Dinnerly and Factor both arrive weekly, both run on subscriptions, and both solve the problem of getting dinner without a grocery run. That is where the overlap ends. Dinnerly is a meal kit: fresh ingredients, digital recipe card, 25–30 minutes of cooking. Factor is a ready-to-eat meal service: chef-prepared, dietitian-designed, microwave for 2 minutes and eat. After testing both, the question I kept coming back to is simple: how much do you enjoy cooking, and how much is your time worth to you on a weeknight?
Last updated: May 2026. Prices and plan details verified against each service’s current website.
Quick verdict: Dinnerly wins on price by a significant margin. Factor wins on convenience, nutrition tracking, and diet plan support. If you genuinely enjoy cooking and want the cheapest dinner subscription available, Dinnerly is the rational choice. If cooking is a burden on your weeknights, you track macros, or you want zero-effort meals from dietitian-designed plans, Factor justifies its higher price.
- Dinnerly has no printed recipe cards. Instructions are digital-only. If you dislike cooking from your phone, this is a friction point every week.
- Factor meals last 7 days refrigerated from delivery. Dinnerly ingredients vary: some proteins should be used within 2–3 days. Factor gives you more scheduling flexibility.
- Factor is owned by HelloFresh AG. Dinnerly is owned by Marley Spoon AG. They are separate companies with no shared promotions or infrastructure.
- Factor’s 5 diet plans (Calorie Smart, Keto, Protein+, Chef’s Choice, Flexitarian) come with full macro breakdowns. Dinnerly has no diet plans and no macro tracking.
Ratings Scorecard
| Category | Dinnerly | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| Price per meal | 10/10 | 5/10 |
| Convenience (no cooking) | 0/10 | 10/10 |
| Diet plan support | 1/10 | 9/10 |
| Macro tracking | 0/10 | 9/10 |
| Shelf life (fridge) | 5/10 | 8/10 |
| Good for solo eaters | 5/10 | 9/10 |
| Cooking engagement | 8/10 | 0/10 |
| Good for families | 7/10 | 4/10 |
Dinnerly vs Factor at a Glance
| Category | Dinnerly | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| Price per meal | $4.99–$8.99 | $10.99–$15.99 |
| Shipping | $8.99 | $9.99 |
| Format | Meal kit (you cook) | Chef-prepared (you microwave) |
| Cook or reheat time | 25–30 min cooking | 2 min microwave |
| Diet plans | None | Keto, Calorie Smart, Protein+, more |
| Macro tracking | No | Yes (per meal) |
| Fridge shelf life | 3–5 days (proteins) | 7 days |
| Best for | Budget-focused cooks | Busy people, macro-trackers |
The Cost Comparison
For a solo eater or couple, the weekly gap is meaningful:
| Solo eater, 6 meals/week | Dinnerly | Factor |
|---|---|---|
| Per meal | ~$5.99 (half a 2-serving meal) | ~$12.49 |
| Weekly food cost | ~$36 (3 meals x 2 servings) | ~$75 |
| Shipping | $8.99 | $9.99 |
| Weekly total | ~$45 | ~$85 |
| Monthly difference | Dinnerly saves ~$160/month | |
Note: Dinnerly meals are 2-serving minimum. A solo eater either eats leftovers or adjusts plan size. Factor meals are individually portioned, which maps better to solo consumption without waste.
Dinnerly Deep Dive
Dinnerly is the cheapest meal kit that still delivers a reasonably complete cooking experience. You get fresh ingredients, a digital recipe card, and 5–6 ingredients to work with per meal. Cook time is 25–30 minutes. The menu is 40+ recipes per week, which is more selection than most services in or near its price range. What it lacks is everything else: no printed cards, no specialty diets, no premium proteins, no oven-ready options, no macro tracking.
For households that enjoy cooking and want to spend as little as possible on a meal kit subscription, Dinnerly is genuinely the best option in the market. The digital-only recipe system is the only real friction point, and it is a non-issue if you are comfortable cooking from a phone or tablet.
Try Dinnerly: Get Dinnerly for as low as $2.17 per meal on your first box. Offer varies.
Factor Deep Dive
Factor is built around one core promise: zero cooking. Professional chefs prepare the meals. Registered dietitians design the plans. You microwave for 2 minutes and eat. The 5 diet plans (Calorie Smart under 550 calories, Keto, Protein+ with 30–55g protein per meal, Chef’s Choice, and Flexitarian) cover the major nutritional goals most people track. Every meal comes with a full macro breakdown.
Factor meals last 7 days refrigerated from delivery, which is meaningfully longer than Dinnerly ingredients (some proteins should be used within 2–3 days). For people with irregular schedules or heavy travel weeks, Factor’s shelf life reduces the pressure to cook on a specific day. Dinnerly requires you to actually cook within the ingredient window.
Factor is owned by HelloFresh AG, the same parent company as EveryPlate and Green Chef. It operates independently with its own menu, pricing, and customer service. Dinnerly is owned by Marley Spoon AG, a separate company entirely.
Try Factor: Get 50% off your first Factor box.
The Final Call
Dinnerly if you cook and want the lowest weekly spend. Factor if you do not want to cook, track macros, or want a structured diet plan with ready-made meals. The price gap is real but so is the lifestyle gap between them.
For comparisons that are closer to your actual choice, see HelloFresh vs Dinnerly if you are deciding between Dinnerly and a more full-featured meal kit. See HelloFresh vs Factor if you want to understand the meal-kit-versus-ready-to-eat trade-off more broadly. If Factor interests you, also read our full Factor review for the complete breakdown.
Packaging and Delivery Experience
Dinnerly: Dinnerly keeps packaging minimal by design — this is part of how the service delivers at $4.99/serving. The insulated liner is thinner than premium brands, and recipes arrive with digital-only cards (no printed recipe cards included in the box). Ingredients are labeled and grouped per recipe. Portion bags are minimal. The approach is intentionally stripped-down, which reduces waste but also reduces the premium unboxing feel.
Factor: Factor ships fully prepared meals in individual microwave-safe containers with detailed nutrition labels (calories, protein, carbs, fat) printed on every lid. Meals arrive refrigerated, packed in an insulated box with gel ice. The containers are compact and stack well in your fridge. Factor has committed to sustainable packaging targets; the trays are recyclable where facilities accept them. No cooking means no individual ingredient bags or extra plastic.
Packaging edge: Factor. Excellent for prepared meals — no ingredient plastic waste, clear nutrition labels on every container, reliable cold chain.
App and Digital Experience
Dinnerly: Dinnerly's app (iOS 4.5 / Android 3.8) is functional for meal selection and delivery management. Since Dinnerly relies on digital recipe cards (accessed via app or browser), the recipe-browsing experience is important — and it's adequate but not exceptional. The Android version has received more mixed reviews. Weekly meal selection is straightforward; the interface is simple and loads quickly.
Factor: Factor's app (iOS 4.8 / Android 4.4) is one of the cleaner apps in the prepared meal space. Meal selection with dietary filtering (keto, protein+, calorie-smart, vegan+), delivery scheduling, and macro tracking are all handled intuitively. The "Chef's Choice" auto-select feature is useful for subscribers who want to set dietary goals and let Factor curate their weekly box.
App edge: Factor. Top tier — clean design, excellent dietary filtering, auto-curation option. Among the best prepared-meal apps available.
Customer Service and Account Management
Dinnerly: Dinnerly offers email and chat support during business hours. Response times are decent but slower than HelloFresh-owned brands. The self-service portal handles skips and plan changes, though the cancel flow is more involved than budget competitors like EveryPlate. Refund credits are issued for quality issues within 2–3 business days.
Factor: Factor offers live chat and email support with fast response times (typically under 5 minutes for chat during business hours). The account portal makes it easy to pause, reschedule, change plans, or cancel. Factor's cancel flow is straightforward — no multi-step retention friction. Refund credits post within 24–48 hours for delivery or quality issues.
Customer service edge: Factor. Excellent — fast chat, clean self-service, no-friction cancel. One of the most user-respecting subscription services in this category.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Dinnerly or Factor cheaper?
Dinnerly is cheaper per meal: $4.99–$8.99/meal with $8.99 shipping. Factor is $10.99–$15.99/meal with $9.99 shipping. For a solo eater on 6 meals per week, Dinnerly saves roughly $160/month.
Does Factor require any cooking?
No. Factor meals are fully prepared and ready in 2 minutes of microwaving. Dinnerly requires 25–30 minutes of active cooking from fresh ingredients per meal.
Is Factor good for weight loss?
Yes. Factor’s Calorie Smart plan keeps meals under 550 calories with full macro breakdowns. The Keto plan and Protein+ plan also support specific fat-loss or muscle-focused goals. Dinnerly has no diet plans or macro tracking.
Are Dinnerly and Factor owned by the same company?
No. Dinnerly is owned by Marley Spoon AG. Factor is owned by HelloFresh AG (same parent as HelloFresh, EveryPlate, and Green Chef). They are separate companies with no shared operations or promotions.
Which is better for someone who hates cooking, Dinnerly or Factor?
Factor, clearly. Factor requires zero cooking. Dinnerly requires 25–30 minutes of active cooking per meal. If cooking is a burden, Factor is the better product regardless of the price difference.
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