Published on Nov. 11, 2024
Not sure whether to try EveryPlate vs. HelloFresh? We tried both services twice over a two-year period—here's what you need to know.
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Choosing a meal delivery service used to be simple. Only a few existed, and they were largely the same. Nowadays, meal kits are so common that choosing between options like Marley Spoon, Home Chef and Dinnerly means sifting through prices, serving sizes, dietary restrictions and—most importantly—quality. Two of the biggest names in the industry are EveryPlate and HelloFresh, both of which secured a spot as some of our favorite options on the market.
While both meal services offer their own benefits, there are some key differences between them. So, which is the best option for your family? To settle the EveryPlate vs. HelloFresh debate for good, our in-house product testing team independently reviewed and researched both over a two-year period. Here’s what you need to know about each of the services—including how they stack up against each other.
To accurately discuss the differences between the two meal kit services, it’s useful to first look at their similarities. Both services fall into the “meal prep kit” category. This contrasts services like Tovala, which offers heat-and-eat meals that ship almost fully prepped.
Additionally, while not quite as quick as services like Gobble (which promises 15-minute prep), HelloFresh and EveryPlate are relatively beginner-friendly. You don’t need to know fancy techniques or have expensive pans to prepare these meals, which makes them readily accessible for families, college students and working professionals.
One key aspect of the EveryPlate vs. HelloFresh debate is the cost of each service, especially as it pertains to cost per serving. Both HelloFresh and EveryPlate are some of the most affordable meal delivery services out there, earning them spots on our list of the best meal kits for families.
That said, EveryPlate is demonstrably more affordable, which is why we chose it as our favorite budget meal kit service. Choose from two, four or six servings per meal, with the option to enjoy anywhere from three to five meals per week. The cost of the service ranges from roughly $36 for three two-serving meals to around $108 for five six-serving meals weekly.
In contrast, HelloFresh offers a similar rotation of two, four or six servings per meal, with the option to add two to six meals in each weekly box. You can also add additional meals for an extra cost. A box filled with two two-serving meals per week rings up at around $57, while six six-serving meals cost around $371.
EveryPlate’s weekly menu typically offers around 30 choices. While the menu is smaller than HelloFresh’s, this is part of what keeps EveryPlate’s prices low. Meals are organized into the following categories: Quick & Easy, Veggie and Calorie Smart (plus a few seasonal categories such as “Fall Favorites”). Overall, the menu focuses on simple, easy-to-cook meals.
HelloFresh offers a substantial library of around 70 meals per week. Categories include Calorie Smart, Carb Smart, Protein Smart, Easy Prep, Veggie, Family Friendly, Easy Clean-up, Quick and New. Just like EveryPlate, HelloFresh offers nutritional information for each recipe. Additionally, the recipes are a bit more gourmet than EveryPlate’s, so they may appeal more to foodies.
With the influx of keto and gluten-free meal kits, it’s important to evaluate the dietary options available for HelloFresh vs. EveryPlate. Both options offer some meals that adhere to dietary constraints. However, folks seeking the best plant-based meal kits will find a more robust selection of options elsewhere. Instead, try a service like Purple Carrot, which only serves plant-based meals.
EveryPlate’s Quick & Easy category boasts the most selections on their menu—nearly half of the dishes fall into this category. By contrast, our tester, Dylan Fischer, notes that the Veggie and Calorie Smart categories contain significantly fewer meals, topping out at around seven options each. While there’s a full nutritional value label when you open the recipe, there’s no option to sort meals by specific diets aside from vegetarian.
There are a lot of choices available for HelloFresh, including many premium dishes that cost around $9.99 more per serving. However, tester Sheri Kaz notes that in the “Fit & Wholesome” category, she only spied around 24 meal choices for the week. These include meals targeted towards the Calorie Smart, Carb Smart or Protein Smart categories. Out of these, only four of the 70 meals fell under all three tags.
Unlike Hungryroot, which offers ready-made meals and meals requiring prep, HelloFresh and EveryPlate only offer self-prep options. However, that doesn’t mean they don’t offer additional add-ons. In fact, add-ons are one area where both deliver similar options.
Every meal at EveryPlate offers sides that pair well with the recipe for an additional upcharge. Think: garlic bread, mac and cheese or veggies. The EveryPlate Grocery Store is the brand’s ingredient storefront, offering additional proteins, veggies and sides. Customers are also given the option to add Bundle Boxes to their orders. These are boxes full of crackers, cookies, chips and other snacks.
Subscribers to HelloFresh gain access to the HelloFresh Market, which offers items like proteins, breakfasts, quick meals, condiments, produce and sides for those who want to replace their weekly grocery runs. Similarly to EveryPlate, you can also upgrade most dishes with more proteins or sides for an upcharge.
There are a few significant differences in packaging between EveryPlate vs. HelloFresh. Notably, EveryPlate’s ingredients arrive packed into one cardboard box. The proteins sit underneath the other ingredients, directly against the ice pack. The ingredients also don’t arrive packaged by meal, meaning that it’s necessary to parse through them when it’s actually time to cook. Deliveries take place any day of the week from 8 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Similarly, HelloFresh also packages its meat separately from other ingredients. Proteins sit right next to the ice pack at the bottom of the box. Unlike EveryPlate, each meal arrives in its own bag, making it much easier for home cooks to see which ingredient belongs to which recipe. Like with EveryPlate, customers can schedule deliveries on any day of the week. They arrive sometime between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.
On the topic of EveryPlate vs. HelloFresh’s websites and apps, both offer fairly user-friendly technology. EveryPlate’s app is relatively stripped down, with just a few tabs at the bottom containing links to Home, My Menu, Feed Friends, Notifications and Profile. The website is similar, with photos of each dish acting as the main focus.
HelloFresh’s website is equally easy to navigate. Its sidebar lists this week’s menu categories with 20+ recipes per category. Additionally, the app shows current and upcoming orders and the buttons to “Change Meals” or “Edit Delivery.” All nutrition information, ingredients, items not included in the delivery, utensils needed and cooking steps with photos live there, too.
HelloFresh won our hearts as the best meal delivery service for families, and for good reason. Based in Germany, it’s one of the most popular meal delivery kits in the U.S. Launched in the summer of 2021, HelloFresh Market elevated the company from a beloved meal-prep service and suppertime helper into a full-blown online grocery. The brand offers frequent deals and sales, oftentimes including free sides and desserts. Additionally, they have a robust referral program in place for those who recommend the service to others.
Read more about the service in our full HelloFresh review. Learn about how HelloFresh compares to other services by taking a look at our HelloFresh vs. Home Chef and Blue Apron vs. HelloFresh comparisons.
EMIKO FRANZEN FOR TASTE OF HOME
HelloFresh transforms your weekly meal prep by shipping everything you need for dinners (and beyond) straight to your door.
EveryPlate is owned by HelloFresh and was established back in 2018 as a lower-cost alternative to HelloFresh. It won us over as the best budget meal delivery service of all the options we’ve tested. EveryPlate follows the same formula as most other meal kit delivery services on the market, offering several tiered subscription options and additional add-ons. That said, in contrast to other services that offer a broad selection of meals, it focuses on utilizing packaging adjustments and condensed menu options to give it an edge on pricing. Read more about the service in our full EveryPlate review.
EMIKO FRANZEN FOR TASTE OF HOME
EveryPlate meal kits are an affordable way to have delicious recipes and all their ingredients delivered straight to your door.
When you look at all the data, there are a lot of similarities between EveryPlate vs. HelloFresh. This is unsurprising since HelloFresh owns EveryPlate. Therefore, they both use many of the same ingredients and have similar recipes. However, HelloFresh is geared more towards foodies, with gourmet menu options like Pecan Crusted Chicken and Polenta with Zucchini & Carrot Ragu.
On the flip side, EveryPlate is a budget-friendly alternative with less complex meals and flavors. Its menu offers recipes like a Shawarma Chickpeas and Feta Bowl and Crispy Chicken Honey Biscuits, which are a bit easier to prep than HelloFresh’s offerings. Our tests show that both services have yummy meals, great customer service and flexible deliveries. Rest assured that whichever you choose, you’ll enjoy each menu’s offering of delicious weekly meals.
These meal delivery services were tested by various Taste of Home team members, all with varying degrees of cooking expertise. Our testers’ needs, wants and budgets reflect those of the average shopper. Plus, since many factors can affect delivery, we tested most services several times to ensure the experience was consistent for multiple testers.
We also aren’t new to testing this product category. In addition to several meal kits, our team has reviewed meat and chicken delivery services like ButcherBox, Snake River Farms and Good Chop. Our testing extends to grocery services, like Misfits Market and Thrive Market, as well.
