Trifecta vs. Factor 2022: Which Has the Best Clean Meals?

Both Trifecta and Factor (formerly Factor75) claim to provide simple, balanced, and clean meals to their customers – but which one does it better?

When it comes to Trifecta vs Factor, I’ve done all the research for you. I’ve compared menu variety, prices, dietary preferences, delivery, and meal prep to help you decide which is the best option for you.

Trifecta came out on top due to its lower price per serving, a larger number of meals offered each week, and its unique app that tracks macros, workouts, calories, and of course, your Trifecta meal deliveries.

At a Glance: Who Won Each Category?

Menu Variety

Winner: Trifecta

Both Trifecta and Factor offer prepared single-serving meals for fitness-conscious eaters. While both provide adequate portions, neither Trifecta nor Factor can be described as kid-friendly and neither will satisfy somebody looking for rich comfort food.

Both offer a range of cuisines including Asian, Middle Eastern, and Mexican/South American, and both provide breakfast options as well as lunch and dinner entrees. Trifecta meals average between 350 to 500 calories. Factor meals average around 500 to 800 calories, with a Calorie Smart menu of meals with 550 calories or less.

So far so similar, so let’s take a closer look at the menus.

Trifecta offers up to 28 meals per week, which cover all three daily meals. If you choose a meal plan, you’ll have a set menu designed by the Trifecta chefs with options like Korean Beef Bulgogi for dinner, and Sausage and Egg Scramble with Sweet Potatoes for breakfast.

Trifecta has six set meal plans and you can select from 7-28 meals per week made up of breakfast, lunch, dinner, and a third entree for either five or seven days per week. And because Trifecta’s meals are designed by professional dietitians to meet your macros, they’re ideal for athletes.

Want more flexibility? Trifecta’s got you covered with its line of Meal Builder kits. These boxes contain pre-portioned and pre-cooked protein packs as well as carbs and veggies that you can mix and match to make your own meals. There are also a small number of snacks to choose from.

Trifecta purchases as many ingredients as possible from local-run family suppliers with sustainable practices. All fruits and vegetables are naturally grown, meat is grass-fed with continuous indoor/outdoor access to pasture, and fish and seafood are sustainably caught. 

When it comes to Factor, you’re looking at 27+ meal options a week. Factor meals are designed in consultation with an in-house chef and a team of dietitians. While Factor has a “Chicken Welfare” policy that prohibits animal abuse, it doesn’t offer organic or sustainably sourced meals.

Factor does cover all three meals, but the options for breakfast are pretty slim, often with only one or two Breakfast Bundles on the menu. Breakfast choices include the Breakfast Tostada Bake with Roasted Sweet Potatoes.

Factor also offers a number of Add-Ons to your order, including Breakfast Bundles and Protein Bundles. Bundles change regularly, so if you see one you like be sure to grab it.

While this was a very close round, Trifecta takes the win thanks to its flexible Meal Builder options and better range of breakfast meals. 

Meal Customization

Winner: Tie

Making sure a meal delivery service caters to your dietary needs is a make-or-break factor. Let’s dive in with Trifecta first. 

While you select the meal plan, Trifecta’s experts will choose your meals for you. You can choose up to two exclusion preferences per week. Options include shellfish, nuts, chicken, and mushrooms. Meals are ready-made so Trifecta can’t replace the ingredient. Instead, it offers a completely different recipe to ensure against cross-contamination.

You’ll get to choose from six meal plans, which cover standard, Whole30, keto, paleo, vegetarian, and vegan diets.

Trifecta also sells separate protein, carb, and veggie packs, which are pre-cooked but can be used to make your own custom meals. All Trifecta meals are gluten-free and peanut-free and meal plan options include dairy-free and soy-free options.

Now, let’s move on to Factor’s plans. To be honest, they’re pretty similar to the options from Trifecta. Factor covers five main diets: low-calorie, low-carb, ketogenic, plant-based and high-protein. Unlike Trifecta, Factor doesn’t cover the paleo diet specifically.

You get to choose your own meals at Factor. Tags let you choose Vegan, Vegetarian, Keto, and Calorie Smart entrees. While many will welcome this extra freedom, those looking for a plan to meet macros or for fitness may find Trifecta better for hitting their goals.

While Factor meals are gluten-free, they may be prepared in facilities that also process wheat and there’s no guarantee of avoiding cross-contamination. If you have serious gluten intolerance, you’ll do better with Trifecta.

Since Factor only sells prepared meals, there are no options for customizing any individual entree or building your own meal.

Ordering, Delivery, Unboxing

Winner: Trifecta

Factor’s minimum order is four meals for $60 ($15 per meal), while Trifecta’s minimum is seven meals for $99.99 ($14.28 per meal). But when it comes to shipping, Trifecta’s the clear winner, with free shipping for all its meals. Factor, on the other hand, charges $9.99 per order for shipping.

If you have difficulty choosing Factor meals, you can take advantage of Factor’s free 20-minute consultation with a licensed dietitian. If you want more help managing your diet, Factor also offers one-month and three-month nutrition coaching packages.

Between the two, Trifecta is the only service that delivers to all 50 US states. Factor, on the other hand, only delivers to 48 states, missing out on Alaska and Hawaii.

Trifecta delivers on Friday and Saturday to make it easiest for you to be home. Factor is slightly less convenient, with delivery between 8 am and 8 pm Monday through Wednesday.

Any changes to your Factor order must be made by 11:59 PM CT on the Wednesday before your delivery arrives. Trifecta’s cutoff date to place an order, make changes or skip an order is the Friday prior to your next expected delivery date.

Trifecta and Factor send fresh, never-frozen food. Meals from both services arrive in refrigerated boxes. The meals should be transferred to your refrigerator as soon as you open the box. They can be kept in the fridge for around a week, or in the freezer for up to two months before you eat them.

Trifecta’s packaging is almost entirely biodegradable (98%), making it easy to dispose of in the recycling. Its goal is to have 100% biodegradable packaging by 2022. You’ll be able to get rid of all your packaging with curbside recycling. Factor’s packaging is mostly recyclable, but not biodegradable.

Meal Prep

Winner: It’s a tie!

When it comes to meal prep, there isn’t much to compare between these two meal delivery services. They’re both prepared meal services, so the meals are already cooked before they ever reach your door.

All you need is a microwave or an oven and you’re ready to eat in just a few minutes. Both Factor and Trifecta provide instructions on each meal for heating in a microwave or a conventional oven.

If you freeze your Factor or Trifecta meals, you can put them in the fridge a day before you plan on eating them to give them time to thaw. In a pinch, you can run cold water over a frozen meal for 15-20 minutes before microwaving.

Customer Support

Winner: Factor by a nose

Both companies have four ways of answering questions: an FAQ page, an email address, a chat room, and a phone line.

If you need to pause or cancel your order, both services make this process simple. Trifecta asks for seven days’ notice for any changes so you’ll need to let them know by Friday otherwise the order for the following week will already be processed. For Factor, it’s 11:59 CT on Wednesday for the delivery the following week.

Trifecta is based in California and is available from 8 am to 5 pm PST. Factor is in Illinois, and available from 6 am to 11 pm ET Monday to Friday and 7 am to 7 pm ET. Make sure to keep the time zones in mind when calling or chatting.

Both services provide solid customer support, but Factor’s extra customer hours give it the edge.

Pricing

Winner: Trifecta

Factor and Trifecta are among the more expensive meal delivery services, although healthy, prepared meals are a more expensive niche in general. I’ve crunched the numbers to find the cost per serving, (and per week) for both services.

Let’s start with Trifecta. Meals start as $6.66 per serving but this is for the Meal Prep option where you select your protein, carbs, and veggies and assemble the meals yourself. If you opt for a meal plan where the meals are chosen and fully prepared for you, the price goes up a lot.

For a plan with one meal a day, seven days a week, the price starts at $99.99 per week for the vegetarian plan and goes up to $110.99 per week if you have a plan with meat. That evens out to about $14.28-$15.85 per serving.

Now, if you want to get more than one meal a day, the prices go up. For two meals, seven days a week it’s $179.99-$219.99 per week. This works out as $12.85-$15.71 per serving.

For breakfast, lunch, and dinner, it’ll be $239.99-$310.99 per week ($11.43-$14.80 per serving), and for three entrees per day you can plan on spending $249.99-$319.99 per week or $11.90-$15.23 per meal.

For three entrees and breakfast, it works out as $314.99-$414.99 per week, or $11.25-$14.82 per serving. You can use our great discount code to bring the price down – 40% off first purchase. Code: DELIVERY.

So, how does that compare to Factor’s prices?

Factor’s meals start at Price: Missing price for Product undefined per serving but meals generally range from $11-$15 before taking into account any discounts or offers and depending on how many meals you order per week. All its pricing is the same, regardless of the meal plan. The smallest number of meals you can order is four, which will cost you about $70 per week, once you’ve added the shipping cost of $9.99.

For the largest plan, you get 18 meals a week for $11 each. That’ll bring you to a weekly total of around $208, with shipping. Check out this great discount code from Factor: $130 Off your first 6 boxes!.

Trifecta still wins this section with its free shipping and lower cost per serving.

Features Comparison: Trifecta vs. Factor 

And The Winner Is: Trifecta

When it comes down to the nitty-gritty of which service is best between Trifecta and Factor, Trifecta is the clear winner. It beat out Factor on price, delivery, menu variety, and dietary preferences.

Factor is still a popular service, and it has a reputation for having some of the best-tasting frozen meals out there. It might be right for you if you don’t mind paying a bit more per meal or if you want to order fewer than seven meals per week.

Not convinced either of these are the right service for you? Head over to our ranking of the best meal delivery services of the year for even more fantastic options.

FAQ

Where Does Trifecta Deliver?

Trifecta delivers to all 50 US states. While researching its delivery process, I discovered shipping was completely free and deliveries take place on Friday or Saturday every week.

Can You Cancel Trifecta?

Trifecta is easy to cancel and its plans are no commitment, so you won’t be stuck in a rolling order system. Any changes to your order should be made by Friday the week before the delivery is scheduled otherwise they won’t have time to go into effect.

Can Factor Meals be Frozen?

Factor recommends that you store its meals in the fridge, where they’ll last for up to a week. However, you can also freeze them for up to two months.