Have you narrowed your choice down to Blue Apron and Marley Spoon? They’re both convenient, time-saving, and can turn you into an experienced chef within minutes.
However, let’s be honest: if you choose the wrong plan for you, even the best meal delivery service can make for some stressful food preparation or be too harsh on your wallet.
To simplify your choice, we’ve cooked up a comparison between Blue Apron and Marley Spoon, the popular giant and the—relatively—new kid on the meal kit industry block.
Not only will we spill the beans on which one we prefer: we’re going to break down their features to help you figure out which is the right meal delivery service for your budget and eating habits.
So, Blue Apron or Marley Spoon?
Let’s waste no time and find that out!
BLUE APRON
- Plans:
Two people: 2 or 3 nights (vegetarian option available).
Four people: 2,3 or 4 nights - Price per serving: $7.49-$9.99
- Delivery: Free or $7.99 for the most basic option
- Recipes per week: Usually up to 11
MARTHA & MARLEY SPOON
- Plans:
Two people: between 2 and 6 nights.
Four people: between 2 and 6 nights,
Vegetarian option (up to 5 nights) available for both. - Price per serving: $6.39-$10.25
- Delivery: $8.99
- Recipes per week: 22
Quick Overview: Blue Apron meal kit delivery
Blue Apron is a well-established household name. Even though Hello Fresh has recently stolen their place as the largest meal delivery service (1), Blue Apron is still one of the most appreciated (2).
“We’re big believers in not just giving you what you need in order to make something, but teaching you how to make it better.” Linda Findley Kozlowski, CEO
They provide a practical solution for a couple or a few more evenings per week, offering a good variety of easy but delicious recipes. You can learn more about them in our Blue Apron review.
Overall, they’re one of the best meal kit delivery services for singles and a popular option for households who aren’t too concerned about following specific dietary plans.
Quick Overview: Marley Spoon meal kit delivery
While the German-based Marley Spoon was already popular in Europe and Australia, they needed an ace up their sleeve to stand out in the competitive US meal delivery market. What better than a collaboration with a beloved celebrity chef?
Their recipes are created by none other than Martha Stewart, which is probably why they can be slightly more advanced, but are still clearly explained and time-optimizing (3).
“Bring delightful, market-fresh and easy cooking back to the people. The result: more time for family and friends, and freshly cooked, varying meals every day.” Fabian Siegel, CEO
You can discover even more features in our Marley Spoon review. It’s definitely an exciting solution for couples or families who want to make the most of these meal kits for a few more evenings per week, especially those with dietary requirements.
Blue Apron vs Marley Spoon comparison
Got a general idea? Let’s spice things up by comparing their features.
Meal Plans & Prices
With Blue Apron, you have three options: a meal plan for two (for either two or three nights a week), its vegetarian alternative, and a family plan for four (covering two, three or four nights). Unfortunately, the last one isn’t available as a veggie option.
Most plans also include free delivery, except for the most basic one, to which you must add an extra $7.99.
Obviously, the more meals you choose, the cheaper they are per serving, ranging from $7.49 to $9.99.
While you can’t cover many meals as a couple, one of the reasons why Blue Apron is so popular among singles is that, if you choose the three nights a week plan for two... that’s most of your dinners sorted!
Marley Spoon, on the other hand, gives you the option to cover more meals, even if you don’t eat meat. Both their two and four-people plans range from two to six meals per week. If you choose up to five, you can turn any of them into a veggie alternative.
Their price range is, however, broader. While the largest four-people plans can result in as little as $6.39 per serving (crazy cheap for such a high-quality meal delivery service!), the most basic ones can bring it up to $10.25 (ouch).
You also need to take into account the standard $8.99 delivery fee, which applies to all plans.
WINNER: Marley Spoon. While Blue Apron offers more budget-friendly options, Marley Spoon’s meal plans are more customizable, can cover more nights, and have more veggie alternatives.
Ingredients
We love the fact that both meal delivery services use fresh and mostly organic ingredients from trusted farms.
However, Marley Spoon also focuses on picking seasonal and local produce.
WINNER: Marley Spoon. Both tasty and healthy, but choosing seasonal ingredients adds another element of sustainability.
Recipes
Regardless of which meal delivery service you pick, get your chef hat ready: with their beautiful recipe cards, you’re sure to obtain restaurant-worthy dishes!
While they’re both fairly straightforward and Marley Spoon manages to break them down into six steps, we’ve found that Blue Apron’s recipes are more accessible, even for beginners.
Another difference is that, while the blue giant will only expect you to add salt, pepper and oil, Marley Spoon’s recipes can catch you off guard by asking you to add flour, eggs, or other ingredients that you might not have at hand (or might not be happy to pay for on top of what you’ve already spent!).
We’ve also noticed that Blue Apron’s portions are exactly the right size for a meal, which can be both a pro and a con. That’s great to avoid waste and keep fit, but you definitely won’t get any leftovers for the following day.
As for choice, Marley Spoon offers 22 recipes from five categories every week, making it easier to stick to specific dietary requirements.
Blue Apron has fewer recipes, with the range changing depending on the plan, but we noticed that, unlike its competitor, none are repeated over two weeks.
WINNER: Blue Apron. While Marley Spoon offers more choices, some recipes can be a bit too advanced for beginners or result in unpleasant last-minute trips to the store.
Customizability
Luckily, both meal delivery services offer user-friendly interfaces with options to pause your subscription or skip a week.
With Marley Spoon, you can also add extra servings for leftovers or larger dinner parties, while Blue Apron includes a few features that are pretty rare for meal kit services.
The best one? Their popular wine club, obviously. They also have an online store full of accompanying products, kitchen tools, and gift options.
WINNER: Blue Apron. They had us at wine club.
Packaging
Both companies will deliver your meal kits in mostly recyclable packaging.
Blue Apron relies on loose produce and insulated boxes to ensure full freshness, whereas Marley Spoon sorts the ingredients into separate dish bags and only insulates those that require it.
Make sure you check your packaging thoroughly, though: you could end up binning something by mistake. Totally didn’t happen to us.
Ok, fine: it did.
WINNER: Blue Apron. Dividing the ingredients per recipe is certainly practical, but we appreciate Blue Apron’s waste-reducing and “risk-free” approach.
Our verdict on the Blue Apron vs Marley Spoon dilemma
It’s a tough choice, but we think that Blue Apron is the better option, as well as one of the best meal delivery services overall.
This is because it offers more budget-friendly options, more accessible recipes that never require any additional ingredients, extras like the wine club, and less packaging.
These features make it a better meal kit delivery service for singles or couples who’re after a hassle-free cooking experience and occasionally want to pair up their meals with the right wine.
Blue Apron: Save $84 over your first 4 boxes (for new customers) - Click Here to Get Started.
However, Marley Spoon’s meals could actually work out cheaper if you’re planning on covering more nights, especially as a large household. They’re also a better option if you value sustainability, are trying to follow a specific dietary plan, and wish to challenge yourself with slightly more advanced recipes.
$60 OFF from Martha&Marley Spoon on the first 4 boxes - Click Here to Get Started.
FAQs
1. How much is a month of Blue Apron?
The cost of a month of Blue Apron changes drastically depending on how many people and how many meals per week you opt for. At the moment of writing this article, it ranges from $191.80 and $479.36.
2. How much is Marley Spoon a week?
Depending on the number of meals and people, Marley Spoon costs between $49.99 and $163.35 a week, or $199.96 and $653.40 a month.
3. Is Marley Spoon any good?
Yes, Marley Spoon is a very good meal delivery service, especially if you’re planning on upgrading your culinary skills or getting meals for a large household and many nights per week.
4. What meals are on Blue Apron?
Blue Apron’s range of meals is very well-balanced and broad, offering an inspiring mixture of meat-based, fish and vegetarian dishes across several cuisines. You can always check their current and upcoming options on their menu page.
Additional Resources from MEAL BAKERY:
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References
1. Kang, J. (2019, December 25). HelloFresh Grabs a Bigger Slice of Shrinking Meal-Kit Market. Retrieved from https://www.wsj.com/articles/hellofresh-grabs-bigger-slice-of-shrinking-meal-kit-market-11577279059
2. (n.d.). (2020, August 26). Blue Apron CEO's Recipe For Continued Growth After The Pandemic. Retrieved from https://radio.wpsu.org/post/more-people-cooking-home-during-pandemic-blue-apron-sees-boost-subscribers
3. Loritz, M. (2018, November 22). Bringing fresh food to your doorstep: Interview with Marley Spoon CEO Fabian Siegel. Retrieved from https://www.eu-startups.com/2018/11/bringing-fresh-food-to-your-doorstep-interview-with-marley-spoon-ceo-fabiel-siegel/
There’s no way you could be born in Italy and not be passionate about food! Since the pleasure of gathering around a table to eat together has been slowly dying out, Giada loves finding solutions that can make it work with our busy, modern lifestyles.