The 5 Best Cheap Meal Kit and Prepared Meal Services of 2026

Overall cost

After you’ve picked between meal kits or meal delivery, you’ll want to find a service within your budget. Meal kits with recipes can cost as little as $6 per serving and include basic menus and no-frills recipes. More expensive services include recipes with more exotic ingredients, high-end cuts of meat, and organic produce, but they can cost as much as $15 or $20 a serving. 

And don’t forget about shipping. Most services charge $10 to $12 per box unless you order a certain number of meals. Larger meal plans are also typically cheaper per serving, so stocking the freezer with a larger regular order of prepared meals can keep overall costs down.

Meal kit or prepared meal delivery

The first big decision you’ll make is whether you want meal kits, which require some prep work and cooking, or a prepared meal service that sends fully cooked meals ready to heat and eat. Meal kits will demand more of your time and energy but they’ll also cost a little less per serving. Prepared meals require almost no time and energy, other than what it takes to actually eat the food, but typically run a few dollars more per serving.

Healthiness

While most meal delivery services have healthy options, some are healthier. Specific meal kits and delivery services are better for those who want to eat low-calorie, low-carb, plant-based, or pescatarian food. This list of the healthiest meal delivery services for 2026 is a good place to find the most nutritious options, or take a peek at our favorite Mediterranean diet options. 

Number of meals per week

With almost every service, the more meals or servings you order per delivery, the cheaper it becomes per meal. Ideally, you’ll want to determine precisely how much food makes sense for your household. If you can’t imagine yourself cooking more than twice per week, don’t order more than two meal kits because they typically won’t last more than a week in the fridge. 

Most prepared meals either arrive frozen or can be frozen after unboxing. That means it’s less of an issue if you order too many meals on your first go-around. Most services allow you to change the number of meals or servings in your plan even after you’ve started.