The closest swaps for Chomps are Country Archer for a near-identical grass-fed stick, Paleovalley for stricter sourcing, Stryve for air-dried biltong, and Carnivore Snax for whole-cut meat chips. The right pick depends on why you are switching: price, sourcing, sugar, or simple boredom with the stick format.
Most lists that answer the Chomps question rank meat sticks by taste and stop there. That is not the decision you are making. People leave Chomps for a handful of specific reasons, and each one points at a different brand.
Price is the big one. At roughly two to three dollars a stick, a daily habit adds up, and multipacks or mini sticks fix that faster than switching brands blindly. Format is the second. Once you have eaten a few hundred sticks, jerky, biltong, and meat chips all start to look appealing. Sourcing is the third, usually from people who want a stricter grass-fed claim or no cure at all.
So this roundup is organized by reason, not by rank.
How we picked these brands
- Published ingredient decks. Every brand here lists what is inside on its own site, with no mystery "natural flavorings" doing the heavy lifting.
- Sourcing you can check. Grass-fed and finished, pasture-raised, or a named sourcing program like Land to Market, stated by the brand itself.
- Sugar and additives. Zero or near-zero added sugar, and no synthetic nitrates or MSG.
- Protein that earns the calories. Meat snacks live or die on protein density, so we noted what each brand publishes per serving.
- Format spread. Sticks, jerky, biltong, meat chips, and protein chips, because "like Chomps" means different things to different shoppers. If you want the wider savory picture, our best snack brands roundup covers the category beyond meat.
At a glance
| Brand | Format | Best for | Price | Known for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Country Archer | Sticks, jerky | The closest swap | Mid | Grass-fed beef, mini sticks |
| Paleovalley | Sticks | Sourcing purists | Premium | Naturally fermented, probiotics |
| Nick's Sticks | Sticks | Simple beef flavor | Mid | Grass-fed beef, free-range turkey |
| Stryve | Biltong | Changing format | Mid | 14-day air-dried, zero sugar |
| Brooklyn Biltong | Biltong | Tender texture | Premium | Beef, vinegar, salt |
| The New Primal | Mini sticks | Kids and lunchboxes | Mid | Snack Mates minis |
| EPIC Provisions | Bars, strips | Bar format | Mid | Bison Bacon Cranberry bar |
| Carnivore Snax | Meat chips | Crunch | Premium | Whole-cut chips, two ingredients |
| Wilde Brands | Protein chips | Salty crunch | Mid | Chicken-breast chips |
| People's Choice | Jerky | Traditional chew | Mid | Family jerky since 1929 |
| Righteous Felon | Jerky, sticks | Bold flavors | Mid | Craft small-batch jerky |
| Vermont Smoke & Cure | Sticks | Allergy-conscious homes | Mid | Hardwood-smoked, allergen-free |
1. Country Archer
If you want the least disruptive switch, Country Archer is it. The brand builds sticks and jerky from 100% grass-fed beef and all-natural turkey, and states no sugar, no artificial flavors, no preservatives, no MSG, and no added nitrates or nitrites.
The mini sticks are the interesting part for anyone switching on price. They are half-ounce portions at 4g of protein each, sold in big multipacks, which brings the cost per snack down without dropping the label standard.
Best for the shopper who liked Chomps fine and just wants a similar stick, ideally cheaper.
2. Paleovalley
Paleovalley takes the sourcing story further than almost anyone. The beef is 100% grass-fed and finished, raised in the US by family farmers using rotational grazing, never grain-fed and never given antibiotics.
The real difference is how the sticks are preserved. Instead of a chemical shelf-stabilizer, they are naturally fermented, which is where the stated 1 billion probiotic CFUs per stick come from. Each stick carries 7g of protein with no added sugar, gluten, or GMOs.
Best for the sourcing purist who reads the farming practice before the flavor. Expect to pay premium prices for it.
3. Nick's Sticks
Nick's Sticks is a family operation out of Marshfield, Wisconsin, making grass-fed beef, free-range turkey, chicken, and venison sticks with no antibiotics, no gluten, and no sugar.
The flavor runs beef-forward and straightforward rather than heavily spiced, which suits people who found other sticks over-seasoned. Regular and spicy versions cover most preferences without a sprawling flavor menu to wade through.
Best for anyone who wants a simple stick from a small brand, with poultry and venison options sitting right next to the beef.
4. Stryve
Ready to leave the stick behind? Stryve makes biltong, which is air-dried rather than cooked. Beef comes from US ranchers and is air-dried for 14 days, and the brand states zero grams of sugar, zero carbs, no added preservatives, and no synthetic nitrates.
Because it is dried rather than cooked and cased, the texture is drier and more tender than a stick, closer to thin slices of roast beef than to jerky.
Best for the shopper whose reason for switching is boredom, not ingredients. Sliced packs, bites, sticks, and slabs all exist, so you can pick your texture.
5. Brooklyn Biltong
Brooklyn Biltong is the label-reader's biltong. The deck is short (beef, apple cider vinegar, salt, and spices) and the site lists Keto Certified, Whole30 Certified, Kosher, non-GMO, gluten free, and dairy free.
It is made in the USA, which sets it apart from imported biltong, and a pack is stated at 50g of protein with no refined sugars.
Best for people on a defined protocol who want the certification badge rather than a claim they have to take on trust. Prices sit at the premium end.
6. The New Primal
The New Primal covers two jobs at once. The adult line is zero-sugar grass-fed beef meat sticks, and Snack Mates is a genuinely separate mini-stick line built for kids, in beef, turkey, and chicken.
That second line is the reason parents end up here. Chomps sells a smaller stick too, but Snack Mates is designed around lunchbox portions rather than being a shrunken adult product.
Best for households buying for adults and kids from the same brand. Also easy to find in Sprouts, Wegmans, Kroger, and Thrive Market if you would rather not order online.
7. EPIC Provisions
EPIC Provisions launched what it calls the first 100% grass-fed meat, fruit, and nut bar, and the Bison Bacon Cranberry bar is still its bestseller. The range now runs across bars, snack strips, bites, pork rinds, bone broth, and animal fats.
Sourcing runs through a Land to Market partnership with the Savory Institute, and the lineup covers paleo, keto, and Whole30 shoppers. Worth knowing that EPIC is owned by General Mills, which is either reassuring or a dealbreaker depending on your view.
Best for anyone who wants a bar instead of a stick. If the bar format is the real draw, our protein bar brand picks go deeper on that category.
8. Carnivore Snax
Carnivore Snax is the biggest departure on this list. These are crisp meat chips made from whole cuts (ribeye, brisket, New York strip, eye of round, pork loin, chicken) with a two-ingredient deck: meat and Redmond Real Salt.
The meat is 100% grass-fed, sourced and made in the USA, and Land to Market verified. The brand states that roughly a pound of meat goes into each 5oz bag through a two-step process that takes about twice as long as conventional jerky.
Best for carnivore eaters and anyone who wants crunch with nothing added. It is the priciest option here, and the bag disappears quickly.
9. Wilde Brands
If the craving is really for chips, Wilde Brands builds them out of chicken breast, egg whites, and bone broth instead of potato or corn. The brand publishes 13g of protein, 3g of fiber, and 10g of carbs per serving.
Chickens are raised without antibiotics or hormones, and the chips are grain and gluten free, Paleo certified, keto friendly, and non-GMO. Eight flavors run from Himalayan Pink Salt to Chicken and Waffles, plus a newer cracker line.
Best for the salty-crunch craving that a meat stick never quite satisfies. It sits alongside the other founder-led names in our best DTC food brands list.
10. People's Choice Beef Jerky
People's Choice Beef Jerky has the longest history here by a wide margin. John Bianchetti opened the butcher shop in downtown Los Angeles in 1929, the business moved to jerky exclusively in 1987, and the fourth generation, Brian and Sara Bianchetti, runs it now.
The jerky is small-batch and handcrafted on family recipes, and the Old Fashioned line in particular is built on a very short ingredient list.
Best for people who actually want jerky chew rather than a soft stick, and who like buying from a business with a real track record.
11. Righteous Felon
Righteous Felon has been making craft jerky in Chester County, Pennsylvania since 2011, wrapped in an outlaw brand voice that either lands for you or does not. The flavors are the point: this is where you go when original and jalapeno have stopped being interesting.
Sourcing is stated as direct partnerships with American family farms, pasture-raised, free of added growth hormones and antibiotics, delivered fresh weekly. The range covers jerky, Lil Rebels meat sticks, biltong, and even dog treats.
Best for flavor seekers. Less ideal if you want a plain, quiet snack.
12. Vermont Smoke & Cure
Vermont Smoke & Cure makes hand-crafted sticks that are slow-cooked and smoked over real hardwood, so they taste more like a smokehouse product than a snack-aisle one.
The allergen position is the standout. The brand states its sticks are free from milk, egg, peanut, tree nut, wheat, soy, fish, and shellfish, with no MSG, no artificial flavors or preservatives, and animals raised with no antibiotics and no added hormones.
Best for allergy-conscious households, and for anyone who wants turkey, beef, and pork options from one brand.
How to choose a Chomps alternative
Start with your actual reason for switching.
If it is price, buy mini sticks in bulk. Country Archer and The New Primal both sell small-format multipacks that bring the per-snack cost well below a full-size stick.
If it is sourcing, go to Paleovalley or Carnivore Snax. Both publish specific farming and verification claims rather than a general grass-fed line.
If it is the cure, biltong and meat chips skip conventional curing entirely. Stryve, Brooklyn Biltong, and Carnivore Snax are salt, air, and time.
If it is texture, match the sensation you want. Jerky for chew (People's Choice, Righteous Felon), biltong for tenderness (Stryve, Brooklyn Biltong), meat chips or protein chips for crunch (Carnivore Snax, Wilde Brands).
If it is kids, Snack Mates from The New Primal is the purpose-built option.
If it is allergens, Vermont Smoke & Cure publishes the clearest exclusion list here.
And if you are not actually attached to meat, the same clean-label instinct shows up in other aisles. Shoppers weighing savory against sweet often end up comparing against cereal too, which is where our Magic Spoon alternatives guide picks up.
Frequently asked questions
What is the closest thing to Chomps?
Country Archer. It is the same product category (a grass-fed beef stick with no added sugar or nitrates) at a similar quality level, and it appears in almost every meat-stick taste test alongside Chomps. Nick's Sticks and Paleovalley are the next closest.
Why are Chomps expensive, and is there a cheaper clean option?
Single-serve wrapping and grass-fed sourcing both add cost. The cheapest way to keep the label standard is to buy mini sticks in bulk instead of full-size singles. Country Archer and The New Primal both sell half-ounce sticks in large multipacks.
Is biltong different from jerky?
Yes. Jerky is typically cooked or heat-dried after marinating. Biltong is cured with salt and vinegar and then air-dried, in Stryve's case for 14 days, which produces a more tender, less chewy result and usually a shorter ingredient list.
Do meat sticks contain nitrates?
It depends on the brand. Chomps states it adds no synthetic nitrates and that any nitrates present come from celery juice or powder. Country Archer states no added nitrates or nitrites. Biltong and whole-cut meat chips avoid the question entirely because they are not cured that way.
How much protein is in a meat stick?
Less than most people assume. A half-ounce mini stick is usually around 4g of protein, and a full-size stick lands closer to 9g or 10g. Denser formats do better per bag: Brooklyn Biltong states 50g of protein per pack, and Wilde publishes 13g per serving of chips.
What is the best Chomps alternative for kids?
Snack Mates from The New Primal, which is a mini stick line made specifically for lunchboxes in beef, turkey, and chicken. Country Archer mini sticks work well for the same job if you want a bigger multipack.
Are there good options that are not beef?
Several. Nick's Sticks and The New Primal both make turkey and chicken sticks, Vermont Smoke & Cure does turkey and pork, and Wilde Brands is entirely chicken-based. Carnivore Snax makes pork loin and chicken chips alongside the beef cuts.
Do any of these need refrigerating?
No. Every brand here sells shelf-stable snacks that are fine in a bag, a desk drawer, or a glovebox. Storage instructions on the pack still apply once you open a resealable bag of jerky or biltong.