Most Popular Meal Kits 2026

When shopping for a meal kit, it's tempting to go with whichever brand the most people have already chosen. Popularity is a signal: a kit with hundreds of thousands of deliveries behind it usually has its logistics, recipes, and customer service dialed in. On this page we look purely at reach — how many people actually order from each brand — measured by Trustpilot review volume, ownership, and market position. Two names dominate the US market: HelloFresh and its budget sister brand EveryPlate, which together make up the largest share of meal-kit orders nationwide. For perspective, meal kits still make up only a small slice of how Americans get dinner on the table most nights — so even the "big" players are competing for a niche.

But popular isn't automatically the same as best. The best-selling kit in the US, HelloFresh, lands at just 3.4/5 on Trustpilot, while the much smaller premium brand Sunbasket scores 4.4/5 — comfortably ahead of the field. That's why we keep this popularity guide clearly separate from our actual test of which kit is best; see that instead in our complete best meal kit test. This page is about what people actually choose — and what you should know before following the crowd. All figures are drawn from public company data, published benchmarks, and current Trustpilot snapshots (July 2026); you can read how we test and collect data.

Popularity can be measured multiple ways, and they don't always point the same direction. The most tangible indicator is Trustpilot review volume: HelloFresh has roughly 90,000 reviews, dwarfing every other brand in this comparison — EveryPlate, Blue Apron, and Home Chef all have far smaller review counts by comparison. Review volume tells you how many people have transacted — but not whether they were happy. How to actually read the score is something we cover in Trustpilot scores explained.

The second indicator is company ownership and market reach. HelloFresh and EveryPlate are both owned by the HelloFresh Group, which together commands the largest share of US meal-kit orders. Home Chef's reach comes from its owner, Kroger — the country's largest supermarket chain — giving it distribution advantages of its own. Blue Apron, one of the original meal kit brands, was acquired by Wonder and relaunched in August 2025 as a no-subscription service. The overall meal-kit category still represents a modest share of how Americans get dinner on the table most nights, so even the "big" players are competing for a niche. Note the gap: a kit can be hugely popular (HelloFresh, 3.4/5) while only earning moderate satisfaction, while a smaller or pricier kit (Sunbasket, 4.4/5) delights nearly everyone who tries it. Use popularity as a starting point — not the final word. You'll find a more structured approach in how to choose the right meal kit.

The battle at the top is really between two versions of the same parent company's strategy. HelloFresh is the full-price, broad-selection flagship — the global HelloFresh Group is one of the largest meal-kit companies in the world, and its US arm offers 7+ weekly meal plans with prices starting from $10.99 per serving on promotion. The strength is breadth and brand recognition. The tradeoff is a Trustpilot score of just 3.4/5, where delivery timing and cancellation experience drag the average down.

EveryPlate is the value play: same parent company, stripped-down operations, and prices starting from $5.99 per serving — the lowest of any major US meal kit. Recipes lean simpler with fewer specialty ingredients, which keeps costs down and, per Trustpilot, keeps customers happier too, at around 4.0/5 — noticeably ahead of its full-price sibling. Want to go a layer deeper on the head-to-head? We've put together a full HelloFresh vs. EveryPlate comparison. In short: pick HelloFresh for the widest recipe selection, EveryPlate for the lowest price — both skip the subscription lock-in, so you can test them against each other risk-free, and if you're specifically after organic ingredients, the organic meal kits are a better starting point than popularity alone.

The most important caveat in any popularity guide: the kit the most people buy isn't necessarily the one the most people are happy with. HelloFresh sells the most boxes but rates 3.4/5. Home Chef, boosted by Kroger's distribution, still only manages 2.6/5 — the lowest in this group. Meanwhile Sunbasket, a fraction of the size of either, holds a 4.4/5 rating, and Green Chef and EveryPlate both land around 4.0/5. Scale and satisfaction clearly don't move together here.

The explanation is usually volume and expectations. The more customers a brand has, the more delivery mishaps and cancellation frustrations end up as reviews — big brands naturally rack up more negative reviews in absolute terms. A smaller, pricier brand like Sunbasket, selling to a more self-selected customer base, has an easier time keeping satisfaction high. Cancellation policies and subscription terms are consistently among the top complaints across the industry, and because most of these kits don't lock you into a contract, it's worth knowing the rules upfront — see meal kits with no commitment. Read popularity and satisfaction side by side, not in isolation. Want to follow the crowd? Choose HelloFresh or EveryPlate. Want the most-loved kit rather than the biggest? The numbers point to Sunbasket.

The price range is wide, even among the most popular kits. Across the six kits we track, the average price is roughly $9.99 per serving. On paper, EveryPlate is the cheapest at from $5.99 per serving, plus shipping around $10.99. HelloFresh starts from $10.99 per serving on promotion, though real-world pricing depends heavily on household size and plan. Blue Apron spans the widest range, from $7.49 up to $12.49 per serving depending on the recipe, but no longer charges a recurring subscription fee since its August 2025 relaunch.

Home Chef starts from $9.99 per serving with $7.99 shipping (free over $45), and Green Chef — the priciest of the group thanks to USDA-organic ingredients and specialty diet plans — starts from $13.99 per serving with $10.99 shipping. Sunbasket starts from $11.49 per serving with roughly $9.99 shipping. Price isn't a minor detail — it's the single biggest reason people cancel a meal-kit subscription. The lesson: 'starting at' prices are rarely what you actually pay. Always factor in household size, number of meals, and shipping before comparing. If minimizing cost is the priority, see the cheapest meal kits and our tips for saving money on meal kits. Most of these brands also offer generous first-box discounts, from around 25% up to 50% off.

The best-selling kits are popular because they appeal broadly — but that also means they're designed for the average household, not for you specifically. And households vary enormously: many are single-person, while others are large families with very different needs. HelloFresh and Home Chef scale well for families: HelloFresh covers 2–4 people with 3–5 meals a week, and Home Chef goes up to 6 servings with a wide rotating menu each week. EveryPlate is flexible too, covering a range of household sizes with plan options including vegetarian and lower-calorie choices.

Blue Apron stands out for offering both smaller portion options and a large recipe library — since its 2025 relaunch, you can order exactly the number of meals you want with no minimum commitment. Sunbasket and Green Chef both cater well to specific dietary needs (organic, keto, vegan, gluten-free) rather than sheer volume. If you're feeding a large family, scaling and kid-friendly recipes matter most; if you live alone, portion sizing and menu variety for one matter more. Think about how many people you're feeding, how many nights a week you want covered, and whether you have dietary restrictions — if you want a healthier everyday option, the healthiest kits may be a better guide than popularity alone. A kit is only 'popular for you' if it fits your actual routine — and since most of these brands don't lock you in, it only costs one box to find out.

Popularity is a reasonable starting point, but treat it as one factor among several. Our recommendation is to use market reach to narrow the field — the brands here have all proven they can deliver at scale, year after year — and then let satisfaction, price, and fit make the final call. Start by asking: do you want the widest recipe selection (HelloFresh), the lowest price (EveryPlate), the happiest customer base (Sunbasket, 4.4/5), or the most organic ingredients (Green Chef)?

Keep in mind this page is about popularity, not our overall verdict. To see which kit we actually rank as best after testing taste, price, and reliability, check our best meal kit test guide — and the full methodology behind these numbers is laid out in how we test. And because most of these kits don't lock you in, the safest strategy is to grab a welcome discount, order one box from the most obvious candidate, and see for yourself whether popularity and reality line up in your own kitchen.