EveryPlate vs Dinnerly (2026): The Two Cheapest Meal Kits Compared

EveryPlate and Dinnerly occupy the same corner of the meal kit market: the budget end. Both charge less than $9 per meal on most plans. Both use simpler ingredients and smaller menus to keep costs down. Both are genuinely useful for households that want dinner help without paying HelloFresh or Green Chef prices. After testing both services, I can tell you they are more different than they look, and the right choice depends on one thing: how much you care about having a physical recipe card in front of you while you cook.

Last updated: May 2026. Prices and plan details verified against each service’s current website.

Ratings Scorecard

Category	EveryPlate	Dinnerly
Price per meal	8/10	9/10
Shipping cost	7/10	9/10
Recipe cards	9/10	4/10
Recipe variety	7/10	6/10
Ingredients per meal	7/10	6/10
Meal plan options	7/10	6/10
Good for beginners	8/10	7/10
Overall value	8/10	8/10

EveryPlate vs Dinnerly at a Glance

Category	EveryPlate	Dinnerly
Price per meal	$5.49–$7.99	$4.99–$8.99
Shipping	$10.99	$8.99
Recipes per week	18–22	40+
Ingredients per meal	6–8	5–6
Recipe cards	Printed (included)	Digital only
Parent company	HelloFresh AG	Marley Spoon AG
Prep time	30 min	25–30 min
Best for	Budget cooks who want a card	Budget cooks comfortable with apps

Pricing: What You Actually Pay Per Week

Both services use sliding per-meal pricing that drops as you order more meals per week. The real weekly cost includes shipping, which differs meaningfully between the two.

Plan (2 people, 3 meals)	EveryPlate	Dinnerly
Per meal	~$6.49	~$5.99
Weekly food cost	~$39	~$36
Shipping	$10.99	$8.99
Weekly total	~$50	~$45
Monthly difference	Dinnerly saves ~$20/month

Over a year, that gap is roughly $240 in favor of Dinnerly. That is a real number for budget-focused households. Whether it is worth the digital-only recipe experience is a personal call.

EveryPlate Deep Dive

EveryPlate is HelloFresh lite. It is the same parent company, similar logistics, but a smaller menu, simpler recipes, and lower prices. The pitch is honest: you get straightforward weeknight meals with 6–8 ingredients, a printed recipe card, and a 30-minute cook time. No premium proteins. No elaborate techniques. No chef-curated menus. Just functional dinners at a price that actually undercuts the competition.

The menu runs 18–22 recipes per week, covering the usual comfort food territory: pasta, chicken thighs, ground beef tacos, pork chops with roasted vegetables. Recipe cards are printed and included in every box, which sounds like a small thing until you are standing at a hot stove with wet hands trying to scroll your phone to the next step.

EveryPlate does not have premium proteins, add-ons, or specialty diet plans. If you need keto, paleo, or certified organic, this is not your service. If you want cheap, reliable, cook-it-yourself weeknight dinners, EveryPlate delivers exactly that.

Dinnerly Deep Dive

Dinnerly is owned by Marley Spoon AG and has carved out the cheapest-per-meal position in mainstream meal kits. The way it gets there is through operational simplicity: digital-only recipe cards (no printing cost), fewer ingredients per meal (5–6 versus the industry standard 8–10), and lower shipping. The result is a service that costs less but asks you to accept certain trade-offs.

The menu is larger than EveryPlate at 40+ recipes per week, which is genuinely surprising given the price point. The selection covers everyday comfort food with some global-inspired options. Meals are simple by design. Five or six ingredients per dish means less prep, less chopping, and less complexity, but also less flavor depth than you would get from a more premium kit.

The digital-only recipe system is Dinnerly’s most polarizing feature. You access instructions through the Dinnerly app or website. For tech-comfortable cooks who keep their phone nearby, this is no problem. For anyone who prefers a card on the counter or cooks in a kitchen where phone access is inconvenient, it is a genuine friction point every single week.

The Final Call

Choose Dinnerly if: you are comfortable with a phone or tablet in the kitchen, want to spend the least possible amount per week, and do not need a large ingredient count per meal. Choose EveryPlate if: you want a printed recipe card, slightly more ingredients per dish, and are fine paying $2–$5 more per week for that experience.

Both are budget-tier meal kits making trade-offs to hit their price points. Neither will compete with HelloFresh or Home Chef on recipe ambition or ingredient quality. If either of these services interests you, also read our comparisons of HelloFresh vs EveryPlate and HelloFresh vs Dinnerly to see how the budget options stack against the mainstream leader. Also see EveryPlate vs Home Chef if you are deciding whether to step up from budget to mid-range.

Packaging and Delivery Experience

EveryPlate: EveryPlate ships in a thinner insulated box than HelloFresh — this is a deliberate cost-cutting measure that keeps per-meal prices low. 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. The packaging is functional but sparse; recipe cards are standard size with fewer photos than premium competitors.

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.

App and Digital Experience

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 infrastructure with the HelloFresh family, which means it's reliable and well-maintained, but EveryPlate-specific features are minimal. No recipe video library or advanced customization — just the essentials.

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.

Customer Service and Account Management

EveryPlate: EveryPlate's support flows through the HelloFresh customer service infrastructure, which means access to 24/7 chat and a competent email team. The self-service portal handles skips, plan changes, and cancellations without friction. Given the budget price point, the service quality is surprisingly strong — you get HelloFresh-level support for EveryPlate prices.

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.

Frequently Asked Questions

Which is cheaper, EveryPlate or Dinnerly?

Dinnerly is cheaper on a total weekly basis for most households. Dinnerly starts at $4.99/meal versus EveryPlate at $5.49/meal, and Dinnerly shipping is $8.99 versus EveryPlate at $10.99. Combined, Dinnerly typically costs $4–$6 less per week on comparable plans.

Does EveryPlate have printed recipe cards?

Yes. EveryPlate includes printed recipe cards with each delivery. Dinnerly does not include printed cards. Dinnerly uses digital-only recipe instructions accessed through its app or website.

How many ingredients are in a Dinnerly meal?

Dinnerly uses 5 to 6 ingredients per meal, one of the lowest counts in the meal kit industry. EveryPlate uses 6 to 8 ingredients per recipe. Both keep things simple, but Dinnerly is more stripped-down.

Are EveryPlate and HelloFresh related?

Yes. EveryPlate is owned by HelloFresh AG and operates as the company’s budget sub-brand. They share a parent company and some logistics infrastructure. Dinnerly is owned by Marley Spoon AG, a separate company.

Can you skip weeks on EveryPlate and Dinnerly?

Yes. Both services allow you to skip individual weeks without cancellation fees. Both require advance notice before your weekly delivery cutoff date. Neither locks you into a contract.