EveryPlate vs. HelloFresh

Shortly, I'll take you through a detailed breakdown of EveryPlate vs. HelloFresh. But first, let's go through a quick overview of the two companies.

Read on for a helpful list of the pros and cons of EveryPlate vs. HelloFresh.

EveryPlate Pros and Cons

HelloFresh Pros and Cons

Pricing

I know pricing can be a huge factor in your decision. You don't want to sacrifice quality, but a good meal subscription service shouldn't break the bank.

Spend your money wisely and read about my experience with EveryPlate vs. HelloFresh's prices before you commit to a subscription.

Please keep in mind that prices change often.

EveryPlate

EveryPlate is famous for being a low-cost subscription service. Their meals are cheaper than the average restaurant meal and beat most food subscription services in this category.

At EveryPlate, you can order for a family of two or four. Bulk orders are cheaper, so the more people in your household, the lower the cost per meal.

I ordered the most popular plan when I purchased EveryPlate. It was for two people, four meals per week, and cost $6.99 per serving, meaning $55.92 for the whole box.

You can also check out their family plans, like the four-person plan with five meals a week, at $4.99 per serving or $99.80 total per week.

Overall, EveryPlate charges low, reasonable prices for their meal subscription service, although it varies based on order size. Shipping costs the same regardless, at $8.99 per box.

HelloFresh

HelloFresh is one of the most popular meal subscriptions today, and many would argue it's worth the price. However, you should know that the cost is steeper than your average subscription.

The company has many different delivery options, each with a different price. For example, if you order five meals per week, the cost per meal is lower than if you order just two meals per week.

When I ordered from HelloFresh, I chose the plan for two people, three nights a week. It's their most popular service and costs $9.99 per meal.

You can also order weeknight meals for a family of four people, five meals per week, which ends up being $9.29 per meal. Other plans are comparable, hovering around $9 to $12 per meal.

HelloFresh charges a flat shipping fee, regardless of size. Their meal deliveries cost $10.99 per shipment.

Winner

For me, the winner is evident in this section. I was impressed with the low cost of EveryPlate's meals, and their shipping was also significantly more affordable.

HelloFresh has some of the pricier meals on the market, and I spent almost twice as much on HelloFresh meals as I did on EveryPlate.

I recommend choosing EveryPlate if you're concerned about costs. The service can help you save money in the long run, and you won't rack up high meal and shipping costs as you would with HelloFresh.

Nutrition

Perhaps even more important than price is nutrition. Whether you're looking to care for your health or are making sure your kids eat right, nutritional content is critical.

I reviewed the nutritional content of EveryPlate and HelloFresh meals I tried. I also researched the companies and read about their commitments to nutrition, including healthy options and where they purchase their food.

Read on to learn about EveryPlate vs. HelloFresh's nutrition, and decide with me which one is best!

EveryPlate

EveryPlate is a cheaper meal subscription service, so naturally, the ingredients are low-cost too. There's less variety and fewer ingredients overall, meaning less nutrient diversity.

A balanced diet includes many different fruits and vegetables. EveryPlate's limited menus mean you might not get a well-rounded balance of nutritious foods.

EveryPlate focuses on American comfort food, with lots of bread, pasta, and meat on the menus, but they include fresh veggies where possible. 

They have generous sized-portions, averaging around 750 calories. EveryPlate is not a diet service, but you can request lower-calorie plates as low as 500 calories.

HelloFresh

HelloFresh has more ingredients per meal, leading to higher nutritional diversity. While that means they can be harder to prepare, the more diverse options can help your body get all the nutrients it needs.

The company uses high-quality ingredients from only the best sources. They don't opt for all-organic foods, but you might see a few organic ingredients in your meal boxes.

HelloFresh has some of the highest amounts of fruit and vegetables compared to other meal subscription services on the market. They include lots of fresh produce in almost every box.

HelloFresh has a low-calorie plan if you're watching your calorie intake, but otherwise, their meals average around 792 calories.

Winner

HelloFresh is the most nutritious meal plan, beating EveryPlate by a hair. While the service is more expensive, the extra funds go towards high-quality fruits, vegetables, and meats.

EveryPlate has a no-frills menu, but it's still relatively nutritious. The meals are higher-carb and may not be appropriate for people looking to lose weight, but the hearty meals are ideal for growing kids or people who need more calories.

While the competition is close, I vote for HelloFresh. As the name implies, they include more fresh ingredients with plenty of nutrients, and the meals are appropriate for a wider variety of diets and needs.

Size Scaling

Size scaling refers to the ability to customize your number of meals per week. For example, you might want a meal every weeknight. Or, perhaps your family needs an ordered meal once or twice a week.

Whether you're ordering for yourself, are part of a couple, or have a large family, the ability to size-scale your meal orders is crucial.

I learned about EveryPlate and HelloFresh's size scaling as part of my research, and I'm ready to share, so keep reading!

EveryPlate

The size scaling at EveryPlate is easy to use and has something to suit every household. There are eight different size scaling combinations based on different needs.

To select your meal schedule, first, choose your household size. You can pick a plan for a family of two or four. If your household is a different size, you can use the meals for lunches or other dinners.

Next, EveryPlate lets you choose how many weekly meals you want. You can order a box of three, four, five, or six meals per person.

HelloFresh

HelloFresh has several scaling options with 12 possible combinations. Start by choosing your family size, either two people or four people.

Next, you can decide how many meals you want per week. With HelloFresh, you can order two, three, four, five, or six meals with each weekly shipment.

Winner

HelloFresh has a slight edge over EveryPlate when it comes to size scaling.

Both meal services allow you to order for a family of two or four. However,  HelloFresh has a slightly higher range of meal scaling options, at two to six. EveryPlate offers three to six meals per person per week.

The difference between the two is subtle, but HelloFresh is the winner. I recommend choosing HelloFresh if you feel you'll utilize their two-meals-per-week option. Otherwise, it's a toss-up between the two companies.

Recipe Clarity and Simplicity

Many of us are worried about recipe clarity when cooking with meal kits.

I don't know about you, but I'm not the most skilled in the kitchen and always appreciate clear instructions. After all, meal subscriptions are supposed to make our lives easier!

So, let's see if EveryPlate and HelloFresh do their duty in the kitchen and offer clear recipe instructions.

EveryPlate

HelloFresh delivers their food in packages organized by recipe. However, there are fewer fresh ingredients, so you'll spend less time chopping and preparing vegetables.

I appreciated the step-by-step instructions on EveryPlate's recipe cards and how I could view recipes on their mobile app. I also liked how the ingredients had labels, so things weren't confusing, and I didn't have to uncover which foods belonged to which meals.

Overall, EveryPlate had high recipe clarity. It was a great help to me in my weeknight cooking, and the recipe difficulty was appropriate for even beginning chefs.

HelloFresh

Similar to HelloFresh, EveryPlate comes with prepackaged and measured ingredients. That way, you don't have to worry about mixing up foods from different meals.

All ingredients are premeasured, and you don't need cooking equipment like measuring cups or multiple mixing bowls. However, I do recommend you have some knives on hand. HelloFresh uses some ingredients that need chopping.

The recipe cards from HelloFresh are straightforward and easy to understand. They have minimal steps and include helpful pictures.

I liked the recipes' ease and simplicity at HelloFresh. The high number of ingredients meant a little more preparation time than other companies, but I was still able to get everything on the table within 30 minutes.

Winner

EveryPlate and HelloFresh tie for recipe clarity and simplicity. I had no trouble understanding their recipe cards, and both companies have an app if you lose the recipe card or prefer the mobile format.

The packaging at each company is different, but both were conducive to easy cooking. I appreciated the precise organization of their meal kits.

Overall, there's little competition between EveryPlate and HelloFresh for recipe simplicity, and either company is a good option for novice chefs.

Flavor and Recipe Diversity

Aspects like nutrition and price are critical. However, perhaps the most crucial factor is the recipes themselves.

I ordered shipments from EveryPlate and HelloFresh and compared the two on variety and flavor. I also researched the companies to learn more about their ever-changing menus.

Read on to discover the flavor and recipe diversity of EveryPlate vs. HelloFresh and which company offers tastier meals!

EveryPlate

As an EveryPlate subscriber, you'll receive a weekly menu from EveryPlate with about 16 options. They typically focus on American and Italian cuisine, with classic dishes like fried chicken and pasta.

When I ordered from EveryPlate, I tried the bacon linguine with roasted tomatoes. It was a simple meal with few fresh ingredients, but the dish was flavorful and got the job done.

I also tried their mushroom steak, which was indulgent but not too creamy, and the shepherd's pie, a mashed potato dish with a British twist.

While culinary diversity isn't present at EveryPlate, their dishes are flavorful and satisfying.

HelloFresh

The flavors at HelloFresh are diverse and tasty, and the recipes appeal to many audiences. The best part is that HelloFresh offers over 50 menu options weekly, so you can pick the meals that appeal best to you or your family.

Appeal to picky eaters with hearty American classics like mac and cheese, or try something new like balsamic and fig beef tenderloin. I ordered a variety of cuisines and ended up with Mexican, British, and Asian-inspired dishes on my week with HelloFresh. My favorite was the sweet chili pork stir fry with roasted cabbage!

Overall, HelloFresh is a good option if you're looking for recipe diversity. I'd even go so far as to say their wide variety of offerings can feel overwhelming. So, consider choosing HelloFresh if you value unique and adventurous plates but still like comfort food options.

Winner

HelloFresh has a clear edge over EveryPlate here. The higher prices at HelloFresh mean they don't skimp on meal quality and diversity.

You'll find creative, global, delicious dishes at HelloFresh that EveryPlate can't compete with. I enjoyed the dishes I tried from EveryPlate. But the lack of diversity meant I might get bored week to week.

Ingredient Freshness and Quality

Stay healthy and choose a meal subscription service with many fresh ingredients. Fresh, high-quality ingredients are often the first thing we consider when looking at food subscriptions.

It can be hard to ensure your foods are fresh when ordering online. So I'm here to give you a firsthand review based on my experience with EveryPlate vs. HelloFresh.

EveryPlate

The first thing you need to know is that EveryPlate uses low-cost ingredients. Cheaper ingredients help lower your grocery bill. But it also means fewer fresh offerings.

I didn't receive much fresh produce with my EveryPlate order. Some weeks, you may receive no fresh ingredients at all.

Although there are little to no fresh foods at EveryPlate, they ensure their packaged foods are of the highest quality. The foods were bursting with flavor and from top-rate sources, as per their website.

HelloFresh

The HelloFresh company claims to use more fresh produce in its shipments. I can confirm this is true, as my delivery from HelloFresh included lots of fresh ingredients.

There are fewer processed foods at HelloFresh, and your meals will be healthier for them. However, it took me longer to prepare the fresh foods, and I spent extra time chopping and cooking the fresh produce.

Meats are also high-quality at HelloFresh. They source from sustainable fisheries, and HelloFresh representatives visit meat factories to ensure your beef and poultry are of the highest tier.

Winner

There's a marked difference in food quality between EveryPlate and HelloFresh. HelloFresh uses fresh ingredients in nearly every meal, while EveryPlate shipments may include few or no fresh foods.

Of the two, HelloFresh is my pick for the best fresh ingredients. However, EveryPlate still delivered good quality despite the lack of unprocessed foods.

Ease of Use

The purpose of meal ordering kits is to make your life easier. Do EveryPlate and HelloFresh succeed in this regard? Let's see.

Ease of use refers to the overall user experience. Does the company have a user-friendly website? How is the ordering experience? Are the recipes easy to make?

In this section, I'll share my experience with EveryPlate and HelloFresh's ease of use. Keep reading to discover which company is easier to work with and which is ideal for your household.

EveryPlate

I had a great user experience with EveryPlate. The website is rudimentary yet, effective and easy to navigate.

EveryPlate lets you order within minutes. All you have to do is select your family size, meal preferences and upload your payment information.

Ordering is a breeze, and shipping is easy, with guaranteed delivery at the same time each week. Call customer service, use the chat, or read the FAQ if you run into any road bumps.

The recipes are easier to make than many meal services, as the cheaper company uses fewer ingredients. You don't have to be a culinary whiz to appreciate EveryPlate!

Overall, I found EveryPlate to be a very user-friendly service. It didn't have all the frills of a pricier service, but it did its job.

HelloFresh

As one of the most extensive meal delivery companies worldwide, HelloFresh must have a user-friendly website to compete with other companies. They have many site pages, but I had no trouble navigating HelloFresh.com and ordered a meal box within minutes.

Start with HelloFresh by selecting your family size of two or four people. Next, you choose your dietary preferences, like veggie, fit & wholesome, family-friendly, or quick & easy.

Once the ingredients arrived, I used the recipe cards to cook them. The meals used minimal cleanup and were on the table within 30 minutes.

If you have any trouble, reach out to HelloFresh's customer service. You can speak with a human service rep any time of the day.

It's super easy to press pause for a week if you're going out of town or need a break. Also, if you're unhappy with HelloFresh, you can cancel your subscription with no fees.

Winner

Surprisingly, EveryPlate takes the cake in this category. I expected the pricier HelloFresh to have a more user-friendly experience, but EveryPlate got the job done with their no-frills website, easy recipes, and top-tier customer service.

The Verdict

When it comes to EveryPlate vs. HelloFresh, it's evident HelloFresh is the better service. They sell fresher ingredients, have more diverse recipes, and offer higher nutrition.

While I believe HelloFresh is the best option overall, EveryPlate is a good choice if you're on a budget.

Final Thoughts

I hope you enjoyed this round-up of EveryPlate vs. HelloFresh and are ready to decide on a meal delivery service!