The meal delivery service industry has exploded in the past few years. There are a number of companies vying for your business, and Blue Apron and HelloFresh are two of the most popular.
So, which one is right for you?
Let’s take a closer look at Blue Apron and HelloFresh to see how they compare.
Pros And Cons
Pros And Cons Of Blue Apron
Pros
- Excellent range of flavors
- Detailed cooking instructions for beginners
- All-vegetarian options available
- Grocery and wine add-ons available
- Most plans come with shipping included
Cons
- Not suitable for those with allergies
- Limited dietary accommodations
- Uses refined carbs and added sugars
Pros And Cons Of HelloFresh
Pros
- Great range of menu items
- High-quality ingredients
- Low-calorie, family-sized, and vegetarian options available
- Good packaging
- Delicious flavor
Cons
- Not suitable for vegan or keto diets
- Shipping is not free
- Limited dietary accommodations
Also Read: 10 Best Cheapest Meal Delivery Services
Pricing Comparison
| Number of People | Blue Apron Price Per Serving | HelloFresh Price Per Serving |
| 2 | $9.99 (+$9.99 shipping) | $11.99 (+$9.99 shipping) |
| 4 | $8.99 (+$9.99 shipping) | $9.49 (+$9.99 shipping) |
For the most part, meal kits are priced reasonably per serving. After all, their chefs aren’t required to handle the laborious task of cooking the food—that’s your job.
HelloFresh requires a weekly minimum spend of $54.95. That gets you two two-serving meals for $11.49 each, plus an $8.99 delivery.
You can order up to eight four-serving dinners at a time. If you avoid paying extra for premium meals, those meals will cost you $7.49 a serving, for $239.68. Add $5.99 for shipping for a total of $245.67.
HelloFresh does not offer free delivery. However, it does offer lower pricing on larger orders. As with other meal kit services, the more you order, the less you pay per serving.
Blue Apron’s weekly minimum spend is $47.95. That gets you two two-serving meal kits (without premium meals) for $9.99 per serving plus a $7.99 delivery. This is less than HelloFresh’s minimum expenditure.
Blue Apron allows you to order a maximum of two boxes, each containing four four-serving meal kits.
At that level, you get the lowest pricing per serving — $7.49 — equal to HelloFresh, with free delivery if you order three recipes per week subscription, whether for two- or four-serving kits.
The total cost for the order—32 servings, is $239.68. That is, once again, less than HelloFresh.
To conclude, Blue Apron is less expensive at both the high and low end of order volume.
This includes any additional prices for premium meals, which tend to be cheaper with Blue Apron. As a result, Blue Apron comes out ahead in terms of pricing.
Meal Choices
While other meal delivery services strive to differentiate themselves by providing specialized menus (such as healthier vegetarian and vegan options), Blue Apron and HelloFresh go for the omnivorous mainstream.
Both services provide meal kits that are similar: a combination of local and foreign cuisines applied to a wide variety of proteins and vegetables.
You’re just as likely to come across a bibimbap bowl as a Milano in a given week. It’s upscale-casual food that’s modern and fairly healthy.
Meal Choices of Blue Apron
Blue Apron’s meals seem to be a little simpler than HelloFresh, but there’s a reason behind that.
Blue Apron wants you to do more of the cooking yourself so that it does not overwhelm you with complications.
Aside from that, the meals are still rather delicious. Menu items at the time of writing were Blackened Honey Butter Scallops, Mediterranean Turkey Meatballs, and Roasted Paneer & Vegetables.
There is a 100% vegetarian subscription plan but no vegan alternatives, and you must go through recipes yourself to detect any allergens.
Read Detail Review: Blue Apron Review – Everything You Need To Know
Meal Choices of HelloFresh
The HelloFresh menu includes 25 weekly options as well as a range of add-ons.
At the time of writing, HelloFresh was offering Chicken & Pepper Cavatappi Milano, Beef Wellington with Mushroom Sauce, Beef Flautas Supreme, and more than a dozen more dishes for the week.
When you use this service, you’ll seldom see meals that are the same since the variety is so diverse.
If you have any unique dietary requirements, such as a keto diet that you’re trying to follow or an allergy, you’ll need to incorporate that into your search. Still, there’s a good chance you’ll find something to like.
To summarise, HelloFresh offers more alternatives for a wider range of clients thanks to a broader menu that includes both two- and four-serving kits as well as a variety of add-ons.
With that in mind, the meal-prep and butcher packages that Blue Apron offers are a great perk that HelloFresh does not have, as are the more sophisticated and fascinating menu selections available via Blue Apron.
While it’s a difficult decision, we’ll go with HelloFresh since it offers the most menu options, which is what most customers care about.
Read Full Review HelloFresh Review – Read This Before Buying
Quality
There’s no clear winner here when it comes to flavor.
Both Blue Apron and HelloFresh provide excellent flavor variety, focusing on regional American, Mexican, Asian, and Mediterranean cuisines.
However, Blue Apron seems to feature Middle Eastern and Indian meals more often than HelloFresh.
Flavours Freshness & Quality of Blue Apron
Blue Apron devotes a lot of time and resources to sourcing, and it shows in the meals and on the company’s website, where consumers can learn more about the company’s long-term goals for sustainability.
Blue Apron supports non-GMO ingredients, humanely treated animal proteins free of unnecessary antibiotics and hormones, and sustainable seafood in accordance with the Monterey Bay Seafood Watch program. Furthermore, the service often uses organic ingredients.
When it comes to Blue Apron meals, you can rest assured that the quality will live up to your expectations.
Perhaps one item, the Wellness option, falls short of the high culinary standards we expect with the service.
On the other hand, Blue Apron’s vibrant tastes, fresh vegetables, and recipes will truly appeal to you.
Flavour Freshness & Quality of HelloFresh
HelloFresh meals are incredibly delicious in terms of flavor, and they don’t require any additional assistance to get there.
Overall, the flavors are strong yet well-balanced, resulting in delicious and nutritious meals.
The meat and fruit are all fresh, and while not all of the vegetables are in season, they have fantastic taste and texture.
HelloFresh is certainly one to repeat ingredients and utilize formulaic recipes in multiple taste profiles when it comes to variety.
While we’re not bothered by seeing the same meatball meal seasoned in different ways, we do feel it’s noticeable.
However, given the price point, it’s reasonable that HelloFresh arranges its menus in this way.
Takeaway Experience
The packaging and delivery experience is important when you’re dealing with a meal-kit service, as it’s the first indicator of quality.
Plus, if the packaging isn’t done right, your food won’t stay fresh during transit.
Blue Apron’s Takeaway Experience
Blue Apron meals arrive in what has become typical packaging for meal delivery services, which comprises a cardboard box with a layer for insulation and frozen gel packs encased in plastic.
Blue Apron doesn’t deviate much from the standard up to this point, but we found its ingredient packing to be a touch heavy on the plastic front and, overall, simply a lot to work with.
Every single ingredient, except for some of the more durable vegetable products like squash, is put in its own plastic packaging.
For each meal, there is a plastic bag of “knick-knacks” that acts as a container for essential ingredients such as flavor packets, dairy, fresh herbs, dry products such as pasta, and more.
While limiting ingredients might be beneficial in the kitchen, it can result in numerous separate pieces of packing per meal, in addition to the shipping box.
Now, most of this packaging is recyclable, and we suggest reviewing the information on the Blue Apron website since the service does clarify how to dispose of each kind of packing. Overall, however, it seemed like overkill.
HelloFresh Takeaway Experience
HelloFresh orders are delivered in a cardboard box containing two cardboard inserts, an insulated liner, and numerous large ice packs.
While this keeps food fresh and the ice packs may be drained and recycled at a specialist facility, it might result in additional trash for consumers.
The ingredients are bundled into paper bags inside the shipping box to help sort out what you need for each recipe, while the raw, single ingredients are generally packed in plastic.
While this is quite handy and simplifies ingredient handling in the refrigerator, it results in a significant amount of packaging.
Customer Service
Let’s face it, things go wrong. Maybe your shipment was late, or there was an issue with the quality of your food.
In these cases, it’s important to have a good customer service experience to help sort out the problem.
Customer Service of Blue Apron
While Blue Apron doesn’t have the best customer service, it’s not the worst we’ve seen. You can contact customer service via phone, email, or live chat on the website.
The company also has a very detailed Help Centre packed with FAQs and articles on all aspects of the service.
Customer service via phone is available seven days a week, which is excellent for those who work during the day and can’t always get to a computer.
Chat support, on the other hand, is available Monday to Saturday, which could pose a problem for those who need assistance on the weekends.
Customer Service of HelloFresh
HelloFresh has excellent customer service. You can contact the company via phone or live chat on the website, and representatives are available seven days a week.
The customer service team is very friendly and helpful, and they seem to be more focused on solving your problem than upselling you.
The HelloFresh website also has a thorough FAQ section that’s packed with information on all aspects of the service.
Final Verdict
If you’re looking for a meal-kit service that’s easy to use and has good customer service, HelloFresh is a great option.
The company offers a wide variety of recipes, and the food is fresh and delicious. However, if you’re looking for a more affordable option, Blue Apron might be a better choice.
While both companies have their pros and cons, it pays to give both a try to see which one suits your needs best.
Happy cooking!
Amit has always been interested in food and nutrition. After completing his high school certification, he spent half a decade trying multiple meal delivery services. He was impressed with the quality of the food but was disappointed by the lack of information available to help people make the best choices for their health.
Before starting MealDeliveryService.org, Amit worked for multiple Meal Delivery Companies. He knows first-hand what people are looking for in a meal delivery service and is passionate about helping others make healthy choices for their families.