Top meal kits compared

About Top meal kits compared

Meal kit services differ more in shape than the marketing suggests. Some send a box of raw ingredients with recipes, some send ready meals, and some are grocery subscriptions that never send a recipe card, so price per serving on its own tells you little. This ranking lines up 18 brands, and the members here mostly run in a single market, from New Zealand and the US through the GB, the AT and the PL, with Quicklly reaching the US, CA and IN. The trade-off that decides the order is entry price against renewal price. Some brands open with a cut on a first order and bill the standard serving price from there, so the headline figure and the ongoing figure are not the same number. Delivery charges carry similar weight: several services list free delivery, others add a fixed fee to every order. What sits inside the plan is the second lever, with menus turning over 100 recipes a week for Dinnerly and 40 recipes for HelloFresh, diet labels running from keto and gluten-free to family, and support running from email alone to email, chat, phone and a help centre. Flexibility is not a differentiator, since every service here can be skipped.

How we picked

The weights are fixed and public: cost carries 40% of the score, introductory offers 40%, and trust signals 20%. A low serving price and a strong entry discount therefore do most of the work, and recyclable packaging, support routes and the size of the menu settle ties. Every figure comes from the brand's own material. Plan and menu pages supply serving prices, recipe counts, diet labels and plan types. Terms, imprint and help pages supply the legal entity, the home market, delivery charges and support routes. Packaging pages settle recyclable packaging, and delivery area pages settle the markets covered. Founding years come from brand about pages and the national company register. Introductory discounts are read from the offer shown on the brand's own site and are kept apart from the ongoing price, so a first order never stands in for a renewal. The order follows score. Partners that serve your country are listed first in this ranking, then the rest by score. Where two services share a serving price, the tie goes to the wider menu or the wider footprint.

Our top picks

1. Q2. Quicklly

   Quicklly sits near the foot of this ranking on the strength of delivery: its listed shipping charge is $0, and it is the widest of the free delivery brands here because it covers the US, CA and IN where the others run in a single market. The range is meal kits, prepared meals and desserts, weeks can be skipped, and support runs by email, phone and a help centre. The company is a young operation, founded in 2020 and trading as Quicklly, Inc., so the footprint does more work here than the menu. Abel & Cole, the brand ranked next, points the same subscription model at a different basket: groceries, meat, seafood, snacks, chocolate, gourmet items, cheese and a veg box at serving prices of £3 to £9 in GBP.

   • Shipping fee: $0
   • Skip or pause online: Yes
   • Markets: US, CA, IN

   Pros

   • A single account covers meal kit, prepared meals and desserts, so cooking kits, ready meals and desserts all sit under one subscription
   • Shipping is free on the roti kit order, and free delivery on other orders starts at $30
   • Grocery sourcing is listed as organic and local, and the tea range carries organic certification
   • Orders can be skipped at any time, with weekly, fortnightly and monthly to set the pace
   • Personalization is offered on gift boxes alongside next day delivery, so a gift can land on the day it is needed

   Cons

   • The mix stops at meal kit, prepared meals and desserts, while Dinnerly lists meal kit, family meals and prepared meals, a longer range of boxes
   • Delivery covers US, CA and IN only, so households outside those markets are not served
   • Free delivery on smaller grocery and tea orders starts at $30, so a basket under that level carries a shipping fee
   • Support runs on email, phone and help centre only, so a shopper who wants live chat has no route listed

2. 3. HelloFresh: best for Top pick

   HelloFresh takes the top pick in this ranking because it pairs a mid-range serving price, NZD 9 to NZD 19.50, with 40 recipes a week across meal kits, family meals, diet meals, breakfasts and desserts. Diet labels cover vegetarian, low-calorie, high-protein and family, so one subscription fits a single cook and a larger table. Packaging is recyclable, the plan can be skipped at any time, and support runs on chat, phone, email and a help centre. Against Hungryroot below it, the difference is ready-to-cook kits against raw groceries: Hungryroot lists $8.99 per serving in USD and cuts the entry order by 30%, while HelloFresh trades as HelloFresh New Zealand Limited and serves the NZ.

   • Price per serving: NZ$9 to NZ$19.50
   • Recipes per week: 40
   • Skip or pause online: Yes

   Pros

   • Skip anytime, so a missed week costs nothing and needs no call.
   • Recyclable packaging, so a weekly box does not end up in general waste.
   • Product types reach meal kit, family meals and diet meals, covering dinner, breakfast and desserts in a single delivery.
   • Support runs on email, chat and phone, which is broader than a help center alone.
   • Diet filters cover vegetarian, low calorie and high protein, so a family can split preferences inside the same menu.

   Cons

   • It is a subscription, so a plan stays active and bills until you cancel it, and the box has to be planned around.
   • Recipes come to 40 recipes a week, a step below the 45 recipes a week recorded across the site.
   • The range is wide, NZD 9 to NZD 19.50 per serving, so a week on the larger plans costs well past the entry price.
   • Delivery covers NZ, a single market, so anyone ordering from outside it gets no coverage.

3. 4. Hungryroot

   Hungryroot is in this ranking as the grocery alternative, and that is the trade-off to weigh. You choose the cooking and the brand ships groceries, meat, seafood, snacks, chocolate and cheese at $8.99 per serving in USD, with 30% off the entry order. Diet labels cover vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free and high-protein, packaging is recyclable, and the subscription can be skipped at any time. Phone help is missing, as support runs on email, chat and help centre. Dinnerly, the brand ranked next, sells finished kits rather than raw ingredients, adds keto, low-calorie and family options, and turns over 100 recipes a week with a phone line and help centre behind it.

   • Price from: $0.49
   • Subscription: Yes
   • Free delivery threshold: $70

   Pros

   • Skip anytime on the Hungryroot subscription, so a box you do not need is not paid for
   • Free delivery above $70 takes the delivery line off larger orders
   • Entry price of $0.49 makes a small trial box easy to place
   • One delivery covers grocery, meat and seafood, a wider spread than HelloFresh, which centres on meat and seafood
   • Diet tags cover vegetarian, vegan and gluten free, so vegetarian and high-protein eaters are looked after in the same box

   Cons

   • Support runs on email, chat and help centre only, with no phone line among the listed routes
   • Delivery stays inside US, so readers elsewhere are not covered
   • Diet tags stop at vegetarian, vegan and gluten free, which leaves keto and low-calorie shoppers without a matching plan
   • The 30% offer is an entry discount, so later boxes should be budgeted at the full $8.99 per serving

4. 5. Dinnerly

   Dinnerly earns its place in this ranking on the two numbers readers check first: $5.99 per serving, under the field median of €7.88, and 100 recipes a week, above the field median of 57.5. One subscription covers meal kits, family meals, prepared meals, diet meals, breakfasts and desserts, with vegetarian, vegan, keto, gluten-free, low-calorie, high-protein and family labels. Packaging is recyclable, weeks can be skipped, and support is by email, phone and a help centre. Wild Alaskan Company, next in the ranking, shares the US market and charges free delivery, but its range is seafood alone.

   • Price per serving: $5.99
   • Recipes per week: 100
   • Skip or pause online: Yes

   Pros

   • Menu breadth in one subscription: meal kit, family meals and prepared meals covers kits, family meals, prepared meals, diet meals, breakfast and desserts.
   • A weekly slate of 100 recipes ranks 3 of 19 brands on menu size.
   • Price per serving of $5.99 ranks 5 of 21 brands compared, which holds up well for a family box.
   • Skip anytime is available, so a week can be held back without arranging a call.
   • Packaging is recyclable, and vegetarian, vegan and keto covers vegetarian, vegan, keto, gluten-free, low-calorie, high-protein and family.

   Cons

   • Dinnerly ships to US only, so readers in other countries have no route to these boxes through this brand.
   • Support runs on email, phone and help centre, which lists email, phone and a help centre but no live chat option.
   • Keto sits on the vegetarian, vegan and keto list, yet 33.3% of comparable meal kit brands include it, so keto menus are the exception rather than the norm.

5. 6. EveryPlate

   EveryPlate is in this ranking for a low serving price, $5.99 in USD, and a large entry discount of 57% off the first order rather than off the ongoing price. The menu turns over 35 recipes a week covering meal kits, prepared meals and desserts, with vegetarian, low-calorie and family diet labels, and the subscription can be skipped at any time. Support is the broadest kind in this ranking, by email, chat, phone and a help centre, which matters when a delivery lands wrong. The catch sits in the delivery charge of $10.99. Quicklly, the brand ranked next, lists the same three plan types and reaches the US, CA and IN, with free delivery where EveryPlate bills a fee.

   • Price per serving: $5.99
   • Recipes per week: 35
   • Shipping fee: $10.99

   Pros

   • Serving price of $5.99 ranks 5 among the 21 brands compared, so cost is the strongest part of the offer.
   • The catalogue spans meal kit, prepared meals and desserts, so a household can mix cook-from-scratch kits with ready meals, where HelloFresh lists meal kit, family meals and diet meals.
   • Skipping is available at any time, the same as every brand in the meal kit ranking (100%).
   • An introductory offer of 57% lowers the cost of trying the plan.
   • Support covers email, chat and phone, giving more ways to reach a person than a centre only service.

   Cons

   • A weekly menu of 35 recipes ranks 14 of the 19 brands measured, so choice is the weak side of the offer.
   • Shipping is listed apart from the serving price at $10.99, so it adds to $5.99 rather than forming part of it.
   • The diet list is vegetarian, low calorie and family, with no vegan, keto or gluten-free option in it.
   • Its markets are US, so a household outside the US is not in the areas it covers.

6. 7. Mosaic Foods

   Mosaic Foods sits near the foot of this ranking because it carries the highest serving price here, $11.99, on top of a delivery fee of $9.99. What it returns is choice: 70 recipes a week, prepared meals, family meals and breakfast in the range and a diet list covering vegetarian, vegan and keto, with recyclable packaging and skipping available anytime. Founded in 2019, it delivers to US. Support runs on email and help centre only, with no phone line listed. Sitka Seafood Market, ranked next, charges $20 for delivery but sells seafood alone.

   • Price per serving: $11.99
   • Recipes per week: 70
   • Shipping fee: $9.99

   Pros

   • Recipe range: 70 recipes a week, ranking 6 of 19 brands in the comparison.
   • Skip anytime is available, in line with 97% of the brands compared.
   • Diet coverage spans vegetarian, vegan, keto, gluten-free, low-calorie and high-protein, and sourcing is organic and local.
   • Packaging is recyclable, matching 94.4% of compared brands.

   Cons

   • $9.99 in shipping sits on top of $11.99 per serving, so the checkout total is higher than the serving price suggests.
   • On price per serving, Mosaic Foods ranks 16 of 21 brands, so it is not the cheapest option in the field.
   • Support runs on email and help centre only, with no phone line listed for anyone who prefers to talk an issue through.
   • Delivery covers US only, so the offer does not travel beyond a single market.

7. MC10. Mindful Chef: best for Mindful Chef

   Mindful Chef delivers recipe boxes with nutritionist designed meals and ethically sourced ingredients. Boxes include step by step instructions and plastic free packaging.

   • Markets: GB

   Pros

   • Recipe boxes built around nutritionist designed meals for balanced home cooking
   • Ethically sourced ingredients paired with plastic free packaging in each delivery
   • Step by step instructions that guide preparation for everyday cooks

What to look for

Serving price after the entry offer

Read past any first order discount and look at the ongoing figure. The median serving price in this ranking is €7.88, with quartiles at €5.25 and €11.07, and a full spread running from €3.49 to €34.11. Prices are listed in the currency each brand bills in.

Entry price against renewal price

Introductory discounts belong to the first order, so the price you keep paying is the one that decides whether a subscription suits you. Entry prices in this ranking sit with a median of €12.81, a lower quartile of €5.55 and a top of €139.44. Check the renewal number before subscribing.

How often the menu rotates

A kit earns its place only if you do not eat the same dinner twice. Recipes a week reach a median of 57.5 in this ranking, running from 35 at the bottom to 100 at the top. A fast rotation also spreads the choice of diets across the week.

What the plan actually contains

Recipe kits, ready meals and grocery boxes are different products. Prepared meals are the most common format in this ranking at 66.7%, family meals follow at 55.6% and breakfasts sit at 50%. Read the plan types before comparing prices.

How easily you reach a person

Most questions end with a support request. A help centre covers 94.4% of this ranking and phone support 77.8%, while chat is thinner at 33.3%. Email is the one route nearly every service keeps, so judge the extra channels rather than the baseline.

Diets covered and whether you can pause

Vegetarian options are close to standard at 93.3% of this ranking and family options at 80%, while keto is the rarer ask at 33.3%. Pausing tells you nothing here, because every service in this ranking can be skipped, worth 100% of the field.

Frequently asked questions

Top meal kits compared by country

• Canada
• United Kingdom
• United States

The data behind this ranking

All data and the CSV