Freshly vs Pure Plates
Freshly vs Pure Plates
Choosing a meal delivery service can be intimidating. Weighing cost per meal, available options, ingredients and nutrition information is important when making the decision to pick one meal delivery service over another. That’s why we’ve done the comparisons for you, and have weighed the pros and cons between Freshly and Pure Plates to help you make the selection process easier. Check out our general thoughts below, and an in-depth look following that!
| Category | Freshly | Pure Plates |
| Meal Options | Gluten-Free | Gluten-Free, Soy-Free, Vegetarian options, Pescatarian options |
| Quality | Low in sugar, free of artificial flavorings and preservatives, | Low in sugar, free of artificial flavorings and preservatives, whole foods, sustainable and locally-sourced |
| Cost | More expensive per meal | Less expensive per meal |
| The Plans | 4,6,10,12 meal per week plans | 5- and 30-day meal plans with additional customization offered |
| Delivery | All of U.S. | St. Louis, Missouri area |
Meal Options
Both services offer a gluten free menu, and have a filtering feature in which customers can filter meals by their needs and dietary preferences. Pure Plates has a 100% soy-free menu, which is one of the most common allergies in the U.S. Although neither service is strictly vegan or vegetarian, Pure Plates does a better job of offering vegetarian and pescetarian meals that are comparable in nutrition and price to their other meals. Another additional factor in favor of Pure Plates is that they offer breakfast and snack options on their menu, something Freshly lacks. Considering the cost breakdown of each service, which we will compare later, this could be a huge factor for choosing one of these meal delivery services over the other. Another option Pure Plates offers is buying bulk proteins or veggie side dishes that customers can fit into their daily diet as they wish. Having these options allows the customer to even further customize their own diet or have ready-to-eat options available at home, therefore taking that stressor away.
Quality of ingredients
While both services do a great job of boasting their meals are low in sugar, free of artificial flavorings and preservatives, and are made with whole foods, Pure Plates seems to go the extra mile. Using wild caught seafood, sustainably and locally sourced produce, and antibiotic, steroid, and hormone-free meat from Illinois, customers can feel confident that Pure Plates is covering the bases for healthy, sustainable, and locally grown food. Freshly does not disclose whether their ingredients are organic or sustainably grown, which may be a deal breaker for some customers.
Cost
In general, Freshly is already one of the more costly food delivery services out there. Freshly sets meal costs according to the number of meals ordered - for four meals per week, the minimum number of meals available in their plans, we’re looking at $11 per meal or $44 for the four. Bump up to 12 meals per week, and the price goes down to $8.49 per meal (just over $100 for 12 meals). There are also options for 6 meals per week and 10 meals per week. Considering the maximum number of meals one can order through Freshly is 12, there are still outside costs customers can expect to spend on breakfasts, snacks, and other meals. For those who would prefer to have the majority or all of their meals delivered, allotting $100 and then some budget to food each week may not be worth the cost.
Pure Plates does 5 day set menus, where customers are provided 27 meals (including breakfast and snacks) for about $6 per meal, give or take a few cents. A 5 day meal plan from Pure Plates will be between $160 and $180 total, depending on which calorie and meal plan type customers choose; while this is more expensive than the Freshly 12-meals per week plan, customers are also getting a little over double the number of meals. This makes Pure Plates the clear winner in cost, which is something to consider when making a choice in meal delivery service.
The Plans
As briefly discussed above, Freshly offers 4, 6, 10, and 12 meal per week plans. Customers can customize their meal plan and choose from Freshly’s lunch and dinner meals to build their menu. Pure Plates offer diabetic and keto-specific meal plans, as well as a 5 day and 30 day meal plan. Although the meal plans technically can’t be customized, the addition of single meals, bulk items, and side dishes makes it easy to build and customize your own individual menu. It’s also worth noting that Pure Plates offers greater variety in the way of offering breakfast and snack options, not just meals for lunch and dinner.
Delivery
Freshly offers shipping to all states in the continental U.S. with a fee for shipping ranging between $3.00 and $12.00 when someone doesn’t meet the minimum order. This wide delivery area range doesn’t give Freshly the ability to source local and sustainable products. While Pure Plates only delivers to a range of area codes in the St. Louis, Missouri area, this gives them the ability to stay true to their locally and sustainably sourced philosophy.
The Bottom Line
When it comes to choosing a meal delivery service, it is important to weigh one’s options. For customers in the St. Louis area who value locally grown, sustainably sourced food that is free of preservatives, added sugar, excess sodium, saturated fat, and other undesirable ingredients, Pure Plates is a great choice. Pure Plates is notably less expensive than other services such as Freshly, and offers a good number of vegetarian, pescatarian, and meat-based meals that can align with most people’s needs and preferences. Customers can also have the satisfaction of supporting a locally-owned business.