HelloFresh Cost: Is This Popular Meal Kit Worth It? (A Research-Backed Comparison)

Meal kits have become a popular way for busy people to enjoy a home-cooked meal without the hassle of meal planning and grocery shopping. However, with so many options available, it can be difficult to determine which one offers the best value for your money.

If you’re considering HelloFresh, one of the most well-known meal kit services, but wondering if it’s worth the cost, you’re not alone. In fact, I was in your shoes many years ago when I was trying to figure out whether to go with HelloFresh or not. That’s why today, I’m here to help you break the costs down, so you can figure out if this meal kit is worth it for you.

In this article, I’ll dive into the costs of HelloFresh on each plan they offer, as well as give you a cost breakdown per serving. I’ll also compare HelloFresh to its three nearest competitors: Blue Apron, Marley Spoon, and Home Chef.

Before going any further, though, I highly recommend checking out my review of HelloFresh where I provide a comprehensive overview of what it’s like using them. From plans and packaging to menu and meals, I cover everything you need to know before your purchase. Plus, as someone who’s been using HelloFresh for over a decade, I also share my personal experience; what I like, what I dislike, and more. By combining this with an understanding of HelloFresh’s costs, which we’ll cover in this article, you’ll have all the information you need to determine whether HelloFresh is worth it for you.

Breakdown Of HelloFresh’s Costs

HelloFresh offers a variety of different plan preferences—Meat & Veggies, Veggie, Family Friendly, Fit & Wholesome, Quick & Easy, and Pescatarian. It’s important to note that the price doesn’t change depending on the plan preference chosen. The plan preferences you choose simply indicate to HelloFresh what types of meals they should recommend to you week-to-week.

The cost of HelloFresh is wholly dependent on the size of your plan. Currently, HelloFresh only offers two different plan sizes—2-person plan and a 4-person plan. Within each of those plans, you have the option to get 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 meals per week. The size of those meals will correspond with the plan you chose. For example, if you go with the 4-person plan, 1 of the meals on that plan will feed 4 people.

Below is a breakdown of the costs on each of those plans.

Here’s what you can expect to pay per serving on the HelloFresh 2-person plan…

• 2 meals for 2 people per week (4 total servings) comes out to $12.49 per serving
• 3 meals for 2 people per week (6 total servings) comes out to $9.99 per serving
• 4 meals for 2 people per week (8 total servings) comes out to $9.79 per serving
• 5 meals for 2 people per week (10 total servings) comes out to $9.79 per serving
• 6 meals for 2 people per week (12 total servings) comes out to $9.79 per serving

Here’s what you can expect to pay per serving on the HelloFresh 4-person plan…

• 2 meals for 4 people per week (8 total servings) comes out to $9.79 per serving
• 3 meals for 4 people per week (12 total servings) comes out to $9.49 per serving
• 4 meals for 4 people per week (16 total servings) comes out to $9.29 per serving
• 5 meals for 4 people per week (20 total servings) comes out to $9.29 per serving
• 6 meals for 4 people per week (24 total servings) comes out to $8.99 per serving

Many HelloFresh meals can also be customized at an additional cost. For example, you can swap and upgrade meats or sides in certain meals. From my experience, these customizations only cost an extra $1 to $2.

In addition to HelloFresh’s main menu of meals, they also offer premium “Gourmet” meals which can be added to your box for an extra charge. From my experience, these meals tend to be higher quality meats (such as filet mignon or duck) and/or bigger portion sizes. Usually, these meals are only an extra $4 to $6 each.

HelloFresh also offers a pretty extensive marketplace of items that you can add to your box for an additional cost. These items include desserts, snacks, breads, and even additional pre-made meals (among other things).

HelloFresh’s pricing for their marketplace add-ons isn’t as straightforward as their meal kits. The cost will vary depending on what you order. However, the good news is that they often offer discounts on certain items. From week-to-week, you can typically find discounts ranging from 10% to 15% off on selected menu items.

Here are some example prices of add-ons I’ve previously purchased…

• Grilled cheese with Truffle Butter (4 servings) is $8.99
• Sausage, Egg & Cheese Burritos (2 servings) is $5.00
• Charcuterie Board Bundle (2-4 servings) is $16.99
• Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup (17oz) is $11.99
• Salted Caramel Mascarpone Cheesecake (2 servings) is $5.99

HelloFresh also charges $10.99 for shipping on every order, regardless of the size of your plan.

Food Box HQ Note: HelloFresh usually runs good promotions for new customers. I wrote an in-depth article here on how to get the biggest discount on your first box.

Comparing HelloFresh Costs To Similar Competitors

Now that we have an understanding of HelloFresh’s costs—from their meals to their marketplace—let’s take a look at how they stack up when compared to their nearest competitors.

HelloFresh’s Cost vs. Blue Apron’s Cost

Like HelloFresh, Blue Apron offers 2-person and 4-person plans. Within each of those plans you can order 2, 3, or 4 meals. Here is a breakdown of the costs…

Blue Apron 2-Person Plan Costs:

• 2 meals for 2 people per week (4 total servings) comes out to $11.99 per serving
• 3 meals for 2 people per week (6 total servings) comes out to $9.99 per serving
• 4 meals for 2 people per week (8 total servings) comes out to $9.49 per serving

Blue Apron 4-Person Plan Costs:

• 2 meals for 4 people per week (8 total servings) comes out to $9.49 per serving
• 3 meals for 4 people per week (12 total servings) comes out to $8.49 per serving
• 4 meals for 4 people per week (16 total servings) comes out to $7.99 per serving

Blue Apron also charges $9.99 for shipping on every order.

Comparing those costs to HelloFresh’s costs, we can see that Blue Apron comes in slightly cheaper across the board (on the biggest and smallest plans).

If you want more insights into both HelloFresh and Blue Apron, I wrote a comparison of both that you can read here.

HelloFresh’s Costs vs. Home Chef’s Costs

Home Chef offers a 2-person, 4-person, and 6-person plan, whereas HelloFresh only offers a 2-person and 4-person plan. Within each of those plans, you can order 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 meals per week. Here’s a breakdown of those costs…

Home Chef 2-Person Plan Costs:

• 2 meals for 2 people per week (4 total servings) comes out to $11.99 per serving
• 3 meals for 2 people per week (6 total servings) comes out to $9.99 per serving
• 4 meals for 2 people per week (8 total servings) comes out to $9.99 per serving
• 5 meals for 2 people per week (10 total servings) comes out to $9.99 per serving
• 6 meals for 2 people per week (12 total servings) comes out to $9.99 per serving

Home Chef 4-Person Plan Costs:

• 2 meals for 4 people per week (8 total servings) comes out to $9.99 per serving
• 3 meals for 4 people per week (12 total servings) comes out to $9.99 per serving
• 4 meals for 4 people per week (16 total servings) comes out to $9.99 per serving
• 5 meals for 4 people per week (20 total servings) comes out to $9.99 per serving
• 6 meals for 4 people per week (24 total servings) comes out to $9.99 per serving

Home Chef 6-Person Plan Costs:

• 2 meals for 6 people per week (12 total servings) comes out to $9.99 per serving
• 3 meals for 6 people per week (18 total servings) comes out to $9.99 per serving
• 4 meals for 6 people per week (24 total servings) comes out to $9.99 per serving
• 5 meals for 6 people per week (30 total servings) comes out to $9.99 per serving
• 6 meals for 6 people per week (36 total servings) comes out to $9.99 per serving

Home Chef also charges $10.99 for shipping on every plan.

When comparing HelloFresh’s costs to Home Chef’s costs, we can see that Home Chef’s pricing is slightly lower per serving on the smaller plans. For example, Home Chef’s 2-Person Plan starts at $11.99 per serving for 2 meals per week, while HelloFresh’s 2-Person Plan starts at $12.49 per serving for the same number of meals.

However, as we move up to larger plans, HelloFresh’s pricing becomes more competitive. For instance, Home Chef’s 4-Person Plan starts at $9.99 per serving for 6 meals per week, while HelloFresh’s 4-Person Plan starts at $8.99 per serving for the same number of meals.

If you’re interested in further learning about HelloFresh and Home Chef, I wrote a comparison article about my experiences with both that you can read here.

HelloFresh’s Costs vs. Marley Spoon’s Costs

Like HelloFresh, Marley Spoon offers a 2-person plan and a 4-person plan. Within each of those plans you can choose 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 meals per week. Here’s a breakdown of those costs…

Marley Spoon 2-Person Plan Costs:

• 2 meals for 2 people per week (4 total servings) comes out to $12.99 per serving
• 3 meals for 2 people per week (6 total servings) comes out to $10.99 per serving
• 4 meals for 2 people per week (8 total servings) comes out to $10.49 per serving
• 5 meals for 2 people per week (10 total servings) comes out to $9.99 per serving
• 6 meals for 2 people per week (12 total servings) comes out to $9.49 per serving

Marley Spoon 4-Person Plan Costs:

• 2 meals for 4 people per week (8 total servings) comes out to $10.49 per serving
• 3 meals for 4 people per week (12 total servings) comes out to $9.49 per serving
• 4 meals for 4 people per week (16 total servings) comes out to $8.99 per serving
• 5 meals for 4 people per week (20 total servings) comes out to $8.99 per serving
• 6 meals for 4 people per week (24 total servings) comes out to $8.69 per serving

Marley Spoon also charges $11.99 for shipping on every order.

When comparing HelloFresh’s costs to Marley Spoon’s costs, we can see that Marley Spoon’s pricing is generally higher per serving. For example, Marley Spoon’s 2-Person Plan starts at $12.99 per serving for 2 meals per week, whereas HelloFresh’s 2-Person Plan starts at $12.49 per serving for the same number of meals. The one time where Marley Spoon comes in cheaper is on their 4-person plan with 6 meals per week where they charge $8.69 per serving whereas HelloFresh charges $8.99 for the same plan size.

If you’d like to learn more about how both Marley Spoon and HelloFresh stack up against each other, you can read my in-depth comparison of both here.

Is HelloFresh Worth It?

As we can see from the comparisons above, HelloFresh is only sometimes less expensive than many of its closest competitors. Though, the difference is often within a $1 per serving. It really all comes down to the plan size you choose.

In my opinion, HelloFresh offers the most value on its larger plans. While the smallest plan (the 2-person plan with 2 meals per week) can be expensive at over $12 per meal, the price per serving decreases on the larger plans.

I usually go with the 2-person plan with 5 meals per week, which comes out to $9.79 per serving. This makes it not only more affordable, but also allows me to have all my weekday dinners covered without the hassle of meal planning or meal prepping.

While HelloFresh may not be cheaper than grocery shopping and cooking everything from scratch, I believe there’s still a lot of value in the meal kit. The convenience of having pre-measured ingredients and step-by-step instructions delivered to my door each week saves me time and energy. Plus, I’ve learned new cooking skills and discovered new ingredients through using their meal kit over the years.

While HelloFresh is worth it for me, ultimately, whether HelloFresh is worth it for you depends on your personal preferences and priorities. But with its fairly reasonable cost per serving pricing, HelloFresh is a meal kit worth considering for anyone looking to simplify their mealtime routine.

If you’re looking for cheaper meal kit options, you can check out my favorites here.