HelloFresh Vs Bargain Box (+3 Sample Meals)

The current blogpost will be discussing the advantages as well as the limitations of HelloFresh and Bargain Box. Both of these are meal kit delivery services which deliver fresh ingredients along with recipes to customers. While HelloFresh is available in many countries, Bargain Box is limited to New Zealand and only has operations there as of now.

In the end, we will give you our opinions on which of these two may be the better choice based on first-hand experiences.

HelloFresh vs Bargain Box

In the following table, you will find the different characteristics of HelloFresh and Bargain Box. We have also mentioned the price ranges of meal kits in these two platforms and also given you a basic idea of what types of recipes you can expect to find here. Using the information in the table, you can decide which meal kit delivery service works better for you.

Feature	HelloFresh	Bargain Box
Delivery areas	98% of the United States aside from Alaska & Hawaii,UK,France,Germany,Netherlands,Belgium,Luxembourg,Austria,Switzerland,Australia,Canada,New Zealand,Denmark,Sweden	86% of New Zealand
Price range	$120 to $460 per month	$138 to $198 per week
Price per plate	$7.49 per plate	$4.67 per plate
Difficulty levels	Easy,Intermediate,Expert	Easy,Intermediate
Avg. cooking time	20 – 50 mins per meal	15 minutes per meal min.
Avg. calorie count	500-800 calories per serving	400 – 600 calories per serving
Supporting material	Recipe cards,Nutritional facts,Meal description	Meal description,Nutritional facts,Recipe
Recipes supported	Calorie-smart,Carb-smart,Vegetarian,Pescatarian,Beef,Chicken,Beans and Legumes,Grain	Healthy,Vegetarian,Meat,Poultry,Seafood,Gluten-free,Low-calorie
No. of choices	30 per week	11 per week
Introductory deal	60% off on first box	30% off on first order
Avg. shelf life	3-5 days for meat,1-2 days for seafood	Varies depending on the ingredient

Types of Plans: HelloFresh vs Bargain Box

HelloFresh	Bargain Box
Meat & Veggies Meal kits containing meat and veggies	Chef’s Selection 3 or 4 or 5 dinners,2 or 4 persons,From $56.50 per week or $9.42 per plate
Vegetarian Plant-based mealsNot always vegan	Healthy Choices 3 or 4 or 5 dinners,1 or 2 or 4 persons,From $76.00 per week or $12.67 per plate
Family Friendly Kid-approved meals	Veggie & Plant based 3 or 4 or 5 dinners,2 or 4 persons,From $56.50 per week or $9.42 per plate
Calorie-Smart meals 650 calories or less in each serving	Gluten-free 5 dinners,4 persons,From $108.00 per week or $5.40 per plate
Quick and Easy Meals which can be cooked within 30 minutes	Fresh Start Choice 3 or 4 or 5 dinners,1 or 2 or 4 persons,From $164.49 per week or $8.22 per plate
Pescatarian Meals containing seafood proteins

HelloFresh offers several choices for its customers. The plans in HelloFresh include standard meal kits which need to be cooked from scratch and come in varieties like meat and veggies, veggies only and even pescatarian meals. There are also quick-cooking meals in the quick and easy plan.

Bargain Box also offers a number of meal plans for its customers. The plans in Bargain Box include the Chef’s selection which brings the best-selling options to the user and also the healthy choices plan full of nourishing meals. Bargain Box also features low-calorie meals in the Fresh Start plan which may aid in weight loss.

Winner: Bargain Box wins the Types of Plans segment.

Types of Ingredients: Hello Fresh vs Bargain Box

Ingredient type	HelloFresh	Bargain Box
Produce	Farm-fresh produce	Local farms and vendors,
Meat, eggs, fish	Hormone-free,Antibiotic-free	Free-farmed animals and birds
Other ingredients	Seasonings, Spice blends	Seasonings, Sauces,Spices

In HelloFresh, the produce is sourced from local farms and vendors who directly partner with the meal kit delivery service. The farms which partner with HelloFresh are guaranteed to use only safe farming practices. HelloFresh focuses more on bringing seasonal produce and fruits to the customer to ensure better quality and taste.

Bargain Box also follows a similar method but is more directly involved in the farming process. The produce in Bargain Box meal kits are safely grown but not guaranteed to be organic all the time. The meat, poultry and the pork in Bargain box meal kits come from free-farmed animals and birds.

Winner: Bargain Box wins the Types of Ingredients segment.

Add-Ons: HelloFresh vs Bargain Box

HelloFresh	Bargain Box
Garlic bread,Yogurt dip,Garden salad,Cheesecake Mousse Parfait	Fruit,Prepared meals,Recipe folders

When the customer is adding recipes and meal kits to their weekly cart in HelloFresh, they are also free to add more items. The add-on menu in HelloFresh features items like garlic bread and tasty yogurt dip. Fiber-filled garden salad is also present as an add-on option while dessert lovers can go for the cheesecake mousse parfait.

Bargain Box is another great meal kit delivery service which also features some great add-ons. However, it is true that the options in the add-on menu are pretty limited in number when compared to other meal kit delivery services. The only add-ons or extras which are available in Bargain Box include fruit plates, prepared meals and recipe folders.

Winner: HelloFresh wins the Add-ons segment.

Packaging of Meal kit: HelloFresh vs Bargain Box

HelloFresh	Bargain Box
Cardboard box,Kit bag,Separator,Insulator,Ice packs	Wool pouch,Cardboard boxes,Ice packs
Fully recyclable	Fully recyclable

The packaging of HelloFresh meal kits has been kept as recyclable as possible in order to be more environmentally-friendly and sustainable. The meal kits in HelloFresh come in cardboard boxes which can be easily recycled curbside. The ingredients inside are packed with ice packs which contain a non-toxic gel.

Bargain Box also uses very recyclable packaging for the meal kits. The packaging of the meal kits here uses cardboard which can be recycled curbside. For the insulation, Bargain Box uses wool in a product called ‘WoolCool’ which can also be compostable. The ice packs use plain water which can be poured out in any drain.

Winner: Bargain Box wins the Packaging of Meal kit segment.

Customer Support: HelloFresh vs Bargain Box

Feature	HelloFresh	Bargain Box
Chat support	+	+
Email support	–	+
Phone support	+	+
Availability	All days of the week	All days of the week

The customer support of HelloFresh can be reached through a number of ways. The best and easiest way to reach out to the customer support of HelloFresh is to use the live chat feature. Phone support is also available in HelloFresh on all days of the year other than certain public holidays.

In Bargain Box, the customer support can be reached best through live chat. The live chat is available in the app or in any of the social media handles of Bargain Box. Furthermore, there is also email support in Bargain Box along with phone support which can be reached out at any time.

Winner: Bargain Box wins the Customer Support segment.

Sample Meals: HelloFresh vs Bargain Box

Sample	HelloFresh	Bargain Box
Sample 1	Name: Hearty Steak and PotatoesPreparation time: 40 minsSpice level: MildDifficulty: Easy	Name: Pulled Beef Nachos with Corn Chips & Sour CreamPreparation time: 15 minSpice level: MediumDifficulty: Easy
Sample 2	Name: Winner Winner Chicken Orzo DinnerPreparation time: 30 minsSpice level: MildDifficulty: Easy	Name: BBP Hemp “Chicken” Burgers with Parsnip Chips & PicklenaisePreparation time: 35 minsSpice level: MildDifficulty: Intermediate
Sample 3	Name: Ginger Beef Stir-FryPreparation time: 30 minsSpice level: MediumDifficulty: Easy	Name: Cheesy Potato-Topped Chicken Bake with PeasPreparation time: 45 minsSpice level: MildDifficulty: Easy

The recipes in HelloFresh star many ingredients. Users can find recipes which contain both meat and vegetables and even fully-vegetarian meals here. The recipes come in various difficulty levels, but due to the simplistic language used in the recipe cards, anyone is free to try out any recipe here.

When it comes to the recipes in Bargain Box, the user can aim to find mostly family-friendly and wholesome recipes. For those who are trying to cut down on calories, Bargain Box also offers numerous low-calorie recipes. The recipes are mostly easy to work with and can be completed in about 30-40 minutes.

Winner: Bargain Box wins the Sample Meals segment.

App rating: HelloFresh vs Bargain Box

Platform	HelloFresh	Bargain Box
Google Play Store	3.4	Rating not available
Apple App Store	4.4	3.9 (For My Food Bag)
TWP Rating	3.5/5	4/5

Final Verdict: Bargain Box wins this showdown due to the large amounts of options available here, along with great packaging.

HelloFresh is certainly the more popular option when it comes to meal kits since it is better placed internationally. The meal kits in HelloFresh come with great ingredients which are smartly sourced. The recipes cover both comfort foods along with interesting options for curious eaters to try.

Bargain Box is a familiar household name in New Zealand and comes with superb recipes which are easy to prepare. The ingredients in Bargain Box are really fresh and the platform has smartly designed recipes which can become instant hits at the dinner table. There are also weight-loss recipes along with fully-prepared meals available in the Bargain Box.

Between HelloFresh and Bargain Box, Bargain Box wins the crown. While it is true that this meal kit delivery service is limited in its areas of operation, it is also true that the recipes are delicious and quite tempting. When it comes to the quality of the ingredients, the seasonings and the packaging, Bargain Box wins each section hands-down.

Methodology

To bring you the best reviews of each and every meal delivery service, we spoke to testers and real life users, reviewed the information provided by each service on their respective websites, carried out primary research on social media platforms and checked out the user reviews of these platforms on various social media sites. We have also used the reviews presented by current users of these services on their respective Google and Apple apps.

We are currently conducting our own internal review and we will update this page with videos and pictures of our experiences. If they differ extensively from what our external reviewers said then we will update this post so you get both points of views and can decide which service provider is more suited to your needs based on the information above.

The main types of criteria which we have used in order to assess and evaluate these meal delivery services is the simplicity of the recipes, the variety of meals in the service, the inclusiveness of diets and cuisines and even the supporting material.

In addition to these, we have also taken into regard the sustainability and recyclability of the packaging of these services. Lastly, we have also considered the delivery services and customer services of these platforms.

Frequently asked questions: “HelloFresh vs Bargain Box”

What are the disadvantages of HelloFresh?

The disadvantages of HelloFresh are that the meals still need to be cooked and also the excessive amounts of packaging used may be a problem for some users. While the recipes in HelloFresh are certainly very easy to cook with, those who are really time-poor and are tired after work may prefer ordering food from some restaurant, as compared to cooking using the meal kit.

Is Bargain Box part of My Food Bag?

Yes, Bargain Box is a part of My Food Bag. My Food Bag is a premium meal kit delivery service while Bargain Box is an affordable meal kit delivery service. Bargain Box is in fact, My Food Bag’s baby.

Where is Bargain Box based?

Bargain Box is based in New Zealand and has operations in only this country as of now. This meal kit delivery service brings fresh ingredients and recipes to its customers, at very affordable prices.

If you like this blogpost, please leave your comments and questions below.