In today’s busy world of packed schedules and little free time, meal kits offer a convenient way to enjoy quality food at home. They take away the hassle of meal planning, grocery shopping, and extensive cooking times. But how do you choose the best one for you?
Today, we are looking at two leading meal delivery services, HelloFresh and Factor. They both offer meal delivery subscriptions but cater to slightly different needs. In this comprehensive review, we break down the pros and cons of each company, what they offer, and all the details you want to know about their services.
Our team at The Meal Kit Review tested HelloFresh and Factor in a two-week hands-on review to bring you this updated 2024 comparison, which reflects the latest offerings from both services.
So, which one took the title this year? Read on to find out who is our winner!
Short on Time? Why We Think HelloFresh is Better
HelloFresh takes our winning title for 2024! Although both services offer great value, HelloFresh stands out for several top reasons:
- Elevated Meals: The meals feel more elegant, gourmet, fresh, and have an elevated touch to them.
- Exciting Recipes: The recipes are exciting and diverse, and they make it fun to select your meals and cook quality food at home.
- Taste and variety: We love the vast menu selection and great-tasting dishes that are always delicious.
What is HelloFresh?
HelloFresh is the #1 most popular meal kit service in America. Known for its fresh quality ingredients, delicious simple recipes, and amazing variety, Hello Fresh has remained a top competitor in the industry for years.
Their weekly menu has an incredible selection of over 100+ meals plus market pantry options like breakfast, extra protein packs, desserts, and snacks. The meals are easy to make and feature comforting and familiar flavors, and they only take 15-40 minutes to cook.
What is Factor?
Factor is a gourmet, fully prepared meal delivery service designed to make it easy to eat healthy and nutritious meals without the hassle of grocery shopping or cooking. The chef-prepared meals arrive fresh and are made with high-quality ingredients that meet strict selection standards.
The diverse menu supports a wide variety of dietary and lifestyle preferences, making it easier to meet your health goals. You select the number of meals you want each week, plus you can add on lunches, breakfasts, snacks, and more.
Pros & Cons
Factor Pros & Cons
Pros:
- 35 rotating recipes and more than 60 add-ons each week
- Meal plans for specific dietary needs like keto, vegetarian, and high-protein
- Meals arrive fully prepared and freshly made
- Recipes are dietician-designed and chef-prepared
Cons:
- Fewer menu choices per week than other services
- Some recipes can be higher in sodium
HelloFresh Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Huge selection of great-tasting recipes each week
- Larger portion sizes and high-quality ingredients
- Easy to customize meal plans with flexible terms
- Fresh seasonal ingredients arrive pre-portioned
Cons:
- Does not currently offer meals to fit more restrictive diets
- Meal kits require some prep and cooking
Variety of Meal Plans
HelloFresh Meal Plans
Choose between meal kit plans for two people or four people with options for two, three, four, five, or six meals per week. Their extensive market has add-on options, from quick and easy lunches and breakfasts to desserts, snacks, and protein packs.
The menu has an impressive 100+ recipes to choose from, all of which can be customized to your preferences, such as meat and veggie, vegetarian, family-friendly, low-calorie, ready in under 20 minutes, or pescatarian.
Factor Meal Plans
Factor focuses on health and wellness with fully-cooked chef-prepared meals delivered straight to your door. Choose between 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, or 18 meals each week plus add-ons like snacks, breakfasts, and smoothies.
You can also select meals to fit specific diets, including keto, low-calorie, flexitarian, high-protein, or vegan and vegetarian. No matter which preferences you select, you can always view the full menu.
Meal Variety
HelloFresh
With HelloFresh, you get easy-to-prepare and comforting recipes that are simple to make and taste amazing. Each recipe comes with easy-to-follow instruction cards, and all ingredients come pre-portioned and pre-sorted to make your life even easier.
The extensive weekly menu features various global cuisines, unique flavors, and classic favorites to make your weeknight a breeze. The recipes are chef-designed and rotate frequently to keep things interesting.
Factor
Factor offers a rotating menu of 35 weekly options plus over 60 add-on options like lunches, breakfasts, desserts, snacks, and more. All the meals arrive fresh and chilled and are easy to reheat in minutes.
Nutritionists and dieticians design the recipes for healthier eating. The meals feature quality lean proteins, fresh vegetables and fruits, and balanced complex carbohydrates.
Our Experience – Is It Tasty?
Our team has extensive experience with HelloFresh and Factor over the past six years. In 2024, we re-tested these services for two weeks to reflect the most up-to-date information on their offerings.
We thoroughly enjoyed both services, each providing satisfying and delicious recipes. The delivery boxes were well-insulated and easy to sort. The factor meals were simple to store in the fridge, and the HelloFresh ingredients were all separated by meal.
We Tried HelloFresh’s Chicken Sausage & Zucchini Flatbreads with Garlicky White Sauce, Mozzarella, and Parmesan
There is nothing better than cheesy, melty, homemade pizza! This recipe was easy to make and had a delicious creamy roasted garlic-infused white sauce. The browned chicken sausage and zucchini topping were flavorful, simple to prepare, and visually appealing just as much as they were appetizing. The whole recipe was a home run. It took less than five minutes to prep and was ready to enjoy in less than 30 minutes.
We Tried Factor’s Unstuffed Spinach and Ricotta Shells
This dish was packed with flavor and full of nutritious ingredients that tasted like comfort food but were nutritionally well-balanced. The combination of healthy brown rice pasta, decadent cheese and spinach filling, and creamy sauce with well-seasoned green beans and peppers was perfect for a well-rounded meal. Ready in two minutes in the microwave, it felt like a filling restaurant-quality meal that was almost too simple to believe.
Other Top Meals to Try
Here are some additional favorite recipes that are worth trying from Cookunity and Factor:
Factor Meals
- Southwestern-Style Turkey & Mac with Roasted Zucchini, Corn, & Poblano Peppers
- Fusilli & Ground Pork Tomato Ragu with Roasted Green Beans
- Smoky Gouda Chicken with Roasted Red Potatoes & Parmesan Green Beans
- Honey Mustard Chicken with Roasted Rosemary Potatoes & Garlic Green Beans
- Lemon Buttermilk Pancakes with Blueberry Compote with Honey Lemon Butter & Chicken Sausage Patties
- Grilled Steakhouse Filet Mignon with Parmesan Creamed Spinach, Broccolini, & Asago Butter
- Chorizo Egg Skillet & Turnip Hash with Roasted Peppers & Ancho Lime Crema
- Blueberry Maple Overnight Oats with Cinnamon-Spiced Walnut & Blueberry Sauce
HelloFresh Meals
- Gouda Vines Burgers with Tomato Onion Jam and Potato Wedges
- Chicken Sausage Spaghetti Bolognese with Zucchini and Parmesan
- Coconut Chicken Curry with Chicken Thighs and Bell Pepper over Basmati Rice
- Sweet and Spicy Apricot Pork Chops with Garlicky Green Beans and Chili-Roasted Carrots
- Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos with Tangy-Sweet Slaw
- Herby Feta Egg Sandos with Apple Slices and Peanut Butter Crème Fraiche
- Orange Cranberry Oatmeal with Pistachios, Cherry Drizzle, & Chocolate Chips
- Apple Cinnamon Breakfast Bake
Style and Complexity of Dishes
Both companies offer chef-designed meals that feature fresh, high-quality ingredients. HelloFresh caters to those looking for comforting and familiar meals to cook at home. The recipes aren’t complicated, but they feel gourmet and taste amazing. The diversity of recipe options is always exciting, with new dishes always being added.
Factor recipes are designed for individuals looking for more convenient, health-conscious choices. While the recipes feel gourmet, they are well-balanced and designed by licensed dieticians and nutritionists for health and well-being. The focus is more on nutrition and meeting dietary preferences than on restaurant-style presentations.
Quality of Ingredients Used in The Meals
After receiving meals from both HelloFresh and Factor, we can confidently attest to the freshness, quality, and best practices when it comes to the ingredients in the meals.
HelloFresh Quality of Ingredients
HelloFresh uses organic ingredients where possible and sources its meat domestically. It promises that all poultry is antibiotic—and hormone-free, its pork is certified hormone-free, and all seafood is sustainably sourced.
Factor Quality of Ingredients
Factor ingredients undergo a five-step analysis to determine their suitability for their meals. Only the highest-quality whole-food ingredients with science-backed health benefits make the cut.
The Delivery Box
Both service’s delivery boxes are easy to sort and come with ice packs and dividers to keep everything cool. HelloFresh and Factor have reduced their carbon footprint and used recyclable and sustainable resources in their delivery boxes. Almost all Factor’s shipping materials and food containers can be reused or recycled, although the package insulation should be discarded.
HelloFresh is also making efforts to be more eco-friendly in terms of its packaging. Its shipping cardboard is made from recycled fibers, and its honeycomb paperboard is also fully recyclable. The paper meal bags and box dividers are also completely compostable.
Subscribing & Managing Your Account
We found both services easy to manage through the app or online. You can swap out your meals, skip a week when needed, and manage any of your account details. Both services are flexible and allow you to pause, skip, or cancel anytime.
To subscribe to Factor, you will select your preferences and the number of meals you want before checking out:
To subscribe to HelloFresh, you will pick your preferences before choosing the number of meals and portion sizes you want each week:
What Do Customers Say About HelloFresh and Factor?
HelloFresh Reviews:
HelloFresh subscribers love the convenience, easy-to-follow recipes, and the time and money savings from grocery shopping and meal planning.
One user shared on Reddit, “For me, it has been a money saver. I just made my 100th HelloFresh meal this week. I don’t have to go to the store very often, and I really only have to buy eggs, butter, milk, and oil. I do two meals a week. There aren’t usually leftovers, though sometimes I stretch a meal by adding more rice or more beans or more pasta or something.”
Another customer stated, “The quality was good, there was lots of variety in recipes, etc. The instructions are clear. All in all, I’d rate the FOOD an A.”
Subscribers rank the HelloFresh app 4.7 out of 5 stars with over 194k ratings.
Factor Reviews:
Factor customers love the convenience and ability to stick to a diet plan without all the grocery shopping and meal planning. One customer shared on Reddit, “I’ve loved every one I’ve tried (some do need seasoning from time to time). We are two people on the spectrum with terrible executive dysfunction and opposite schedules, so getting balanced meals with no prep is a godsend for us. Grabbing a Factor instead of Under Eats/fastfood has also made my physical body way happier. Being able to stick to whatever nutritional guidelines we each want to follow is a huge bonus.”
Another subscriber shared on Reddit, “No meal planning no grocery shopping except for staples and good variety of meals. No clean up and makes meal time fast and easy and a non event. It’s amazing if you feel there aren’t enough hours in the day. It’s also great for avoiding fast food. So even tho it’s expensive per se, look at all you get for it. It’s a good value because I eat healthier and have way more relaxing or quality time, especially after 8-hour work days. Highly recommend.”
Subscribers rank the Factor app 4.8 out of 5 stars with over 158k ratings.
Customer Support
As part of the Factor meal subscription, you can access their team of certified dieticians if you ever need additional diet support. They are available to answer questions, design a meal plan, or keep you motivated and on track with your specific goals.
Both companies have great FAQ sections with answers to the most popular questions. If you have any issues regarding your subscription and need to contact the customer service support team, you can do so as follows:
HelloFresh Customer Support
- Help section on the HelloFresh website: https://www.hellofresh.com/about/faq
- Online Chat: https://www.hellofresh.com/contact-us
- Phone number: (646) 846-3663
Factor Customer Support
- FAQ section on the website: https://www.factor75.com/faq
- Online Chat: https://www.factor75.com/contact
- Phone number: 888-573-5727 Monday to Friday between 6 am-11 pm EST and 7 am – 7 pm EST on Saturday and Sunday
Delivery Areas
Factor delivers to all 48 contiguous states, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. HelloFresh delivers to all states across the continental US and some areas of Hawaii and Alaska. With HelloFresh, customers can choose which delivery day works best for them based on zip code.
Bottom Line
Our winner for 2024 – HelloFresh! Our team at The Meal Kit Review really enjoyed both of these services and found that they each cater to a different customer base.
If you are looking for prepared meals that are simple to reheat and enjoy, Factor is an excellent fit. They cater to many different dietary preferences, making healthy eating simple and convenient.
If you are looking for great-tasting quality classic meals that are easy to cook and always taste amazing – HelloFresh is the right choice. We love the large variety of recipes, and everything always tastes amazing, making HelloFresh our winner!
