Every Plate and Hello Fresh are two meal kit delivery services specializing in simple, fresh recipes that can be prepared and on the table in minutes. They have many similarities, but there are also a few differences.
Choosing the best meal delivery service for your needs comes down to factors like taste, variety, quality, price, and easy-to-follow recipes. In our comparison, HelloFresh comes out ahead due to its variety, quality, and several other factors.
Still, both are good in that each fills a unique gap for people looking to eat healthier, skip the weekly meal planning, and prepare more meals at home.
We compared the two meal kit services and judged them on a list of criteria. Here’s how they compare.
About Every Plate Vs. Hello Fresh
Every Plate and Hello Fresh are two companies that offer a subscription meal kit service, where you have food delivered to your doorstep every week.
They both provide meal kits with pre-portioned ingredients and printed recipe cards that detail exactly how to craft the perfect dish with as little prep time as possible. While the boxes contain the main ingredients you need to make the meals on the recipe cards, you will be expected to have staples on hand like salt, pepper, and olive oil as well as basic cooking utensils and pans.
Another big similarity between the two companies is that they are both owned by the same parent company, though they do offer different customer experiences which you’ll see throughout our comparison.
Before we get started comparing EveryPlate vs. HelloFresh meal kits in detail to discover the best meal kit overall, here’s a quick list of the pros and cons of each service.
EveryPlate
Pros
- One of the most affordable options for fresh meal kits
- 14 meals offered per week
- Well-liked flavors
- Good for pickier eaters
- No hidden charges or scale based discounts
Cons
- The menu is fairly simple and might be viewed as boring by some
- Every Plate is bare-boned in some areas to save money
- Lack of options for special dietary needs
- No organic ingredients
Hello Fresh
Pros
- One of the most well-recognized meal delivery services
- Great variety on their menu with about two dozen options per week
- Caters somewhat to low carb, low calorie, and vegetarian diets
- Offers a family plan
- You can sometimes find discounts for free shipping
Cons
- Cost a little more compared to Every Plate
- Cost varies greatly depending on how many meals you order
- Some meals are considered premium and come with an extra charge
Dietary Options
EveryPlate
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Hello Fresh
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For many, dietary options are the first thing to catch their attention when comparing meal delivery services. No matter how great the reviews or anything else about the company, it’s a no-go from the start if they don’t meet your needs for dietary options.
Things that fall under the category of dietary options include things like whether a meal delivery service offers meals for special diets, like calorie smart, paleo, keto, or Mediterranean dietary lifestyles. We also looked at whether there are gluten-free options or vegetarian options and how they handle food allergies and special meal preferences like pork-free meals.
Every Plate’s main focus is on offering one of the most affordable meal kits on the market. They do a lot to keep things simple and their prices low, which in this case means they don’t have a ton to offer in the dietary options category.
Every Plate does offer a couple of vegetarian meals on its menu each week, but it is worth noting that though one or two here and there might be considered vegan, they are mostly vegetarian. They currently don’t offer any meals that are specifically gluten-free, dairy-free, soy-free, or designed for special diets.
EveryPlate
Hello Fresh
It is worth noting that Every Plate makes it easy to find allergen information on the details page for each recipe and that the information is also featured on the included recipe cards. Depending on what type of ingredient or food you want to avoid, you might be able to simply omit it yourself during preparation.
Hello Fresh offers a few more dietary options, with a few veggie, plant-based, low-calorie, and carb-smart selections on their weekly menu. Hello Fresh offers specialized meal plans that cater to Veggie, Fit & Wholesome, and Pescatarian diets. Your selection of meals per week is a bit more limited with these plans, but choosing one of these plans makes it super easy to filter your meal options.
Like Every Plate, Hello Fresh also leaves it up to their customers to decide whether their meal kits fit with their special dietary needs and whether they can be adapted appropriately at home. Currently, Hello Fresh does not focus on special diets like paleo, keto, or Whole30. They also don’t offer any meals that are specifically gluten-free, dairy-free, or soy-free.
Dietary Options Winner
Hello Fresh wins the trophy for dietary options hands-down. Both meal delivery services are actually best suited for those without special dietary needs and preferences. The focus is on healthy, affordable, and fresh food, but not necessarily appealing to those living specific dietary lifestyles. Still, Hello Fresh wins for offering healthy meal plans and a few special dietary options.
Meal Prep & Variety
EveryPlate
- 18
- 3 meals for 2 people
Hello Fresh
- 70+
- 2 meals for 2 people
Meal kits make it possible to prepare delicious meals without the fuss, meal planning, or trips to the grocery store. The level of meal prep involved and the variety of different meals are definitely important factors when choosing which company gets your business.
Every Plate offers a rotation selection of 14 recipes per week, with a good variety of meals that can best be described as what you might order from your favorite take-out place. Their recipes offer a wide appeal that even most picky eaters will enjoy. The menu changes weekly, and you can view three week’s worth of recipes at once, giving you a little sneak peek to get excited about.
One way Every Plate keeps their prices so low is by keeping things simple. Most of their meals feature only the minimal ingredients needed for a good-tasting meal, and most recipes take only six steps or less from start to finish. This is great if you’re looking for easy meal options that don’t leave a pile of dishes in the sink.
Every Plate lists the cooking time for each of their meals on their website, so you can choose meals based on how much time you’ll spend cooking. In general, most of Every Plate’s meals require about thirty minutes, give or take, from start to finish. There are a couple of recipes that require a bit more time to prepare.
Hello Fresh offers about two dozen meal kit recipes per week. This is what you’ll find on their general menu, but the selection narrows down a bit once you’re ordering within one of their six plans. Because their menu each week is larger, you’ll find more variety overall with Hello Fresh. There’s something there for everyone, whether you like simple classics or more worldly flavors.
Each HelloFresh recipe card also lists how long each meal takes to prepare, so you can use that as a factor of consideration when choosing meals for your box.
Hello Fresh offers a Quick & Easy meal plan that highlights recipes that can be on the table in as little as twenty minutes. Hello Fresh also has a Family-Friendly plan that features kid-tested meals with minimal prep and cooking time.
If neither time nor appealing to a hungry table of picky eaters is a challenge for you, there are recipes for your weekly meal box that are more complex, both in the level of cooking and flavors.
It’s worth mentioning that both meal delivery services also have a couple of prepared meals to choose from for breakfast, a snack, or dessert.
Meal Variety Winner
Hello Fresh wins the second category by a large margin. Hello Fresh simply offers more recipes per week, meals that appeal to a wide range of taste preferences, a variety in the complexity of recipes, and they offer the Family-Friendly plan as a solution for busy parents looking to avoid grocery shopping and exhaustive prep work.
Ingredients
Everyplate
- Non-GMO
grass Organic- Grass Fed
- Wild-Caught
Hello Fresh
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Next up is ingredient quality. Ingredients are the pillar of a great meal. It’s always a leap of faith when you order that first box, hoping that their promise of the highest quality, fresh ingredients holds true for every meal.
You also might have ingredients standards that are important to you, like whether they use organic ingredients whenever possible or if their proteins are sustainably sourced, grass-fed or wild-caught.
EveryPlate works to pack each meal kit delivery box with high-quality ingredients and fresh produce, but due to their pricing structure, they typically choose non-organic ingredients to save money. Their website doesn’t offer any information on whether the proteins they use are sustainably or ethically sourced.
EveryPlate sources their ingredients from different suppliers each week, depending on their menu. This makes it difficult to know where your ingredients are coming from each week, but they do claim that they always get to know their suppliers first to guarantee high-quality ingredients.
HelloFresh meals focus on promoting healthy eating with its choice of ingredients. They acknowledge that eating organic is one way to be healthier, but sometimes it’s best to focus on the freshest, best-tasting quality ingredients that will get people excited about healthy eating. Their general policy is to use organic when it’s possible to do so without compromising flavor or value.
Hello Fresh also doesn’t go into much detail about where exactly they source their ingredients, but they do work with trusted partners that are dedicated to quality and sustainability.
Ingredients Winner
HelloFresh wins again, this time for their superior quality of ingredients. When looking at customer reviews, Hello Fresh ranks above EveryPlate for their consistent quality of ingredients. Hello Fresh also costs just a bit more than EveryPlate, with some of that extra cost going to consistently supply fresher ingredients that are better-tasting.
Taste & Sample Meals
EveryPlate
- Vietnamese Steak bowls
- Lemon Thyme Chicken Linguine
- Southwest pork Rice Bowls
Hello Fresh
- Zucchini Pomodoro Penne Bake
- Bulgogi Chicken Tacos
- Harissa Sweet Potato Pockets
Ok, now it’s time to compare HelloFresh Vs. EveryPlate on taste. We’d be lying if we said this wasn’t our favorite part of the comparison.
As we mentioned earlier, EveryPlate really is all about offering meals with more traditional flavors that have wide appeal. Think along the line of traditional favorites with just the smallest twist to transform them into something a little different from what you might prepare on your own.
A few sample EveryPlate meals include Cajun Chicken Sandwiches with Potato Wedges & Smoky Secret Sauce, Herb Butter Steak, Kung Pao Ground Beef Bowls, and Shroom and Pepper Jack Quesadillas.
Tastewise, EveryPlate recipes are pretty much what you’d expect. They look great on the recipe cards and taste good once prepared, but some dishes might need a little kicking up with your own spices and herbs since they use fewer ingredients.
Again, EveryPlate meals are better for picky eaters and children though as meal selections like chicken breasts with roasted potatoes and green beans and simple pasta dishes please a wider audience than meal choices with bold, unique flavors.
HelloFresh also offers lots of traditional favorites on their menu and a nice variety of dishes with more adventurous recipes. They tag some of their recipes with labels that give a clue to what you can expect in terms of flavor.
For example, Take Out Favorites are your favorite restaurant meals recreated, like Jalapeno Bacon Mac & Cheese, a delicious meal you’ll love without having to leave the house.
Other tags include their Hall of Fame dishes, which are meal choices that have stood the test of time. Crispy Buffalo Spiced Chicken is an example of a Hall of Fame recipe.
Other categories are their Gourmet and Gourmet Plus meal kits. These are chef-created, featuring more complex dishes like Beef Tenderloin with Brown Butter Veggies. There is an additional charge for the Gourmet and Gourmet Plus meals.
Taste Winner
HelloFresh is on a roll with yet another win in our comparison of HelloFresh Vs. EveryPlate. HelloFresh offers a greater variety of meals with diverse flavor profiles, and they offer some elevated meals if you’re looking for a more elegant meal that’s easy to cook for a special occasion (even if that special occasion is celebrating the end of a long work week).
Pricing
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 |
Hello Fresh
MEALS PER WEEK | PRICE PER SERVING | PRICE PER SERVING | PRICE PER SERVING |
2 | $11.49 | $9.99 | $9.99 |
3 | $9.99 | $9.99 | $9.99 |
4 | $9.99 | $9.99 | $9.99 |
5 | $9.99 | $9.99 | $9.99 |
6 | $9.99 | $9.99 | $9.99 |
Most of us have budgets we need to stick to when grocery shopping. The cost of a delivery service is an important consideration to many people. Both EveryPlate and HelloFresh are known as being among the more affordable meal kit services on the market.
EveryPlate basically has two different plans – a two-person plan and a more family-friendly, four-person plan. You can choose three, four, or five servings per week per person with each plan.
What’s nice about EveryPlate is that the price per meal doesn’t vary depending on how many servings you order. All of EveryPlate’s tasty meals are $4.99 per serving, regardless of how many you buy or which meals you choose for your boxes.
Less than $5 per meal is a great deal and often less than what you’d pay if you did the grocery shopping yourself. If you’re on a tight budget, you should know that EveryPlate does charge a flat rate shipping fee of $8.99 per order. They do this to help keep the overall cost of their meal kits low.
Whether or not EveryPlate is still more affordable than other meal services with the shipping fee factored in really depends on how many meals you’re ordering.
With HelloFresh, how much you pay for your meal boxes varies depending on how many meals you choose. HelloFresh offers a total of six different plans, but the pricing is the same for each of them. Once you have your plan chosen, you then pick the number of people you’re ordering for and how many meals per week you want. This is where the pricing structure starts to shift.
You can order a box for either two or four people and select between two to six servings per person. The smallest box would be a two-person plan with two meals per week each, totaling four meals. The price per serving with this plan is $12.49. On the opposite end is the meal plan for four people, with six meals per week each. The price per serving with this plan is $7.49.
Keep in mind that you’ll also pay more for some premium meals with Hello Fresh, adding extra costs that you’ll want to be aware of. HelloFresh also charges a flat rate shipping fee of $8.99 per box, although you can sometimes catch a deal for free shipping.
Pricing Winner
Price is where EveryPlate steps into the game with this comparison. EveryPlate has more affordable meals on a per meal basis, and it’s consistent. Every meal is $4.99 per serving, always. You also don’t have to feel obligated to purchase larger meal boxes to achieve a better average price per serving. Since both meal kit delivery services charge the same $8.99 shipping charge, we took that out of the equation when comparing price.
Packaging & Recycling
EveryPlate
Hello Fresh
There are two important things to consider when it comes to packaging for meal delivery boxes. The first is the quality of the packing materials. They need to be durable to hold up during shipping, and they need to be designed to preserve the freshness of your food and uphold food safety standards.
The other consideration is how eco-friendly the packing material is. One box can produce a lot of packaging material to deal with, but if you’re getting weekly boxes delivered, taking care of the packaging material can quickly become an inconvenience.
Both EveryPlate and HelloFresh do a good job of protecting your food delivery with quality packaging materials. Both also exhibit social and ecological responsibility in choosing mostly, if not entirely, recyclable materials.
HelloFresh modifies the packing materials they use seasonally. The goal is to keep your food fresh while minimizing unnecessary boxes, paper bags, ice packs, and other materials. A box being shipped to a cold climate in winter doesn’t warrant the same packaging as a meal box being delivered to the south in mid-July.
You will occasionally find single-serve plastic with HelloFresh, but those occasions are pretty limited. Overall, HelloFresh does a great job of minimizing unnecessary waste.
EveryPlate also does a good job with their packing materials. They minimize packaging from the start to save money, which means less waste. EveryPlate tends to package all of your meal kits in a single cardboard box, rather than packaging each meal kit individually like some other companies. They also offer super easy-to-follow recycling instructions on their website.
Packaging Winner
This category was a tougher one to choose a winner in, but HelloFresh comes out ahead. We like that they adjust their packaging materials seasonally, demonstrating that they’re working to protect both the quality of your meal kits and the health of the environment.
Customer Service
Everyplate
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Hello Fresh
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The last category we looked at was customer service. If you’re unhappy with your meal kit delivery service for any reason, you want to know that you can contact customer service address the issue without fuss or hassle. It’s also nice to know how responsive a customer service team is.
Both services are pretty easy to sign up for, and both are very similar in terms of pausing, skipping, or stopping deliveries. With both, you can change a delivery date, choose meals, and handle most of the logistics right online or in the app.
Customer reviews are enough to make you believe that both EveryPlate and HelloFresh have some issues in the customer service department, but this is typically true of reviews for practically every meal delivery service.
Our best tip for avoiding most of these customer service issues is to pay attention to the date each week where you can no longer make changes. This is typically four days prior to the scheduled delivery. This is because many customer service issues revolve around a change that was not submitted on time.
When looking at overall reviews, HelloFresh does seem to stand out marginally compared to EveryPlate in terms of customer service satisfaction, but the two really are very similar.
Customer Service Winner
HelloFresh wins again but only by the smallest margin. Since they are ran by the same company both HelloFresh and EveryPlate offer similar customer service perks and level of customer care.
Winner
Hello Fresh
In this comparison of EveryPlate Vs. HelloFresh, our individual experience tells us that HelloFresh is the winner. We enjoy the variety of their menu, simpler meal kit experience, the ease of preparation and cooking, chef-created meal selections, their wide appeal, and consistently high quality of their recipes.
In our comparison, it might first appear that EveryPlate tanked compared to HelloFresh, but that would be an untrue representation of their quality. EveryPlate is a great option for those looking for very budget-friendly, easy-to-cook meals with traditional, well-liked flavors. Each company has its own strengths and weaknesses. It’s all about deciding which is best for you.
Choose Everyplate if you:
- You’re looking for the most affordable meal kit option
- You want to start including more well-rounded meals in your diet but don’t know where to begin
- You like to keep things simple in the kitchen
- You’re not following any special diet or have dietary restrictions
Choose Hello Fresh if you:
- You like a little more variety and interesting flavors
- You plan on ordering a larger weekly box for bigger savings
- You’re following a low-carb, vegetarian, or low-calorie diet
- You’re looking for a meal kit service that offers family-friendly plans
- Like to experiment with new ingredients a little while making easy-to-prepare dishes