Top 6 Meal Kit Delivery Services

All six meal kit delivery services on the original 2020 list are still taking orders in October 2026. HelloFresh has the biggest weekly menu, with more than 60 recipes. Home Chef publishes the clearest price, from $9.99 a serving. Gobble is the fastest to cook, at 15 minutes a dinner.

Updated October 11, 2026.

I have cooked from meal kits for years, and the box on the porch is the easy part. The real test comes on a weeknight, when the recipe card says 30 minutes and the chopping says otherwise. Prep time, how much packaging piles up and how easy it is to skip a week matter more to me than the menu photos. That’s what I’d look at first with each of these six. Some of them won’t even show you a price until you type in a ZIP code.

Meal kit delivery services compared

HelloFresh for the largest weekly menu

HelloFresh lists more than 60 chef-designed recipes a week in its FAQ. Its plan types run from Meat & Veggies and Veggie to Calorie Smart, High Protein, Carb Smart, Mediterranean and Family Friendly. The site promises meals in 30 minutes or less, and a shipping fee applies to every box after the first.

Price is the catch for comparison shoppers. The HelloFresh plans page asks for a ZIP code before it shows any number, so the cost depends on where the box ships. The menu size is the reason to start here. A household that gets bored by week three has the most room to rotate.

Home Chef meal kit delivery prices

Home Chef is the easiest service to price before signing up. Its help center says standard meals start at $9.99 per serving, depending on the menu. The minimum weekly order is $50.95 on the regular plan and $90.81 on the Family Plan.

That published floor matters. With most rivals, a shopper has to start checkout to learn the real cost. Home Chef also raised its listed starting price from the $7 a serving quoted in the 2020 version of this list. Its shipping fee is not stated on that help article, so check it at checkout.

Blue Apron without a subscription

Blue Apron has changed the most since 2020. Its home page now says “No Subscription Needed” and sells dishes one at a time. Listed prices on the current menu run from $6.50 a serving for a panko-crusted tilapia to $14.99 for a pork schnitzel. Family-style bundles for two, four and six people sit at $19.49, $38.99 and $58.49.

Cook times are printed next to each dish, from 5 minutes for a burrito to 65 for the family bundles. The wine subscription mentioned in the 2020 list no longer appears on the home page. For a cook who wants two kits one week and none the next, no other service here is as flexible.

Marley Spoon and Martha Stewart recipes

Marley Spoon still sells its kits around cooking techniques from Martha Stewart and describes them as 30-minute recipes. Its help center lists 2-, 3-, 4- and 6-person boxes, each with 2 to 6 meals per order. A 2-person box costs $62.95 to $142.87 per order, and every order adds $10.99 shipping.

The company also sells single-serving prepared meals under the name Balance by Marley Spoon. Those cost $12.99 each with $11.99 shipping. The published box prices make Marley Spoon simple to budget, though the flat shipping fee weighs more on small orders.

Gobble for 15-minute dinners

Gobble builds every plan around a 15-minute dinner. It offers three plans. Classic makes no diet claim. Lean & Clean keeps recipes at 650 calories or less, and Vegetarian is plant-based. Menu filters also flag wheat-free, dairy-free and low-carb dishes.

Gobble does not post a price on its public pages. Its site says only that the price may vary with selections. It earns a place for speed alone, since no other kit here claims a shorter cook time across the whole menu.

Sun Basket for specific diets

Sun Basket still takes orders and leads with diet labels. Its home page lists Paleo, Vegetarian, Gluten-Free, Carb-Conscious, Keto-Friendly, Mediterranean, Diabetes-Friendly and Pescatarian menus. It also sells pre-made meals and offers a money-back guarantee.

Those labels are the company’s own. Anyone managing diabetes, celiac disease or another condition should check each recipe’s ingredients and talk to a clinician about fit. Sun Basket’s home page shows no plan price, so the cost only appears during sign-up.

How to pick a meal kit delivery service

Start with the constraint that matters most. For a tight budget, Home Chef and Marley Spoon are the two that publish real numbers up front, so a shopper can compare them before handing over an email address. For variety, HelloFresh’s menu is the largest. Gobble wins on time. Blue Apron suits people who do not want a weekly commitment.

Next, add shipping to the box price. Marley Spoon charges $10.99 per order, and HelloFresh charges a fee after the first box. Finally, check how a plan handles skipped weeks before subscribing. Promotional first-box discounts are common, so the second invoice is the better guide to the real cost.

Are meal kit delivery services worth it?

Which meal kit delivery service is cheapest?

On published prices checked in October 2026, Blue Apron lists the lowest single dish at $6.50 a serving, and it needs no subscription. Home Chef’s standard meals start at $9.99 a serving with a $50.95 weekly minimum. HelloFresh, Gobble and Sun Basket show prices only during sign-up, so they cannot be ranked from their public pages.

Do meal kits require a subscription?

Most of them sell recurring plans. Home Chef sets a minimum weekly order, and HelloFresh charges shipping on every box after the first. Blue Apron is the exception on this list. Its home page says no subscription is needed, and it sells individual dishes and family-style bundles for two, four or six people.

Which meal kit is fastest to cook?

Gobble claims 15 minutes for every dinner on all three of its plans. HelloFresh advertises meals in 30 minutes or less, and Marley Spoon calls its kits 30-minute recipes. Blue Apron prints a time on each dish, from about 5 minutes for a burrito up to 65 for a family bundle.

Can meal kits fit a special diet?

Several services label menus by diet. Sun Basket lists eight, including Paleo, Gluten-Free, Keto-Friendly and Diabetes-Friendly. HelloFresh offers Calorie Smart, High Protein and Carb Smart plans, and Gobble’s Lean and Clean plan stays at 650 calories or less. These are company labels, so people with a medical diet should check ingredients and ask a clinician.

This article is for general information only and is not medical advice. Talk to a licensed clinician about your own situation.