Fresh Prep vs HelloFresh: Which Meal Kit Is Better for You?
When you’re done working for the day, the last thing you may want to do is think about what to make for dinner—let alone muster up the energy to actually prep and cook that dinner.
Meal kits such as Fresh Prep and HelloFresh allow you to enjoy healthy, delicious meals at home without the added stress of figuring out what meals you’ll be making for the week.
If you’re trying to find out which meal kit is better for you, there are a few things you should consider, such as price, prep time, menu variety, dietary preferences, delivery options, and intro offers.
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We’ll give you a detailed comparison between Fresh Prep vs HelloFresh to help you decide which meal kit is better for you.
| Fresh Prep | HelloFresh | |
|---|---|---|
| Full Review | Full Review | |
| Ideal For | Students Couples Families | Families Couples |
| Delivery Areas | Calgary, Edmonton, Red Deer, Greater Vancouver, Greater Victoria, Nanaimo and the Okanagan. | Ontario, Quebec, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Newfoundland, and the Maritimes. |
| Diets | Vegetarian Vegan Gluten aware Dairy aware | Vegetarian Pescatarian High protein Low carb |
| Meal Variety | 10 recipe choices per week | 35 recipe choices per week |
| Prep Time | 30 minutes or less | 20-50 minutes |
| Recipes Per Week | 2, 3 or 4 | 3, 4 or 5 |
| Price Per Plate | As low as $10.50 per serving | As low as $9.25 per serving |
| Shipping Cost | Free | $9.99 |
| # of People | 2 or 4 | 2 or 4 |
| Intro Deal | 3 free meals on your first order with code MKC3FREE | Up to 20 free meals with code HELLO20FMS |
| Visit Website | Visit Website |
Contents
Variety
Fresh Prep
Fresh Prep offers 10 recipe choices rotated weekly and their plans can feed 2 or 4 people. On Fresh Prep’s website, you can also preview recipes for the next four weeks in advance. Fresh Prep categorizes recipes based on ease of cooking :
- Easy
- Moderate
- Complex
Alongside their meal kit offerings, Fresh Prep also offers baked goods and snacks as add ons.
HelloFresh
HelloFresh offers 35 recipe choices rotated weekly and their plans can feed 2 or 4 people, the same amount as Fresh Prep. HelloFresh offers 35 meal recipes to choose from per week and you can select recipes from 8 categories:
- Mostly Meat – More meat, fish and seasonal produce
- Family Friendly – Quick meals for your family
- Smart Meals – Low calorie, low carb options
- Vegetarian – Fully vegetarian recipes
- Quick & Easy – Fast meals that are sure to pack a punch
- Pescatarian – Meals made with seafood and veggies
- High Protein – Recipes with at least 20g of protein per serving
- Flexitarian – White meat, seafood, and vegetarian recipes
Winner: HelloFresh
Both Fresh Prep and HelloFresh offer an amazing variety of recipes and ingredients, though HelloFresh takes the slight lead due to their wider variety of recipes available weekly.
Dietary Preferences & Restrictions
Fresh Prep
For those who follow a specialized diet or have dietary restrictions, Fresh Prep allows you to customize your ingredients when you edit your Taste preferences. Some of the preferences you can choose are:
- Vegan
- Vegetarian
- Gluten-free
- Dairy-free
For those who look for Halal ingredients, Fresh Prep’s poultry and lamb are certified Halal by the Halal Inspection & Certification Committee of BC.
HelloFresh
HelloFresh offers options for pescatarian, vegetarian, and flexitarian lifestyles. There are also offerings for mostly meat, low calorie and low carb options for those who want to further tailor their experience to fit their goals. HelloFresh allows for flexibility with different meal options that will ensure an enjoyable experience with your best interest in mind.
Winner: Fresh Prep
While both meal kit services offer variety for those with dietary restrictions, Fresh Prep has the advantage of offering Certified Halal ingredients along with various options to suit your dietary needs.
Price
Fresh Prep
Fresh Prep’s price per serving ranges from $10.50 per serving to $13.50 per serving. These meal kits also include free shipping on all orders with no minimum order needed to qualify for free shipping. When signing up for Fresh Prep for the first time, you’re able to get 3 free meals with your order. Through StudentBeans, students can also get 3 free meals upon sign up.
Fresh Prep
$10.00Per Serving
|
HelloFresh
HelloFresh’s price per serving ranges from $9.25 per serving to $12.17 per serving, with shipping being an additional $9.99. HelloFresh does a great job of offering generous discounts for new users. With their latest offer, you can get up to 20 free meals with your order.
Like Fresh Prep, HelloFresh also offers a generous discount to students. Through UniDays and Student Beans, students can use either app and get the same deal: $90 off and free shipping for up to 25 meals.
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Winner: Fresh Prep
When it comes to recurring costs, Fresh Prep has free delivery on all of their orders in addition to two free meals upon sign up, leading to more savings overall over HelloFresh.
Delivery Area
Fresh Prep
Fresh Prep offers free weekly delivery to cities in British Columbia and Alberta. You can also skip a weekly delivery the Wednesday prior to your next scheduled delivery. Fresh Prep also delivers between Saturday and Wednesday, with time slots varying by location. Delivery areas currently served by Fresh Prep include:
- Calgary
- Edmonton
- Red Deer
- Greater Vancouver
- Greater Victoria
- Nanaimo
- The Okanagan
HelloFresh
HelloFresh offers delivery for $9.99 to most of the Canadian population between Sunday and Thursday. Delivery times are between 8am and 8pm for most locations HelloFresh delivers to. Areas currently served by HelloFresh include:
- Ontario
- Quebec
- Manitoba
- Saskatchewan
- Alberta
- British Columbia
- Newfoundland
- The Maritimes
Winner: HelloFresh
While both Fresh Prep and HelloFresh offer exceptional delivery services, HelloFresh benefits from a larger coverage area that spans across the country. Fresh Prep, however, is definitely not far behind, as their coverage in Western Canada is wide and readily available.
Packaging & Sustainability
Fresh Prep
Fresh Prep is a certified b-corporation, meaning that they believe their products should positively benefit the environment along with their customers. They offer Zero Waste meal kits, with a symbol on the recipe card indicating whether the item is designated to be Zero Waste or not. These Zero Waste containers are reusable and washable containers with nested cups that your meal delivery ingredients come prepped in, eliminating the need to tear through wasteful single-use plastic packages. The cups inside of the container double as mixing bowls and measuring cups and are individually sealed for freshness.
The Zero Waste Containers come in two sizes: Zero Waste Standard and Zero Waste Compact, depending on the recipe. The Standard blueprint of this packaging is approximately 10 cm longer than its Compact counterpart.
When ordering from Fresh Prep, all meal kits are delivered in reusable cooler bags which are picked up upon your next delivery alongside the containers, or you can schedule a free pickup to retrieve them.
HelloFresh
HelloFresh delivers ingredients in recyclable and compostable containers, and have recently introduced new ice packs made entirely of water and no additional ingredients.
You can also read HelloFresh’s sustainability report which highlights their contributions to UN sustainability goals and carbon emissions. In addition, HelloFresh states on their site that they reduce food waste by up to 36% by preparing ingredients on a per order basis.
Winner: Fresh Prep
Both Fresh Prep and HelloFresh are meal delivery services who value sustainability and cutting down on waste. While this was a tough choice, Fresh Prep is the winner in this metric due to their dedication as a certified b-corporation and their usage of zero waste meal kits.
Ingredient Sourcing & Quality
Fresh Prep
Fresh Prep uses fresh ingredients from local vendors and suppliers who share their goal of sustainability. Additionally, the poultry and lamb is certified Halal by the Halal Inspection & Certification Committee of the BC Muslim Association. Lamb from Fresh Prep is raised free-ranged, sourced from Australia, and raised without antibiotics and hormone promotants.
HelloFresh
HelloFresh values using ingredients from regional and local sources and seasonal, fresh produce for their recipes. For those who want to know exactly where some of their ingredients come from, HelloFresh has a list of suppliers on their website so you can ensure that your home cooked meal is delicious and
Winner: Tie
Both Fresh Prep and HelloFresh use fresh, quality ingredients sourced from local suppliers who value sustainability and clean ingredients. In this metric, both come out on top.
Can You Meal Prep With Hellofresh?
You may be wondering if you can meal prep with HelloFresh. The answer is yes! With ingredients premeasured to take the guesswork out of cooking, the ease of delivery to your door, and generous discounts, meal prepping has never been easier. Simply choose a recipe from your meal kit, gather the ingredients, and prepare your fresh meal.
Do You Have to Prepare HelloFresh?
Because HelloFresh is a meal kit service, not pre-cooked meal delivery, you do have to prepare the meals at home. No need to worry though. The ingredients come pre-portioned for you and all you have do to is prepare your fresh meal according to the easy-to-follow recipe.
How Many People Use Fresh Prep?
Currently, Fresh Prep has approximately 17,000 customers, with a loyal following based in British Columbia and Alberta. If you’d like to inquire about when Fresh Prep delivery will expand to your area, fill out an inquiry on their website to let them know.
Which is Better: Fresh Prep vs HelloFresh? It’s a Tie
As we’ve compared meal kits Fresh Prep and HelloFresh together, we can see that meal delivery kits are great options for people who are extremely busy or who simply don’t enjoy the stress that comes along with planning meals. When choosing which of the two meal kit services is best, it truly depends on what you want most out of your meal kit.
Fresh Prep is the better option if you’re a student because of their free weekly sheeping and three free meals upon sign up, though their delivery area is limited to Western Canada. Another point worth mentioning is Fresh Prep’s Certified Halal ingredients.
HelloFresh will be the better option if you’re located anywhere in Canada, as their delivery coverage currently serves around 95% of Canadians. HelloFresh may also be a good option if you’re looking for a wider variety of meals from your meal kit delivery service.
Final Verdict
If you’re still unsure of which of these two meal kits is right for you, check out our list of meal kits comparable to HelloFresh, though both Fresh Prep and HelloFresh are great options that will provide you with delicious meals right at your doorstep. We suggest you try both meal kit delivery services to see which is right for you. Use code HELLO20FMS to get up to 20 free meals with HelloFresh and use code MKC3FREE for 3 free meals with Fresh Prep.
