
Pros: Great clumping, Improved odor control, Affordable
Cons: Perfume scent may still be off-putting to some
Ever Clean Extra Strength Unscented
Our Rating:
This product does it all well: great clumping, superior odor fighting capabilities, and it is quite easy to clean up. When you consider it is very affordable it makes it a definite buy from us. It is available in 14 and 25-pound boxes and 42-pound bags, is comprised of clay, and is available in the budget-priced tier.
Pros: Very effective at clumping, locks in almost all cat odors, great price
Cons: Sticky dust
Cat’s Pride Fresh & Clean
Our Rating:
Oftentimes the non-clumping clay litters don’t offer a lot and in return are quite affordable. The odor elimination and cleanup (when applicable) abilities of this product actually aren’t that bad. And the price you can get it for, even online, it superb. We recommend this for those looking to spend that absolutely minimum on cat litter while still getting a functional product. It is available in 10, 20, and 30 pound bags and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Acceptable perfume smell, not overly dusty, extremely affordable
Cons: Odors aren’t locked in
Healthy Pet ökocat Pine
Our Rating:
One of the few eco-friendly litters we have tested that actually seem to thrive despite not using conventional (and typically better-performing) materials. Great scent, good ease of use, and a great price make this a recommended buy. It is available in 7.8, 12.4, and 18.6 pound boxes and is comprised of pine pellets.
Pros: Pleasant litter smell, absorbs nearly all cat smells, great price
Cons: Doesn’t clump so have to watch more closely, light tracking
Nature’s Miracle Intense Defense Clumping
Our Rating:
For the price there is not much that can beat this product. The clumps stay quite hard, the scent (while a bit artificial) is mostly acceptable, cleanup is simple and headache-free and all for well under the price of other comparable choices on the market. It is available in 20 and 28 pound boxes, 40 pound bags, and 14 pound jugs and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Effective clumping ability, long-lasting odor control, easy clump cleanup, great price
Cons: Some issues with sticking to litter box wall, a little dusty
Nature’s Miracle Intense Defense Fragrance Free Clumping
Our Rating:
We are really impressed with this litter. It has rock hard clumps that last for days and the smell isn’t too overbearing. It is powerful enough to do the job for multiple days so constant maintenance isn’t necessary. And on top of this, it comes it a great price. We definitely recommend this Intense Defense offering. It is available in 20 and 28 pound bags and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Very good at clumping, easily masks cat waste odors, easy cleanup
Cons: Actually has a litter smell despite being “fragrance free”
Read Review of Nature's Miracle Intense Defense Fragrance Free Clumping
Arm & Hammer Multi-Cat Unscented
Our Rating:
This litter manages to do everything relatively well and without any major flaws. However, for being a multi-cat solution we do wish the odor fighting was a bit more aggressive. But for the price, we can’t complain too much. It is available in 20, 26.3, and 28-pound boxes, is comprised of clay and baking soda, and is available in the budget-price range.
Pros: Reasonably priced, little dust, no odor from litter itself
Cons: Relatively soft clumps
Premium Choice All Natural Unscented
Our Rating:
We wanted to give this a higher rating but it is simply too messy. If you are willing to deal with the dust then you are left with a reasonably priced litter that smells great and performs great. It is available in 16 pound jugs and 24, 40, and 50 pound bags and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Quick hard clumping, litter itself is not overly smelly, good price
Cons: Can go through product quickly, very dusty
Cat’s Pride Lightweight Scoopable Unscented
Our Rating:
An acceptable cat litter that trades off increased dust levels and lower-quality clumps for lightweight attributes and no strong litter perfumes. It is a soft recommendation depending on your specific needs but there are better performers out there. It is available in 10-pound jugs.
Pros: No powerful litter smells
Cons: Cat smells easily kicked up, dusty, on the expensive side for non-clumping litters
Arm & Hammer Double Duty Clumping
Our Rating:
While the clumping is quite good with this product and they are easily disposed of, the litter smell is simply too intense. The asking price is reasonable but there are other choices with similar cost and clumping performance the don’t put out the pungent smells. It is available in 14, 26.3, and 37-pound boxes and 9-pound bags, is comprised of clay, crystals, and baking soda, and is available in the budget-price range.
Pros: Good clumping, little dust
Cons: Pungent scent
Cat’s Pride Natural Scoopable
Our Rating:
An acceptable budget choice for those who are more concerned with saving money than getting a premium product. The scent and ability to stop smells is likely the strong point, but there are no shining positives with this product. It is available in 20 pound jugs and is comprised of clay and fruit/vegetable extract.
Pros: Little litter smell, good at masking odors, relatively affordable
Cons: Clumps tend to fall apart, dusty, tracks easily
Feline Pine Clumping
Our Rating:
No major negatives other than the messy aspect, which can be quite frustrating. However, the clumping and odor control are good enough that, coupled with the pretty good price, makes this an alright option if you are looking for a more environmentally-friendly wood litter product. It is available in 8 and 14 pound bags and is comprised of pine.
Pros: Clumps harden quickly, wood excels at soaking up moisture, nice pine smell, decent price
Cons: Tracking is an issue, very dusty
Nature’s Miracle Multi-Cat Clumping
Our Rating:
We question the ability of this litter to actually handle multiple cats as it advertises, but there shouldn’t be any major issues with a single cat. The price is low enough to give it a test spin but don’t be surprised if you aren’t blown away by its performance. It is available in 28 pound boxes and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Clumps form relatively quick, affordable
Cons: Clumps are on the softer side, smells can easily be kicked up, minor tracking issues
Premium Choice Dual Strength
Our Rating:
A decent choice, mostly because of the price. It will not amaze you with its performance but your wallet will thank you. Acceptable clumping, odor control and for the most part mess-free. It is available in 16 pound jugs and 25 and 40 pound bags and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Good hard clumps, minimal tracking, good price point
Cons: Can struggle with urine, strong artificial scent
Scoop Away Multi-Cat Plus Crystals
Our Rating:
This is one of the few budget (or near budget) litters on the market that are able to incorporate crystals. Generally the crystal-based litters cost substantially higher so this is one of the few opportunities to experience the benefits of crystals without opening up your pocket books deeply. It does an average to slightly above average job in clumping and odor blocking and is about average messiness. Not the best thing in the world but worth a try. It is available in 25 pound boxes and is comprised of clay and crystals.
Pros: Great price for a litter with crystals, great job of knocking out cat waste odors
Cons: Clumps could be harder, strong perfume scent, need to be timely in clump removal
Tidy Cats Glade Tough Odor Solutions Non-Clumping
Our Rating:
This litter is average at best, and has some underlying issues. It simply overpowers smells rather than masking them, it can be somewhat messy for cleanup, and it doesn’t even have a conventional method of clumping. But that price! For the affordability alone we have to give it 3 stars and people on a tight budget might still go for it. It is available in 10 pound paper bags and 20, 30, 40, and 50 pound weave bags and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Masks odors for acceptable period of time, keeps most moisture towards top, fantastic price
Cons: Strong chemical smell, somewhat dusty, prone to tracking
Read Review of Tidy Cats Glade Tough Odor Solutions Non-Clumping
Arm & Hammer Multi-Cat Extra Strength
Our Rating: 
This product is the textbook definition of average. It does nothing particularly well but also doesn’t fail miserably at anything either. If it didn’t struggle with clumping we might bump it up to a soft buy given the good price. But even for the near budget price, we would still like to see better and there is better to choose from. It is available in 20, 26.3, and 40-pound boxes, is comprised of clay and baking soda, and is available in the budget to mid-priced range.
Pros: Decent at masking odors
Cons: Clumps tend to fall apart, tracking can be an issue
Premium Choice Multi-cat
Our Rating:
Even with the great price, there are a lot of issues with this product. The clumps are serviceable but it really struggles to obscure cat odors, and can also be quite messy at times If you are trying to be frugal it should work well enough but otherwise shop around for something better. It is available in 16 pound jugs and 25 pound bags and is comprised of clay and baking soda.
Pros: Acceptable clumping, reasonably priced
Cons: Clumps can fall apart in high traffic areas, strong artificial scent, potentially messy cleanup
Scoop Away Super Clump Unscented
Our Rating:
A pretty typical budget litter that has some issues but hopes you will overlook them with the decent price. If there is nothing else available it will work but even for the relatively ok deal there are better choices that clump better and clean up much easier. It is available in 14 and 25 pound boxes and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Clumps harden relatively quickly, formula does good job of masking cat odors
Cons: Urine has tendency to get to bottom, very dusty
Swheat Scoop Original
Our Rating:
The wheat aspect really struggles here. The clumps are simply too soft, cat odors are released very quickly and easily, and the dust levels are higher than we would like to see. Thankfully it is pretty affordable but even then we can’t recommend it unless you are dead set on trying out a wheat-based cat litter. It is available in 7, 14, 25, and 40-pound bags, is comprised of wheat, and is available in the budget to mid-priced tiers.
Pros: Enjoyable subtle litter smell, not much dust, acceptable price
Cons: Clumps take a long time to harden and fall apart, becomes very stinky when exposed to moisture, tracks easily
Tidy Cats Dual Power
Our Rating:
Despite a pretty good price, this product really struggles on all accounts. The clumps are extremely soft and do not do a great job of locking in odor and there is enough dust to make cleanup quite burdensome. Hold off for a better product. It is available in 16 and 20 pound jugs and 25 pound pails and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Low dust levels, good price
Cons: Struggles with clumping, overwhelming artificial smell, poor odor neutralization, frustrating clump cleanup
Precious Cat Ultra
Our Rating:
This product really does well across the board. The clumping is some of the best we have come across and it does an above average job of locking in odors as well. And all of this comes in at a fantastic price. This is a great product to look into, whether you are on a tight budget or not. It is available in 18, 40, and 80-pound bags and 40-pound boxes, is comprised of clay, and is available in the budget-price tier.
Pros: Some of the best clumping out there, handles both feces and urine odors for several days, mostly dust-free, fantastic price
Cons: Can be overwhelmed by moisture, caking can be an issue
Tidy Cats Small Spaces
Our Rating:
Great performance. Great clumping. Easy cleanup. Fantastic price. You can’t go wrong with this choice and we highly recommend it. It is available in 14 and 20 pound jugs and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Good hard clumping, can handle odors for several days, great price
Cons: Moderately dusty, minor tracking
Arm & Hammer Super Scoop Fresh Scent
Our Rating:
The clumping is the bright point in this product, and the clumps are also easy to dispose of. We aren’t a huge fan of the litter smell, but it does lock in cat odors. In addition, the price is more than reasonable for just about any budget. It is available in 14, 20, and 28-pound boxes, is comprised of clay and baking soda crystal, and is available in the budget-price range.
Pros: Affordable, stellar clumping, decent odor control
Cons: Intense artificial fragrance
Jonny Cat Complete
Our Rating:
While this isn’t a clumping litter, it does a good job of sealing in odors without causing too big of a mess. The proprietary system in place is working like a charm and it is available at what we consider a very fair price. It is available in 10 and 20 pound bags and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Great price, litter smell isn’t overpowering, quickly puts out cat odors
Cons: A little dusty
Cat’s Pride Fresh & Light Fragrance-Free
Our Rating:
This litter is good to very good across the board. Its bright point is definitely the hard clumps it forms and the other aspects aren’t far behind. Depending on how much you end up paying could dictate whether this is a good purchase or a great purchase. It is available in 15 pound jugs and 21, 28, and 30 pound boxes and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Great clumping, pretty good at capturing cat waste smells, easy cleanup
Cons: Light tracking, multiple cats might overwhelm single litter box
World’s Best Cat Litter Multiple Cat Clumping
Our Rating:
A solid option for those looking for a well-performing litter at a respectable price. Clumping is great and the odor control is serviceable enough for those who monitor the box somewhat frequently. Obviously the busier the litter box the more often you’ll need to clean it but overall it will tackle a busy cat household’s waste challenges with ease and without causing a huge mess or headache. It is available in 7, 8, 14, 15, and 28 pound bags and is comprised of wood fiber and corn kernels.
Pros: Fantastic clumping, natural litter scent, easy clump removal and only marginal dust
Cons: Can give off foul smells when exposed to a lot of fluid, minor tracking
Read Review of World's Best Cat Litter Multiple Cat Clumping
Precious Cat R&R Respiratory Relief Clumping Clay
Our Rating:
This product does quite well except for the rather unpleasant litter smell. If you can deal with the scent you will be very impressed with how long this product can lock in cat odors. Then when you consider its great price it makes this a sure buy for most people. It is available in 20-pound boxes, is comprised of clay, and is available in the budget-price tier.
Pros: Fantastic clumping, essentially no dust, easy clump removal, great price
Cons: Quite stinky litter
Read Review of Precious Cat R&R Respiratory Relief Clumping Clay
Ever Clean Extra Strength Scented
Our Rating:
This product is pretty decent all around. Similar to many Ever Clean products, probably its strongest point is its great clumping. The perfume that was added is a bit too intense for our liking, however, and we really don’t see the need in making it so pungent. However, for the asking price, this is a minor complaint. It is available i25-pound 25-pound boxes, is comprised of clay, and is available in the budget to mid-priced tiers.
Pros: Hard clumps, low dust levels
Cons: Clumps can take a little while to harden, strong artificial perfume smell
Tidy Cats Instant Action Non-Clumping
Our Rating:
Another Tidy Cats example that centers its biggest selling point on price. The smell and cleanup are decent enough to warrant a potential buy, even without the clumping feature. It is available in 10 pound paper bags and 20, 35, 30, and 40 pound weave bags and is comprised of clay.
Pros: No overpowering litter smell, keeps odor in check for up to a week, great price
Cons: Can be over saturated quickly in busy litter boxes, quite dusty
Arm & Hammer Essentials Natural Clumping 
Our Rating:
A so-so litter for those that are looking for a cheap option. It has mediocre clumping ability and the scent can be off-putting but it does a decent job of locking in cat smells without making an absolutely terrible mess. For the price you can’t really complain. It is available in 10.5 pound bags and is comprised of corn fiber.
Pros: Affordable, acceptable at masking odors, little dust
Cons: Poor clumping, a lot of tracking
Cat’s Pride Complete Multi-Cat
Our Rating:
This is a pretty affordable litter, and for that you get a decent odor neutralizer that is a bit on the messy side. Obviously you forego clumping ability with many of the budget litters but if you are in the market for something that you simply dump out when it is exhausted then there are worse choices than this. It is available in 20 pound bags and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Affordable, reasonable job of locking in odors despite not clumping, acceptable litter smell
Cons: Reacts poorly with cat urine
Read Review of Cat’s Pride Fresh & CleanRead Review of Cat’s Pride Complete Multi-Cat
Cat’s Pride Complete Multi-Cat Scoopable
Our Rating:
While this product has great clumping attributes, the smell and relative messiness knock it down a couple of notches. If you are looking to be somewhat frugal and are primarily concerned with clumping ability at the cost of smell and cleanup then this might work for you. It is available in 14 and 20 pound jugs and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Fantastic clumping, only marginal tracking issues
Cons: Quite dusty, intense litter smell, feces smells tends to come out
Feline Pine Non-Clumping
Our Rating:
There are some issues with this product that range from potential odor control problems to the mess that the pine can form when it breaks down, but the price is so good that it is still worth checking out for those that are more concerned with the impact on your pocket book. It is available in 20 and 40 pound bags and is comprised of pine.
Pros: Great price, enjoyable litter smell, great moisture absorption
Cons: Can’t handle multiple cats, bad tracking
Tidy Cats 24/7 Performance Non-Clumping
Our Rating:
It doesn’t clump and can be a bit dusty, but it does a good enough job of locking in odors that we give it a soft recommendation, especially considering the good price. It is available in 20, 25, 30, 40, and 50 pound weave bags and 10 pound paper bags and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Near odorless litter smell, captures cat waste smells for several days, good price
Cons: Quite dusty, some tracking exists
Tidy Cats 4 in 1 Strength
Our Rating:
A decent solution with no glaring issues, but isn’t going to knock any features out of the park as well. We like the 4 in 1 strength approach and think with a few small tweaks it could be a great litter rather than simply a good litter. It is available in 14 and 20 pound jugs and 35 pound pails and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Acceptable clumping, locks in odors for several days, decently priced
Cons: Clumps can deteriorate into mushy balls, strong chemical litter smell, rather dusty
Premium Choice Extra Strength with Baking Soda
Our Rating:
This litter is pretty average in most regards, and its overall rating suggests this. Sure, there are higher-performing litters on the market but the great price makes it easy to overlook its weak points. It is available in 16-pound jugs and 25 and 50-pound bags, is comprised of clay and baking soda, and is available in the budget-price area.
Pros: Handles feces smells with ease, reasonably affordable
Cons: Can struggle with urine, a bit too dusty, soft clumps that can fall apart
Read Review of Premium Choice Extra Strength with Baking Soda
Cat’s Pride Fresh & Light All Day Odor Control
Our Rating:
A pretty average showing on all fronts, and a pretty average price to go with it. If you are in a pinch and there aren’t many other options this will do but if you are buying online then there are better choices, even at the relatively low price point. It is available in 12 pound jugs and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Good job of masking cat odors, pretty affordable
Cons: Questionable clumping, rather strong scent, extremely dusty
Read Review of Cat’s Pride Fresh & Light All Day Odor Control
Tidy Cats Instant Action
Our Rating:
The price can be quite good for this product, but its difficulty in dealing with urine still makes it a hard sale. While it seems to handle feces well, we wish this ability would translate to all waste, at which time it would be a definite recommendation. It is available in 7, 14, and 20 pound jugs, 27 and 35 pound pails, and 27 and 40 pound boxes and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Very good hard clumps for feces, dust isn’t bad, handles feces smells fine
Cons: Has a tough time with urine both in clumping as well as odor control, messy urine balls can form
UltraPet Better Way Original
Our Rating:
An average to slightly below average product, there really aren’t any specifics that are worth getting excited about. Thankfully the price is low enough to justify these results but even at this price there are several better options out there. It is available in 14 pound bags and is comprised of clay.
Pros: Clumps quite well, good price
Cons: Clumps can be a bit sensitive, struggles with locking in odor, quite dusty and messy
Arm & Hammer Super Scoop Fragrance-Free
Our Rating:
The great price is the only saving grace of this product. The clumps fall apart quickly and easily and the litter smell is really bad. Any bright spots this has are masked by its weak points, and despite a nice price, we think there are plenty of better choices. It is available in 14, 20, and 26.3-pound boxes, is comprised of clay and baking soda, and is available in the budget-priced range.
Pros: Very little dust, relatively low price
Cons: Sand-like clumps that fall apart, extremely overwhelming litter smell, messy