Our team has tested 15+ meal delivery services for students over 200+ orders. Rankings are based on: food quality (taste + freshness, 30%), value (price vs. what you get, 25%), menu variety (diet options + weekly selections, 20%), ease of use (signup, skip, cancel, delivery, 15%), and customer support (10%). Scores updated June 2026.
| Service | Format | Per meal | Why for grad students |
|---|---|---|---|
| EveryPlate | Kit | $4.99-8.99 | Cheapest national kit |
| Dinnerly | Kit | $4.99-7.99 | Five ingredients, app instructions |
| HelloFresh | Kit | $7.49-11.99 | Best intro pricing |
| Home Chef | Kit + Oven Ready | $8.99-11.99 | Roommate friendly, oven ready |
| Factor | Prepared | $11.49 | Zero cooking, more thesis time |
EveryPlate at $4.99 to $8.99 per serving and Dinnerly at $4.99 to $7.99 are tied for cheapest. Both are kits requiring some cooking.
Roughly even with Aldi or Walmart grocery shopping. Cheaper than Whole Foods. The real value is 6-8 hours per week saved on shopping and planning.
Yes. Home Chef and HelloFresh both scale to 4-6 servings per recipe. EveryPlate and Dinnerly default to 2 servings which works for couples or splitting with one roommate.
Not sure which to choose? See our in-depth comparisons:
EveryPlate is the best meal delivery for grad students — the lowest cost per serving in the category, easy 30-minute recipes, and no long-term commitment. Dinnerly is a close second if you want slightly more variety for a similar price. Both beat the cost of frequent takeout by a wide margin.
EveryPlate and Dinnerly are the most affordable meal delivery services at $5-$6 per serving. Both offer simple, quick recipes with minimal cleanup. HelloFresh is a step up in variety at around $9 per serving and frequently offers steep new-subscriber discounts that make the first month very affordable.
Meal delivery is practical for grad students who struggle to find time to shop and cook. A 2-3 recipe per week plan covers several dinners and removes the weekly grocery trip. Meal kits run more per serving than cooking from scratch but significantly less than eating out regularly.
Yes. Nearly all services allow you to skip any week with a few days notice before your delivery cutoff. Most have mobile apps that make skipping a 10-second task. This flexibility is particularly important for grad students with unpredictable schedules around conferences, exams, and travel.
Deciding between two services? See our head-to-head comparisons:
We tested every service on this list hands-on before ranking it. See the full reviews:
All meal delivery services listed above are subscription-based but can be cancelled anytime. Our step-by-step cancel guides:
Want to see exactly what you'd be cooking before signing up? Our meal index covers 6,000+ meals across 13 brands — full nutrition, ingredients, and step-by-step instructions:
Browse the MealFan Meal Index →
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