Freshly VS Home Chef Comparison

UPDATED Mar. 2024
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We have had the pleasure to taste the amazing meals offered by both Freshly and Home Chef and we completely understand if you are having a hard time deciding between the two. In this Freshly VS Home Chef comparison, we highlight all the strong and weak points of these two popular services in order to help you find out which one better suits your individual needs and which one is objectively superior to the other.

Freshly
Gourmet meals that keep you fit
VS
Home Chef
Planet-friendly meal service

Highlights

Freshly
Freshly offers reasonable prices and a rich menu filled with hallmarks of Italian and American cuisines, all made of fresh, natural ingredients.
  • Price Range: $
  • Average Price Per Meal: $9.99
  • Shipping Cost: $0
  • Delivery Area: 48 states
Home Chef
Home Chef offers budget-friendly prices, great flexibility, a diverse menu, and time-saving recipes suitable for all cooking skill levels.
  • Price Range: $
  • Average Price Per Meal: $8.97
  • Shipping Cost: $0 *
  • Delivery Area: 48 states
*free shipping on all orders worth $45+

Compare Features

Freshly
Best For
Best for home diners who prefer classics and comfort food
Menu/Meal Plans
Freshly provides its customers with a weekly menu to choose from.
Recipes/Meal Options
Freshly offers 30+ lunch and dinner items on its menu every week.
Meal & Recipe Variety
Freshly offers chef-prepared entrées for different diets. Its menu includes low-carb, high-protein, Paleo, omnivore, vegetarian, gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, and calorie-conscious meals. It offers both classic and exotic dishes, most of them originating from the American and Italian cuisines, with occasional Asian dishes.
Food Quality
Freshly exclusively uses fresh, natural ingredients. Its meals never contain any artificial flavors or colors and they are free from gluten, added sugars, and preservatives.
Nutritional Value & Portion Size
Most Freshly meals contain between 400 and 500 calories per serving. They are generally healthy and nutritionally balanced but they are not free from cholesterol and may contain more than 600 mg of sodium. The portions are usually around 13 oz.
Subscription Flexibility
With Freshly, you can change, skip, pause or cancel your order whenever you want. The deadline for making any changes is 11:59PM PST 5 days before your scheduled delivery day.
Refunds
If you are not satisfied with your delivery from Freshly, you may receive a full or partial refund or credit. You must report your complaints to the company within 5 days of your delivery date.
Home Chef
Best For
Best for home cooks with a busy schedule
Menu/Meal Plans
Home Chef does not separate its meals into distinct meal plans but instead offers one weekly menu to choose from.
Recipes/Meal Options
Home Chef offers 18 new recipes each week plus 3 add-ons including ready-to-cook protein packs and smoothies.
Meal & Recipe Variety
Home Chef’s weekly selection always includes omnivore, vegetarian, carb-conscious, and calorie-conscious recipes. Depending on your needs and preferences, you can choose to receive recipes that do not contain pork, red meat, gluten, mushrooms, soy, nuts, dairy or shellfish. Lunches and smoothies take just 5 minutes to make and dinners are usually ready in around 30 minutes.
Food Quality
Home Chef sources its ingredients from trusted suppliers and farmers that employ the best sustainability practices. It sources locally whenever possible and makes sure that the food you receive is fresh, natural, and good for you.
Nutritional Value & Portion Size
The calorie count of Home Chef meals significantly varies, from under 200 calories to more than 750 calories. Calorie-conscious meals are clearly labeled. The meals are rich in all valuable nutrients and come in ample portions, keeping you full for hours.
Subscription Flexibility
With Home Chef, you can edit or customize your subscription anytime you want. You can also skip, pause or cancel your order whenever you wish. All changes to your order must be made by 12pm(CST) on the Friday prior to the scheduled delivery day.
Refunds
If you are not satisfied with your delivery from Home Chef, you may be eligible for a refund or credit.

Compare Plans & Pricing

Freshly
Freshly Plans & Pricing
Meal Programs
Meals per weekPrice per weekPrice per meal
4$49.99$12.50
6$59.99$9.99
9$89.99$9.99
12$107.99$8.99
Home Chef
Home Chef Plans & Pricing
2 Servings
Meals per weekMeal kit pricePrice per serving
2$39.80$9.95
3$59.70$9.95
4$79.60$9.95
5$99.50$9.95
6$119.40$9.95
4 Servings
Meals per weekMeal kit pricePrice per serving
2$79.60$9.95
3$119.40$9.95
4$159.20$9.95
5$199.00$9.95
6$238.80$9.95
6 Servings
Meals per weekMeal kit pricePrice per serving
2$119.40$9.95
3$179.10$9.95
4$238.80$9.95
5$298.50$9.95
6$358.20$9.95

Suitable For

Freshly
Meals For Families
Meals For Kids
Meals For Seniors
Meals For One
Home Chef
Meals For Families
Meals For Kids
Meals For Seniors
Meals For One

Compare Meal Options

Freshly
Vegetarian Meals
Vegan Meals
Paleo Meals
Keto Meals
Low-Carb Meals
Low-Fat Meals
Meals For Diabetics
Gluten-Free Meals
Organic Meals
Weight Loss Meals
Home Chef
Vegetarian Meals
Vegan Meals
Paleo Meals
Keto Meals
Low-Carb Meals
Low-Fat Meals
Meals For Diabetics
Gluten-Free Meals
Organic Meals
Weight Loss Meals

Compare Sample Meals

Freshly
Home Chef

Compare Extras

Freshly
A La Carte Menu
Gift Cards
Marketplace
Home Chef
A La Carte Menu
Gift Cards
Marketplace

Compare Ratings

Freshly
FINAL RATING
5.7/10
Meal Options
Variety
Nutritional Value
Portion Size
Flexibility
Price
Home Chef
FINAL RATING
9.8/10
Meal Options
Variety
Nutritional Value
Portion Size
Flexibility
Price

Compare Customer Reviews

Freshly
  • Submitted By Stephanie Corsano on 10/07/2019
    I have ordered Freshly meals for about 4 months now and I just love them! The food is tasty. Great portions and I am NEVER left hungry. They have a variety of meals that I like. They add or change to different meals periodically, but I definitely have my favorites. Some you may have to season a bit more as they try and keep things healthy (so maybe some salt on occasion), but for the majority, 3 min in the microwave and you’re good to go! I have had a few instances with the delivery people, but when I call customer service, they are friendly, helpful and accommodating. They have even credited me back for any issues that may have come up. I also like the fact that I can customize my order. A number of meals per week, rather than choosing from a number of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. I can’t do breakfast or lunch because I commute for work, and I do not have a microwave there. So ordering dinners for the end of the evening, is the best! But they do offer it if you’re so inclined. Overall, they are worth a try. You won’t be disappointed. Hopefully they will expand how many meals they offer, but they definitely include enough variety for me!
  • Submitted By robb on 08/27/2019
    I am happy with the selection, quality, price. I will be staying long term, as long as they don't increase prices.
  • Submitted By Christina on 08/18/2019
    Freshly was not good, and not worth the cost. It didn't taste particularly healthy NOR good. I had to struggle to make my way through the rest of my initial 6-meal trial. I will certainly never order from Freshly again.
  • Submitted By SunnyDays on 06/20/2019
    I've been enjoying Freshly for a few months now and have to say they have exceeded my expectations. The meals arrive fully cooked and are kept cool in a well insulated box with earth friendly gel packs to keep them at a refrigerated temperature. They can go right into your fridge for later or pop one in the microwave for about 3 minuets and your dinner is ready. If you don't think you'll be eating them within the designated time listed on the package you can just freeze them and eat them when you're ready. ...
Home Chef
  • Submitted By N. Chamousis on 12/05/2019
    My wife and I really enjoy the Home Chef meals. They've come up with some great, easy to prepare recipes that are healthy quite good. It's just unfortunate that they can't get their act together on the delivery service. A real shame.
  • Submitted By Merrie Smith on 09/24/2019
    I have had several shipments from Home Chef and there has been poor quality produce in every box. At first I thought maybe it was just that the shipping service had mishandled the package. But that turned out not to be the case. I have been sent cauliflower that had a strong odor and turning brown, bruised pablano peppers, damaged zucchini on two occasions, and wilted, browning green onions. It's really a shame because the other ingredients and recipes are of good quality. The first occasion that I received bad produce, I called customer service and received very generous credits to my account and was hoping that future shipments would be better. I started avoid ordering the produce that I had issues with. But most of the produce I received from Home Chef was of poor quality and I have decided that it's just not worth the cost.
  • Submitted By Barbara II on 06/18/2019
    Only 3 weeks in, 6 dinners, but have been able to make third and fourth servings from leftovers. Have added some veggies of our own to be able to do that and remain on healthy portions. Everything delicious! We are ready to see some repeat offerings because they were so good. Starting with easy courses because it has been a while since we have cooked, but an accidental inclusion of one rated intermediate confirmed there are good things to come. I’m not sure that I won’t ‘steal’ some recipes to make again soon. There have been items cooked together we would not have put together and were surprised by how good they were together as well. Everything fresh, nicely packaged, beautiful. THANKS!
  • Submitted By Julie Patterson on 02/20/2019
    A lot of my friends had very positive experiences with Home Chef and they recommended it highly when I started looking for a good meal delivery after getting a new job and having way less time to shop for groceries, plan the meals and cook. The food is great and the customer service answered every single question I had regarding the company and the service in general. The delivery driver is also very nice, which is a very refreshing change.

Winner

Home Chef is a meal kit delivery service that supplies you with only the freshest, highest quality ingredients. What sets it apart is the amazing variety of recipes you can choose from. To discover how the service works, what kind of recipes it offers, how much it costs, and whether it is right for you, read our detailed Home Chef review.

* All the prices on this website are subject to change without notice. While we put a great deal of effort into making sure that all the prices are accurate, one or more products may have outdated prices. Please visit the specific product’s official website for exact prices.
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