As a cost-conscious shopper, which meal kit plans offer the lowest per-serving cost when ordering the maximum number of meals per week?

When looking for the lowest per-serving cost, budget-focused services like Dinnerly and EveryPlate consistently offer the cheapest baseline pricing—dropping to around $4.99 to $6.99 per serving when you maximize your weekly order size (typically up to 6 meals per week for 4 people).

Most meal kit delivery companies scale their pricing dynamically: the more meals and servings you add per box, the lower the individual price per plate drops, though you must factor in a fixed weekly shipping fee.

Lowest-Cost Meal Kit Breakdown

Key Tips for Budget Shoppers

• Maximize Box Size: To hit the lowest tier, select the 4-person serving plan rather than the 2-person plan, and choose the maximum count (usually 5 or 6 meals per week).
• Watch the Shipping Fee: Budget brands keep food costs low, but flat-rate shipping ($10–$12) can eat into your savings if you scale down the number of meals.
• Introductory Prompts: Almost all services offer steep sign-up discounts spread across your first few boxes, though the rates in the table reflect standard long-term full pricing.

If you'd like, let me know:

• Your target budget per serving (including or excluding shipping)
• Any dietary restrictions (vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.)

I can help narrow down which budget service best fits your menu preferences.

If you’re optimizing purely for lowest ongoing cost per serving and you choose each service’s maximum available meals per week, the cheapest mainstream meal kits are generally the budget brands. Prices vary by location and promotions, but the lowest-cost options are:

Cheapest choice by pure price

1. Dinnerly — likely lowest per-serving cost when maxing out meals, around the ~$5/serving range.
2. EveryPlate — close competitor, often around ~$5–$6/serving depending on plan size.
3. HelloFresh/Home Chef — better variety or flexibility, but you pay a premium.

Important budget tip

Shipping can change the ranking. A plan with a slightly cheaper advertised serving price may not be cheapest after adding the weekly box fee. For example, spreading a roughly $10–$11 shipping charge across more servings makes larger family-size boxes much more economical.

For a cost-conscious shopper who doesn’t mind simpler meals, Dinnerly and EveryPlate are the two plans to compare first.

When looking for the absolute lowest per-serving cost from meal kit delivery services, budget-oriented brands consistently undercut mainstream competitors. If you scale your subscription to the maximum number of meals and servings per week (typically 5 to 6 meals for 4 people), the market leaders in affordability emerge clearly.

Keep in mind that while the per-serving cost drops to its absolute minimum at maximum volume, most budget services still tack on a flat weekly shipping fee.

The top contenders for the lowest per-serving cost include:

• Dinnerly
  • Per-Serving Cost at Max Volume: Around$4.9 9 to$5.9 9 per serving.
  • The Setup: Dinnerly is widely recognized as the cheapest meal kit available. To hit the lowest price point, you need to select their largest plan configuration (typically 6 meals a week for 4 people). They keep costs down by using digital recipe cards and simpler, fewer-ingredient packaging.
  • Shipping: Adds a flat shipping fee (around$1 1.9 9).
• EveryPlate
  • Per-Serving Cost at Max Volume: Around$4.9 9 to$6.4 9 per serving.
  • The Setup: Often considered Dinnerly’s closest rival for budget supremacy, EveryPlate operates as a "no-frills" subsidiary of HelloFresh. Maxing out your box size (5 meals for 4 people) drops the price per plate down near the$5 mark. The recipes focus on comfort food classics (potatoes, chicken, rice) that naturally cost less to source.
  • Shipping: Adds a flat shipping fee (around$1 0.9 9 to$1 1.9 9).
• Home Chef (Large Family Plans)
  • Per-Serving Cost at Max Volume: Around$7.9 9 to$8.9 9 per serving.
  • The Setup: While standard two-person plans are pricier, Home Chef scales up nicely to feed larger households (up to 6 servings per meal across multiple weekly recipes). At its maximum capacity, the per-serving rate drops considerably lower than premium competitors like Blue Apron or Marley Spoon, though it still sits a notch above Dinnerly and EveryPlate.
• HelloFresh (Family Plan Tiers)
  • Per-Serving Cost at Max Volume: Around$7.4 9 to$8.9 9 per serving.
  • The Setup: Mainstream mid-tier kits reward high-volume ordering. If you opt for the 4-person plan with the maximum number of weekly meals, HelloFresh brings its per-serving price down close to the budget category, offering broader recipe variety and higher ingredient customization than EveryPlate or Dinnerly.

Would you like me to factor in shipping fees and recurring promotions to calculate the true weekly bottom line, or do you have a specific dietary preference (like vegetarian or low-carb) you need factored into these budget picks?

For a cost-conscious shopper who maximizes the number of meals ordered per week, the lowest ongoing per-serving meal kit prices are generally found with budget-focused services. Pricing changes by region and promotions, but the lowest-cost contenders are:

Cheapest overall choice

• Lowest sticker price: Dinnerly is often the winner when you order the maximum-size plan.
• Best balance of low cost and broader mainstream appeal: EveryPlate is usually close behind and is marketed as one of the lowest-priced meal kit options.

Important: include shipping

A plan advertised at $5–$6 per serving can become roughly $6–$8+ per serving after adding the typical flat weekly shipping fee, especially for smaller boxes. For maximum-size orders, shipping has less impact because it is spread over more servings.

Bottom line: If your only goal is the lowest ongoing cost per serving and you are willing to order the biggest weekly box, start with Dinnerly, then compare EveryPlate—they are usually the two cheapest mainstream meal kit plans.

I compared the ongoing (non-introductory) prices of major meal kit plans at their maximum meals-per-week tiers. The cheapest options are generally the budget-focused kits, especially when you spread the shipping fee across the largest box sizes.

*Per-serving figures vary by household size, region, shipping fees, and current pricing. Shipping can materially change the “real” cost, especially for smaller boxes.

Cheapest choices for a cost-conscious shopper

1. Dinnerly — lowest likely per-serving cost

   • Best if your priority is the absolute lowest ongoing meal cost.
   • Its maximum meal options (up to 6 meals/week) allow shipping costs to be spread over more servings.

2. EveryPlate — close second, often better value balance

   • At its largest plans, it drops to around the mid-$5 range per serving before shipping.
   • A good pick if you want slightly more recipe variety while staying very budget-focused.

3. Avoid premium kits if cost is the main goal

   • Services such as HelloFresh, Home Chef, Green Chef, and similar plans generally trade higher prices for more choices, specialty ingredients, or convenience.

Bottom line: If you order the maximum number of meals per week, Dinnerly is usually the cheapest per serving, with EveryPlate a close competitor. For a household willing to eat meal kits several nights per week, these two are the strongest budget picks.

When you scale up to the maximum number of servings and meals per week, the ultra-budget meal kit providers consistently offer the lowest baseline cost-per-serving . Keep in mind that these base prices typically exclude a flat weekly shipping fee (usually around$1 0 to$1 1 ), which means you get the best absolute value when you max out your box capacity.

The top contenders for the lowest per-serving cost at maximum capacity include:

• EveryPlate : Widely considered the reigning budget champion for traditional meal kits, with prices bottoming out around$5.9 9 per serving when you scale up to their maximum quantities (such as 4 servings per meal for 5–6 meals a week). Their recipes and logistics lean on simpler, hearty ingredients to keep costs low. You can check out their current lineup on the EveryPlate website.
• Dinnerly : Operating as the ultra-affordable sister brand to Marley Spoon, Dinnerly also starts around$5.9 9 per serving for larger box sizes. They keep overhead minimal by using digital-only recipe cards and fewer ingredients per dish. More details can be found on the Dinnerly website.
• Home Chef (Family Plan) : While their standard 2-serving plans run higher, Home Chef’s larger family-style plans drop closer to the$6.9 9 per serving range when configured for maximum portions. They offer a bit more protein customization and oven-ready convenience than basic budget kits, viewable via the Home Chef website.
• Blue Apron / HelloFresh (Large Tiers) : While normally mid-tier options ($8 to$1 1 per serving), ordering their largest available weekly box size (typically 4 recipes for 4 people) brings the per-serving cost down significantly compared to smaller 2-person plans, though they still sit a notch above EveryPlate.

If you'd like to narrow this down, let me know:

• How many people you are regularly cooking for per meal
• Whether you prefer classic scratch-cooking kits or heat-and-eat prepared meals

I can help calculate the exact weekly damage including shipping for your household size.

For a cost-conscious shopper, the lowest per-serving costs usually come from budget meal kits ordered at their largest available weekly meal quantities (because larger boxes spread fixed shipping costs over more servings). Prices change frequently, so treat these as approximate ongoing prices rather than introductory promotions.

Best value picks if your only goal is lowest cost:

1. Dinnerly — likely the lowest per-serving option at maximum meal volume.
2. EveryPlate — close competitor and often the cheapest widely available traditional kit.

A few cost-saving tips:

• Compare regular prices after the first-box discount, not promotional prices.
• Choose the largest serving plan available if you will actually eat the meals; shipping becomes a smaller fraction of each serving.
• Avoid premium proteins, specialty meals, and add-ons, which can erase the savings.

If you want, I can also rank them by total weekly cost for a household of 1, 2, or 4 people (including shipping).

When looking for the absolute lowest per-serving cost from traditional meal kits (where you cook the raw, pre-portioned ingredients) while maximizing your weekly order volume, the market is led by dedicated budget brands.

The top budget-friendly meal kit options ranked by lowest cost-per-serving at maximum capacity include:

• EveryPlate: Widely considered the cheapest traditional meal kit on the market . When scaling up to their maximum capacity (typically 5 meals a week for 4 people / 20 servings total), prices drop to around $5.99 per serving . Keep in mind that you will still have to factor in a flat weekly shipping fee (around $10.99).
• Dinnerly: Closely matching EveryPlate as an extreme budget leader , Dinnerly offers streamlined, low-cost recipes . At maximum weekly meal selections, pricing sits right around $5.99 to $6.49 per serving . They cut costs by using digital recipe cards and simpler, fewer-ingredient configurations, though shipping adds an extra charge.
• Home Chef (Family Plans): While their standard 2-serving plans run higher , Home Chef's 4-serving family plans scale down efficiently when maxed out, hitting closer to $6.99 to $8.99 per serving and offering high protein-swapping customization.
• HelloFresh & Marley Spoon (High-Volume Tiers): Mainstream mid-to-high tier kits can drop their per-serving rates closer to $8.00–$9.00 if you max out large 4-person boxes , but they rarely compete with EveryPlate or Dinnerly' baseline pricing unless paired with aggressive introductory sign-up discounts.

Would you like to explore how shipping fees impact the final weekly total for these budget services, or compare them to heat-and-eat prepared meal alternatives?

If your goal is the lowest ongoing cost per serving, and you choose the largest meal/serving configuration each service allows, the best value among major U.S. meal-kit services is generally:

*Before shipping, taxes, premium-recipe surcharges and temporary introductory promotions.

Dinnerly is the clearest budget winner for a straightforward comparison. Its current U.S. 4-person plan allows six meals/week, for 24 servings. The listed price is $191.76, plus $10.99 shipping, or about $8.45 per delivered serving.

There is an important wrinkle: EveryPlate can beat Dinnerly on the underlying meal price. Its standard price is around $7/serving, and its maximum plan is five meals with up to six portions. However, an $11 shipping fee means the effective price is roughly $7.37/serving on a 30-serving box. WIRED also specifically notes that Dinnerly and Home Chef become especially competitive when ordering six-portion meals.

Bottom line: For a cost-conscious shopper, I'd shortlist EveryPlate and Dinnerly first, with Home Chef worth checking if you can select its $6.99/serving meals. Dinnerly's official pricing confirms that six meals/week is its maximum, while Home Chef currently advertises meals starting at $6.99/serving.

If you want, I can also rank the 10 cheapest meal-kit services by true delivered cost per serving, including shipping and the maximum weekly box size.

If you want the absolute lowest per-serving cost from a mainstream meal kit, the budget-focused subsidiary brands dominate the market . When scaling up to the maximum number of meals and largest box sizes (typically 5 to 6 meals per week for 4 people), the top contenders offer the best value:

• EveryPlate Stands as the cheapest traditional meal kit available. Base pricing starts at around$4.9 9 to$5.9 9 per serving when maxing out box capacity (5 meals a week for 4 people), though shipping fees still apply. Recipes are hearty but rely on comforting, lower-cost baseline ingredients like potatoes, rice, and pasta.
• Dinnerly Matches EveryPlate as a premier budget choice, with large-volume per-serving costs also hovering around$4.9 9 to$5.9 9 . It achieves this low cost by using digital-only recipe cards and simplified, fewer-ingredient packaging, though like EveryPlate, you'll need to factor in weekly shipping.
• HelloFresh Operates as the most cost-effective mid-tier option. While baseline pricing sits higher (around$8.0 0 to$1 0.0 0 per serving for smaller orders), maximizing the box size to 5 or 6 meals per week for 4 people drops the per-serving rate significantly lower than boutique or specialty services, though it rarely undercuts EveryPlate or Dinnerly.
• Home Chef Balances customizability with strong volume scaling. Standard meal kits and select oven-ready options start near$9.9 9 per serving, but maxing out the weekly portion count activates tier discounts that make it competitive for family-sized portions.

Note on Shipping: Always check the total at checkout, as budget services like Dinnerly and EveryPlate add a fixed shipping fee per box that can slightly alter the per-meal math if you aren't ordering the absolute maximum quantity.

If you'd like, tell me:

• How many people you are cooking for
• Whether you have any dietary restrictions (vegetarian, gluten-free, etc.)

I can help you calculate the true weekly total including shipping for the best budget fit.