Of course, if you stay on as a subscriber, one way or another you end up repaying — all of these food deliveries have hidden fees.
Interestingly, the biggest names in the space, Walmart and Amazon, don’t offer discounts on your first order. Neither requires a subscription either.
But for details on how they compare, please check out our sibling site Saving Advice — where you’ll also find details on each of these companies’ customer service, special diets that are available, delivery timing and geographical limitations.
Meal Kit Companies Offering Discounts to New Customers
Keep reading for details on the free meals you can get from nine meal kit companies.
Blue Apron
Price per plate: $8.99 to $10.99, depending on the number of meals you have delivered per week (as of this writing, the company is offering three meals free when you sign up for a bulk package).
Hidden fees: You might find the need to add your own salt, pepper or cooking oil to the recipes — so you should consider whatever you pay for these ingredients a type of hidden fee, especially if you prefer to use premium versions of these ingredients.
Green Chef
Price per plate: $10.49 to $14.99, depending on which type of cuisine you choose (plus you get $25 to $50 off your first order)
Hidden fees: On top of what you pay per plate, you have to pay delivery fees of $9 to $18 per shipment. Note that the website tries to make it look like the minimum number of people you can order for is one, but then each meal for the one-person option has two servings.
HelloFresh
Price per plate: $9.99 apiece for two-person plans, and $8.74 for four-person plans (plus you can get $15 off your first order when you provide an email address).
Hidden fees: You need to order at least $50 a week worth of food to get free delivery.
Home Chef
Price per plate: $9.95 for main courses, premium meals are $19.95 and side dishes are $4.95 to $7.95 (plus the site offers $30 off your first order).
Hidden fees: Orders under $45 require a $10 delivery fee.
Peach Dish
Price per plate: Main dishes cost $10.50 to nearly $21 per plate; desserts and sides cost $4 to $9.25 per serving.
Hidden fees: This one may have more complexity in hidden fees than many others do. If your order is below $45, you pay delivery fees of $12 to $27, depending on your location. Commit to ordering at least $45 per week and you get free shipping in some parts of the country — otherwise, even at that minimum order size, it’s $15 per delivery in 18 different states in the U.S. You also have to provide your own salt, pepper and cooking oil.
Plated
Price per plate: It starts at $12 per person per dish, and desserts are $4 apiece per person (right now, the company is offering 25% off your first three weeks).
Hidden fees: Deliveries cost about $6 apiece unless you order at least $60 per week — the exact numerical thresholds may vary depending on where you live, as some markets are more expensive than others..
Purple Carrot
Price per plate: $12 to $13 (plus $20 off the first order).
Hidden fees: The company packages deliveries into boxes of three meals for two people, so they all come out the same amount every week, $72 and $78.
Sun Basket
Price per plate: $10.99 to $11.99 (the company is currently offering $45 off your first order, plus free delivery for the first week).
Hidden fees: Shipping is $6.99 per order; plus, you have to supply your own cooking oil, salt, pepper and even butter.
Terra’s Kitchen
Price per plate: $9.99 to $17.99, with some variation based on geography (plus you can get $35 off your first delivery).
Hidden fees: The site has numerous one-serving add-ons ranging from $3.99 to $9.99 apiece, all of which can raise the overall cost of your order. Although the menu ends up being more a-la-carte than many other meal subscription services, the site asks for a minimum dollar amount for your weekly order to qualify for free shipping– the more expensive the cost of living in your city, the higher that minimum might be.
Readers, have you tried any of the meal kit companies mentioned here — and if so, can you share with us your experiences with them in the comments section beneath this post?
Jackie Cohen is an award winning financial journalist turned turned financial advisor obsessed with climate change risk, data and business. Jackie holds a B.A. Degree from Macalester College and an M.A. in English from Claremont Graduate University.