With dozens of meal delivery options available, it can be hard to parse through which ones are really worth it. Two of the biggest names in the space, HelloFresh and Blue Apron, both promise easy-to-make meals and fresh ingredients delivered straight to your door — but they differ in pricing, recipe variety, customization, and overall experience.
I tried both Blue Apron and HelloFresh for myself (I spent four weeks ordering, cooking, eating, and documenting more than a dozen meals from each brand), and can confidently say which one is really worth it. Here’s how this showdown went down.
Why You Should Trust Me as a Tester
I’ve tested several meal kits as part of my job as a groceries editor at The Kitchn. (Reviewing groceries is also one of my passions.) I ordered 16 different meals from both Blue Apron and Hello Fresh, and tested them over the course of four weeks. Throughout this time, I took notes on delivery, quality, and functionality of the service. Every meal in this review, from each service, was made by me in my own kitchen.
HelloFresh is a popular meal kit delivery service that provides customers with pre-portioned ingredients and step-by-step recipes to cook meals at home. Customers select recipes from a weekly menu, choose the number of meals and servings, and receive a temperature-controlled box at their doorstep with (almost) everything needed to prepare those dishes.
Blue Apron is one of the original meal kit delivery services. Similar to other brands, the meals contain pre-portioned ingredients and step-by-step recipes. In more recent years, the company has expanded to include sides, desserts, pre-made meals, and a handful of groceries. Each week, customers choose from a rotating menu, select the number of servings, and receive a refrigerated box delivered to their door with nearly everything needed to make the meals.
For each meal kit, I opted to try 16 recipes (two servings each). The price for each service depends on the size of your order each week.
Prices for HelloFresh change based on how many people and how many meals you select, with costs ranging from about $45.96 for a basic two-meals-for-two-people plan up to $359.64 for larger family-sized boxes, plus a flat $10.99 shipping fee per box as well. However, the base price isn’t always the full picture. The service also has premium meal options like steak or seafood that come with an additional $2.99 to $9.99 per serving, and optional add-ons such as breakfasts or extra proteins can further increase the total.
In comparison, Blue Apron also adjusts pricing based on the number of people and meals selected, but its per-meal pricing typically ranges from $7.99 to $13.99 per serving. The most affordable plan starts at around $31.96 for two (two-serving) meals, plus a $9.99 shipping fee per box, although a $10 minimum order also applies. Like HelloFresh, additional items such as heat-and-eat meals, desserts, and pre-cooked proteins are offered, and can generally raise the final cost (think of it as extra grocery shopping). Blue Apron also has Blue Apron+, a $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year membership that offers subscribers free shipping on all orders, 5% off on autoship, and access to Tastemade+.
When it comes to recipe variety, both HelloFresh and Blue Apron have a vast array of recipes, but they approach it differently. HelloFresh features more than 30 recipes each week, spanning comfort food, international cooking, and vegetarian options, with clear category labels like “Quick & Easy” and “Fit & Wholesome” that make narrowing down choices relatively straightforward.
Blue Apron, on the other hand, offers an even larger catalog (I had more than 50 recipes to choose from) that covers a broad mix of proteins, cuisines, and difficulty levels, including everything from fast 15-minute meals to more elaborate, chef-style dishes that took longer than an hour. While HelloFresh focuses on structured categories that simplify decision-making, Blue Apron leans more into sheer breadth and customization, giving users a wider pool of recipes and more detailed filtering options to fine-tune their preferences and meal selections.
When it comes to meal quality and ease of preparation, both services deliver strong (and tasty) results, but they cater to slightly different cooking experiences. HelloFresh provides fresh ingredients and easy-to-follow, step-by-step recipe cards, but the experience can be slightly more variable in both complexity and execution. Many meals are simple and quick, but some recipes are more involved and better suited to confident home cooks or weekend cooking sessions. I found there to be occasional ingredient substitutions or minor produce issues, but generally the instructions for the service are clear and generally easy to follow, making it a strong option for people who want structured, guided cooking with a bit more range in difficulty and style.
I found Blue Apron to generally emphasize consistency and polished dishes that are typically straightforward to cook, with clear instructions, helpful photos, and minimal cleanup. Most recipes fell within a reliable 30- to 45- minute range, although some were quicker 15-minute options and others were more complex with hour-long dishes. Overall, it feels streamlined and approachable, even for beginner cooks, while still offering enough variety and new recipes each week to keep things interesting.
So, Which One Is Worth it?
Both HelloFresh and Blue Apron are strong meal kit services, but, in my opinion, Blue Apron comes out ahead overall. Between the two services, Blue Apron offers a larger weekly menu with more consistent ingredient quality, better organization, and a more polished cooking experience. That isn’t to say that HelloFresh isn’t great, because it is, but I found that it came with more roadblocks (scuffed produce and at-times confusing directions). If you’re about maximum variety, flexible cooking, and consistently fresh produce, Blue Apron is the one for you.
Have you tried Blue Apron? Tell us about it in the comments below.
