Blue Apron vs EveryPlate (2026): Premium vs Budget Meal Kit. Which Is Worth It?
Which is better, Blue Apron or EveryPlate?
It depends on what you value. EveryPlate wins on price around 5 dollars per serving, while Blue Apron wins on classic meal kit quality and wine pairings. MealFan tested both services hands on for its 2026 comparison covering pricing, menus, and taste.
- EveryPlate wins on price around 5 dollars per serving
- Blue Apron wins on classic meal kit quality and wine pairings
- Both services tested hands on by MealFan
Blue Apron and EveryPlate are at opposite ends of the meal kit pricing spectrum. Blue Apron is a premium, chef-curated service at $9.99 to $15.99 per meal with a wine pairing add-on. EveryPlate is the budget option in the HelloFresh AG portfolio at $5.49 to $7.99 per meal with a deliberately simple format. If the question is which is cheaper, EveryPlate wins by a wide margin. If the question is which delivers a better culinary experience, Blue Apron is not close. The real question is which one fits your actual priorities.
Last updated: June 2026. Prices verified against each service’s current website.
Quick verdict: EveryPlate wins on price and simplicity. Blue Apron wins on culinary quality, ingredient sourcing, and wine pairing. If you need to eat well on a tight budget and do not need ambitious recipes, EveryPlate is one of the best values in meal kit delivery. If culinary craft and a better overall experience are worth paying more for, Blue Apron justifies its premium. These two services solve genuinely different problems.
- EveryPlate is owned by HelloFresh AG, the same company that operates HelloFresh and Green Chef. Blue Apron is independent.
- EveryPlate keeps costs low partly by using fewer packaging elements and simpler ingredients. The trade-off is less variety and less culinary ambition.
- Blue Apron’s wine add-on ships every 4 weeks on a separate cadence from your weekly meal delivery.
- EveryPlate is one of the very few meal kits where the per-meal cost is genuinely competitive with cooking from scratch at a grocery store.
Ratings Scorecard
| Category | Blue Apron | EveryPlate |
|---|---|---|
| Price per meal | 4/10 | 10/10 |
| Culinary depth per recipe | 9/10 | 5/10 |
| Ingredient quality | 8/10 | 6/10 |
| Wine pairing add-on | 9/10 | 0/10 |
| Beginner-friendliness | 7/10 | 9/10 |
| Recipe variety | 6/10 | 7/10 |
| Good for tight budgets | 3/10 | 10/10 |
| Good for culinary exploration | 9/10 | 4/10 |
Blue Apron vs EveryPlate at a Glance
| Category | Blue Apron | EveryPlate |
|---|---|---|
| Price per meal | $9.99-$15.99 | $5.49-$7.99 |
| Shipping | $10.99 | $10.99 |
| Recipes per week | ~16 | ~20+ |
| Wine add-on | Yes | No |
| Specialty diet plans | Wellness plan | None structured |
| Ingredient complexity | Chef-curated, varied | Simple, 5-7 ingredients |
| Parent company | Blue Apron (NYSE: APRN) | HelloFresh AG |
| Best for | Culinary enthusiasts | Budget-conscious households |
Pricing: EveryPlate Is Dramatically Cheaper
EveryPlate starts at $5.49/meal and tops out at $7.99/meal, plus $10.99 shipping. Blue Apron starts at $9.99/meal and reaches $15.99/meal on smaller plans, plus $10.99 shipping. Both services charge the same shipping, so the per-meal difference is the entire gap. For a 2-person household ordering 3 meals per week:
| Plan (2 people, 3 meals/week) | Blue Apron | EveryPlate |
|---|---|---|
| Per meal | $11.99-$12.99 | $5.99-$6.99 |
| Weekly food cost | ~$72-$78 | ~$36-$42 |
| Shipping | $10.99 | $10.99 |
| Weekly total | ~$83-$89 | ~$47-$53 |
| Monthly savings with EveryPlate | ~$120-$165/month | |
That is not a marginal difference. Over a year, EveryPlate saves a 2-person household $1,400 to $2,000 compared to Blue Apron for the same delivery frequency. For budget-conscious households, this is the defining factor.
EveryPlate: What You Get at That Price
EveryPlate keeps costs low through simplicity: fewer ingredients per recipe (typically 5 to 7), simpler preparations, less varied sourcing, and reduced packaging. The recipe cards are straightforward. Cook time averages 30 to 40 minutes. The flavor output is solid for the price. A classic chicken parmesan, a beef and broccoli stir-fry, a sausage and potato sheet pan dinner. These are reliable weeknight dinners, not culinary adventures. EveryPlate does exactly what it promises: affordable, simple, home-cooked dinners delivered to your door.
Blue Apron: What You Get at the Premium Price
Blue Apron’s per-recipe investment shows in the cooking experience. Chef-developed recipes with technique-forward preparations: brown-butter finishes, japchae noodles, fregola pasta, pickled cherry gastrique, seared duck. Ingredient sourcing is more varied and higher quality. Recipe cards push your skills forward. The wine add-on delivers 6 curated bottles every 4 weeks for $65 to $75, selected to pair with that period’s menu. None of this exists at EveryPlate’s price point, and it should not. They are aiming at different customers.
Try EveryPlate: Get EveryPlate for $1.49 per meal on your first box.
Try Blue Apron: Get 3 free meals on your first Blue Apron box.
Who Wins: Category Breakdown
Budget: EveryPlate, decisively. $5.49 versus $9.99 at the floor. Culinary quality: Blue Apron. Chef-developed recipes with technique and better ingredient sourcing. Beginners: EveryPlate. Simple recipes, minimal ingredients, low intimidation. Wine pairing: Blue Apron, exclusively. Cooking skill development: Blue Apron. The recipes push you forward in the kitchen.
The Final Call
If your primary constraint is budget and you want reliable, simple weeknight dinners delivered to your door without spending more than necessary, EveryPlate is one of the best options in the meal kit category. If culinary craft, quality ingredients, and an optional wine pairing experience are worth paying a significant premium for, Blue Apron justifies its price for the right customer.
Read our full Blue Apron review and EveryPlate review. Also compare Blue Apron vs Dinnerly for a comparison against another budget-tier option, or HelloFresh vs Blue Apron for a closer premium-tier matchup.
Delivery Coverage and First Order Tips
Blue Apron operates its own distribution and ships to most continental U.S. zip codes, delivering Monday through Friday. EveryPlate, operated by HelloFresh Group, uses HelloFresh logistics and covers a similar geographic footprint. Delivery day options vary by location for both services; urban and suburban areas typically have two to three available days while rural zip codes are often assigned a fixed day. Neither service ships to Hawaii or Alaska. First boxes on both services arrive within five to seven business days of completing signup.
For new EveryPlate subscribers, the weekly order cutoff is the key habit to establish immediately. The cutoff falls five to six days before your delivery date, and missing it generates a default box at the standard rate. Setting a recurring calendar reminder right after signup is the most reliable approach, since EveryPlate does not push cutoff alerts by default. The weekly menu is small enough to review and select from in under five minutes.
Blue Apron new subscribers have a larger menu to explore and a more feature-rich app. The Blue Apron app includes step-by-step cooking videos for select recipes, which is worth using in the first few boxes while you familiarize yourself with the recipe card format. Blue Apron also offers an optional Wine subscription that ships separately and can be added or removed at any time. Both services allow week-by-week skipping from account settings, and using skip in week two while you evaluate the first delivery is a straightforward way to avoid paying for a second box before you have formed an opinion.
Ingredient Quality and Food Freshness
Blue Apron uses conventional sourcing but applies culinary quality standards through partnerships with restaurant-grade suppliers, going well beyond EveryPlate's budget commodity approach. Proteins are above commodity grade, produce is fresh and properly sized, and specialty items appear regularly: housemade pasta, artisanal spice blends, chef-developed sauces that EveryPlate does not stock. The recipe team builds dishes that reward technique, so the finished plate often exceeds what the raw grade suggests. Choose Blue Apron over EveryPlate if ingredient craft and sourcing depth matter more than saving a few dollars per serving, though EveryPlate stays the better pick when price is the deciding factor.
EveryPlate uses conventional ingredients at the budget tier, the cheapest mainstream meal kit at roughly $4.49 to $6.99 per serving. Proteins are standard commodity cuts, chicken breast, ground beef, pork loin, shrimp, rather than the above-grade proteins and specialty items Blue Apron curates. Produce is conventional supermarket grade, and packaging is lighter than Blue Apron's to hold the price down. Choose EveryPlate over Blue Apron if budget is the priority and simple hearty weeknight cooking is all you need; households wanting premium proteins or chef-developed sourcing will lean Blue Apron, but they pay noticeably more per serving for it.
Ingredient quality edge: Blue Apron. Blue Apron's above-commodity conventional sourcing with a quality focus stands against EveryPlate's budget conventional sourcing focused on cost reduction, a meaningful difference that shows up in protein grade and produce freshness and is proportional to the price gap between the two services.
Who Gets the Most from Each Service
Choose Blue Apron if your household treats cooking as a genuine interest and wants more culinary depth than EveryPlate's budget menu delivers. Blue Apron's weekly catalog is smaller than EveryPlate's but consistently more ambitious in technique and flavor development, and the optional wine subscription pairs curated bottles with that week's meals, a feature EveryPlate does not offer. Pick Blue Apron over EveryPlate when you value chef-developed recipes and better sourcing and will pay $9.99 to $15.49 per serving for them. If cost is the deciding factor, EveryPlate is the better choice, since Blue Apron runs roughly double per serving.
Choose EveryPlate if cost is the primary constraint and cooking itself is not a problem. EveryPlate is the cheapest mainstream meal kit at $4.49 to $6.99 per serving, roughly half what Blue Apron charges, and it delivers simple hearty weeknight dinners rather than Blue Apron's chef-developed, technique-driven recipes. Choose EveryPlate over Blue Apron if budget is the priority and you would rather save money than pay for premium sourcing or a wine pairing. It is also the safer first-timer trial: there are no specialty dietary plans, organic sourcing, or premium packaging, by design, but the price is unbeatable and it wins this comparison on overall value.
Cancellation, Pausing, and Subscription Management
Both Blue Apron and EveryPlate allow cancellation through account settings with no contract and no cancellation fee. Blue Apron allows cancellation or pausing in account settings; the optional wine subscription can be paused independently of the meal kit subscription. EveryPlate allows week-by-week skipping and cancellation through account settings with no fee or required retention call. Both services charge for deliveries when the weekly ordering cutoff is missed, typically five to six days before your delivery date, so setting a recurring calendar reminder prevents unwanted charges. Account credits for ingredient quality issues are available from both services; contacting customer service within 24 hours of a delivery produces the fastest resolution on either platform.
Packaging and Delivery Experience
Blue Apron: Blue Apron uses an insulated box with a gel-ice liner and color-coded bags per recipe, and the packaging skews more premium than EveryPlate's: thick recipe cards, well-printed ingredient labels, and proteins in vacuum-sealed portions. Blue Apron has committed to reducing plastic and now ships some items without individual portion bags. The box handles 24-hour unattended delivery in most climates. Choose Blue Apron over EveryPlate here if you want the sturdier, more polished unboxing, though EveryPlate's lighter box is a deliberate trade to keep prices low.
EveryPlate: EveryPlate ships in a thinner insulated box than Blue Apron, a deliberate cost-cutting measure that keeps per-meal prices at their market-low level. The gel ice is typically sufficient for 24-hour delivery, though tighter temperature windows may apply in summer. Ingredient bags are labeled and grouped by recipe, and recipe cards are standard size with fewer photos than Blue Apron's premium inserts. Choose EveryPlate over Blue Apron if you would rather the packaging budget go toward a lower price than toward a heavier box and glossier cards.
Packaging: roughly even. Blue Apron: Premium presentation, improving on plastic reduction. Cold chain is reliable; packaging reflects the higher price point. EveryPlate: Budget-appropriate, thinner liner and fewer extras keep costs down. Adequate for most climates but less buffer than premium brands.
App and Digital Experience
Blue Apron: Blue Apron's app (iOS 4.6 / Android 3.9) covers meal selection, upcoming deliveries, and a recipe archive, and adds video content plus wine pairing suggestions that EveryPlate's app has no equivalent for. The Android version has historically lagged behind iOS in stability, and the UI feels slightly more dated than EveryPlate's. Choose Blue Apron over EveryPlate on the app if the recipe videos and wine pairings matter to you; if you just want reliable box management at the lowest price, EveryPlate's simpler app is enough.
EveryPlate: EveryPlate's app (iOS 4.6 / Android 4.0) covers the basics: browse meals, select your weekly box, manage delivery dates, and skip weeks. It shares the HelloFresh Group infrastructure, so it is reliable and well-maintained, but it skips the extras Blue Apron builds in, with no recipe video library or wine pairing tools. Choose EveryPlate over Blue Apron here if a fast, dependable app for managing a cheap weekly box beats having culinary bonus features you may never open.
App: both functional. Blue Apron: Decent on iOS, inconsistent on Android. The wine pairing and video recipe features stand out, but the overall UX needs a refresh. EveryPlate: Functional but basic. Does the job for weekly meal selection. Lacks the extras of premium-tier apps.
Customer Service and Account Management
Blue Apron: Blue Apron offers live chat and email support on weekdays, with more limited weekend availability, and phone support has been phased out for most U.S. accounts, narrower coverage than EveryPlate's 24/7 chat. The self-service portal handles skips and pauses, though the cancel flow requires navigating several confirmation screens, and refund credits typically appear within 48 hours. Choose Blue Apron over EveryPlate if weekday chat plus reliable refunds is sufficient; if you want round-the-clock support, EveryPlate has the edge.
EveryPlate: EveryPlate's support runs on the HelloFresh Group customer service infrastructure, which means 24/7 chat and a competent email team, broader availability than Blue Apron's weekday-only live chat. The self-service portal handles skips, plan changes, and cancellations without friction. Choose EveryPlate over Blue Apron if around-the-clock support matters, especially notable given the budget price: you get enterprise-level service at EveryPlate's rock-bottom rates.
Customer service: comparable. Blue Apron: Adequate, chat support is helpful but weekday-only. No phone option. Cancel flow is deliberately multi-step. EveryPlate: Punches above its weight, HelloFresh infrastructure means 24/7 chat and clean self-service at a budget price point.
Dietary Options and Special Diets
Blue Apron offers a standard selection alongside a Wellness menu with WW (Weight Watchers)-approved and lower-calorie options, a bit more structure than EveryPlate's plainer family-friendly lineup. Ingredients are conventionally grown with no organic program, vegetarians get a consistent weekly selection, and complete nutrition is published for every dish. Choose Blue Apron over EveryPlate if you want calorie-tracked Wellness recipes and fuller nutritional detail; for strict certifications or protocols both services are narrow, but EveryPlate stays the value pick when dietary breadth is not the deciding factor.
EveryPlate offers a straightforward weekly selection of family-friendly meals with a small vegetarian section, and unlike Blue Apron there is no calorie-tracked Wellness menu, no keto or allergen-free plans, and no organic sourcing. EveryPlate is built for households that want affordable, simple weeknight dinners rather than managing complex dietary needs. Choose EveryPlate over Blue Apron if price outweighs plan variety; if you need structured wellness or nutrition options Blue Apron offers more, though EveryPlate's value on price is what it delivers consistently.
Getting Started: Welcome Offers and First Box Experience
Blue Apron typically offers 50 percent or more off the first box, with reduced pricing on the second and third boxes, after which prices run $9.99 to $15.49 per serving, roughly double EveryPlate's rate. The optional wine subscription pairs curated bottles with that week's meals, something EveryPlate does not offer. Week-by-week skipping is available in the account portal and cancellation is completed online with no fee. Choose Blue Apron over EveryPlate at signup if the culinary depth and wine add-on justify the higher per-serving price; budget-first shoppers should start with EveryPlate.
EveryPlate regularly offers some of the deepest welcome discounts in the budget segment, often nine or more free meals across the first boxes, and after the intro offer per-serving prices stay at $4.49 to $6.99, roughly half of Blue Apron's $9.99 to $15.49. For first-time subscribers who want to test the format without committing to Blue Apron's higher price, EveryPlate is the easier on-ramp. Choose EveryPlate over Blue Apron at signup if you want the lowest ongoing price and simple hearty meals; cancellation is in account settings with no fee.
Who Gets the Best Value Long-Term
Blue Apron ($9.99 to $15.49 per serving) and EveryPlate ($4.49 to $6.99 per serving) serve different markets. Over a year, the cost gap for a household of two ordering 3 dinners per week is $900 to $1,500 in EveryPlate's favor. Blue Apron provides chef-developed recipes, better ingredients, and the wine add-on. EveryPlate provides affordable functional dinners with no premium features. For households optimizing food costs, EveryPlate saves real money. For households that view cooking as a creative activity and want culinary quality, Blue Apron's higher price delivers proportionally more value per meal.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is EveryPlate cheaper than Blue Apron?
Yes, significantly. EveryPlate ranges from $5.49 to $7.99/meal with $10.99 shipping. Blue Apron ranges from $9.99 to $15.99/meal with $10.99 shipping. A 2-person household typically saves $120 to $165 per month with EveryPlate over Blue Apron at equivalent delivery frequency.
Is Blue Apron better quality than EveryPlate?
Yes. Blue Apron uses higher-quality sourcing, more complex chef-developed recipes, and better ingredient variety. EveryPlate is intentionally simple and budget-focused. The quality difference is real and reflects the price difference.
Does EveryPlate have a wine subscription?
No. EveryPlate does not offer a wine add-on. Blue Apron’s curated wine subscription of 6 bottles every 4 weeks is a category exclusive among major meal kit services.
Who owns EveryPlate?
EveryPlate is owned by HelloFresh AG, the same parent company as HelloFresh and Green Chef. It operates as the budget tier in that portfolio. Blue Apron is an independent company listed on the NYSE (APRN).
2026 Pricing: Blue Apron vs. EveryPlate
Premium culinary kit vs. budget kit, the biggest price gap in the meal kit market.
| Detail | Blue Apron | EveryPlate |
|---|---|---|
| Starting price/serving | $9.99 | $4.99 |
| Recipe complexity | Intermediate, advanced | Beginner-friendly |
| Wine pairing | Available | No |
| Serving sizes | 2, 3, or 4 | 2, 4, or 6 |
| Shipping | $10.99 | $10.99 |
EveryPlate costs exactly half per serving at $4.99 vs Blue Apron's $9.99. The trade-off: Blue Apron's recipes are restaurant-level with complex techniques and premium ingredients; EveryPlate uses simpler 5-6 ingredient recipes aimed at beginners. If budget matters and cooking is just a means to dinner, EveryPlate wins. If you want to improve your cooking and enjoy the process, Blue Apron's quality justifies the premium.
Where to Order in Your City
Both services deliver nationwide. See how meal kit delivery options stack up in the largest U.S. markets:
- Meal delivery in Los Angeles
- Meal delivery in New York
- Meal delivery in Chicago
- Meal delivery in Houston
- Meal delivery in Phoenix
- Meal delivery in San Francisco
- Meal delivery in Seattle
- Meal delivery in Austin
Cancel Guide Links
Need to cancel one of these services? Our step-by-step guides walk you through the process:
Browse Actual Meals from Each Service
Before deciding, see exactly what you'd be cooking. Our meal index covers 6,000+ meals across 13 brands with full nutrition, ingredients, and step-by-step instructions:
Looking for Alternatives?
Blue Apron vs EveryPlate looks different once you see the food, so here is EveryPlate menu, updated weekly.
Browse meal delivery by category
- Meal delivery by diet: keto, low carb, vegan, paleo, gluten free, dairy free and more.
- Meal delivery by health condition: diabetes, heart, kidney, low sodium and more.
- Meal delivery by lifestyle and goal: weight loss, high protein, budget, no cook and more.
See the actual meals
Browse Blue Apron meals | Browse EveryPlate meals | All 6,000+ meals
Find your meal kit in 2 minutes
Answer 5 quick questions. We'll match you to the top 3 from 24 services we track.
Used either of these? Tap your honest rating.
One tap, no signup. Your rating joins that brand's reader score.
Popular comparisons
Compare across all our rankings
- Best Meal Delivery Services of 2026: our master ranking of the top 10 services in the United States.
- Best High Protein Meal Delivery: ranked for athletes, weight management, and GLP 1 friendly meals.
- Best Diabetic Meal Delivery: ranked for Type 2 diabetes, pre diabetes, and insulin support.
- Best GLP 1 Meal Delivery: ranked for Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound users.
