Blue Apron vs. Home Chef: A Side-By-Side Comparison

About Blue Apron

Foodies need help getting dinner together too, and that’s where Blue Apron comes in. Fit for a refined palate, Blue Apron doesn’t apologize for asking its home cooks to get busy in the kitchen with top-notch ingredients and chef-driven menus. The service is less geared towards diets, but its weekly menu of about 15 kits does include the following options: 

• Vegetarian
• Wellness
• WW

About Home Chef

Home Chef prioritizes the convenience factor above all else, ensuring that it has meal options to carry you through nights when you have more time to cook and days when you just need to get dinner on the table. The menu has over 30 recipes to choose from, not including add-ons, and focuses on approachable comfort foods. Diet options available through Home Chef include: 

• Vegetarian
• Carb-conscious
• Calorie-conscious.

Blue Apron vs. Home Chef at a Glance

Company	Starting Price	Delivery Area	Products Arrive	Customers Can Choose Delivery Date?	Free Shipping?
Blue Apron	$7.99 per serving	48 states	Fresh	Yes	No
Home Chef	$8.74 per serving	48 states	Fresh	Yes	No

Price Comparison

Company	Starting Price per Serving	Highest Price per Serving	Additional Pricing
Blue Apron	$7.99 per serving	$11.99 per serving	$9.99 shipping
Home Chef	$8.74 per serving	$11.99 per serving	$10.99 shipping

Blue Apron Customer Review

“Blue Apron is truly fit for foodies and really anyone excited by the prospect of getting in the kitchen to create a restaurant-quality meal, even if they don’t have all the time in the world to get it done.” 

Home Chef Customer Review

“Home Chef is out to do what every meal delivery service strives for: make your life easier when it comes to getting dinner on the table. The meals may not be a transformative eating experience, but we think Home Chef does a fantastic job of nailing the convenience factor…” 

Pros and Cons

Home Chef

Pros: 

• Convenient partial-prep options
• Extended portion sizes
• Flexible scheduling

Cons: 

• Meals may need some help 
• Can be costly in smaller servings

Blue Apron

Pros: 

• Emphasis on flavor and quality 
• Range of prep times and levels of difficulty
• Reasonable price point

Cons: 

• Smaller menu by comparison
• Plastic packaging overload
  

Alternatives to Home Chef and Blue Apron

If Home Chef's focus on convenience leaves you wanting more flavor, but Blue Apron isn’t your cup of tea, we recommend checking out HelloFresh. Comparably priced with these services, HelloFresh is one of the top kits in the U.S. for a reason, and while some recipes do require you to put in the work, the payoff is in the flavor as well as the portion size. If it’s a more sustainability-focused experience you’re after, consider Sunbasket or Green Chef, both of which offer organic ingredients and eco-friendly proteins while still producing a tasty meal. 

Final Thoughts

Blue Apron and Home Chef may be similar in terms of their ability to deliver meal kits with conveniently pre-portioned ingredients across a spectrum of cook times and effort, but after that, the similarities end. Blue Apron is the choice if you’re looking to feed a smaller crowd but want to prioritize high-quality ingredients and a restaurant-style flavor experience. Home Chef is a better option if you want to maximize the return on your effort and get a filling and comforting dinner on the table in a hurry.