· Erin Delaney
Looking for an iFetch alternative? Here is the comparison, spec by spec
Side by side
| iFetch | Pupserve | |
|---|---|---|
| Throw distances | 10, 20, 30 ft | 10, 20, 30 ft |
| Ball diameter | 1.5 in (40 mm) | 2 in (50 mm) |
| Balls in the box | 3 | 3 |
| Dogs it is for | Small to medium | Small to medium |
| Price | $129.99 | $99.99 |
iFetch figures taken from goifetch.com on 31 August 2026, and dated because prices move. Ours are on this page and in our terms of sale. Where we could not verify a specification on their own page, we leave the row out rather than guess it.
The ball size is the real decision
This is the one difference that changes daily use, and it cuts both ways.
A 1.5-inch ball suits a genuinely small mouth — a Yorkshire terrier, a papillon, a toy poodle. If that is your dog, the iFetch ball is the better fit, and we would say so.
A 2-inch ball suits everything from a bichon up to a border collie, and it has a second advantage that only shows up after a few weeks: it is far harder to lose in grass, and far harder to swallow. Buyers of our model mention the size unprompted — one German buyer wrote simply that these are mini balls, 5 cm, as a warning to anyone expecting tennis balls. He is right, and it is deliberate.
Neither machine takes a standard tennis ball. A regulation ball is about 2.6 inches and will not drop through either mechanism. If that is what you wanted, both of these are the wrong product and a PetSafe-style launcher is the one to look at — we compare that one here.
What the iFetch does better
Two things, and pretending otherwise would be silly.
Track record. The iFetch has been sold for years, has a large body of reviews behind it, and is stocked by major retailers. If something goes wrong in year three, there is a company with an established support operation on the other end. Ours is a newer product sold direct, backed by our own guarantee rather than by a decade of history.
The smallest dogs. As above — if your dog is under about 12 lb, their ball is sized for him and ours is on the large side.
What we do better
Price. $99.99 against $129.99 is a real gap for two machines that throw to the same three distances.
Charging. Ours runs on an internal battery charged over USB-C — the same cable as a recent phone — so it goes into the garden without hunting for a socket and comes back to the living room in the evening.
Ball availability. A 2-inch ball is a common size; a 1.5-inch mini is a more specific one. When you lose the third ball under the sofa, that matters.
Which one to buy
- Dog under 12 lb, and budget is not the constraint: the iFetch ball is sized for him. Buy theirs.
- Dog between roughly 12 and 45 lb: both work; ours costs less and charges over USB-C.
- You want to use standard tennis balls: neither. Look at a full-size launcher instead.
- Your dog has never fetched before: buy neither yet. Teach the release first — it takes a week and it is what makes either machine work. Our guide to that is here.
Pupserve is not affiliated with, endorsed by or connected to iFetch or its manufacturer. iFetch is their trademark, used here only to identify their product for the purpose of comparison.
Erin Delaney · Dog trainer, specializing in working off energy
Erin has spent twelve years working with companion dogs in cities, mostly active breeds living in apartments. She writes the Pupserve guides and reads every product page before it goes live.
Reviewed and updated 31 August 2026. See how we test.