But another factor is cost, which goes up if you own more than one cat. However, finding the time to shop for quality inexpensive cat litter is daunting, so we did the research for you!
We have reviews for eight of the best of the cheapest kitty litters, ones that won’t break the bank but should still do the job well.
In this article
A Quick Comparison of Our Favorites in 2026
| Image | Product | Details | ||
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Best Overall
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Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter |
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Best Value
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Frisco Multi-cat Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter |
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Premium Choice
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World’s Best Multi-cat Unscented Clumping Corn Cat Litter |
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Scoop Away Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter |
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Fresh Step Multi-cat Extra Strength Scented Clumping Cat Litter |
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The 8 Best Cheap Cat Litters
1. Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter — Best Overall
| Clumping: | Yes |
| Sizes: | 18, 20, or 40 lbs. |
| Material: | Clay |
Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter is the best overall cheap cat litter. It clumps well, is 99% dust free, and keeps the tracking down to a minimum. This litter is definitely a cut above many of the cheaper cat litters! This version is unscented, but it is also available in a fragrance (though we don’t recommend scented litter).
However, this litter actually clumps so well, the clumps adhere to the litter box to the point that it can be troublesome to remove them.
- Clumps well
- 99% dust free
- Low tracking
- Unscented
- Decent odor control
- Clumps too hard
2. Frisco Multi-cat Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter — Best Value
| Clumping: | Yes |
| Sizes: | 20 or 40 lbs. |
| Material: | Clay |
The best cheap cat litter for the money is Frisco Multi-cat Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter. It’s available in unscented and lavender fields, tropical breeze, and fresh scents.
It forms hard clumps and doesn’t contain any artificial ingredients. It’s low tracking and has good odor control. But it tends to be fairly dusty, and the odor control can be hit or miss.
- Affordable
- Unscented or three scents available
- Forms hard clumps
- Low tracking
- Fairly dusty
- Odor control can be hit or miss
3. World’s Best Multi-cat Unscented Clumping Corn Cat Litter — Premium Choice
| Clumping: | Yes |
| Sizes: | 8, 14, 15, or 28 lbs. |
| Material: | Corn |
The World’s Best Multi-cat Unscented Clumping Corn Cat Litter is a bit pricey, but it is still quite affordable! It’s an excellent option if you’re more interested in using something environmentally friendly. It has decent odor control and clumps, making clean-up easy. It’s flushable in most sewer and septic systems. It’s also lightweight, so you won’t strain your back when working with it, and it’s 99% dust-free.
However, some cat owners aren’t fond of the scent, and since it’s lightweight, it tends to track.
- Environmentally friendly
- Flushable
- Clumps and lightweight
- Decent odor control
- 99% dust free
- Odor isn’t great for everyone
- Tends to track
4. Scoop Away Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter
| Clumping: | Yes |
| Sizes: | 28 lbs. |
| Material: | Clay |
Scoop Away Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter is available in unscented and clean breeze and uses antimicrobial agents to prevent odor for up to 7 days. It clumps well and is relatively low in dust.
But a few buyers have complained about quality control: Some boxes of the litter are low in dust, while others seem to be quite dusty. Also, it’s only available in one size.
- Available in unscented or clean linen
- Uses antimicrobial agents for odor control
- Clumps well
- Low in dust
- Only one size available
- Some boxes of litter can be dusty
5. Fresh Step Multi-cat Extra Strength Scented Clumping Cat Litter
| Clumping: | Yes |
| Sizes: | 14, 25, or 4 x 10.5 lbs. |
| Material: | Clay |
Fresh Step Multi-cat Extra Strength Scented Clumping Cat Litter uses Febreze to help combat odor. This litter offers up to 10 days of odor control with the use of “ammonia block” technology, which prevents the growth of bacteria. It contains charcoal and plant extracts that also keep those odors at bay. It’s low dust and forms hard clumps that shouldn’t crumble while scooping.
The issue here, though, is that while it’s advertised as being low in dust, it still tends to be dustier than some other brands. It also tends to track.
- 10 days of odor control
- Prevents the growth of bacteria
- Forms hard clumps
- Low dust
- Uses charcoal and plant extracts to prevent odor
- Can be dusty
- Tends to track
6. Arm & Hammer Litter SLIDE Easy Clean-Up Clumping Cat Litter
| Clumping: | Yes |
| Sizes: | 14, 19, or 28 lbs. |
| Material: | Clay |
Arm & Hammer Litter SLIDE Easy Clean-Up Clumping Cat Litter is designed to make hard clumps, but the litter should just slide right out, making cleaning easy. It contains baking soda and micro-granules for odor control for up to 10 days, and it’s 99.9% dust free and has low tracking.
Unfortunately, there are no options for unscented litter, and it’s a fine litter, which tends to track outside of the litter box.
- Hard clumps that slide out
- Odor control for up to 10 days
- Baking soda and micro-granules for odor control
- Low tracking
- 9% dust free
- Only available as scented
- Can track to a degree
7. Tidy Cats Free & Clean Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter
| Clumping: | Yes |
| Sizes: | 14, 35, 2 x 20 lbs. |
| Material: | Clay |
The Tidy Cats Free & Clean Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter uses activated charcoal to help combat strong odors. It forms hard clumps and is 99.9% dust free. It also doesn’t contain dyes or fragrances.
There are issues with odor control, though, and it doesn’t always clump well. It also tends to track.
- Unscented
- Contains activated charcoal for odor control
- Forms hard clumps
- 9% dust free
- Issues with odor control
- Doesn’t always clump well
- Tends to track
8. Arm & Hammer Litter Super Scoop Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter
| Clumping: | Yes |
| Sizes: | 40 lbs. |
| Material: | Clay |
Arm & Hammer Litter Super Scoop Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter is 99% dust free and contains baking soda crystals to eliminate bad odors. It clumps well, is free of dyes and fragrances, and is made to be low on tracking.
However, while it’s advertised as being 99% dust free, many cat owners find it quite dusty. It’s also not always effective at eliminating odor and is only available in one heavy size.
- 99% dust free
- Contains baking soda crystals for odor control
- Clumps well
- Free of dyes and fragrances
- Can be dusty
- Doesn’t always eliminate odor
- Only available in one size
Buyer’s Guide: Buying the Best Cheap Cat Litter
If you’re still on the fence about what litter you want to try or are just looking for more information, this buyer’s guide contains pointers about what factors you should consider when shopping for cat litter.
Unscented vs. Scented
This list contains unscented litter as often as possible for the sake of your cat’s sensitive nose. That said, the last thing that you want is an unscented litter that does not contain the odor well, which can be worse for everyone, including your cat. This is particularly essential if you use a covered litter box, as it will trap those odors, and cats that aren’t happy with the smell of their litter might start eliminating outside the box.
So, you may need to experiment a bit with scented and unscented litters until you find the right one.
Quality
Unfortunately, the adage, “You get what you pay for,” can be quite accurate in this situation. If you’re opting for cheap cat litter, you might need to deal with litter that isn’t “perfect.”
You’ll need to decide what is non-negotiable and what you can put up with. If a lack of dust and odor control are more important than the clumping, look through product descriptions and customer reviews until you find a litter that seems to have those features.
Tracking
It’s nearly impossible to find a litter that doesn’t track at least a small amount, or that won’t spill outside the litter box during your cat’s enthusiastic scratching. Unless it has large particles, most litter will stick to your cat’s paws, which will then be tracked throughout your home.
So, we recommend investing in a good cat litter mat, as it can be quite effective at trapping the excess litter from your cat’s paws.
Material
The most common kind of litter available is bentonite clay, which is likely what you’ll end up using because it tends to be cheaper than most other materials. It also clumps well and has effective odor control, depending on the litter brand.
Crystal cat litter is one of the more expensive options. It’s made with silica gel, works quite well at odor control, and effectively absorbs urine. It tends to be lighter in weight than clay if that’s an important quality for you.
If you aim to be environmentally friendly, know that you’ll have to pay extra for biodegradable litter. Bear in mind that natural litters also aren’t always great at containing odors or clumping. You might need to experiment with a few different kinds until you find the right one for your needs.
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How We Selected Our List of Cheap Cat Litters
Catster has an experienced, expert team of writers, editors, and veterinarians who carefully consider a wide range of parameters when choosing the cat litters. This includes but is not limited to customer reviews, brand reputation, veterinary experience, hands-on testing, and of course, our cats have a say in the process too! We aim to select and review only the best products available, to help you make the best possible choice and most informed decision for your and your cat’s needs.
Why Trust Catster?
A trusted online brand since 2001, Catster has a lot of experience with cat litters. Our team of cat-loving writers, editors, and veterinarians is dedicated to helping you make the best decision for your precious cats. Our aim is to provide the best information available for cat owners to help cats live their best life possible. To do this, we scour reviews from the most trusted sources available and this, combined with our veterinary team’s experience and expertise, helps us gather the best options available to readers. Our team is deeply invested in the health and welfare of cats the world over, and believes that expert knowledge and veterinary guidance will help you make the right choices—for you and your cats
Conclusion
We love Dr. Elsey’s Ultra Unscented Clumping Cat Litter for being one of the best of the cheaper cat litters. It’s virtually dust free and is one of the best for clumping. Frisco’s Multi-Cat Unscented Clumping Clay Cat Litter has low tracking and great odor control, and it’s the most affordable cat litter. Finally, the World’s Best Multi-Cat Unscented Cat Litter is an excellent litter among the natural cat litter options, and it’s flushable and lightweight.
We hope that these reviews of less expensive cat litters have led you to the best product for you and your cat. After all, you don’t always have to spend a significant amount of money to get something great!
See also:
- How Often Should I Change Cat Litter? Things to Consider
- Reasons Your Cat is Peeing on the Couch: Vet Approved Tips to Stop It
Featured Image Credit: Pixel-Shot, Shutterstock
2 Responses
Unfortunately most of these recommended economy dust free cat litters come in bags instead of pourable containers. When you are a 90 year old man like me . . . you will find this very hard to handle while pouring. The plastic pourable container id what I need. Dr. Elsey . . . please make note of this. Thanks.
Thanks for your comment Morry Korman, we are not manufacturers of these products therefore, we can not decide about the packaging of these products. Perhaps you could get help from someone to pour the bag container into a pourable container so it is then easier for you to handle regularly? Just think about ideas that might help you. Also, congratulations for having such a long life and loving cats!