Freshly VS Plated Comparison
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We have had the pleasure to taste the amazing meals offered by both Freshly and Plated and we completely understand if you are having a hard time deciding between the two. In this Freshly VS Plated comparison, we highlight all the strong and weak points of these two popular services in order to help you find out which one better suits your individual needs and which one is objectively superior to the other.
Highlights
Freshly offers reasonable prices and a rich menu filled with hallmarks of Italian and American cuisines, all made of fresh, natural ingredients.
- Price Range: $
- Average Price Per Meal: $9.99
- Shipping Cost: $0
- Delivery Area: 48 states
Plated offers incredible ordering flexibility, competitive pricing, and one of the richest menus in the meal kit market, with recipes for a vast range of tastes, diets, and cooking skill levels.
- Price Range: $$
- Average Price Per Meal: $9.95
- Shipping Cost: $0 *
- Delivery Area: 48 states
*except on weekly plans under $60
Compare Features
Best For
Best for home diners who prefer classics and comfort food
Menu/Meal Plans
Freshly provides its customers with a weekly menu to choose from.
Recipes/Meal Options
Freshly offers 30+ lunch and dinner items on its menu every week.
Meal & Recipe Variety
Freshly offers chef-prepared entrées for different diets. Its menu includes low-carb, high-protein, Paleo, omnivore, vegetarian, gluten-free, soy-free, dairy-free, and calorie-conscious meals. It offers both classic and exotic dishes, most of them originating from the American and Italian cuisines, with occasional Asian dishes.
Food Quality
Freshly exclusively uses fresh, natural ingredients. Its meals never contain any artificial flavors or colors and they are free from gluten, added sugars, and preservatives.
Nutritional Value & Portion Size
Most Freshly meals contain between 400 and 500 calories per serving. They are generally healthy and nutritionally balanced but they are not free from cholesterol and may contain more than 600 mg of sodium. The portions are usually around 13 oz.
Subscription Flexibility
With Freshly, you can change, skip, pause or cancel your order whenever you want. The deadline for making any changes is 11:59PM PST 5 days before your scheduled delivery day.
Refunds
If you are not satisfied with your delivery from Freshly, you may receive a full or partial refund or credit. You must report your complaints to the company within 5 days of your delivery date.
Best For
Best for semi-experienced home cooks who value variety and want to eat healthily
Menu/Meal Plans
Plated features one menu that changes on a weekly basis.
Recipes/Meal Options
Plated offers 30 new recipes each week, including dinner, brunch, side dish, appetizer, and dessert ideas.
Meal & Recipe Variety
Every week, the Plated menu features fresh meal ideas suitable for omnivore, vegetarian, gluten-free, low-calorie, and low-carb diets. The recipes are inspired by popular world cuisines, such as French, Italian, Indian, Mexican, Chinese, and traditional American cuisine. Most items are quick-prep recipes with hands-on time ranging from 10 to 30 minutes.
Food Quality
Plated does not only offer sustainably sourced meat & seafood and the freshest seasonal produce from the best local farms but also supplies home cooks with rare artisanal spices that give rich flavor and tantalizing aroma to every dish.
Nutritional Value & Portion Size
Plated carefully calculates its portion sizes to satisfy the needs of an average adult, with no leftovers. By thoughtfully combining high-quality ingredients into satisfying meals, the Plated culinary team ensures all meals are rich in nutrients and well-balanced, with plenty of items under 600 calories.
Subscription Flexibility
With Plated, you can change your box's recipes or servings at any time. You can also skip, pause or cancel your order whenever you want. Keep in mind that all changes to your subscription must be made by noon six days before your delivery is due.
Refunds
If you are not satisfied with your delivery or something is missing from your box, you can contact Plated and they may issue a credit to your account.
Compare Plans & Pricing
Freshly Plans & Pricing
| Meal Programs | ||
|---|---|---|
| Meals per week | Price per week | Price per meal |
| 4 | $49.99 | $12.50 |
| 6 | $59.99 | $9.99 |
| 9 | $89.99 | $9.99 |
| 12 | $107.99 | $8.99 |
Plated Plans & Pricing
| 2 Servings | ||
|---|---|---|
| Meals per week | Meal kit price | Price per serving |
| 2 | $47.80 (first week: $35.85) | $11.95 |
| 3 | $65.70 (first week: $49.27) | $10.95 |
| 4 | $87.60 (first week: $65.70) | $10.95 |
| 3 servings | ||
| Meals per week | Meal kit price | Price per serving |
| 2 | $59.70 (first week: $44.77) | $9.95 |
| 3 | $80.55 (first week: $60.41) | $8.95 |
| 4 | $107.40 (first week: $80.55) | $8.95 |
| 4 servings | ||
| Meals per week | Meal kit price | Price per serving |
| 2 | $79.60 (first week: $59.70) | $9.95 |
| 3 | $107.40 (first week: $80.55) | $8.95 |
| 4 | $143.20 (first week: $107.40) | $8.95 |
Suitable For
Meals For Families
Meals For Kids
Meals For Seniors
Meals For One
Meals For Families
Meals For Kids
Meals For Seniors
Meals For One
Compare Meal Options
Vegetarian Meals
Vegan Meals
Paleo Meals
Keto Meals
Low-Carb Meals
Low-Fat Meals
Meals For Diabetics
Gluten-Free Meals
Organic Meals
Weight Loss Meals
Vegetarian Meals
Vegan Meals
Paleo Meals
Keto Meals
Low-Carb Meals
Low-Fat Meals
Meals For Diabetics
Gluten-Free Meals
Organic Meals
Weight Loss Meals
Compare Sample Meals
![Buffalo Chicken Breast]()
- Buffalo Chicken Breast
![Pork Carnitas]()
- Pork Carnitas
![Steak Peppercorn]()
- Steak Peppercorn
![Three Bean Ancho Turkey Chili]()
- Three Bean Ancho Turkey Chili
![Tahini Chicken Schnitzel]()
- Tahini Chicken Schnitzel
![Brie Mac and Cheese]()
- Brie Mac and Cheese
![Farro and Arugula Salad]()
- Farro and Arugula Salad
![Cauliflower Tinga Tacos]()
- Cauliflower Tinga Tacos
Compare Extras
A La Carte Menu
Gift Cards
Marketplace
A La Carte Menu
Gift Cards
Marketplace
Compare Ratings
Compare Customer Reviews
- Submitted By Stephanie Corsano on 10/07/2019I have ordered Freshly meals for about 4 months now and I just love them! The food is tasty. Great portions and I am NEVER left hungry. They have a variety of meals that I like. They add or change to different meals periodically, but I definitely have my favorites. Some you may have to season a bit more as they try and keep things healthy (so maybe some salt on occasion), but for the majority, 3 min in the microwave and you’re good to go! I have had a few instances with the delivery people, but when I call customer service, they are friendly, helpful and accommodating. They have even credited me back for any issues that may have come up. I also like the fact that I can customize my order. A number of meals per week, rather than choosing from a number of breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. I can’t do breakfast or lunch because I commute for work, and I do not have a microwave there. So ordering dinners for the end of the evening, is the best! But they do offer it if you’re so inclined. Overall, they are worth a try. You won’t be disappointed. Hopefully they will expand how many meals they offer, but they definitely include enough variety for me!
- Submitted By robb on 08/27/2019I am happy with the selection, quality, price. I will be staying long term, as long as they don't increase prices.
- Submitted By Christina on 08/18/2019Freshly was not good, and not worth the cost. It didn't taste particularly healthy NOR good. I had to struggle to make my way through the rest of my initial 6-meal trial. I will certainly never order from Freshly again.
- Submitted By SunnyDays on 06/20/2019I've been enjoying Freshly for a few months now and have to say they have exceeded my expectations. The meals arrive fully cooked and are kept cool in a well insulated box with earth friendly gel packs to keep them at a refrigerated temperature. They can go right into your fridge for later or pop one in the microwave for about 3 minuets and your dinner is ready. If you don't think you'll be eating them within the designated time listed on the package you can just freeze them and eat them when you're ready. ...
- Submitted By D Simon on 09/04/2019I've tried several meal delivery services, and so far Plated is my favorite. The reason? The recipes are far more interesting than Blue Apron, Martha Stewart, EveryPlate, and HomeChef (the other services I've tried). Ingredients are good quality, I've had only a handful of occasions where ingredients were not included, and customer service credited me in each instance without delay. I'm quite satisfied with this company.
- Submitted By Alicia Allaire on 08/30/2019After cooking 1458 recipes, I've cancelled Plated. The Service began with great quality ingredients. Occasionally there would be a leaking vinegar, or sauce. We would provide feedback and often there would be improvements made in packaging. But, for the most part, everything was great! In the past 6 months the quality has deteriorated severely. The produce has been horrible. The spinach in my shipment last week was ROTTEN in 2 days from receipt. This week it was already starting to spoil when I opened the box. Previously we noticed that after providing feedback they would make GOOD changes. Now they're just making cheaper decisions and providing less quality every shipment. We have moved on and cancelled our subscription. Plated, get it together! There is too much competition out there these days to cut SO many corners.
- Submitted By Robin K Holmes on 04/27/2019I just wanted to comment on the reason why I cancelled my weekly subscription box from Plated. I was a brand new customer, very excited to try their products, so I opened an account and set up a weekly delivery and made meal plans for several future weeks. I was so excited to receive my first order...and then it didn't come. I contacted customer service and they apologized and refunded me. I was told that everything was straightened out and I would definitely receive a box the very next week. A few days later I received an email from Plated saying "Yay! we're going to ship your order!" So I shopped light at the grocery store, confident that Plated would send me a box...and then it didn't come. Again. (I had nothing planned for dinner for the next 3 days and had to go out and buy more groceries after working a 12-hr shift.) I contacted customer service and received a refund to my bank account. But really? Two weeks in a row? No delivery, no explantion? Did they even want my business? Why would they not make certain that the order was shipped given the failure of the previous week? It was a very disappointing experience, and I would not recommend their service to anyone else. Plated gave me another refund, and when I told the customer service rep that I felt I should cancel my service if they could not deliver food I was told "We understand, sorry to see you go." No offer of a coupon or any type of customer recovery, just sorry to see me go. Don't bother to order from them, they can't seem to guarantee delivery.
- Submitted By Maria Foster on 01/16/20197 meals in and we love love love Plated! Everything arrived super fresh which is way more than we expected in this age of online frauds and dishonesty. One important thing though, NEVER EXPERIMENT with the recipes! We did it once and it was a disaster. The recipes are laser precise and you have to follow them to a T for good results.
Winner
Plated is a meal kit delivery service that offers very flexible subscription plans, as well as high-quality foods. Each week, it comes up with a new seasonal menu, including 20 new recipes and 2 desserts, easily meeting the needs of its customers. Read our thorough analysis of the Plated meal kit service and dozens of user-written Plated reviews.