Marley Spoon vs Home Chef Comparison

Price Comparison

When it comes to price, Marley Spoon and Home Chef both offer great value over takeout. With Marley Spoon, you can expect to pay $8.69 and up per serving for two-person meals, while with Home Chef, the lowest cost is $9.99 per serving for two-person meals. 

With both services, costs go down the more meals you order so larger families can save while smaller households who only want a few meals per week will pay a higher price per serving. In general, customizing meals and add-ons will push the cost per serving of each meal higher with both services.

Shipping Fees

Marley Spoon charges a flat rate of $11.99 for shipping while Home Chef charges a flat fee of $10.99. While shipping fees may be a consideration for choosing between Marley Spoon and Home Chef, the small difference here will likely be outweighed by other costs, and shipping is nearly a wash between the two.

Discounts and Promotions

When it comes to discounts and promotions, both Home Chef and Marley Spoon offer great deals for new and existing customers. At the time of this writing, Home Chef is offering 16 free meals for new customers, and new customers can often find promo codes for new sign-ups from both services. In terms of ongoing promotions, Home Chef regularly offers discounts during holidays such as Thanksgiving and Christmas, and both Home Chef and Marley Spoon have programs that reward existing customers with discounts for referring friends and family. Ultimately, both meal kit delivery services provide a variety of short-term incentives to reward new customers, but it’s most important to find the meal delivery service that delivers value to you long-term.

Meal Options Comparison

Marley Spoon and Home Chef offer a wide selection of meals for customers to choose from. Here’s a look at what each is dishing out:

Menu Variety

When it comes to menu variety, Marley Spoon and Home Chef meal delivery services are both impressive. Marley Spoon offers more than 100 weekly recipes, giving customers a diverse selection of meals to choose from. Home Chef, on the other hand, has a more streamlined rotating selection of dishes every week, with over 38 options to choose from.

Both companies offer classic home-style cooking with a wide range of dishes from different cuisines. Home Chef allows customers to customize their meals by giving them the option to add more protein to meals depending on their preference. Marley Spoon also caters to diverse dietary needs with options for vegetarians and vegans, and those requiring gluten-free meals.

Overall, while Marley Spoon and Home Chef have similarities in their menu variety and quality, Marley Spoon has greater variety, which keeps meal time fresh and can better cater to personal preferences and dietary needs. 

Special Dietary Needs Options

Both Marley Spoon and Home Chef offer options for customers with special dietary needs. However, they approach this in slightly different ways.

Marley Spoon recognizes the importance of accommodating a variety of dietary needs and preferences when it comes to choosing meals. They offer a good mix of vegetarian and vegan, meat and fish, family-friendly, under 30 minutes, and health and diet options, so that everyone can find something that suits their needs.

They also have meals that are adjusted to certain allergens, and offer low-carb dishes suitable for those looking to limit their carbohydrate intake. While they don’t offer a full menu fitting specific allergies or nutritional requirements, they do have some meals that are suitable.

Home Chef offers a range of meals designed for a variety of dietary needs, including vegetarian, low-carb, low-calorie and gluten-free. They also have a “customize it” feature that allows customers to swap out proteins or make other tweaks to their meals to better suit their needs.

In addition, Home Chef offers a “customize your dietary preference” feature, which allows customers to select up to six dietary preferences from a list of fourteen different options. These preferences include gluten-free, low-calorie, low-carb, vegetarian and more. Home Chef then curates a selection of meals based on the customer’s preferences.

Recipe Complexity

Home Chef offers a wide range of meal kits designed with various levels of complexity. Each recipe has a clear difficulty rating, and subscribers can choose the level of difficulty that suits their cooking skills. Home Chef offers a broader range of meal prep types ranging from heat-and-eat to more complex dishes that require ingredient prep and cooking.

On the other hand, Marley Spoon offers more complex and diverse meal recipes curated by Martha Stewart that need to be prepped and then cooked. Although recipes tend to be more intricate, they are still made to be simple to follow for both seasoned cooks and beginners. Martha Stewart even provides cooking techniques and tips through videos on their website.

Packaging

Home Chef offers a range of packaging options, including pre-portioned ingredients and recyclable materials. They also use insulated boxes with ice packs to keep your ingredients fresh and at the right temperature during delivery. Most of the components of the packaging can be recycled but you’ll need to check with your local waste authority to confirm details.

Marley Spoon also uses insulated boxes and ice packs to keep ingredients fresh. While the contents of the ice packs should be thrown away, it is mostly water and they offer recycling guidance on how to properly dispose of the paper, cardboard and plastic components of their packaging.

Preparation and Convenience

Home Chef offers easy-to-follow recipe cards with step-by-step instructions and cooking times. The meal kits are pre-portioned, saving you time on measuring and chopping ingredients. They also have many simpler meal options that only need to be heated in the oven or microwave. Marley Spoon’s meal kits come with recipe cards and are also pre-portioned, but they offer more complex and gourmet recipes. This means you may spend a bit more time preparing your meals—but the end result is a more restaurant-quality dish.

Home Chef offers recipe cards that are concise, providing clear and easy to follow instructions for preparing the meals. The recipe cards also include helpful tips and tricks, such as cooking times for different types of stovetops or pans. 

On the other hand, Marley Spoon’s recipe cards are known to be more detailed, which may be preferred by those who enjoy a more in-depth understanding of the cooking process. The cards offer step-by-step instructions and include photos for each step, giving users a visual reference of the cooking process. However, the added level of detail can sometimes make the recipes feel more complicated, which may not be ideal for those just trying to get food on the table.

Customer Support Comparison

Contact Options

Home Chef offers multiple ways to get in touch with their customer support team, including email, phone and live chat. They also have a Help Center on their website that provides answers to frequently asked questions. Marley Spoon also has a robust FAQ section with easy-to-find answers and offers direct support via email or by phone during business hours.

Satisfaction Guarantee

Both Home Chef and Marley Spoon allow you to cancel your subscription at any time, so there’s no concerns about getting locked into a service you may not enjoy. Marley Spoon has a freshness and quality guarantee lasting four days from when you receive your order. While refunds or credits are not guaranteed, they may offer them at their discretion if you’re not happy with your order and you reach out within seven days of receiving the shipment.

Similarly, Home Chef doesn’t guarantee satisfaction or refunds, but if you’re unhappy with an order and contact them within seven days of receipt, you may request a credit, which may be issued at their discretion.

Our Verdict

Both Marley Spoon and Home Chef offer convenient meal kit delivery services that make it easy to enjoy delicious meals without the hassle of grocery shopping and meal planning. Each service has its own advantages, such as diverse meal options for Marley Spoon and quick and easy recipes for Home Chef. Ultimately, the choice will come down to personal preference and which features are most important to you and their cancel-anytime plans make it easy to try them for yourself.

We hope this guide has helped you make an informed decision between Marley Spoon and Home Chef. Bon appétit!

FAQ

What is the difference between Marley Spoon and Home Chef?

Marley Spoon and Home Chef both offer meal delivery services designed to make meal prep easier for busy households. While the costs are similar, the biggest difference between them is the types and variety of meals.

Marley Spoon offers a wide array of meal options from around the world, including dishes like Thai-style mango chicken, smoked salmon tacos, vegan miso broccoli bowls, and Greek lamb meatballs with tzatziki. The Martha Stewart-curated menu options include more than 100 options each week.

Home Chef has a more limited meal selection than Marley Spoon, featuring American favorites like steak fajitas, southern fried pork chops, mac ‘n cheese bites and pesto teriyaki shrimp bowls. However, they have a wider variety of meal complexity with more simple heat-and-eat options that require less prep than Marley Spoon’s options. 

Why should I choose Marley Spoon over Home Chef?

Marley Spoon is a great choice for home cooks who want to enjoy delicious, home-cooked meals without the hassle of grocery shopping and meal planning. Marley Spoon makes it easy to find healthy, seasonal recipes that are tailored to your dietary needs and preferences. They provide quality ingredients that are already portioned out and pre-measured, so all you have to do is follow the recipe instructions to create a delicious meal in minutes. Plus, their extensive selection of meal kits offers something for everyone—from quick weeknight dinners to slow cooker specialties.