Last updated September 2026
Thanks to 2020, food subscription boxes are one of my new favorite things. Not only do I get to conveniently shop from home for groceries and snacks and have them delivered, I have been able to (virtually) travel from home with themed food of the month clubs. Best of both worlds when I’m not able to travel! Whether you’re comparing the best meal kits, the best meal delivery services, or just want a fun food subscription box to try this month, you’ll find it here.
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Whether you are looking for international candies and treats, snack boxes, complete meal kits to cook at home, wine clubs, or premium meat home delivery, you’ll find this and more here!
Alternatives for your dining out frustrations
I have been really frustrated with my local dining options lately. I found weekly meal kits like Home Chef and Dinnerly to be a great alternative to local carry out or in restaurant dining. Rather than be frustrated by our lack of dining options, these meal box subscriptions provided the opportunity to try new recipes and have all the fresh ingredients, spices, staples, and more delivered for the week.
For groceries and fresh produce, I found companies like Farmbox Direct and Imperfect Foods to be great alternatives. I love to support local, but it’s good to have options.
Food Subscription Boxes, Meal Kits, and Meal Delivery Services for What You’re Craving
You are going to find everything under the sun that allows you to shop from home, have the best food boxes delivered to your door every month, and do it all without busting your monthly budget. From the best meal kits for busy weeknights to specialty snack boxes, these also make great gift ideas for that person who is really hard to buy for. After all, we all have to eat!
Comparison Table: Best Meal Kits and Meal Delivery Services
| Meal Kit or Delivery Service | Best For | Price | Diet Options |
|---|---|---|---|
| Home Chef | Most customizable meal kit | $7.99 to $9.99 per serving (about $32 to $40 for a meal feeding 4) | Protein packed, gluten smart, vegetarian, pescatarian, Mediterranean |
| HelloFresh | Families | $8.99 to $12.49 per serving (about $36 to $50 for 4) | Meat and veggies, veggie, quick and easy, pescatarian |
| Green Chef | Organic and vegan | $11.99 to $13.99 per serving (about $48 to $56 for 4) | Mediterranean, plant based, gluten free, high protein |
| Dinnerly | Beginner cooks and budget | Starting around $6 per serving, some recipes up to $11 | Vegetarian, vegan, gluten free friendly |
| Blue Apron | Recipe variety | $7.49 to $11.99 per serving depending on plan size | Signature, vegetarian, wellness |
| Factor | Ready to eat, no cooking | About $12.99 per meal | Keto, vegan, protein plus, many gluten free |
| Hungryroot | Value and flexibility | $9 to $12 per meal | Personalized to your preferences |
Best Meal Kits and Meal Delivery Services
Home Chef (Best Overall, Most Customizable)
What You’ll Get: This meal delivery service sends pre portioned ingredients in an insulated box with recipes to make your meal, priced at $7.99 to $9.99 per serving, about $32 to $40 for a meal feeding 4. Choose from meal kits, express meal kits, oven ready, fast and fresh, and heat and eat across six recipe categories, with a different menu each week to ensure variety.
Recipe cards include step by step instructions with images. I like that I can recreate these recipes again because most of the ingredients can be found at my local store. You can also customize your meals and swap out protein types and different ingredients.
HelloFresh (Best for Families)
What You’ll Get: This weekly meal kit is conveniently packaged by meal and includes all the premeasured ingredients needed to make delicious, home cooked meals, priced at $8.99 to $12.49 per serving, or roughly $36 to $50 for a meal that feeds 4. (Note: meat protein is packaged separately to avoid cross contamination.)
Recipe cards include step by step instructions with images. I like that I can recreate these recipes again because most of the ingredients can be found at my local store. All of our meals are portioned for 2 or 4 servings and are designed with a variety of flavors in mind.
The variety of recipe types includes international dishes, one pot meals, burgers, vegetarian, healthy options, and more. I like that each week, there are add ons like bottled juices, a bratwurst bar meal, and pre made meals.
Green Chef (Best Organic and Vegan)
What You’ll Get: Weekly meal kit exclusively using organic ingredients in every meal, priced at $11.99 to $13.99 per serving, about $48 to $56 for a meal feeding 4. Easy recipes and pre portioned prepped ingredients, Green Chef signature sauces, marinades, and spice mixes make it easy to serve 2 to 3 delicious meals a week. Meal plan options include paleo, keto, balanced living, and plant based.
Dinnerly (Best for Beginner Cooks and Budget)
What You’ll Get: Weekly meal kit featuring affordable, family friendly meals delivered to your door. Recipes start around $6 per serving, though certain specialty recipes now run up to $11. Many recipes take less than 30 minutes to prepare.
This is the most budget friendly meal kit on this list, and its simple, few ingredient recipes make it a great starting point if you’re new to cooking. All the ingredients come packaged in a single box and are pre portioned for each recipe. Recipe cards are not included in your weekly box, but are online and can be printed for easy reference.
Blue Apron
What You’ll Get: Weekly meal kit featuring chef designed recipes to make delicious dinners at home. Pricing depends on plan size, running from about $7.49 per serving on larger 4 serving plans up to $11.99 per serving on smaller 2 serving plans. Options change weekly and you choose the 2 to 4 recipes you like. Your box will include responsibly sourced, pre measured ingredients to make each of the recipes you selected. Gift cards are available.
Factor (Best for No Cooking Required)
What You’ll Get: Instead of receiving recipes or ingredients to cook, Factor delivers fully prepared, ready to eat meals you just heat up, priced around $12.99 per meal for their most popular 8 or 10 meal weekly plans, plus about $10.99 shipping. Meals are chef prepared and fresh, never frozen, with many options gluten free.
This is the best pick on the list if you want the convenience of a meal delivery service without any cooking at all. Meals arrive in an insulated, recyclable box.
Hungryroot (Best Value)
What You’ll Get: This functions as a personalized grocery delivery service with shoppable recipes, priced at $9 to $12 per meal. You choose recipes and the ingredients are automatically added to your cart, with the flexibility to add or remove items and do additional grocery shopping. Packaging is fully recyclable and many ingredients are organic.
Best Specialty Food Subscription Boxes
Platterful: A Charcuterie Experience
What You’ll Get: Platterful makes it so easy to become a charcuterie artist with this all in one kit. You receive everything you need from cheeses, meats, crackers, spreads, and accompaniments, plus a handy tutorial guide to help you lay it all out like a pro. Available in two kit sizes.
Note: With every box purchased, Platterful donates 10 meals to No Kid Hungry.
Butcher Box (Best for Meat Delivery)
What You’ll Get: 100 percent grass fed and grass finished beef, heritage breed pork, and organic chicken delivered in every box. Pricing ranges from about $146 for a smaller curated box up to $306 for the largest custom box. Choose between a mixed box with 8 to 11 pounds or 16 to 22 pounds of protein, or pay more to select exactly which cuts you want. Select your own delivery schedule, and one time gift boxes are available.
Bokksu (Best Japanese Snack Box)
What You’ll Get: 20 to 24 premium, authentic Japanese candies, gourmet snacks, and teas sourced directly from centuries old small family businesses. Monthly pricing starts at $49.95 and drops as low as $39.95 per box on a 12 month plan. Each month is based on a cultural theme and includes a guide with more information.
Atlas Coffee Club (Best Coffee Subscription)
Try Coffee From Around The World: A monthly coffee subscription that sends you freshly roasted coffee from a different country each month. The single bag option is $14 and the more popular double bag runs $28, giving you at least 60 cups of coffee. This is perfect for those of us with wanderlust without leaving home.
Candy Club (Best Candy Box)
What You’ll Get: The freshest candies delivered straight to your door, starting around $34.99 per month. Each month you’ll receive candy cups featuring a variety of sweets, sours, chocolates, and gummies. There’s always something new to try in this sweet box.
Firstleaf Wine Club (Best Wine Club)
What You’ll Get: 6 premium, award winning wines curated to your unique tastes every month, regularly priced around $90 per shipment (about $15 a bottle). Introductory offers often bring the first box down significantly. Every shipment will suggest a curated selection or you may swap out bottles, and notecards with food pairing ideas are included.
Imperfect Foods
Cost: Minimum $30 order. Slightly irregular and overstock groceries at a fraction of the cost, helping prevent food from heading to the landfill while saving money. Note that Imperfect Foods is now operated by Misfits Market, which acquired the brand in 2022.
Raddish Kids (Best Kids Cooking Box)
What You’ll Get: A themed monthly cooking club for kids ages 4 to 14, starting around $23.95 per month. Every month you’ll receive 3 new recipes (ingredients not included), a kitchen tool, a project card, and a grocery list. This is a fun way for kids or the whole family to learn new skills and boost their confidence in the kitchen.
Urth Box (Best Healthy Snacks)
What You’ll Get: Each month get a box of full sized, healthy snacks and beverages featuring non GMO, organic, or all natural ingredients. Choose from 4 box options: gluten free, diet, classic, and vegan.
Keto Krate (Best Keto Snacks)
What You’ll Get: 10+ full sized snacks with less than 5 grams of net carbs each, starting around $44.99 per month. Working with smaller companies, each box includes products not widely available. This box is a great way to snack healthy while trying items you would not find at a typical grocery store.
Universal Yums (Best International Snacks)
What You’ll Get: Each month get between 6 and 20+ snacks from around the world and an information and activity booklet about the featured country, starting around $16 to $18. Great for families to learn about new places, with three size options available.
VitalChoice Seafood (Best Sustainable Seafood)
What You’ll Get: Wild, premium, sustainably caught seafood delivered to your door, flash frozen within hours of being caught and packaged into recipe ready portions. Choose from the Wild Salmon box ($129 for 14+ servings), Wild Fish box ($169 for 15+ servings), or Wild Seafood box with shellfish included ($199 for 17+ servings). You can also shop a la carte for yourself or to send as a gift.
Frequently Asked Questions
For more, meal planning help try:
- Easy Tips and Recipes You Need When Meal Planning for Group Camping
- Paleo Meatballs – An Easy Slow Cooker Family Meal
- Instant Pot Beef Pho – Delicious & Super Easy Pressure Cooker Recipe
- 35 Healthy Side Dishes for Sandwiches Even Picky Eaters Will Enjoy
- What to Serve with BBQ Chicken? 43 Internationally Inspired Side Dishes
I have used, Postmates, DoorDash, UberEats, GrubHub and find that the easiest interactions and fairest prices live on Caviar. Also, when I DO have an issue, they are lightening fast to either fix the issue or offer a solution that will not leave me hungry in the cold (literally) ???? Unlike ALL of the other services. The customer service experience for ALL of the others makes you feel like a fish out of water when you are dealing with REAL TIME issues like forgotten items and wrong orders.
I’m with you on loving food subscription boxes! It’s like having a little culinary adventure at home. I tried a snack box once and it was like opening a treasure chest of new flavors. And those meal kits? A lifesaver on busy days. I’m curious, though. Have you ever had a subscription that sent you something really unexpected but ended up being a pleasant surprise? Also, which of these services do you think is best for someone who’s not a great cook but wants to try new things?