10 Best Meal Delivery Services, Tested by an Ex-Restaurant Critic

10 Best Meal Delivery Services, Tested by an Ex-Restaurant Critic. I also tested the best new and innovative meal kits for those looking for alternatives to Blue Apron or HelloFresh's long-standing meal delivery services.

What happened

Here are the best delivery services and meal kits in 2026, including the Martha Stewart meal service, a GLP-1–supportive plan, and a budget-friendly option. But depending on your priorities, other meal delivery services might be the best for you. I also retested CookUnity and confirmed its place as the best prepared meal delivery service. Prep time10 to 45 minutesWIRED/TIREDAccordionItemContainerButtonWIREDFlexible meal planning for each week or mealClear, well-written, helpful recipe cardsEqual clarity about nutrition and allergensTIREDSome meals feel a bit under-seasonedSmaller selection than someBest Prepared-Meal Delivery ServicePhotograph: Matthew KorfhagePhotograph: Matthew KorfhagePhotograph: Matthew KorfhagePhotograph: Matthew KorfhageSave to wishlistCookUnityPrepared MealsShop atCookUnityI'll put it simply: CookUnity is the only prepared-meal delivery service I've tried that has ever delivered a meal better than local restaurant takeout.

After testing every major meal delivery service over the past two years, I've narrowed the field to just a few of the best options for each family and diet. If you'd rather not cook at all, CookUnity is the best prepared-meal delivery service I've ever had the pleasure to warm up. Here are the best delivery meal subscriptions I've tried.

The wider picture

Be sure to check out my investigation into whether sometimes Meal Kits Are Cheaper Than Groceries when trying out new recipes, and WIRED's related guides, including the Best Plant-Based Meal Kits, Best Food Gifts You Can Buy Online, Best Coffee Subscriptions, and Best Delivery Chocolate Boxes. Table of ContentsAccordionItemContainerButtonOther Meal Kits I LikedA Meal Kit I Don't RecommendAre Meal Delivery Services Worth It? How to Optimize Meal KitsHow I Test Meal KitsBest Meal Kit OverallCourtesy of Marley SpoonPhotograph: Matthew KorfhagePhotograph: Matthew KorfhagePhotograph: Matthew KorfhageSave to wishlistMarley SpoonMeal KitShop atMarley SpoonIn the decade since it was introduced on American shores, the strength of the Martha Stewart–endorsed Marley Spoon meal delivery service has remained steadfast: It's the cooking.

The best individual meals I've cooked among the 20 or so kits I've tested in the past two years have come from Marley Spoon. Prepared meal delivery services promise a hunger-squelching holy grail: fresh meals, delivered to your door in a box that's ready to heat and eat, minus all the effort of actually cooking it. But my results from many other prepared-meal delivery services have been mixed. About a fifth of meals are vegetarian or veganOther dietary plans or restrictionsMeal filters include high protein, low carb, keto, and GLP-1 balancePrep timeA few minutes in the microwave, or maybe 15 minutes in an oven or on the stovetopWIRED/TIREDAccordionItemContainerButtonWIREDThe best prepared meal delivery I've tastedGlobal recipes from diverse chefsMicrowaveable.

But no microwave requiredTIREDResults can vary depending on chef or regionIn some small hubs, recipes might repeatMeal Kit With the Best SelectionCourtesy of HelloFreshPhotograph: Matthew KorfhagePhotograph: Matthew KorfhagePhotograph: Matthew KorfhageSave to wishlistHelloFreshMeal KitShop atHelloFreshHelloFresh is pretty much synonymous with “meal kits. ” It's the biggest of the services and among the oldest.

What has been reported

I didn't actually expect to appreciate meal kits as much as I do, as someone who likes to cook and worked as a food critic on both coasts for more than a decade. I've found that the best meal kits helped me climb out of a cooking rut of turning to the same dishes—and the same flavors—over and over. Quite simply, the best meals I've eaten from a meal kit have come from Marley Spoon, which offers a path to genuinely good home-cooked meals on nights when I might otherwise feel uninspired.

EveryPlate is the best meal kit for people on a tight budget. I likewise retested and updated my descriptions of Factor prepared meals and GardenCup’s salad kit, and added information about HelloFresh’s new recipe app and Blue Apron’s new packaging and partnership with Misfits Market. The classic “Martha's Best” recipes are now augmented by meals that emphasize convenience and global flavors. 30 or so vegetarian options; many protein substitutions available; limited vegan aside from heat-and-eat mealsOther dietary plansLow-calorie, low-carb, low-sodium, high-protein and keto-friendly, GLP-1, Mediterranean, sort-by-protein-choiceTypical prep time:15 minutes to an hourWIRED/TIREDAccordionItemContainerButtonWIREDBest culinary technique on classic dishesLarge selection of mealsExcellent proteins and sourcing (Cento tomatoes! )TIREDExpress and international meals take some shortcutsBoxes arrive disorganizedReady-to-heat meals aren't greatBest Family-Friendly Meal KitPhotograph: Matthew KorfhagePhotograph: Matthew KorfhageSave to wishlistHome ChefMeal KitShop atHome Chef (Regular Plan)Shop atHome Chef (Larger Family Plan)Home Chef lets you do pretty much whatever you want.

More than any other meal kit I've tested, Home Chef is optimized for convenience, down to the transparent plastic bags that house each meal's ingredients.

What happens next

It's not for nothing that WIRED previously listed Home Chef as the best meal kit for beginner chefs: The recipe instructions are full of little hand-holds and added advice. CookUnity enlists restaurant chefs, often big names like Jose Garces or Rick Bayless or Iron Chef contestants, to design recipes and hire cooks who make your meals out of regional commissary kitchens, and ship them never-frozen down the street. Hubs now include New York, Austin, Miami, Atlanta, Los Angeles, Seattle, Chicago, and Toronto. (See the delivery map to check whether CookUnity services your area. ) I've had good results from the small Seattle hub, and WIRED reviewer Louryn Strampe said the adobo flank steak and rigatoni alla vodka she scored from the Chicago hub straight-up blew her mind.

Each meal lasts in the fridge between four and seven days from the date of delivery, through the miracle of modified atmosphere packaging. This summer, HelloFresh has even offered single-order grill boxes in partnership with meat delivery service Good Chop, with 32 servings comprising burgers (six), dogs (eight), steaks (four), sausages (eight), and bacon (eight strips) for $80. (In my experience, the steaks and bacon were the two best selling points. )Where possible, HelloFresh has even begun dabbling in seasonal ingredients, like conehead cabbage I charred on my grill last summer.

After criticism, including my own, the company added more rice to the rice meals last year. Not attested to as such; prepared in shared facilities (HelloFresh's service for the gluten-less is Green Chef)Plant-based meals?

The report has been compiled by The Daily Waves using information reported across wired.com, bbc.co.uk, techcrunch.com, theguardian.com. Details are presented according to the information available at the time of publication and may change as authorities, organisers or other relevant parties provide updates.