Best Meal Delivery Services of 2024
Cook fresh meals in Columbus

CookUnity’s most outstanding feature is its wide selection of menu items, all made by professional chefs who prepare meals from all over the world every week. Meals are pre-cooked and delivered from Tuesday-Friday. A wide range of dietary restrictions and preferences are catered for, making the service suitable for almost anyone, though it is on the pricey side, with the price per meal ranging from $10.39-$12.69. 

CookUnity offers free shipping and a flexible service that can be canceled or skipped at any point at no extra cost. Plus, CookUnity makes an effort to minimize its environmental impact: the company uses biodegradable containers, and nearly all the packaging is recyclable or reusable. If you’re in the market for a new meal delivery service, CookUnity is certainly worth a try.

HelloFresh - Best meal delivery service overall

HelloFresh makes it convenient to enjoy wholesome, fresh meals with minimal prep. Ron Stewart, a former corporate executive chef at Pastini, tested HelloFresh and was "surprised at the quality of ingredients and ease of putting together exceptional meals," calling their recipes "delicious as well as nutritious and balanced."

Each week, HelloFresh lets you choose from over 100 breakfast, lunch, and dinner recipes. Every kit includes straightforward, step-by-step recipe cards with fresh, pre-measured ingredients to help you get dinner on the table in under an hour.

This service is best for individuals and households without strict dietary requirements, though they offer low-carb and lower-calorie meals too. It's possible to separately review ingredient information for each meal before ordering, including nutritional value and allergens, and any additional items you may need.

Why we chose HelloFresh: You can easily adjust or cancel your food delivery and subscription at any time. Meals are not overly complicated and reduce the need to buy ingredients in addition to what's delivered for each recipe.

Our experience: We liked that HelloFresh lets you know ahead of time what cookware you'll need so you can get cooking as soon as your delivery arrives. It was extra convenient that their extensive menu also let us swap out proteins. 

Factor - Best for dietician-approved, restaurant-quality recipes

Factor is a chef-crafted, dietician-approved meal service that provides an approachable way to try healthy diets with heat-and-serve meals. Mary Sabat, a nutritionist and president of Body Designs, remarks on how they're "worth the extra money" and offer "many options for someone trying to stick to a specific diet."

Factor makes information transparent about their ingredients and nutrition, so you can filter out recipes that may not suit your wellness goals. Their meals range between 300-900 calories, giving you an easy way to lose weight depending on the low-calorie meals you choose to eat.

Why we chose Factor: In addition to Factor's microwave- or oven-ready dishes, they also offer nourishing add-ons like juices, smoothies, shakes, cookies, desserts, and breakfasts.

Our experience: Though the recipes were often high in fat, the ingredients were clean and of premium quality. We liked that we were able to hone in on the right meal plan for us through a complimentary consultation with one of their registered dietitians.