WIRED has updated its meal-kit rankings for July 2026, naming Marley Spoon the best overall service after years of testing by its Reviews team. For people trying to outsource the dull parts of dinner without surrendering entirely to takeout, the ranking is a useful map of a market that now mixes raw-ingredient kits, quick-prep meals and ready-to-heat trays.
According to WIRED, its Reviews team has requested and tested more than two dozen meal kit delivery services since 2017. The reviewer, who says he worked as a restaurant critic for more than a decade, said he retested nearly all of them over the past two years, often more than once.
WIRED said the testing weighed recipes, menu range, ingredient sourcing, preparation difficulty, convenience, packaging, organization, ingredient quality and fit for dietary restrictions. The reviewer also said he looked at pricing, which he described as frequently unclear across the category. Meal kits, in this framing, are less a cooking miracle than a supply-chain trick: farmers, meat suppliers, sauce makers and recipe developers sliced into subscription boxes with printed instructions.
Marley Spoon leads the list
Marley Spoon, a German-founded service associated with Martha Stewart in the US, took WIRED’s top slot. The reviewer credited it with producing the strongest meals among roughly 20 kits he tested over the past two years, citing dishes including creamy mushroom chicken with Hungarian influence, Cajun-spiced whitefish and eggplant Parmesan.
WIRED said Marley Spoon has expanded its menu over the past year or two, adding more globally influenced dishes, more fast-cooking options and more prepared meals. The service now lists 100 to 140 weekly choices, according to WIRED, with options spanning two or four people and two to six meals per week.
The publication listed Marley Spoon’s full-price cost at $9 to $13 per serving, plus $11 shipping per box. Its lowest-cost plan is $74 a week for two meals for two people. The reviewer said the service offers more than 50 “gluten-free friendly” meals, though WIRED noted there is no cross-contamination guarantee. It also offers around 30 vegetarian options, protein substitutions and filters such as low-calorie, low-carb, low-sodium, high-protein, keto, GLP-1 and Mediterranean.
WIRED’s caveats are the sort that matter once the introductory coupon glow wears off. Marley Spoon ingredients arrive mixed together rather than sorted by recipe, which may cut packaging but adds scavenger-hunt labor. The reviewer also said meat sourcing is less transparent than at some competitors, and ready-to-heat meals were not a strength. WIRED said it will watch the service after a financing and CEO shake-up in spring 2026.
Home Chef gets the family pick
WIRED named Home Chef the best family-friendly meal kit, largely because it lets customers adjust orders by week and by meal. The reviewer said users can vary serving counts across recipes, add an oven-ready meal for a larger group, or reduce a week’s order without canceling the subscription.
Home Chef’s standard meals cost mostly $10 per serving, plus $11 shipping, according to WIRED. Its family meals are mostly $8 per serving. Plans cover two to six people and two to six meals per week, with a lowest listed full-price plan of $59 for two meals for two people.
WIRED said Home Chef’s weekly menu is about 50 meals across dinners, lunches, ready-to-eat options and quick-prep meals, with market and breakfast add-ons available. The reviewer praised its clear recipe cards, allergen and nutrition information, and filters for low-carb, low-calorie, fiber-rich, protein-packed, keto, pescatarian and ingredient-exclusion preferences. The tradeoffs: fewer vegetarian choices than some rivals, a smaller selection than some competitors and some meals the reviewer found under-seasoned.
The July 2026 update also highlighted HelloFresh as the meal kit with the best selection and Hungryroot as the best option for quick cooking. WIRED disclosed that its editors independently select featured products, while the publication may receive compensation from retailers or purchases made through its links.
This story draws on original reporting from WIRED.
