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Meal Kits vs Prepared Meals: Which One Fits Your Week?
Time, taste and cost compared between the kits and Factor, from two weeks of each.
August 26, 2026 · 3 min read
Time
Kits: 25–45 minutes including cleanup, plus 5–8 minutes over the card in our tests. Factor: 3 minutes and a fork.
Taste
Kits scored 6.8–8.3 out of ten blind; Factor 7.2 — good for reheated food, below a cooked kit.
Cost
Factor is $12.49 a meal for one. A kit serving at $7–$13 feeds one too, but the two-person minimum halves the effort per plate.
Rule
Cook for two or more, or want to eat well and cheaply: a kit (Home Chef, EveryPlate). Eat alone, work late, hate the kitchen: Factor.
» See the full rankings: Best Prepared Meal Delivery (No Cooking), Best Meal Kits for Beginner Cooks .