EveryPlate vs. HelloFresh 2023: Key Differences Explained

If you’re wondering whether EveryPlate or HelloFresh is the better meal delivery service for you, then you’ve come to the right place. They may be owned by the same company, but there are some key differences when it comes to budget and menu.

EveryPlate enjoys a good reputation as a low-cost meal delivery service. HelloFresh is a little more expensive, but you get way more choice. The question is: is the added value of what HelloFresh offers worth the extra money?

To find out, I looked into both companies to see how they stack up. HelloFresh came out on top thanks to its expanded menu options, but these two services are more closely-matched than I expected! It’s EveryPlate vs HelloFresh: the showdown.

At a Glance: Who Won Each Category?

Menu Variety

Winner: HelloFresh

At first glance, EveryPlate and HelloFresh have similar menus, but HelloFresh offers a much larger menu with a more diverse array of flavors and ingredients.

While EveryPlate has a smattering of globally-inspired meals, like the Sweet Potato and Poblano Fajitas or Cuban-Style Bean and Rice Bowls, most of its 18+ weekly recipes are crowd-pleasing American classics, including burgers, pork chops, and meatloaf.

You can order from the full menu at any time, but EveryPlate offers four categories to narrow your search:

• Meat & Veggie

• Veggie

• Family Friendly

• Quick & Easy

EveryPlate’s menu items are clearly labeled, so you know which recipes are vegetarian-friendly or easy to prep. The menu also contains Premium recipes, featuring fancier ingredients like steak for a small upcharge.

Dishes take anywhere from 20-45 minutes to prepare, with a large portion of the menu dedicated to 30 Min Or Less meals. Unlike HelloFresh, EveryPlate doesn’t give you an indication of the difficulty of each recipe (though they are generally beginner-friendly).

As someone who has personally tried EveryPlate, I also need to point out that carrots and potatoes make up the side dish for a majority of recipes. This more limited selection of vegetables and sides is another trade-off for the lower price of this service.

With 30+ menu items and extras each week, HelloFresh offers a much richer selection of recipes. The service utilizes a bunch of tags to narrow down this huge menu, highlighting which recipes are low-calorie, spicy, seasonal, and more.

Another bonus over EveryPlate is that HelloFresh gives a difficulty rating for each recipe on its menu. Almost every recipe is listed as “Easy,” with notably fewer “Medium” difficulty recipes.

HelloFresh lets you order up to six meals for four people per week, while EveryPlate maxes out at five meals for four people. HelloFresh also offers more categories than its cheaper counterpart, letting you mix and match between these menus: 

• Meat & Veggies

• Veggie

• Family Friendly

• Fit & Wholesome

• Quick and Easy

• Pescatarian

Despite its larger menu, HelloFresh is only slightly better than EveryPlate for specialized diets. Beyond Calorie Smart and Veggie recipes, few dietary preferences are supported. Ultimately, its massive menu gives HelloFresh the edge in this category.

Meal Customization

Winner: Tie

Both HelloFresh and EveryPlate advertise customization, but neither delivers on this to the extent of competitors like Home Chef. A handful of dishes each week are customizable, and you typically just have the option to swap one protein or veggie out for another.

This means that neither service is a great choice for most specialized diets like keto or paleo. Both services offer vegetarian options, and HelloFresh has a few vegan dishes each week, but that’s about it. They’re also not great choices for people with severe food allergies.

Unfortunately, none of the customization options I’ve seen from either service are particularly practical. If a dish contains an allergen like nuts, there’s no way to get a nut-free version. 

Some meal delivery services let you specify ingredients you wish to exclude when you sign up – not HelloFresh or EveryPlate. All you get is a chance to switch your protein to suit your personal taste.

If you have a food allergy, your only real option is to avoid the dishes that contain those ingredients, or omit them or substitute them when you prepare the dish (this is another advantage of getting meal kits instead of premade meals).

Both services already aim toward the Family Friendly niche with universally-enjoyable recipes, so maybe these protein and veggie swaps are the best way to take care of picky eaters in the family.

I think a plant-based protein option would be a more useful feature. The ability to sub in Impossible Meat for ground beef would expand the vegetarian options on either service, whereas the choice between ground pork and ground beef has little benefit for most.

But this isn’t really about rating these options, it’s about comparing EveryPlate and HelloFresh. And when it comes to customization, the two services are really neck and neck. I’m calling this one a tie.

Ordering, Delivery, Unboxing

Winner: HelloFresh

HelloFresh delivers all across the lower 48 US states, while EveryPlate claims to deliver to the “vast majority” of the continental US. With either service, you can easily input your zip code to confirm whether you’re in the delivery area.

Both services offer delivery seven days a week but this largely depends on your location. Some areas may only have a few days to choose from. Again, you should put in your zip code to confirm.

Both services also give you until five days before your scheduled order to change your meal selection, skip the week, update your delivery day or make any other changes. These changes can all be made easily online with either service.

HelloFresh lets you get away with a minimum order of two meals for two people, while EveryPlate makes you order at least three meals for two people.

Since the software behind signing up and ordering is essentially the same for these two companies, there’s no clear winner for the first stages of this process. But when you receive your shipment, the differences become clear.

HelloFresh’s packages are pleasantly organized, with each recipe discretely packaged and labeled for your convenience. Compare this to EveryPlate, which simply dumps ingredients for every meal into one big box.

(To be honest, I didn’t think it made a big difference not having the ingredients pre-sorted, but people less comfortable in the kitchen may prefer HelloFresh’s more organized approach.)

Both companies use recyclable materials in the packaging with a big emphasis on sustainability. EveryPlate is a slightly more eco-conscious option because it forgoes additional packaging, but it’s hard to deny the convenience of HelloFresh’s organization.

One key difference I found was that HelloFresh ships its meat to you frozen and recommends you keep it in the freezer until you’re ready to use it. EveryPlate sends its meat chilled but not frozen, meaning you have a smaller window before it goes bad.

Both services offer tracking info and shipping updates via email and apps, so they’re ultimately pretty closely matched across the board. I’ll give the edge to HelloFresh for the ease of using its organized ingredients.

Meal Prep

Winner: HelloFresh

Not to sound like a broken record, but HelloFresh and EveryPlate are closely matched when it comes to meal prep, too. From the ingredient quality to the step-by-step recipes and beyond, your experience is going to be similar with either service.

To give you an idea of just how similar these services are, when I tried EveryPlate, several ingredients had HelloFresh labels! So you don’t have to worry about reduced ingredient quality with the more affordable service.

Prep times average around 30 minutes with either service, with both also offering longer (~45 minutes) recipes as well as Quick & Easy recipes for low-effort dinners. I found these estimates to be a little on the short side, but then again, I’m kind of a slow cook.

Speaking of prep, you’ll usually chop your own vegetables and make your own sauces with both services. You also should generally expect to keep basic pantry ingredients on hand, like butter, olive oil, vegetable oil, salt, and pepper.

The majority of EveryPlate’s recipes can be completed in six simple steps, and the recipe cards are clear and accurate. Similarly, HelloFresh’s meals aren’t overly complicated, but there are different levels of difficulty.

HelloFresh’s meals range from “Easy” dishes – like Shrimp Spaghetti with a Kick, which takes just 25 minutes and requires very little multitasking – to “Hard” recipes like the Hibachi Sweet Soy Bavette Steak and Shrimp, which uses more complex ingredients and techniques.

HelloFresh takes this category by a nose because of the added value of sorting the meals into different difficulty levels.

Customer Support

Winner: Tie

As you might expect from two services owned by the same parent company, EveryPlate and HelloFresh are pretty evenly matched in this arena.

I find Live Chat to be the most efficient way of communicating with customer service, so I reached out to both companies this way. I wanted to confirm some things about the menu anyway!

Unsurprisingly, EveryPlate and HelloFresh have almost identical chat functions, with a computer-automated “virtual assistant” to help narrow down your answers before you speak to a real person.

I thought their names were kind of cheesy, but Brie and Colby were both adequate at guiding me to a live representative. The live representatives were both solid as well, so overall I had perfectly fine experiences with both services.

If live chat isn’t your thing, both services have phone lines you can call. HelloFresh doesn’t state the phone line opening hours on the website but for EveryPlate it’s 6 am to 11 pm EST Monday through Friday. Just keep in mind that only the live chat is available 24/7.

One final feature these services have in common is the ease of pausing or canceling your subscription. With both EveryPlate and HelloFresh, you can easily manage your account from the settings page – no need to speak to a representative.

Pricing

Winner: EveryPlate

Here’s the one category where EveryPlate can really flex its muscles. Meal kits start at $1.49 per serving with our special discount, and they remain affordable even when paying full price.

HelloFresh isn’t expensive by any means, with special pricing starting at $3.32 per serving. Without discounts, though, HelloFresh can be almost double the cost of EveryPlate. (Both companies charge about the same for shipping – around $9.99.)

EveryPlate is the clear winner this round, as it remains one of the most affordable meal kits on the market today.

Features Comparison: EveryPlate vs. HelloFresh

And The Winner Is: HelloFresh

Here’s the thing: EveryPlate is a pared-down version of HelloFresh, so naturally its offerings are more limited. EveryPlate comes out on top in just one category, but it’s a big one: money.

EveryPlate is a perfect meal kit for people on a tight budget, but HelloFresh is hardly a premium-priced service. With our introductory deal, you can try HelloFresh for $3.32 per serving.

If you want to save money in the long term, EveryPlate has consistently low prices to keep your wallet happy. If you can spare a few extra dollars each week, though, HelloFresh offers a much more impressive array of recipes and plans.

FAQ

Is EveryPlate the same as HelloFresh?

HelloFresh and EveryPlate are totally separate services even though they’re owned by the same parent company. Many of the ingredients and services are the same or similar, but EveryPlate is a more affordable option.

How long does EveryPlate meat last in the fridge?

Once in the fridge, EveryPlate meat should stay fresh for 3-5 days. The same is true for HelloFresh, which uses many of the same suppliers.

EveryPlate’s insulated packaging ensures all meat and other ingredients are fresh and chilled when they arrive at your door, but you should transfer all perishables to the fridge as soon as possible.

Is EveryPlate really $1.99 per meal?

Prices as low as $1.99 per serving are possible with EveryPlate’s introductory offer. Even without discounts, the service remains affordable with prices starting at $4.99 per serving.