Which Meal Delivery box is Better – Dinnerly, Marley Spoon or HelloFresh?
Have you wondered if the meal delivery services of HelloFresh, Marley Spoon and other options were worth it? The price, the quality, the service and overall value varied. I’ve tried a few of them and last year did a comparison but redid it last month and my experience has changed. To be clear, I’ve used HelloFresh, MarleySpoon and Dinnerly a few times each over the years to ensure this stays up to date.
This post contains affiliate links and you can read my full disclosure here.
The prices of meal boxes are not as cheap as buying produce from the markets. You are paying for delivery, recipes, the meals being planned and the service. For time-poor families or families who want to try new meals but don’t know where to start, these boxes are a great option.
I loved trying them and each had pros or cons. Here is what I thought.
Marley Spoon – The Freshest
Marley Spoon is meant to be the premium option with more organic and fresher produce compared to others. The meals are nice, customer service is easy to deal with and overall it’s good. Last year I had a few glitches with them but this year they definitely did better than HelloFresh.
Price
$69.90 = 3 meals for 2 adults if we are comparing directly. However, they also offer 2 meals for 2 people for $50. With their $35 off code, you can save money on your first 3 boxes. ($15 off your first, $10 off your second and third).
Allergies
They were the easiest to select allergy-friendly meals with, lots of options and all delicious.
Variety
The variety was similar to HelloFresh, though I preferred the options Marley Spoon has.
Quality
Last year, the produce was lower quality, whereas the few times I have tried it this year the quality far surpassed HelloFresh. In the 3 boxes we’ve tried recently, all have been high quality.
Size
Meal sizing is planned by nutritionists so are the size you should be having. It felt a little on the small side compared to other options though. The bread which came in one of the meals was so tiny it looked like a mini serving.
Delivery
They delivered to my front door but I didn’t get a text or anything. Both companies messaged the day before or let me know it is on its way, but rarely did either of them let me know it arrived.
Packaging
Marley Spoon, as with most of the meal delivery options, has so much packaging. Little packets of everything, recipe cards and other papers, ice-packs etc.
One thing to note, I loved the fact the meatballs came ready-made, so no mixing up mince. HelloFresh provides all the ingredients, but I hate mixing up rissoles/meatballs/burgers. So finding the meatballs came ready in Marley Spoon made me happy!
HelloFresh – $35 discount
Price
From $69.95 = 3 meals for 2 adults in a classic box. There are various plans from classic to family and vegetarian for 3 to 5 meals. HelloFresh offers $50 off your first box here.
Allergies
I am gluten intolerant and it wasn’t as easy to pick from their options.
Variety
Choose from 9 meals, including a gourmet option (for an extra fee) and a dinner + lunch option (extra fee applies). On some plans you can edit to choose what you want, on others such as the vegetarian one, you get what you’re given.
Quality
In the beginning, the produce was pretty fresh. However, there have been many issues in freshness, particularly tomatoes and zucchini. In fact, I even had a live cockroach in a box.
Almost every box I have had after the first discounted one has had produce I can’t use in it. Mouldy tomatoes, dented or soft zucchini’s, dried out ‘fresh’ ginger etc. Take a photo, send it to them and they will credit your account supposedly. The issue with the cockroach they didn’t respond to. I had to follow up and even then, nothing was done.
One of my sisters has a similar experience in decreasing quality but another sister hasn’t so I am hoping these issues are now fixed.
Size
Our meal portions from HelloFresh were an average meal size but sometimes we had leftovers.
Delivery
I had no idea it had been delivered until I ran out the door to pick up my kids at 6 pm. They say they update you but there are too many times they either haven’t delivered or haven’t told me. Since we moved our box seems to be delivered anywhere on the property instead of the front door. I’ve had quite a few issues with their delivery.
Packaging
So much packaging! Everything in little plastic bags, in brown bags, in a box and the cooler part was this fabric thing but apparently biodegradable. It kept the food fresh, but there was too much packaging and more papers in HelloFresh than other boxes, however, the paperwork included discounts for elsewhere.
I used to like my HelloFresh box, the meals were simple and most of the produce was fresh. You could use the $50 discount, try it, pause your boxes as soon as you sign up to see if you like it then using your own discount code to refer friends you could get a few boxes for free.
Dinnerly – The Most Affordable and Least Packaging
Dinnerly are owned by Marley Spoon so it is the same quality, just simpler meals. They still have healthy and dietary options, it’s simply cheaper with fewer steps.
Price
3 meals for 2 people is $52.45 but you can get $15 off your first 3 boxes (saving you $45) here.
Allergies
The meals are simple so there are allergy-friendly options.
Variety
The variety is less but still quite a few options. Vegetarian and other meal options were not easy with Dinnerly. There were a few but it wasn’t as big a variety.
Quality
In my boxes the quality was great as was the quantity.
Size
Meal sizing is planned by nutritionists so are the size you should be having. My kids and I found the meal sizes to be good.
Delivery
They delivered to my front door and hidden from the street which was good.
Packaging
Hardly any! Unlike the others, packaging with Dinnerly is minimal and they don’t use recipe cards etc. That is all available online.
Which was best?
Marley Spoon has $35 off and was the freshest each time, plus once you’ve tried a box you can give a box to a friend for free.
HelloFresh has a great offer of $50 off your first box, but the quality is low when used long term. Still, they give freebies for friends and you have the option of referring friends so you both get $50 off boxes.
Dinnerly is the cheapest option with the least packaging and waste. Get $45 off ($15 off each of your first 3 boxes).
Have you tried meal boxes? What were your thoughts?
Thanks for rating these meal delivery services. With regards to packaging I agree, so much plastic!
I almost accidentally consumed some plastic from a Marley Spoon meal. I noticed a small patch of thin plastic film (not glad-rap) on a zucchini before grating it. I wonder how much plastic we are consuming that we are unaware of.
I have done the same (on zucchini too!). There is so much unnecessary plastic in the world now. It’s so sad. Thanks for taking the time to comment!
A very helpful article! I’ve tried both Hello Fresh and Marley Spoon and my experience was actually the opposite to yours but would happily try either again. I didn’t realize you could get meal boxes from Aussie Farmers Direct so might give them a go when we need to change up our meals a bit. Thanks for the tips 🙂
That’s great! Yes, Aussie Farmers do them, they don’t tend to have the same referral codes/bonus schemes as HelloFresh or Marley Spoon so most don’t know about it as a result.
I have tried Marley spoon and thought the same. The portions were too small and the packaging was inefficient. Service was good though.
I have also tried Thomas farms kitchen and thought their meals were tastier and the portions are better. Ingredients seemed to be fresher and of better quality too.
Just waiting to try out Hello Fresh now to see if they are any good.
I wish Aussie Farmers Direct were still trading as their produce was fantastic – but I never tried their meal options. I use Hello Fresh at the moment & their meal options have been great & so tasty – however, we’re finding the portions a bit large – but that means we have leftovers for lunch occasionally
I think Aussie Farmers are going to restart under a different name so I’ll be tempted to try their meal options if they do
Been using HelloFresh for over a year now and the quality has definitely dropped off, including experiencing many issues with deliveries (8 hrs past scheduled delivery / Leaving boxes outside of closed businesses / Throwing boxes over locked gates at lifestyle villages etc etc).
HelloFresh have very poor logistics within their business and a support model that is difficult to contact on the phone with slow response times via online/email. I have been meaning to look at different options and this article has helped me get some traction on this. Time for a change!
Oh, thank you so much for taking the time to comment. Many people I have spoken to expressed the same thing so I knew it wasn’t just me. Even my kids, who are only 10 and 11, have made comments about the lack of freshness now. I am glad you found this useful!
I have only tried Hello Fresh but honestly its been awesome. I love the flavours and highly recommend to any full time workers. I haven’t experienced issues with delivery times or quality…..food super fresh & always on time. I receive my delivery between midnight -0700 and its there every time. Great for our family…..great for me!!! Love love love.
That is great you have had such a good experience.