Meal Kits: Worth the hype?

Comparing food prep options

By Katrina McDowell on Jan 2, 2024 in News

With so many meal delivery services out there, who is the best? If you want to join one but are overwhelmed with marketing emails and social media ads, we researched the offerings to see who ranks the best on price, tech-savvy, customer satisfaction and dietary options.

Hello Fresh

Hello Fresh started in 2011 in Germany and has been the most popular meal kit service worldwide. The company boasts of being budget-friendly, fresh, tasty and sustainable. With over 7 million active customers and over a billion in net revenue, this sounds like a no-brainer when selecting them for service. The app is rated 4.7 on Apple and ranks #23 in its charts for food and drink. However, with the pros come the cons. According to Consumer Affairs, Hello Fresh ranks 1.4 stars with unbiased reviews. Many lower rankings for Hello Fresh stated that the food was too small of portions and surprised billing issues. Overall, Hello Fresh appeals best to the working adult for easy, healthy recipes that do not require shopping at grocery stores or searching for recipes, and it’s cheaper than eating out.

Blue Apron

Blue Apron is an American ingredient and meal kit company headquartered in New York City. It rated 4.7 on Apple and ranks #166 in its chart for food and drink. Consumer Affairs ranks at 2.9 stars. Again, appealing to the working adult, Blue Apron offers conveniently prepared meals and wellness plans for healthier options and even wine delivery for wine suggestions for meals. Blue Apron uses non-GMO ingredients, hormone-free meats and sustainably sourced seafood. However, it does not cater to niche diets such as Keto or Vegan and does not have options to exclude allergens. Plus, many find it to be overloaded with plastic packaging.

Home Chef

Home Chef is another American meal kit service founded in Chicago in 2013 and is a parent company of Kroger, ranking 4.8 stars on Apple and #104 on the food and drink chart. Consumer Affairs ranks at 2.6 stars. Home Chef is moderately affordable and offers several dishes that are oven-ready or require minimal preparation, unlike the others. Website ordering with Home Chef is easy, and you can skip a week at no cost or penalty. However, Home Chef is unsuitable for food allergies and has limited vegan and plant-based options. The recipes lack creativity, have high sodium content, and organic ingredients are not available for all meals.

Marley Spoon

Marley Spoon, another worldwide meal kit service, was founded in 2014 Berlin, Germany. In 2016, TV personality and businesswoman Martha Stewart jumped in. She attempted to elevate the concept of meal kit services targeting home cooks and foodies with inventive recipes meant for basic skills and discerning palates. It came in at 4.7 on Apple but ranked in a 1.1 and F rating by the Better Business Bureau. With that being said, Marley Spoon offers incredibly fresh ingredients with thoughtful recipes that you won’t find everywhere. Even the quick recipes are unique, offering breakfast and dessert options. As a bonus, this meal kit is sustainable with recyclable or reusable shipping materials. Marley Spoon is a higher cost per meal than other services and requires a few other kitchen staples on hand, such as olive oil, eggs and vinegar. Overall, this meal kit service may be worthwhile if you are a foodie looking to learn new tricks and recipes.

Green Chef

Green Chef, not to be confused with Home Chef, is a certified organic meal kit company founded in 2014 in Boulder, Colorado. In March 2018, Hello Fresh acquired Green Chef. Green Chef ranks 4.7 on Apple, is #79 on the food and drink charts, and is a direct competitor of Marley Spoon. Green Chef accommodates a variety of diets, including keto or paleo, with a sizeable weekly menu and a broad range of serving sizes. However, many recipes require more culinary experience, and it’s a bit expensive compared to other meal kit delivery services. But this is the best option if you are on a stricter diet.

Everyplate

Everyplate is another service that Hello Fresh owns, but it is headquartered in New York. Ranking at 4.7 on Apple and #57 on its food and drink chart. EveryPlate is a more simplified meal kit service and comes in as the cheapest delivery service, at only $1.49/meal and $1 steak. Everyplate helps you to brush up on cooking skills but may be too simple for advanced cooks. Everyplate uses mostly conventional ingredients and is not suitable for niche diets like vegan or keto. Overall, this would be a good starting point for those wanting to learn how to cook and enjoy more options to swap out proteins and sides.

Hungryroot

Hungryroot was founded in 2015 in New York City. Ranking the highest of all other meal kit services listed at 4.9 stars on Apple but again low from BBB at 1.2 stars. Hungryroot is not quite a meal kit, but also not a grocery delivery service, but somewhere in between. Unlike the meal kits, it does not restrict you to specific recipes, so that you can use many items in other recipes. Hungryroot offers excellent search filters and tags on its website and is sustainable in its packaging and food-waste-fighting recipes. Hungryroot caters to ALL diet restrictions, including vegan, keto, pescatarian and food allergies. However, many reviews have described Hungryroot as bland and basic, with little customer service.

Have you joined the meal delivery mob, or are you still cooking from scratch?