Our Experts Written by David Watsky Our expert, award-winning staff selects the products we cover and rigorously researches and tests our top picks. If you buy through our links, we may get a commission. Reviews ethics statement Why You Can Trust CNET 12345 Years of Cooking66676869707172737475 Meal Kits102030405060708090100 Prepared Meals How we test Our meal delivery experts have logged more than five years of cooking more than 75 meal kits and tasting upwards of 100 prepared meals, from popular meal delivery services to help land on our list of the best cheap meal subscriptions. What to consider Cost After you've picked between meal kits or meal delivery, you'll want to find a service within your budget. There are meal kits with recipes for as cheap as $5 a serving with 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. Meal kit or prepared meal delivery The first big decision you'll make is whether you want meal kits, which require some prep and cooking, or a prepared meal service that sends fully cooked meals that are 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 bucks more per serving. Healthiness While most meal delivery services have healthy options, some are much healthier than others. If you're keen on eating low-calorie, low-carb, plant-based or pescatarian food, certain meal kits and meal delivery services will be better than others. Our list of thehealthiest meal delivery services for 2024is a good place to find all the most nutritious 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. You'll want to decide exactly 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. Table of Contents Back to selection