The Best Budget Meal Delivery Services of 2025 (Yes, They’re Actually Good)

If you’re looking for an affordable meal delivery service featuring high-quality ingredients and an easy-to-navigate interface, EveryPlate is worth your time. Meals start at just $5.99 per serving and barely climb to $8 even with the smallest orders possible, earning the subscription a 5-out-of-5 rating for value. Despite these wallet-friendly price tags, each meal is loaded with flavorful ingredients that can really serve as an upgrade to your nightly dinner arrangements.

Caine Wilkes, BarBend editorial team member and former Olympian, rates the taste at 5 out of 5, stating, “Each meal kit was well seasoned and there were plenty of dishes that I would happily order again.” Each meal also surpassed Wilkes’ expectations in terms of portions. “I’m a larger athlete, but these EveryPlate meals were large enough to keep me satiated and away from the snacks cabinet in the evening,” he adds in reference to his 5-out-of-5 serving size scoring.

We also view EveryPlate as one of the best healthy meal delivery services given the ingredient quality at play. While Wilkes admits that some produce can come bruised or wilted — a byproduct of shipping protocols — the overall aesthetics are well intact. “Just be prepared to reorganize your fridge once you receive your weekly order,” he notes. “The ingredients aren’t portioned out by recipe card, meaning everything is contained in a single box without much rhyme or reason.”

Speaking of the included recipes, we rate the prep time at a conservative 3 out of 5. We do appreciate the detailed instructions for each meal that can take as little as 5 steps, but Wilkes states that the suggested cooking times listed on the cards are inaccurate, at best. “Most dishes claim to be ready in 30 minutes, but real-world sessions in my kitchen saw the clock pacing closer to 45 minutes or even an hour,” he says. If you’d prefer to keep timing simplified each night, consider a prepared meal service offering microwave-ready dishes such as Factor or Eat Clean.

Read our full EveryPlate Review.

Single athletes don’t need an abundance of the most nutrient-dense foods to facilitate a week’s worth of eating — no need to order tons of fresh produce if half of the stock will perish before the dinner bell rings. Thanks to a rotating menu of premade, microwave- and oven-ready meal options along with a maximum order quantity of 18 servings per week, we feel Factor can be a great budget-friendly pick for those with fewer mouths to feed each night.

Our tester, a certified nutrition coach, praises the ease of preparation that’s present in each meal, rating the prep time at a perfect 5 out of 5. “Even despite the quick, convenient reheating process, each meal was filling and flavorful — a definite upgrade over other prepared meal kits I’ve had in the past,” they add in reference to their 4-out-of-5 taste scoring.

Given that each Factor meal is pre-portioned and ready for reheating, there is little room for customizations, meaning you cannot swap out one protein source from the next. However, we score the variety at 4 out of 5 since there are plenty of tasty cuisines to choose from across the rotating weekly menu, so we doubt you’d be unable to find a palate-pleasing option. Naturally, though, for those wanting to swap, say, a plant-based protein source into a “meat-and-three” entrée, it may be best to opt for a cook-at-home meal kit such as Purple Carrot or Home Chef.

Another positive aspect of Factor’s meal delivery subscription is the abundance of nutritional information available for each dish. Studies report that meal delivery services can be a positive tool for athletes wanting to improve their daily nutrient intake, so being able to read through what’s actually in each meal is a definite plus. (1) “Having access to listed ingredients and nutritional breakdowns can also be helpful for those that need to plan around specific sensitivities or allergies,” adds Chelsea Rae Bourgeois, MS, RDN, LD. As such, we rate Factor at 5 out of 5 for access to nutritional information.

Read our full Factor Review.

Finding a family-friendly meal plan can be quite the challenge, especially if your household has a handful of picky eaters to plan around. Rather than submitting to (another) takeout night of high-protein fast food, consider a subscription to Home Chef. The menu rotates weekly with over 100 meal kits and pre-made meals, and your orders can contain up to 36 servings each — equivalent to a six-night menu for a family of six. Perhaps the best part, though? Single servings start at just $9.99.

When it comes to taste, Home Chef ranks amongst our favorite meal delivery services thanks to the brand’s dedication to fresh ingredients and detailed recipe cards. Kate Meier, BarBend editorial team member and certified personal trainer, scores the taste at 5 out of 5, noting, “I’ve been using Home Chef for six months now, and in that time, I think I’ve had one dish that I thought was less than stellar. They’re so good, in fact, that I’ve begun to store my favorite recipes in a binder in case I want to recreate a meal on my own.”

We also appreciate that Home Chef offers a range of dishes each week, which can be helpful for those eyeing gluten-free, low-carb, or dairy-free dishes, amongst others, in an effort to avoid any dietary sensitivities. Granted, the Home Chef site does not offer filters for these specific allergens, but the information is readily available online. As such, we score the variety at 5 out of 5. If you do prefer a more tailored menu for specific dietary preferences, we recommend Hungryroot as an alternative.

The main drawback to Home Chef? Meal preparation, which we score at a modest 2 out of 5. Meier states, “You’ll need to manage multiple steps at once on occasion, and prepare to have a sink’s worth of dishes that need cleaning post-dinner.” That said, we recommend this as a family- and budget-friendly meal delivery service since these steps can be shared within the family unit, which studies suggest can promote better health outcomes and improved family dynamics. (2)

Read our full Home Chef Review.

While budget meal delivery services can be convenient subscriptions for eliminating trips to the grocery store, some schedules aren’t even compatible with the 30-60 minutes required for putting the pre-portioned ingredients together each night. For those in a hurry that want nutritious options that heat in just a few minutes, we recommend Eat Clean’s roster of over 95 prepared entrées and affordable prices starting at just $8.60 per serving.

Each menu option reheats easily in a microwave or oven, earning a 5-out-of-5 rating for prep. Kate Meier, certified personal trainer, also adds that while there’s a definite drop-off in ingredient quality when comparing this subscription to a fresh-made meal, the taste is still enjoyable. “There are multiple dishes that elevate your perception of a microwaveable dinner, and while I did have a few mushy vegetables here and there, you sort of expect that texture with this meal delivery type,” she states. “I’ll also say that plant-based athletes searching for some of the best vegan meal delivery services should consider Eat Clean’s array of accommodating meals.”

When it comes to portion sizes, Eat Clean earns a 4-out-of-5. Meier notes, “Some meals were OK, while others left me feeling peckish just a few hours after dinner. If your appetite typically calls for higher calorie counts, these may be too small of serving sizes for your needs.” If you’re in need of a higher-calorie prepared meal option, consider services such as Factor or Fuel Meals.

Managing your Eat Clean account is a streamlined process, as well. Simply choose your meals on a weekly basis and wait for your cuisines to arrive at your doorstep. We score the account management at 4 out of 5, though, since when you initially sign up, you must enter your payment information prior to building out your first box of pre-made dishes.

Not afraid to tackle some high-protein weeknight recipes? Do you prefer the crisp, flavorful profiles of fresh veggies over microwave-ready dishes? A traditional meal kit may be a better option for your needs than a prepared meal delivery service. For such athletes wanting all of the above and an appealing price point, consider HelloFresh. We enjoy the detailed recipe cards that come with each ingredient bundle, and the order size of up to 36 dishes can accommodate a wide range of household dynamics.

Our tester scores the prep at 4 out of 5 thanks to the aforementioned recipe cards as well as the minimal clean-up required for each meal. “I’ve yet to run into a recipe that dirties more than three pots and pans, which is a real treat when I’ve had to tend to other chores and responsibilities immediately after dinner,” they note. Additionally, we score the portion sizes at 5 out of 5 thanks to the satiating nature of the dishes along with the à la carte offerings for extra sides and protein sources (if you have a larger appetite).

When it comes to ordering your HelloFresh meals, the service is top notch, according to our tester, who rates the account management at 5 out of 5. “While there aren’t specific toggles for strict dietary needs like dairy-free or nut-free, you can generally find what you’re looking for each week,” they note. “HelloFresh will even auto-populate weekly meal servings for you as the algorithm grows accustomed to your preferences — a nice perk when you forget to select your weekly meal allotment.”

Despite the name, though, we do recommend getting through your produce items as quickly as possible in order to preserve each item’s freshness. Our tester scores the ingredient quality at 3.5 out of 5, stating, “I’ve had multiple orders where, for example, onions and scallions were less than ideal, which called for me to readjust my planned meals for earlier in the week.” For a meal kit service offering fresh, locally-sourced produce and goods with higher success rates from our testing, we recommend a service such as Green Chef or Home Chef.

Read our full HelloFresh Review.

OK, so all of the wallet-friendly meal delivery services in this round-up can help you eat healthy on a budget. That said, though, there is something special about finding a high-value subscription at bare bones pricing. With costs per serving beginning at just $5.99 Dinnerly fits that bill. Plus, we appreciate the available options consisting of both pre-portioned meal kits and prepared dishes — perfect for scheduling dinners on dates where you know getting into the kitchen is out of the question.

In terms of value, this affordable meal kit earns a 5 out of 5 from our tester, a certified personal trainer. “I also received a substantial discount for my first order,” they note. “It’s not uncommon for meal delivery services to offer initial savings to new customers, but it just hits different when you know the base service is already budget-friendly.”

We also rate the taste at 5 out of 5 thanks to the abundance of delicious meals. To date, we’ve tested both meat- and plant-based meals from Dinnerly with no issues regarding flavor or seasoning. “Everything is seasoned perfectly, so much so that I rarely need to add extra salt and pepper,” adds Caine Wilkes, BarBend editorial team member and former Olympian.

Ordering a week’s worth of Dinnerly is quick and painless, but we do note that there are fewer filters for specific dietary restrictions. While we haven’t had any issues in locating known allergens within listed ingredients lists, this does mean you’ll need to pay close attention to your chosen cuisines each week. For a more efficient ordering method, we recommend a service like Hungryroot which features an abundance of settings for a range of dietary needs.

Finally, while the available prepared meals speak for themselves, Wilkes states that the prep work for Dinnerly meal kits is more of an endeavor. “It’s not a complicated process, really, and I appreciate the easy-to-follow recipe cards (request physical copies if you prefer to follow along to traditional paper instructions),” he states in reference to his 3.5-out-of-5 prep rating. “However, some dishes do call for multiple pots and pans, which can quickly prolong your clean-up times.”

Read our full Dinnerly Review.

While some types of diets are for personal preference or aligned to a certain wellness goal like weight loss or muscle gain, others are necessary to accommodate known allergens. As such, it’s imperative that you choose a budget meal delivery service that aligns with your personal health needs. Hungryroot serves as an online grocery store of sorts, working on a credit-based system that gives you the opportunity to select premium grocery items or pre-portioned meal kits developed with insight from the brand’s expert team of chefs and dietitians.

Rather than selecting a set amount of meals each week, you purchase credit bundles through Hungryroot that can be used on market items or meal kits alike. “It takes some getting used to when you view it as a true meal delivery subscription,” notes our tester, who rates the order process at 4.5 out of 5, “But I do appreciate the built-in flexibility.”

That flexibility leads directly into the abundance of options at your fingertips when placing a weekly order. Hungryroot features an array of filters that can tailor your available items to accommodate multiple dietary restrictions including nut allergies, soy sensitivities, vegetarian meal preferences, and more. This can make it much easier to plan around any personal preferences or requirements you may have when it comes to your weekly servings.

For taste, Hungryroot scores high, as well, with 5-out-of-5 marks from our tester who credits the flavors to the impressive ingredients within each order. “Some produce does have a shorter shelf life than other goods, but I’ve been impressed with the attention to detail across all of my delivered goods,” they add in reference to their 5-out-of-5 ingredient quality scoring. “Plus, while there is no confirmed callout that Hungryroot uses organic ingredients, the service does state that all goods are free from partially hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial colors, sweeteners, and preservatives.”

As impressive as the meal offerings are, though, Hungryroot does not offer a roster of pre-made, heat-and-serve dishes. If you prefer this convenient style of meal delivery services, consider something like Factor or Eat Clean.

​​“Meal delivery services can be extremely helpful for athletes following a specific diet plan given the simplified, convenient methods they bring to the table for meal planning and meal prep,” states Chelsea Rae Bourgeois, MS, RDN, LD. For athletes following a vegan diet, Purple Carrot can be a high-quality service thanks to its approach price point starting at $11 per serving along with a rotating menu of entirely plant-based meal kits and prepared dishes.

Another factor that separates Purple Carrot from the pack is its well-detailed nutritional information, which we rate at 5 out of 5. “It’s easy to see all listed ingredients online during order protocols, and each recipe card or pre-made meal packaging also features the nutritional breakdown,” states our tester, a certified personal trainer.

Every Purple Carrot cuisine is plant-based, which is a refreshing alternative to other meal kits that simply offer a handful of veggie-focused dishes or an option to substitute faux meat for a protein source. However, we rate the variety at a modest 3 out of 5 since there are no options to add animal-derived goods to your recipe. If you enjoy a meal description but feel it would be best paired with chicken over tofu, you cannot make such adjustments. If you prefer a mix of meat and plant-based options, consider a different service such as EveryPlate or Home Chef.

Despite the lack of animal-based proteins, Purple Carrot is still a high-quality, budget-friendly service thanks to the available portion sizes, which we rate at 5 out of 5. “Each meal leaves me satiated for extended periods,” adds our tester. “I did feel hungry hours after eating a meal, but I chalk that up to my typical diet that consists of more filling proteins like chicken or steak. Plant-based athletes likely won’t have any issues.”

Finally, Purple Carrot is on the expensive side of budget meal delivery services with costs per serving beginning at roughly $11. That said, we feel the extra expense is worthwhile given the specificity of the available menu options.