Meal Kits Ranked by Value: Home Chef and HelloFresh Lead
Mar 13th 2026
We compared recipes from seven popular meal kit services using Kroger grocery prices and found Home Chef and HelloFresh offered the closest price to buying ingredients yourself, while Sunbasket showed the largest gap.
- Home Chef and HelloFresh offered the best value with kits priced closest to grocery costs, each showing a 35% savings if you make the same meals yourself.
- Blue Apron placed third with a 37% DIY savings gap.
- EveryPlate, Marley Spoon, Green Chef and Sunbasket trailed at 40%, 42%, 45% and 48% respectively.
- The analysis compared two recipes per service using prorated Kroger in-store prices to total ingredient cost versus the kit price.
- Delivery fees, promotional discounts and leftover pantry items were excluded from the cost comparison.
- Organic-focused services like Green Chef and Sunbasket showed larger gaps between kit price and grocery cost.
- Value depends on local protein prices and meal choice, so checking local grocery prices and picking meals accordingly will improve cost effectiveness.