As a food enthusiast who’s always juggling a busy schedule, I’ve tried my fair share of meal delivery services. In my quest for the best meal kit, I’ve put HelloFresh and Dinnerly to the test. In this article, I’ll compare these two popular meal kit services in terms of pricing, health ratings, convenience, customer support, packaging, recipe options, website usability, delivery options, and overall value for money. By the end, you’ll have all the information you need to make an informed decision about which service is right for you.
Don’t have time to read it all? HelloFresh was our winner in this instance, but honestly only by a bee’s you-know-what. If you are price sensitive and looking at your options to save money, I would honestly suggest trying Dinnerly in this instance. The price difference is too great to let the minor wins from HelloFresh overpower things here.
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Pricing
HelloFresh offers meals for 2 or 4 people, with options for 3, 4, or 5 meals per week. Prices range from $8.25 to $11.67 per serving. Dinnerly serves 2 or 4 people as well, with options for 2, 3, 4, 5, or 6 meals per week, priced between $5.49 and $9.85 per serving.
Winner: Dinnerly – Dinnerly’s competitive pricing and greater flexibility in meal quantity give it the edge over HelloFresh in this category.
Health Ratings & Recipe Options
HelloFresh offers a variety of recipes, including Classic, Vegetarian, Family-Friendly, Calorie Smart, Quick & Easy, Carb Smart, Flexitarian, and Protein Rich. Their menu includes 35 main meals, 15 breakfasts, 21 desserts, 26 snacks, 2 seasonal fruit boxes, 3 soups, and 12 drinks.
Dinnerly also offers diverse recipe options, such as Fan Fave, Comfort Food, Kid-Approved, Reduced Carb, Balanced, 15-Min, and Feed a Crowd (serving 6 people). They have a choice of 61 meals, 10 of which are premium “PLUS” meals, while the remaining 51 are standard options.
Winner: Dinnerly – Dinnerly’s impressive selection of 61 meals, including premium options, gives it a slight advantage over HelloFresh.
Convenience & Ease of Use
Both HelloFresh and Dinnerly have user-friendly websites that make meal selection and account management a breeze. HelloFresh uses sustainable packaging with paper bags to separate meals, while Dinnerly uses recyclable packaging for ice packs and cool storage. Dinnerly cuts costs by reducing the number of ingredients in recipes and providing digital recipe cards on their app, which some users may find inconvenient.
Winner: HelloFresh – While both services are convenient, HelloFresh’s printed recipe cards and organized packaging make for a smoother cooking experience.
Customer Support
I’ve found HelloFresh and Dinnerly customer support to be helpful and responsive in resolving ingredient quality or missing ingredient issues. However, I’ve had to contact Dinnerly a few more times due to their ingredient quality.
Winner: HelloFresh – With fewer issues in ingredient quality and equally responsive customer support, HelloFresh takes the lead in this category.
Delivery Options
HelloFresh delivers to Melbourne 5 days a week, from Tuesday to Saturday, with flat-rate $9.99 shipping. Dinnerly delivers 6 days a week, from Tuesday to Sunday, with flat-rate $10.49 shipping.
Winner: Dinnerly – With one extra delivery day per week and only slightly higher shipping fees, Dinnerly wins this round.
Value for Money
Here’s a comparison table to help you better understand the differences between HelloFresh and Dinnerly:
| Comparison Point | HelloFresh | Dinnerly | Winner |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pricing Range | $8.25-$11.67 | $5.49-$9.85 | Dinnerly |
| 3 Meals for 4 People | $134.99 | $94.37 | Dinnerly |
| Menu Range | 35 main meals, various other options | 61 meals | Dinnerly |
| Menu Type Variety | 8/10 - Many options | 7/10 - Several Options | HelloFresh |
| Delivery Days | 5 Per Week | 6 Per Week | Dinnerly |
| Packaging Info | Individually Bagged Meal Ingredients | Loose in Box | HelloFresh |
| Quality of Ingredients | 7/10 - Occasionally average quality. | 6/10 - Occasionally damaged in transit. | HelloFresh |
| Customer Service | 8/10 | 8/10 | HelloFresh (Generally Less Issues) |
| Convenience | 9/10 - Easy ordering, easy to follow instructions, few pantry items required. | 5/10 - Good website but no recipe cards is a bit of a pain, and you do have to stay on top of pantry items. | HelloFresh |
| Overall Winner... | HelloFresh |
Winner: Dinnerly – Even though HelloFresh offers more variety and better customer support, Dinnerly takes the cake when it comes to value for money, thanks to its lower prices.
Extras
HelloFresh has an ever-changing extras menu, including charcuterie boards, olive mixes, Youfoodz meals, and other snacks. Their current selection includes 26 snacks like cookies, chips, pretzels, cheeses, fruit boxes, and even grocery staples like chicken breast and smoked salmon. They also have kids’ meals and snacks, quick fixes like dumplings and bao buns, and desserts like apple and pear crumble, chocolate pudding, brownies, and more.
Dinnerly, on the other hand, doesn’t offer as many extras. While they do have some additional items available, the selection is not as extensive as HelloFresh’s.
Winner: HelloFresh – With a wider variety of extras, including snacks, desserts, and quick fixes, HelloFresh comes out on top in this category.
Final Verdict
So, which meal kit service is the winner? It’s a close call, but I’d have to give the edge to HelloFresh. Their extensive range of recipe options, health-conscious choices, responsive customer support, and wide variety of extras make them a more attractive option overall.
However, if you’re on a tight budget and value for money is your main concern, then Dinnerly is a solid choice. They offer more affordable meal kits, while still providing a convenient meal planning solution.
In the end, it all comes down to your personal preferences and priorities. If you’re looking for variety and don’t mind spending a little more for it, HelloFresh is the way to go. But if you’re trying to save some cash while still enjoying the convenience of a meal kit service, Dinnerly could be the perfect fit for you.
