Meal kits are a popular option for many, offering a convenient, time-saving and tasty way to manage mealtimes. Dinnerly and Hello Fresh are two popular providers – both advertising delicious, quick meals made with fresh, local ingredients – but which one is the best?
How we compare providers
We understand that choosing the right meal service can be a daunting task, which is why we’ve gone the extra mile to provide you with expert insights. Our team of expert nutritionists have tried out both Dinnerly and Hello Fresh and analysed their offerings. We’ve investigated key factors such as taste, variety, nutritional value, and delivery reliability to provide you with the most transparent and well-informed comparison. Use our insights to guide you towards the right meal service for your needs.
Dinnerly
From $48.89 – $142.25
Dinnerly is marketed as one of Australia’s most affordable meal kits. They provide simple, delicious five-step recipes that are guaranteed to please even the fussiest of eaters. Dinnerly aims to source Australian-grown and packaged ingredients where possible, including fresh, seasonal produce and proteins from local Australian farmers.
Pros
- Quick Meals – Each Dinnerly recipe can be made in 30 minutes or less using only 5 ingredients.
- Affordable – You can feed a family of 4, 6 meals a week for under $150 – that’s $3.99 per serving!
- Menu Variety – Dinnerly have 80+ recipes to choose from each week and include vegetarian, family friendly and low-calorie options.
Cons
- Dietary Preferences – Dinnerly has a poor amount of vegan and pescatarian meals. Whilst they do offer no added gluten, dairy free and reduced carb options, they do not offer gluten or nut free meals.
- Customisation – Dinnerly does not currently offer pre-set meal plans and the option to swap out or add ingredients is not available across all recipes.
- Nutritional Information – Their online recipes only provide the macronutrient breakdown, and you have to search through their Ingredient Hub to find more information which is clunky. Identifying sodium, fibre and total fat versus saturated fat is ideal when choosing a balanced, nutritious meal.
Hello Fresh
From $79.95 – $229.99
Hello Fresh is one of the most popular meal kits in Australia, with meal plans to suit nearly everyone. Hello Fresh prides itself on delivering fresh ingredients to your door, and even pre-measure ingredients to reduce waste.
Pros
- Menu Variety – Like Dinnerly, there are over 80 recipes to select from each week, plus they have a wide range of meal plans to choose from, including plans for singles, seniors, and students.
- Dietary Preferences – Hello Fresh offers a wide range of meal plans – from Calorie Smart, Low Calorie, Vegetarian, Vegan, Carb Smart, Gluten Free, Family Friendly, High Protein and Quick and Easy Meal Plans.
- Availability – Hello Fresh is available across most of Australia.
Cons
- Customisation – This feature is somewhat limited. You are not able to filter the menu by ingredient or dietary preference, and you can only add, not remove ingredients from recipes.
- Price – Hello Fresh is one of the more expensive meal kits, coming in at $8.25 per serving on a 4-person, 5 meals plan. Furthermore, if you select their ‘Gourmet’, ‘Fresh and Fast’, ‘Taste Tours’ or ‘Dinner to Lunch’ recipes, these come at an additional cost ranging from $2.99 – $7.99 per portion.
- Nutrition – Whilst the meals on average have good protein content, and an average of 3 serves of vegetables, they are higher in calories, sodium and fat when compared to Dinnerly.
Website & Ordering
Both Hello Fresh and Dinnerly push subscriptions heavily, with Hello Fresh making it nearly impossible to view their menu without signing up. This can be very off-putting if you are just looking. Once you do get past all this, both Dinnerly and Hello Fresh have easy to navigate websites. Dinnerly’s menu stands out the most as the recipe names are very clear and all items are clearly tagged according to their category e.g. ‘family friendly’, ‘weight loss‘, ‘dairy free’, ‘under 25 minutes’.
Dinnerly does not allow you to filter the menu however, which impacts your ability to identify meals to suit your dietary preference quickly. Hello Fresh is similar – you are unable to filter by dietary restriction or ingredient.
Hello Fresh pushes their set meal plans quite a lot, which is a great solution for those who don’t want to sift through the menu. For example, if you are in a rush, you can select their ‘Quick & Easy’ meal plan in which all you need to do is select at least 4 meals from the plan. Dinnerly does not offer this capability and instead, you need to sift through their large menu to choose your desired meals.
In terms of time-saving alone, Hello Fresh’s ordering process is a lot quicker than Dinnerly thanks to their focus on pre-set meal plans that cater to a wide range of dietary preferences. However, if you enjoy choosing your recipes and do not require advanced customisation Dinnerly’s menu is well-suited.
Packaging & Delivery
Dinnerly: Once you place your order, all your recipe ingredients are packed fresh and delivered straight to your door based on your location. You can select from the delivery times – 12:00 AM – 07:00 AM, or 08:00 AM – 6:30 PM. They also charge a $10.49 delivery fee across all orders. Unlike most meal kits that include printed recipe cards, Dinnerly sends digital recipe cards. These are emailed to you one week prior to your scheduled delivery and they also advise you of the additional pantry items you need for the recipes. When you receive your box, the ingredients are loose, and not packaged according to their recipe which could be confusing for some.
Hello Fresh: Like Dinnerly, Hello Fresh charges a $9.99 flat rate across all deliveries. HelloFresh deliver their kits in a cooled cardboard box that will keep your ingredients from going off for at least 8 hours after delivery. Deliveries are made between Saturday and Wednesday each week. Hello Fresh sends printed recipe cards which can also be accessed online, and each recipe is packaged in a separate, labelled, brown paper bag to allow for easy identification.
Which is healthier: Dinnerly or Hello Fresh?
Both Hello Fresh and Dinnerly boast healthy options and a range of recipes to suit dietary preferences.
Dinnerly Nutritional Breakdown
Macronutrients: The protein content of their meals averages at 34g protein which is great. They include good quality carbohydrates in some of their meals such as brown rice, however they also use refined carbohydrates such as white noodles and pasta. Healthy sources of fats such as nuts are used in lots of their meals and total fat content averages at 34g.
Vegetables: Whilst still adequate, Dinnerly meals have lower amounts of vegetables compared to Hello Fresh averaging at 2.5 serves. The variety of vegetables in some of the meals is also lacking and may include 1 tomato and 1 onion only.
Sodium: On average, Dinnerly meals come in at 800mg sodium, with some meals containing close to 1000mg sodium which is a consideration if you are following a low sodium diet.
Customisation: At this current time, you can swap or upgrade proteins or other ingredients according to your preferences for example choosing microwave rice over normal rice or adding extra cheese. This allows individuals to tailor the protein, carbohydrate and fat content of their meals, however, this option is not available across all recipes.
Dinnerly – Meal Kit
4.5 
BackHello Fresh Nutritional Breakdown
Macronutrients: Hello Fresh meals contain a slightly higher amount of protein compared to Dinnerly, averaging 38g. This is great for individuals who are looking to hit protein targets or are highly active. Their recipes include a mixture of refined and un-refined carbohydrates but only average 1.8 servings of grains compared to 2.4 servings of grains with Dinnerly. The total fat content of Hello Fresh meals is higher on average compared to Dinnerly, averaging at 53g.
Vegetables: Hello Fresh prioritises fresh ingredients, and this shows in their meals which contain more vegetables compared to Dinnerly, averaging at 3 servings. This is a great contribution to our recommended 5 serves a day.
Sodium: The sodium content of Hello Fresh meals is very high, averaging 1400mg. Hello Fresh calls for the addition of salt to their recipes at least twice which is something to note. This amount of sodium is over half of our daily sodium requirement and should be carefully considered if you are following a low-sodium diet.
Customisation: Hello Fresh recipes can be customised by adding additional ingredients to recipes, for example, adding meat to a vegetarian meal to boost the protein content. You cannot however swap out proteins or other ingredients like Dinnerly offers.
Hello Fresh – Meal Kit
4.0
Macro comparison of Beef Rump Steaks: Dinnerly vs Hello Fresh
| Dinnerly: Beef Rump Steak | Hello Fresh: Beef Rump Steak | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 35.5g | 36.3g |
| Fat | 29.4g | 21.1g |
| Carbohydrate | 31.9g | 18.9g |
| Calories | 545 kcal | 411 kcal |
Beef Rump Steak macro comparison
- Protein: Hello Fresh’s Beef Rump Steak contains slightly more protein, with differences almost negligible. Both are good protein options.
- Fat: Dinnerly’s Beef Rump Steak contains 8g more fat compared to Hello Fresh. If you are mindful of your total fat intake, Hello Fresh’s recipe might be more suitable.
- Carbohydrates: Dinnerly’s Beef Rump Steak contains a higher amount of carbohydrates. If you are following a lower carb diet, I recommend choosing Hello Fresh’s Beef Rump Steak.
- Calories: Hello Fresh’s Beef Rump Steak contains 411kcal vs 545kcal in Dinnerly’s Beef Rump Steak. If you are watching your total calorie intake and opting for lower calorie meals, I would recommend Hello Fresh’s Beef Rump Steak.
Overall, if you are looking for lower calorie, lower carb options, I would choose the Hello Fresh Beef Rump Steak as this will best suit your goals. There are also more vegetables included per serving in Hello Fresh’s meal making this a better option compared to Dinnerly. Both meals have similar amounts of protein, making them good options. According to your personal goals and dietary preferences, both services offer suitable meals, so determine what is best for you
Price Comparison
Pricing varies based off your selected meal plan.
Dinnerly offers the highest number of meals per week at 6 versus 5 for Hello Fresh. This allows you to plan out almost your entire week of meals. The price per serving ranges from $3.99 – $6.39. Like with most subscriptions, the more meals you select, the better value. Dinnerly’s 4 person, 6 meals per week plan is very affordable and is a great option for families. You can also save up to $140 off your first order thanks to their first-time purchase discount.
Hello Fresh offers a wide variety of different meal plans from student meal kits to low carb, calorie smart and vegetarian. They also include meal plans for up to 6 people which Dinnerly does not offer. The per-serving cost is significantly higher than Dinnerly, ranging from $7.33 – $11.67. This price difference could be due to their wide range of meal plans and fresh, quality local produce. Like Dinnerly, Hello Fresh offers a large discount of $200 off your first order when you sign up, which is an enticing offer.
The price of a weekly subscription
| Number of People | Number of Meals | Dinnerly | Hello Fresh |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | $49.89 | – |
| 2 | 3 | $61.43 | $79.99 |
| 2 | 4 | $74.41 | $99.99 |
| 2 | 5 | $85.39 | $114.99 |
| 2 | 6 | $97.97 | – |
| 4 | 2 | $72.81 | – |
| 4 | 3 | $94.27 | $134.99 |
| 4 | 4 | $117.53 | $159.99 |
| 4 | 5 | $140.29 | $174.99 |
| 4 | 6 | $142.25 | – |
| 6 | 3 | – | $169.99 |
| 6 | 4 | – | $204.99 |
| 6 | 5 | – | $229.99 |
If you are a family of 4, Dinnerly is a cost-effective option, coming in at $3.99 per serving. You can also use their first purchase discount to save money. If you have a higher budget, Hello Fresh will meet your needs thanks to their wide range of meal plans. Like Dinnerly, you can also save a significant amount off your first Hello Fresh order.
Dinnerly vs Hello Fresh: Which should I buy?
When comparing the two meal kits, Dinnerly is my top pick. Based on cost alone, Dinnerly is a cheaper option, especially when considering families. They also offer up to 6 meals per week on their plans, as opposed to 5 with Hello Fresh and have an equally large menu to select from, meaning there is something to please even the pickiest of eaters.
In terms of nutrition, Dinnerly might not contain the most vegetables per serve, but their meals provide a similar amount of protein and carbohydrates on average to Hello Fresh. Their recipes also have less sodium and total fat. Dinnerly meals on average are also lower in total calories making them a good option for health-conscious individuals. The quality of Dinnerly’s ingredients is similar to Hello Fresh, and all their meals are quick to prepare, ticking the convenience box.
If you rely on customisation or have unique dietary preferences, Hello Fresh is your go-to option. They have meal plans for virtually everyone and whilst they are the more expensive option, their meals are good quality and contain more vegetables than Dinnerly. If you also enjoy cooking, Hello Fresh allows you to choose meals that inspire you to try new things.
Which tastes better?
Hello Fresh meals are all delicious and have great freshness and flavour. There is an emphasis on fresh vegetables, however, they use lots of dressings and sauces in their recipes which adds additional calories.
My pick would have to be Dinnerly – Dinnerly is equally as tasty as Hello Fresh and has more ‘comfort’ food flavours which are favoured by many. Dinnerly also has great family friendly meals that are sure to please the fussiest of eaters, whilst some Hello Fresh Meals can be too ‘fancy’ for the little ones. Both Hello Fresh and Dinnerly’s recipes can taste quite salty, and in this case, I would recommend not adding any further salt.
Final Verdict: Dinnerly vs Hello Fresh
Dinnerly
From $48.89 – $142.25
Dinnerly is a cost-effective meal kit that caters well to families and has an extensive menu to choose from.
- Affordable
- Macronutrient balanced
- Quick meals
Hello Fresh
From $79.99 – $229.99
Hello Fresh provides meal plans for nearly everyone and caters to a wide range of dietary preferences, however, they are more expensive.
- Customised meal plans
- High vegetables per serve
- Tasty meals
