Our Food Editors Reviewed The Top 3 Meal Services — Factor vs. Cook Unity vs. Dinnerly
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Have you ever opened your fridge ready to make dinner and all you see are some eggs, milk, and condiments staring back at you?
Grocery shopping is time-consuming, and takeout can hurt your wallet and health goals. Enter the meal service revolution — a culinary game changer that offers convenience, affordability, and variety. But with so many brands out there, choosing one that suits your tastes and needs can be a serious pickle.
As food editors, it’s our job to test different meal services to determine which one is the best. So we tried some of the biggest brands out there: Factor, Cook Unity, and Dinnerly.
Here’s a breakdown of their similarities, differences, and standout features — ensuring your dinners are never dull again.
Key Similarities:
- All 3 meal services aim to make preparing meals at home convenient and easy.
- All 3 are subscription-based, and can easily be paused or skipped at any time.
- All 3 utilize fresh, never frozen ingredients.
- All 3 work with professional chefs to curate high-quality recipes.
Key Differences:
- Factor offers the widest variety of options: Calorie Smart, Protein Plus, Keto, Vegan + Veggie, Chef’s Choice, Snacks & Desserts, Shakes & Smoothies, and Extra Proteins.
- Factor and Cook Unity deliver pre-cooked meals that simply require reheating.
- Dinnerly only sends the ingredients, and you have to prepare the food yourself.
- Factor focuses on dietitian-approved meals that provide balanced nutrition.
Factor:
Factor might be the biggest name in the ready-to-eat meal delivery space, and there’s a good reason for that. Not only are their meals delicious and convenient, but they’re also packed with nutrition.
All Factor meals are dietitian-approved, making it super easy to stick to your health goals. They focus on high-quality proteins, nutrient-dense vegetables, and whole foods, helping you maintain a balanced diet. Plus, with no artificial ingredients or preservatives, you’ll never feel guilty about what you’re eating. We were curious whether this healthy angle would affect the taste, but after trying dishes like Creamy Lemon Pepper Chicken, Chimichurri Filet Mignon, and Blackened Salmon — all we have to say is YUM!
Preparing Factor meals is effortless. They’re ready-to-heat, so all you need to do is pop them into the microwave for 2 minutes and enjoy fresh meals instantly. It truly doesn’t get any simpler than that. Plus, their meals last for up to 7 days in your fridge while still tasting like your favorite restaurant’s entrees.
If you’ve got specific dietary preferences, Factor’s definitely got you covered. They stand out in providing a wide variety of meal options like Calorie Smart, Protein Plus, Keto, and more. They also utilize sustainable packaging and provide add-ons like smoothies/shakes and desserts, which is an added bonus in our book. Overall, Factor’s commitment to nutrition, taste, and variety makes them a superior choice in the meal service category.
Cook Unity:
Cook Unity prides themselves on offering hand-crafted meals conceived by expert chefs. Similar to Factor, the meals arrive prepared and ready to heat. However, Cook Unity recommends heating up their dishes in the oven, which definitely takes longer than simply popping it in the microwave.
We put their chef-crafted claims to the test and tried out their Backyard BBQ Chicken, Shrimp Fra Diavolo, and Caramelized Mushroom Quesadilla. The chicken and shrimp dishes were very tasty, however, we didn’t love the texture and flavor of the mushroom quesadilla. So, while Cook Unity offers some amazing meals, they lack some consistency given their wide range of chefs who prepare them. Cook Unity also offers a great selection of dietary preferences, such as vegetarian/vegan, low-calorie, and paleo/keto options. They also use sustainable packaging. Our main callout would be the fact that we didn’t enjoy every dish. While they do have an extensive rotating menu, taste and consistency are super important.
Dinnerly:
Unlike Factor and Cook Unity, Dinnerly sends you fresh ingredients rather than fully prepared meals. This is great for those who love to cook, but may be an obstacle for people looking to save time and avoid the hassle. However, their meals can help you reduce trips to the grocery store.
Dinnerly focuses on simple, family-friendly meals. We tried their Chicken Caprese Bowl, Beef Taco Stuffed Peppers, and Roasted Salmon & Veggies. Each meal took about 30 minutes to prepare (excluding cleaning up after) and they were definitely tasty. Our main callout was that these meals lacked some of the gourmet flair and nutritional benefits that the others provide.
Although Dinnerly has a pretty big menu, they don’t offer the same dietary options as Factor and Cook Unity. Certain dishes can work for allergies and food preferences, but options can become slim for specific diets.
Overall, Dinnerly is a good choice for people who enjoy cooking simple, affordable meals, but they’re not the best when it comes to variety, nutrition, and convenience.
Final Thoughts:
Judging based on taste, variety, nutrition, and convenience — Factor takes first place in this meal service showdown. They are the epitome of what quality meals should be by delivering on flavor, health benefits, and easy prep. It’s no surprise that Factor is America’s #1 Ready-to-Eat Meal Delivery Service.
If you’re looking to join the meal service revolution or upgrade from your current meal plan, our editors give Factor 5/5 stars!
