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Many people think meal kits are too expensive, but it turns out that some meal kits actually cost less than what I would pay for groceries if I were to just ‘wing-it’ for the week. The obstacle is determining which ones are legit meal kits instead of ones that only seem cheap because of introductory offers that are just going to get more and more expensive after the first week.

I run a savings site for a living and I have two teens who eat like it’s a competitive sport. So trust me when I say I did the per-serving math on all of these. Here are the budget meal kits that survived my spreadsheet, ranked from cheapest up.

1. Dinnerly — The Cheapest Real Meal Kit

Dinnerly meal kit pricing is transparent, and they are the most affordable meal kits available in the US, at around $3 per serving. This price point is about half that of larger more popular meal kit services. Because prices are kept low, the meals have fewer ingredients and the recipes are simplified to only a few steps. Instead of printed instructions, Dinnerly provides digital recipe cards. The meals are fairly standard and include tacos, pasta, and chicken sheet pan dinners.

This is the one I suggest to friends who think meal kits are overpriced. No one in my family has ever complained about the recipe cards being digital. My husband, on the other hand, complained about there being no leftovers, which I take as a five-star review.

→ Check out the latest Dinnerly prices and this week's menu

2. EveryPlate — The Other Budget Heavyweight

EveryPlate's main competitor is Dinnerly, and it consistently sits around $5 per serving, with first-box discounts that drop it even lower. Same playbook: packaging less, simpler recipes, and no frills. In my experience, they tend to have bigger portions than Dinnerly, which is important when feeding teenagers.

EveryPlate has no partner program, so I won't make any money from this recommendation. However, I would be lying to you if I didn't include EveryPlate in the cheapest meal kits list. And I do not make it a habit to do that.

3. Home Chef — The Family Value Pick

Home Chef is slightly more expensive than other services, but their running promotions take them back to budget-friendly territory. With the current promo, meals go down to about $4.99 per serving and shipping is free. Also, their Family Menu has a Kids Eat Free deal quite frequently. Of all the meal kits I have tested, I think Home Chef has the simplest recipes. They have a lot of oven-ready meals, where all you do is remove foil and heat it in the oven.

This is the kit I would give to my husband if I went away for the week. Not to insult Home Chef. That is the absolute highest praise my family can give.

→ Click here to get Home Chef for $4.99 per serving plus free shipping!

→ Or take a look at the Family Menu Kids-Eat-Free offer

4. Marley Spoon — Fancy Food, Coupon Prices (Sometimes)

Martha Stewart's meal kit Marley Spoon is typically not a budget option. However, since Marley Spoon is owned by the same company as Dinnerly, the introductory offers are frequently aggressive enough to make the first few boxes fall into the budget category. These boxes have much better quality ingredients, more herbs, more produce, and the meals even look like the photo.

I plan to be resourceful and think that Martha would too. I will use the intro offer window, save the recipe cards, and then cook the recipes using groceries I buy forever after.

→ Visit Marley Spoon's site to see their current introductory offer

5. Hungryroot — Groceries and Meals in One Box

Hungryroot takes a different approach. It is a grocery delivery service, as well as a meal kit service. You take a quiz, and they fill a cart with groceries and some quick 15-minute meal combos. You can edit what is in the cart before they ship it. The per-meal cost is in the middle; however, it can really replace part of your grocery run – which is where the real savings are if you are disciplined about it.

I have thought about framing the receipt because their cashew queso actually made my teenager eat something with vegetables in it! I am still in shock.

→ Take the Hungryroot quiz and find the price of your box!

6. The Grocery Store “Meal Kit” Hack — Cheapest of All

Let's be honest: Walmart and Aldi, along with most major grocery store chains, have started offering their own meal kit options in the refrigerated section, and they cost a lot less than any meal kit subscription service, and there is no commitment needed. Sure, they may not be as fancy looking, but for example, a meal kit for two people that costs $9 is much cheaper than any delivery meal kit service.

I use these as meal-kit methadone between subscriptions. $9 dinner? Proud as a peacock. Just ask my family, who have heard about it at length.

What I found out is that if all you care about is price, then Dinnerly is best. But if you're feeding kids and want the easiest cooking possible, then you should go with Home Chef's $4.99 promo with the Kids-Eat-Free family menu. Plus, every kit here lets you skip weeks or cancel online (no phone calls, I've confirmed, and we have all been burned by that before).

Because prices fluctuate based on promotions, check the current numbers before making any judgments and if any deal I posted expired tell me and I'll update it. Re-checking this page is the whole purpose of this site.