Personally, I prefer the ape animal companion. It has a nice amount of damage per hit, and it also has the potential of 3 attacks per round. I started a new druid not too long ago, and i am only level 7. My ape at the moment has a plus 10 to all his attacks. Right now my ape has a twenty four strength that will keep climbing as I level. If you do choose the ape I recommend giving it at least a light armor proficiency so that you can give it armor. I put studded leather on it and now it has an AC of 23 and has 75 HP. My party uses the ape as the group tank and the best part is is that if the ape dies you can find another one in almost any forest region. I highly recommend taking a look at this companion.
