Hello Fresh and Marley Spoon are touted as two of Australia’s best meal kits. Both supply high quality, waste conscious, delicious recipes, straight to your door. But with both boasting similar attributes, which is the best value for money, and which is healthier and tastier?
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 Marley Spoon 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.
Marley Spoon
From $64.45 – $199.85
Marley Spoon offers healthy, pre-portioned recipes to your door. With recipes developed in-house by their team of chefs, each meal has simple step-by-step instructions designed to make cooking easy. Marley Spoon pride themselves on using sustainable suppliers and local farmers.
Pros
- Menu Variety – Marley Spoon have 70+ recipes to choose from each week.
- Dietary Preferences – Marley Spoon offer a good range of options including ‘healthy’, ‘fast’, ‘vegetarian’, ‘vegan’, ‘no added gluten’, ‘family-friendly options’, ‘dairy free’ and ‘40g+ protein’.
- Nutrition – On average, Marley Spoon is lower in calories, fat, sugar, sodium and higher in protein compared to Hello Fresh. Some meals contain as much as 3 serves of vegetables.
Cons
- Price – Marley Spoon is less expensive compared to Hello Fresh, with servings starting from $7.49, however it is still one of the more expensive options on the market.
- Customisation – Marley Spoon allows you to swap and add ingredients such as additional protein, yet this is only available for some recipes. You are also unable to select customised meal plans to suit your diet goals such as ‘High Protein’ or ‘Calorie Smart’, which Hello Fresh offers.
- Nutritional Information – Marley Spoon’s recipes only provide the macronutrient breakdown, so if you require more information on ingredients, you must search through their Ingredient Hub which is not a great user experience.
Hello Fresh
From $69.99 – $229.99
Hello Fresh is an extremely popular meal kit, offering recipes that help you save time, eat healthier and get inspired. They offer meal plans to suit nearly everyone and provide pre-portioned ingredients to reduce waste
Pros
- Menu Variety – There are 80+ recipes to select from each week.
- Dietary Preferences – Hello Fresh offers a large selection 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 – You can only add, not remove ingredients from recipes. Marley Spoon allows you to swap ingredients in some of their recipes.
- Price – Hello Fresh costs as much as $15.00 per serve on their 2-person, 2 meals plan.
- Nutrition – Hello Fresh is higher in calories, sodium and fat when compared to Marley Spoon.
Website & Ordering
Hello Fresh pushes subscriptions heavily, whilst Marley Spoon allows you to survey their website and menu before making a purchase. This factor alone makes Marley Spoon a more pleasurable ordering experience. Marley Spoons website is simple, like their food philosophy, with recipes tagged so you can identify dietary preferences such ‘dairy free’ and ‘40g+ protein’. Hello Fresh also uses a similar tagging system. The meals on Hello Fresh’s and Marley Spoon’s menus all look delicious, however Hello Fresh’s menu is slightly more ‘crowded’ in comparison which makes Marley Spoon look slightly more appealing.
Both Hello Fresh and Marley Spoon have limited filtering capacity – you are unable to filter by dietary restriction or ingredient with Hello Fresh, and you can only filter by ‘no added gluten’, ‘vegetarian and vegan’ and ‘meat and fish’ with Marley Spoon when it comes to dietary preferences. However, Marley Spoon’s ‘Taste Profile’ that you complete when signing up, helps narrow down your preferred proteins and recipes you are shown when selecting. Hello Fresh’s customised meal plans offer a slightly more simplified solution, allowing you to choose plans such as ‘vegetarian’ with a curated selection of suitable recipes.
Hello Fresh’s meal plans make the ordering process a little quicker and simpler compared to Marley Spoon. However, if you do not rely on meal plans, Marley Spoon’s ‘Taste Profile’ and extensive menu are sure to provide suitable recipes.
Packaging & Delivery
Marley Spoon: All orders come with a $10.49 delivery fee, slightly more than Hello Fresh ($9.99), which is an additional cost on top of the already pricey meal kits. Marley Spoon delivers to most metro and surrounding areas of major cities in Australia. Delivery dates and times range according to your location. Ingredients arrive in a well packaged box, with cold ingredients in 85% recyclable chill packs. Each recipes ingredients are packed in brown paper bags with a label and QR code to access the recipe online. You can also opt out of printed recipes cards and go paperless.
Hello Fresh: Like Marley Spoon, Hello Fresh packages their recipes individually in brown paper bags, with cold ingredients in chilled packs. There are no QR codes to access recipes online, and you receive printed recipes cards with every order. Deliveries are made between Saturday and Wednesday each week and can be delivered to a majority of metro and surrounding locations in Australia.
Which is healthier: Marley Spoon or Hello Fresh?
Both Hello Fresh and Marley Spoon claim to offer healthy, fresh recipes, pre-portioned to save you time and reduce waste.
Marley Spoon Nutritional Breakdown
Macronutrients: The protein content of their meals averages at 41.g protein, one of the highest averages of protein across meal kits, including Hello Fresh. For protein conscious individuals, I would recommend Marley Spoon over Hello Fresh. Marley Spoon include a good range of complex, high fibre, carbohydrates including wholegrain varieties like freekeh and brown rice, with some recipes using refined carbohydrates such as white pasta. Marley Spoon’s meals contain the lowest average of fat compared to Hello Fresh at 30.3g.
Vegetables: Marley Spoon’s recipes contain on average 2.8 serves of vegetables, with several of their menu items tagged as ‘3+ serves veg’. This is a standout feature of Marley Spoon, providing a significant contribution to our recommended intake of 5 serves of vegetables a day.
Sodium: Marley Spoon contains the lowest amount of sodium on average – 779mg versus an average of 1426mg sodium in Hello Fresh’s recipes. This is a substantial difference and worth noting for those who are conscious about their sodium intake.
Customisation: Marley Spoon allows you to swap ingredients in some, but not all meals. For example, you can swap flour tortillas for lettuce cups if you are looking for a lower carb option. You can also add ingredients like additional protein to some meals however this comes at an additional cost for example, extra chicken thigh is $1.99 per portion.
Marley Spoon – Meal Kits
5.0 
BackHello Fresh Nutritional Breakdown
Macronutrients: Hello Fresh’s meals contain on average 3g less protein than Marley Spoon at 38g. Whilst this is not a huge difference, individuals who are protein focused may prefer Marley Spoon. Hello Fresh’s meals include sources of refined and un-refined carbohydrates and average at 1.8 serves of grains compared to 2.5 serves of grains with Marley Spoon. Hello Fresh contains more total fat on average at 53.4g which is a considerable difference to Marley Spoon (30.3g). Those who are opting for meals lower in total fat should choose Marley Spoon.
Vegetables: Hello Fresh contains the highest amount of vegetables per serve at 3.1 compared to 2.8 with Marley Spoon. However, both are still high serves of vegetables, and both provide a good contribution to our recommended 5 serves a day.
Sodium: Hello Fresh contains the highest amount of sodium on average – 1426mg. Hello Fresh calls for the addition of salt to their recipes at least twice which should be noted. 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: You can customise Hello Fresh recipes by adding additional ingredients such as extra protein, however, you cannot swap ingredients like Marley Spoon offers.
Hello Fresh – Meal Kit
4.0
Macro comparison of Chicken Schnitzel: Marley Spoon vs Hello Fresh
| Marley Spoon: Chicken Schnitzel | Hello Fresh: Chicken Schnitzel | |
|---|---|---|
| Protein | 44.6g | 48.9g |
| Fat | 16.8g | 25.7g |
| Carbohydrate | 49.4g | 60.7g |
| Calories | 550 kcal | 678 kcal |
Chicken Schnitzel macro comparison
- Protein: Hello Fresh’s Chicken Schnitzel contains more protein compared to Marley Spoon making this a better option for those who are conscious about their protein intake.
- Fat: Marley Spoon has considerably less total fat when compared to Hello Fresh, making this a good option for those who are looking for a lower calorie, low fat choice.
- Carbohydrates: Marley Spoon contains less carbohydrates than Hello Fresh. If you are looking for a lower carb option, I would recommend this.
- Calories: Hello Fresh’s Chicken Schnitzel contains 678kcal versus 550kcal in Marley Spoon’s Chicken Schnitzel. If you are looking for lower calorie meals, I would recommend Marley Spoon’s Chicken Schnitzel.
Overall, if you are looking for a low fat, low carb option, I would recommend the Marley Spoon Chicken Schnitzel. Both contain over 40g of protein making them suitable protein options, and both Hello Fresh and Marley Spoon contain high amounts of vegetables per serve. If you are looking for recipes that meet your weight loss goals, Marley Spoon may be a more suitable option, however individuals should determine what is best for them in line with their dietary preferences.
Price Comparison
Pricing varies according to your selected meal plan.
Marley Spoon offers meals for up to 4 people whereas Hello fresh offers meals for up to 6 people, making them an appealing option for larger families. However, Marley Spoon offers more meals per week at 6 versus 5 with Hello Fresh, allowing you to organise almost an entire week’s worth of meals. Marley Spoon’s price per serving is as little as $5.49 and as much as $7.49. Usually, the more meals you purchase the better the value, however there isn’t a huge difference between the cost per serve on their 4-person, 6 meals plan ($5.49) and 2-person, 2 meals plan ($7.49). Marley Spoon offers $220 discount off your first box, which is more than what Hello Fresh offers.
Hello Fresh’s cost per serving cost is higher than Marley Spoon, ranging from $7.33 – $11.67. Whilst both brands offer a similar number of recipes to choose from and quality ingredients, Hello Fresh’s wide range of meal plans may be a reason as to why they are more expensive. Hello Fresh offers $200 off your first order when you sign up.
The price of a weekly subscription
| Number of People | Number of Meals | Marley Spoon | Hello Fresh |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | 2 | $64.45 | $69.99 |
| 2 | 3 | $85.43 | $79.99 |
| 2 | 4 | $106.41 | $99.99 |
| 2 | 5 | $125.39 | $114.99 |
| 2 | 6 | $142.37 | – |
| 4 | 2 | $102.41 | $114.99 |
| 4 | 3 | $142.37 | $134.99 |
| 4 | 4 | $170.33 | $159.99 |
| 4 | 5 | $180.29 | $174.99 |
| 4 | 6 | $199.85 | – |
| 6 | 2 | – | $139.99 |
| 6 | 3 | – | $169.99 |
| 6 | 4 | – | $204.99 |
| 6 | 5 | – | $229.99 |
Whilst Hello Fresh caters to more people, a family of 4 on 6 meals per week would get better value with Marley Spoon versus Hello Fresh. However, for 2 people looking for 4 meals per week, my pick would be Hello Fresh. Both are higher priced options, so it is up to individuals to determine which best suits their dietary preferences and lifestyles best.
Marely Spoon vs Hello Fresh: Which should I buy?
Hello Fresh and Marley Spoon both offer healthy, convenient recipes and both have large menus to choose from, however my preferred choice is Marley Spoon. The cost per serve is less than Hello Fresh ($5.49 vs $7.33) and the portion sizes from Marley Spoon’s recipes are generous meaning singles or couples get good value for money. Marley Spoon also offers up to 6 meals per week compared to 5 with Hello Fresh, which means you have greater control over your weekly meals.
Marley Spoon’s recipes have a similar number of vegetables per serve to Hello Fresh and on average more protein, less total fat, carbohydrates, and sodium making them a more nutritionally balanced option. If you have weight loss goals or are simply looking to eat healthier, I recommend Marley Spoon over Hello Fresh. The quality of Marley Spoon’s ingredients is also on par with Hello Fresh and are pre-portioned so you do not need to compromise on quality or convenience with Marley Spoon.
If you are looking for customised meal plans, or have unique dietary preferences, I would recommend Hello Fresh as the preferred option. Their meal plans cater to nearly everyone and are a convenient way to plan your meals for the week.
Which tastes better?
Both Hello Fresh and Marley Spoon are delicious. Hello Fresh’s focus on fresh ingredients and home cooked flavours is evident, however, some of their meals can taste very salty due to the addition of salt.
Marley Spoon’s meals are fresh and packed with plenty of flavour. Whilst similar, my choice would have to be Marley Spoon. Every meal is delicious, no matter what you choose. Their recipes elevate your home cooking!
Final Verdict: Marley Spoon vs Hello Fresh
Marley Spoon
From $64.45 – $199.85
Marley Spoon offer high quality meal kits that cater to a good range of dietary preferences. Their meals are made with quality ingredients and are a more macronutrient balanced option when compared to Hello Fresh.
- Large menu
- Lower carb and lower fat
- High vegetables per serve
Hello Fresh
From $69.99 – $229.99
Hello Fresh provides meal plans for nearly everyone and cater to a wide range of dietary preferences, however they are more expensive and have a poorer macronutrient profile when compared to Marley Spoon.
- Customised meal plans
- High vegetables per serve
- Tasty meals
