In today’s day and age, subscription services offer a great way to simplify busy schedules. When it comes to enjoying a delicious home-cooked meal, there are tons of options on the market that can all save you time on meal planning, grocery shopping, and cooking. So how do you decide which one is right for you?
That’s where the Meal Kit Review comes in. Today, we will examine two different meal delivery companies: Home Chef and Factor!
While they are both meal delivery services, they differ in some pretty big ways.
Home Chef is a meal kit delivery service that designs upscale yet simple recipes for you to cook delicious gourmet meals at home. Factor is for the busy individual and delivers fully prepared meals for the health-conscious that are dietician-supported and cater to many different dietary lifestyles.
So, which one is right for you? Our team at The Meal Kit Review tested both Home Chef and Factor in a hands-on two-week comparison to bring you this updated 2024 comprehensive review of both services. So which one was crowned our winner? Read on to find out!
Short on Time? Here’s Why We Think Factor Is Better
This year, Factor takes the winning title! Although both services offer an excellent service, Factor stands out for several top reasons:
- Convenient Full-Prepared Meals: All lunch & dinner meals are ready to eat in two minutes or less.
- Health Focused: Registered dieticians develop the recipes to be healthy and well-balanced.
- Great Variety: The rotating menu offers a great selection of familiar and filling recipes.
- Lots of Add-Ons: The add-on market has you covered with smoothies, cold-pressed juices, snacks, and breakfasts.
- Amazing Taste: Each recipe we have tried has tasted incredible and has been loaded with flavor.
What is Home Chef?
Home Chef is a gourmet meal kit service that provides easy and delicious classic meal kits delivered straight to your door. Established in 2013, Home Chef was made for busy people who want to expand their culinary horizons and create new and exciting dishes at home full of authentic flavors and nice added twists.
With Home Chef, home-cooked meals don’t need to be time-consuming. They offer quick-to-prepare recipes, oven-ready meals, and microwavable options. They also offer customization of ingredients to support different dietary needs, swap proteins, and a great add-on selection for snacks and desserts.
What is Factor?
Factor is a health-designed, fresh, and fully prepared meal delivery service that delivers individual meals ready to heat. Dieticians design the recipes, which are cooked by gourmet chefs using high-quality ingredients that meet strict selection standards.
The rotating menu features many options to support different dietary lifestyles, such as keto, high-protein, vegetarian, and more. The service is built for busy individuals who don’t have time for grocery shopping and cooking, and the large add-on selections make breakfasts and snacks a breeze.
Pros & Cons
Factor Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Choose from 35 delicious recipes and more than 60 add-ons per week
- Meal plans are built to support a large variety of dietary preferencesMeals are never frozen and arrive fresh with healthy ingredients
- Dietician-designed recipes fully cooked by gourmet chefs
Cons:
- There are no options for meal kits; only prepared meals are available
- The cost per meal is higher than Home Chef
Home Chef Pros & Cons
Pros:
- Ability to swap proteins and customize sides
- Fast and convenient options like oven-ready meals
- Options for family meals for larger portion sizes
- Supports diet preferences like keto, vegetarian, low-carb, and low-calorie
Cons:
- Recipes require cooking and some prep work
- Some cooking techniques might be more complicated than others
Variety of Meal Plans
Home Chef Meal Plans
Home Chef offers a family plan or standard meal plan that you can choose from. Then, you select your portion sizes and the number of meals you want per week. Pick between two to six meals for two, four, or six people each week. You can also choose from the add-on menu, which offers lunch, breakfast, snacks, and desserts.
Home Chef also caters to many different dietary preferences, including keto, vegetarian, paleo, low-carb, high-protein, pescetarian, gluten-free, and low-calorie. The Fresh and Easy Plan is great for fast meal kits and fully prepared meals for those who still want a home-cooked meal but are short on time or looking for more convenience.
Factor Meal Plans
Factor focuses on health and wellness. It delivers fully cooked and individually portioned chef-prepared meals 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 select a meal plan designed to fit specific diets, including keto, low-calorie, flexitarian, high-protein, vegan, or vegetarian. No matter which preferences you select, you can always view the full menu.
Meal Variety
Factor
Factor has a diverse menu of over 35 weekly recipes and over 60 add-on items to choose from each week. The recipes arrive fully prepared in individual portions and are shipped fresh and not frozen.
Nutritionists and dieticians designed the recipes to meet specific nutritional goals and dietary needs. They feature quality lean proteins, fresh vegetables and fruits, and balanced complex carbohydrates.
Home Chef
Home Chef is similar in that it offers over 35 meals to choose from per week and 18 extras, including 15-minute meal kits, oven-ready options, and microwaveable meals. The well-organized recipes on the website make it easy to select meals that fit your preferences. Most recipes are designed for convenience and can be made in 30 minutes or less.
They offer unique customization options to swap proteins or increase portion sizes to fit your needs. The recipes are never too complicated, and they all come with pre-portioned ingredients that are pre-sorted by recipe, as well as easy-to-follow recipe cards. The variety of styles is huge, ranging from Mexican-style meals to classic Italian Asian-inspired recipes, Mediterranean, and more.
Our Experience – Is It Tasty?
Our team has enjoyed testing and reviewing Home Chef and Factor over the past six years. In 2024, we re-tested these services for two weeks with our hands-on review process to reflect the most up-to-date information on each company and its offerings.
We found both services highly enjoyable for different reasons and loved the recipes and meals from each. The delivery boxes were well-insulated and easy to sort. The Factor meals were simple to store in the fridge or freezer, and the Home Fresh recipes came pre-sorted with nicely designed recipe cards and proteins separated by ice packs and dividers to keep them cool in transit.
We Tried Home Chef’s Sweet and Sour Shrimp Lo Mein with Peppers and Wontons
This oven-ready meal kit came with its handy oven tray to reduce cleanup and prep. The flavors were wonderful, and everything was easy to prepare and ready in about 35 minutes. The wonton strips were a great crunchy addition to the noodles and peppers, and the shrimp was fresh and of high quality.
We Tried Factor’s Loaded Bacon Shredded Chicken
This dish was loaded with flavor and tasted like a restaurant-quality meal but was still nutritionally balanced and healthy. The green beans were seasoned and paired perfectly with the tender, juicy chicken and crunchy bacon. The added sauce was creamy and delicious, and everything pulled together. It’s a recipe we are sure to order again for being ready to eat in two minutes.
Other Top Meals to Try
Here are some additional favorite recipes that are worth trying from Home Chef and Factor:
Factor Meals
- Grilled Pork Chops & Smoked Cheddar Cauli Grits with BBQ Butter, Roasted Zucchini and Poblanos
- Dill Crusted Chicken & Cheddar Broccoli Grits with Roasted Green Beans & Lemon Garlic Butter
- Stroganoff-Style Beef Burger with Parmesan Green Beans and Roasted Mushrooms
- Chipotle Roasted Salmon with Salsa Verde Rice, Cumin-Roasted Yellow Squash, and Chimichurri Crema
- Vegetarian Tamale Bol with Spiced Sweet Potatoes & Pickled Jalapeno Crema
- Coconut Pancakes with Pineapple Butter & Chicken Sausage
- Everything-Seasoned Gravy & Bacon Scramble with Paprika-Roasted Zucchini and Pepper Medley
- Smoky Bacon and Cheddar Egg Bites
Home Chef Meals
- Korean-Style Beef with Toasted Sesame Rice
- Shrimp Piccata Fettuccine with Lemon and Capers
- One-Pan Teriyaki Salmon Lettuce Cups with Sesame Slaw
- Orange Ginger Sesame Pork Meatballs with Snap Peas and Carrots
- Buffalo Cauliflower Tacos with Tangy-Sweet Slaw
- Bacon and Cheddar Egg Bites
- Pizza Empanadas & Chicken Gyoza Dumplings
- Iced Spiced Pumpkin Cake & Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookie Skillet
Style and Complexity of Dishes
Both companies offer chef-designed meals and recipes that feature fresh, high-quality ingredients. Home Chef caters to those looking for gourmet and exciting meals to cook at home. The recipes aren’t complicated, but they feel upscale and restaurant-quality, plus they taste amazing. There are many unique global flavors, and new dishes are added all the time.
Factor recipes are designed for individuals looking for more convenient, health-conscious choices. They require zero cooking or prep and heat quickly in the microwave. While the recipes feel gourmet and comforting, they are well-balanced and designed by licensed dieticians and nutritionists for health and wellbeing. The portion sizes are filling, and the rotating menu always keeps things interesting.
Quality of Ingredients Used in The Meals
After receiving meals and meal kits from Home Chef and Factor, we can confidently say that the ingredients were fresh, the proteins were high quality, and the recipes tasted amazing.
Factor Quality of Ingredients
Factor doesn’t mess around with its chosen ingredients. Each one has to undergo a five-step analysis to determine whether it’s suitable for meals and fits the dietary requirements. Only the highest-quality whole-food ingredients backed by proven health benefits make the cut.
Home Chef Quality of Ingredients
Home Chef uses farm-fresh seasonal products, which can occasionally include organic options. They have partnered with local producers to ensure a consistent supply of high-quality ingredients. Home Chef is also committed to ensuring its meat is sourced from humane suppliers, and its seafood is sustainably sourced.
The Delivery Box
Both service’s delivery boxes are easy to sort and come with ice packs and dividers to keep everything cool. Home Chef 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.
The Home Chef delivery is exceptionally well organized. All ingredients are sorted, packed, and labeled with the dish’s name. Unpacking is super easy. All you need to do is place the ingredients in the fridge until you’re ready to cook.
Subscribing & Managing Your Account
We found both services easy to manage through the app or online. You can swap out your meals and recipes, 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 Home Chef, you will select your likes and dislikes before selecting portion sizes and servings:
What Do Customers Say About Factor and Home Chef?
Home Chef Reviews:
Home Chef subscribers love the fast and straightforward prep of oven-ready, fast, and fresh meals. The large portion sizes make for easy meal prep and leftovers.
One subscriber shared on Reddit, “I didn’t completely replace groceries, but when I was living alone, I kept my Home Chef subscription active. I ordered three meals a week, and I did exactly that—cooked one for dinner and then had lunch for the next day. Of course, you could order more meals if it suits your schedule, but three was a good number for me. I tried to make sure I selected meals that would keep well for leftovers.”
Another Home Chef customer shared, “The “Oven-Ready” meals are probably the easiest; veggies usually come pre-sliced, and you just have to form the meat if it’s ground meat, combine the ingredients, and toss in the oven. The downside is there are less than five choices per week of this meal type, so don’t go expecting a lot of variety.”
The easy-to-use Home Chef app ranks an impressive 4.8 out of 5 stars with over 20k ratings.
Factor Reviews:
Factor customers love the convenience of having ready-made meals that are easy to prepare. It saves customers time and money on grocery shopping and food waste.
One customer shared on Reddit, “Love the Factor service!! Easy App navigation, reasonable pricing, large variety of meals, taste great for a reheated meal (Nod to the chefs 👌).
Another subscriber shared on Reddit, “Factor replaces much of my grocery and takeout spending and gives me a good veggie with every meal. I’m not looking for health perfection here; it’s just an improvement. Plus, if you heat them in the oven, I find they taste pretty good.”
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 have access to their professional team of nutritionists and dieticians when you need a little extra 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:
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
Home Chef Customer Support
- FAQ area on the Home Chef website: https://support.homechef.com/hc/en-us
- Contact form: https://support.homechef.com/hc/en-us/requests/new
- Phone number: 872-225-2433, Monday to Friday between 9 am-6 pm CST and Saturday between 10 am-2 pm CST
Delivery Areas
Factor delivers to all 48 contiguous states, excluding Alaska and Hawaii. Home Chef currently delivers to 98% of the United States. You can enter your zip code during the sign-up process to see if they deliver to your area.
Both companies also allow for some flexibility in delivery days depending on your zip code location.
Bottom Line
Our 2024 winner is Factor! Here at the Meal Kit Review, we thoroughly enjoyed both of these services, but Factor stood out for several reasons.
If you are looking for pre-portioned gourmet meal kits to learn new cooking techniques, try new flavors, or just cook more at home, Home Chef is a great fit. They make home cooking simple, fun, and exciting.
If you are looking for chef-prepared, great-tasting meals that health experts design, Factor is the right choice for you! We love their support for many different dietary lifestyles and the large variety of add-ons that make breakfast, lunch, and snacks a no-brainer. Plus, everything always tastes amazing, making Factor our winner!
