If there’s one thing that holds people back from trying a meal delivery kit service, it’s the price. Leaving mealtime in the hands of others is a risk. If you’re working with a limited budget you don’t want to blow the bank on meal kits that underwhelm. In the duel of Dinnerly Vs EveryPlate, we look at two economical meal delivery services to see how they compare.
Dinnerly promotes themselves as being the meal kit delivery service for people who love to cook but aren’t keen on blowing the budget on fancy ingredients. To achieve their goals, Dinnerly focuses on providing their customers with classic but flavorful recipes and fresh, quality ingredients.
Of course, keeping prices low means cutting corners somewhere. Dinnerly chooses to eliminate costs by using significantly less packaging than their competitors, providing digital recipe cards, and using fewer ingredients per meal.
EveryPlate has a similar focus on their budget-minded meal delivery kits. They also emphasize streamlined packaging and they strive to pack as much flavor into their meals as possible, without overcomplicating the process. Their website says they want to provide you with filling, doable, tasty meals, not necessarily make a chef out of you.
You’re not going to find meal kit delivery options that are more budget-friendly than Dinnerly and EveryPlate. These two companies go head to head in many areas – meaning the differences are in the details. Here is a quick breakdown of the pros and cons between Dinnerly and EveryPlate.
Dinnerly
Pros
- Family-friendly menu selections
- Add extra protein a la carte
- 16 economical menu choices each week
- Meals can be prepared in 6 steps or less
- Offers meals that can be prepared in under 30 minutes
Cons
No customization options at this time- Some customers aren’t entirely pleased with ingredient quality
- Limited packaging can be a hassle when it comes to sorting ingredients
Everyplate
Pros
Offers meals for students at 20% off- Premium meal options available at a higher cost
- Classic style dishes that appeal to most appetites
- Good portion sizes
Cons
Only available in servings for 2 or 4- Limited options that would be considered family-friendly
- Limited, if any, options for special diets
- Less than stellar customer service reviews
Dietary Options
Dinnerly
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Everyplate
Because both of these companies work to keep their costs as low as possible, you’re going to find some limitations if you have special dietary needs or food allergies. Neither company caters to special dietary needs at this time but they do take some steps to help you choose meals that fit your nutritional and dietary needs.
EveryPlate isn’t able to let you make substitutions but they do provide as much information as possible so you can make the best-informed choices. They include allergen information on their website. They also include informational cards with each delivery.
You can find all the ingredients included with each meal kit on their website, which can help decide if you might be able to eliminate certain food allergens on your own.
It’s important to look at and compare both the allergen information and the ingredients. For example, with EveryPlate’s Hoisin Sriracha Chicken, milk is listed in their allergen information, although you wouldn’t immediately think any of the included ingredients contain dairy.
Dinnerly is similar to EveryPlate in that they aren’t able to cater to special dietary needs while keeping their prices so low. However, they do attempt to include a small number (usually 1-2 a week) of meals that are free of some major allergens such as dairy or nuts.
You can easily spot whether a dish includes allergens by looking at the recipe information on their website. Again, it’s important to check the allergen information and not make assumptions due to the potential of hidden allergens in the ingredients.
Dietary Options Winner
While the selection of allergen-free meals is very limited, Dinnerly does at least attempt. When comparing meal options, Dinnerly seems to offer meals that can be more easily modified during preparation for those that follow some special diets.
Meal Prep & Variety
Dinnerly
- 40+
- 3 meals for 2 people
Everyplate
- 18
- 3 meals for 2 people
For many people, the variety and ease of preparation are two important factors in choosing a meal delivery service. The whole point is to make mealtime easier but you don’t want to get stuck in a rut with dishes that seem to all have the same flavors.
Dinnerly does a good job of offering some decent variety with 16 meal choices each week. What’s really nice about Dinnerly is the range of flavor profiles in their meals. You’re going to find classics, along with a few forays into worldly cuisine. Dinnerly also offers a good selection of kid-friendly meals.
Most of Dinnerly’s meals can be prepared in about 30 minutes, which is a huge plus for busy people. They also have a category of meals that can be prepared in even less time and include yummy-sounding selections like No-Stir Shrimp Scampi Risotto and Caramel Chicken.
EveryPlate has 12 meals on their weekly menu, with most of them being well-liked, classic dishes. Don’t take that to mean EveryPlate’s meals are boring. They make a good attempt at adding flavor through sauces and spices without adding to the cost of the meals.
While EveryPlate’s menu is good, it gets even better if you don’t mind spending a little extra. For $2.99 per meal more, you can choose their premium meals which include higher-end protein like steaks and seafood.
Prep time with EveryPlate ranges between 30-45 minutes for most of their meals. Like Dinnerly, all meals are made in 6 steps or less.
Meal Variety Winner
This was a close call but Dinnerly wins by a hair. While EveryPlate offers premium meals, Dinnerly offers premium-style meals without increasing the cost. A bit more variety and their under 30-minute meal options are what sealed the deal.
Ingredients
Dinnerly
- Non-GMO
grass Organic- Grass Fed
- Wild-Caught
Everyplate
Considering that Dinnerly and EveryPlate are two of the most economical meal kit delivery services, you might think that you end up paying in terms of quality. This doesn’t seem to be the case with these two companies.
Dinnerly claims to only work with people they trust when sourcing their ingredients but they lack transparency on who those providers are. That said, customers seem to be overall pleased with the quality of Dinnerly’s ingredients.
EveryPlate doesn’t state where they source their ingredients but they do say their suppliers vary by week and region. Getting to know their suppliers and building relationships with them is a priority for EveryPlate.
When looking over reviews, customers are overwhelmingly pleased with the quality of EveryPlate’s ingredients.
Ingredients Winner
Neither company offers organic ingredients at this time. They also don’t have any statements regarding sustainability or ethical sourcing with their ingredients. EveryPlate wins this category due to the overwhelming majority of their reviews being extremely satisfied with ingredient quality.
Taste & Sample Meals
Dinnerly
- Creamy Cajun Shrimp
- Chinese Take-Out Pepper Steak
- Hoisin-Glazed Chicken
Everyplate
- Vietnamese Steak bowls
- Lemon Thyme Chicken Linguine
- Southwest pork Rice Bowls
Nobody wants to invest in a meal kit, get excited about it, and then end up with meals that don’t even come close to meeting their taste standards. One of the main things you want to know before committing is whether these companies come through when it comes to taste.
Considering the lower price point of both Dinnerly and EveryPlate, it makes sense that many are a bit apprehensive about taste. In the end, most of these concerns are unjustified as customers for both companies seem relatively pleased with their final dishes.
Taste Winner
This is another category where these companies are so close that choosing a winner comes down to the smallest details. Overall, EveryPlate receives slightly better reviews for taste and their menu is abundant with classic style dishes and flavors that appeal to a wider range of taste preferences.
Pricing
Dinnerly
MEALS PER WEEK | PRICE PER SERVING | PRICE PER SERVING |
Two | $8.49 | $6.99/Meal |
Three | $7.49 | $6.49/Meal |
Four | $6.99 | $5.99/Meal |
Five | $6.49 | $5.79/Meal |
Six | $6.24 | $4.99/Meal |
Everyplate
MEALS PER WEEK | PRICE PER SERVING | PRICE PER SERVING | PRICE PER SERVING |
Three | $6.49 | $5.49 | $4.99 |
Four | $5.99 | $5.29 | $4.99 |
Five | $5.79 | $4.99 | $4.99 |
Both EveryPlate and Dinnerly are considered budget-friendly meal kit delivery options. Where some companies charge nearly $20 per serving, these services both come in under $5.
Both EveryPlate and Dinnerly charge a flat rate shipping charge, which at this time is the same for both. This makes it even more difficult to determine a clear winner in this category.
As mentioned earlier, EveryPlate does offer premium meals for an additional charge. Normally, $2.99 wouldn’t seem like too significant of an upcharge but in this case, you end up paying about 60% more for a premium meal.
Pricing Winner
Dinnerly’s prices start at $4.29 and go up to $4.99 per serving, which makes them slightly more economical than EveryPlate. Plus, they offer more variety, including meals with premium proteins without charging extra for them.
Packaging & Recycling
Dinnerly
Everyplate
One of the reasons Dinnerly and EveryPlate can keep their prices low is they minimize packaging whenever possible. Here is what you’ll find in terms of packaging when you open up your deliveries.
EveryPlate packs their ingredients into a smaller internal box. You’ll find the proteins layered at the bottom with gel ice packs to keep them cold and fresh. A common complaint here is that the ingredients aren’t sorted by the recipe when they’re packed. This can be an inconvenience for sure, but it’s also part of how they keep their prices low.
EveryPlate is a bit more transparent about their packaging materials on their website, claiming that their boxes and separators are 100% curbside recyclable. EveryPlate provides instructions for recycling other materials, including their gel ice packs.
Dinnerly packages their meal kits similar to EveryPlate in that they strive to use as little packaging as possible. Dinnerly also places proteins at the bottom with a nice layer of ice to keep them cool. The ingredients don’t come labeled or sorted, so there is a bit of work to do in this department before rolling up your sleeves to get cooking.
Packaging Winner
EveryPlate and Dinnerly are so similar in this department that it’s hard to choose a clear winner. EveryPlate wins for offering slightly more transparency about packaging on their website and for providing recycling instructions for packaging that might not be obvious.
Customer Service
Dinnerly
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Everyplate
From a customer service standpoint, Dinnerly and EveryPlate are similar. They offer similar processes for changing orders, suspending or canceling service, and providing refunds. Neither company offers free trials but Dinnerly has been known to offer money-saving promo codes and discounts.
EveryPlate receives overall good reviews in every category, with their weak spot overwhelmingly being in the customer service department. Of course, you should do your research and judge for yourself but it’s worth mentioning that customer service is the only issue many customers have with EveryPlate.
This isn’t to say that Dinnerly doesn’t have their share of customer service complaints. You’d be hard-pressed to find a company that got it right every time. That said, fewer of their not so great reviews focus on customer service.
Customer Service Winner
Word of mouth means a lot, and Dinnerly’s customers seem to have more positive things to say about the company’s customer service. They’re also more likely to offer discounts, which can be a great incentive for trying their service.
Winner
Dinnerly
When put head to head, Dinnerly comes out as the marginal winner. When comparing EveryPlate Vs Dinnerly, Dinnerly offers a bit more variety with their meals, including family-friendly options. The meals are easy to prepare, with many requiring 30 minutes or less. Of the budget-minded meal kit delivery services, Dinnerly provides exceptional value.
Don’t take this to mean that EveryPlate is inferior. EveryPlate has plenty to offer, including great tasting meals. Each company will appeal to different people. If you’re not sure who to go with, here are a few last words of advice.
Choose Dinnerly if you:
- You’re feeding a family and want kid-friendly meals
- You appreciate a bit more variety and the option for worldly cuisine
- You enjoy premium proteins like seafood and steak, without wanting to pay extra
- You have limited time to spend in the kitchen and want fast, healthy meals
Choose Everyplate if you:
- You enjoy classic style dishes
- You have a little more time and enjoy cooking
- You’re a student looking for economical, healthy, home-cooked meals
- You like the idea of treating yourself to one of their premium meals on occasion