Not sure which meal delivery kit service is right for you? We’ve accepted the challenge of comparing Gobble vs Blue Apron and rated them on key features like quality, taste, variety, and customer service. This is how these two popular meal delivery companies compare.
Gobble
Pros
- Easy to prepare meals can be on the table in 15 minutes or less
- Minimal step preparation is great for beginning cooks
- 20+ meal options each week
- Diverse flavor profiles and ample portion sizes
- Some meals can be personalized with ingredient swaps
Cons
- Poor/too much packaging among top customer complaints
- Limited options for special dietary concerns
- More processed ingredients than many other meal kit companies
- Higher price range among competitors
Blue Apron
Pros
Several different plans with a set pricing structure- Shipping costs are either free or a predictable flat rate
- Decent selection of vegetarian meals offered each week
- Wine selections also available for shipping
- The ingredient list and directions available on the website
Cons
Limited options for special dietary needs- Lacking in customer service
- Subscriptions can be difficult to manage or cancel
- Customer complaints of unpredictable quality of ingredients
Both Gobble and Blue Apron are meal kit delivery services. They create a selection of menus each week, source the ingredients for you, do the prep work, and then package meal kits for you to finish prepping and cooking in your home. All ingredients are shipped fresh, not frozen, to maximize flavor and quality.
Each company has its own strong points and a couple of areas they can improve on. Here is a rundown of the main pros and cons of each.
Dietary Options
Gobble
Blue Apron
If you have any special dietary needs or prepare food for someone who does, you already know how difficult it is to find healthy, convenient foods that fit within your dietary needs. When you’re trusting someone else to do most of the meal prep for you, knowing that your meals are free of unwanted ingredients is important.
Both Gobble and Blue Apron offer some options for special dietary needs. However, both companies are limited in what they offer.
Gobble does a great job of offering meals that are low-calorie and vegetarian-friendly. Where they lack is in offering meals for food intolerances or allergies. There are very limited options for dairy-free and gluten-free meals.
Since gobble is a meal prep service, you can customize some meals by leaving out ingredients during preparation. Still, you’ll also want to keep in mind that Gobble’s meals are prepared in a facility where cross-contamination with gluten, dairy, nuts, soy, etc., is a concern.
Like Gobble, Blue Apron is also limited in dairy-free and gluten-free selections. Blue Apron does make it a little easier to filter out meals based on your dietary preferences or needs. Blue Apron does have a decent selection of vegetarian meals and those that are aligned with WeightWatchers for those who are following the popular weight loss plan.
Dietary Options Winner
While neither Gobble nor Blue Apron offers much variety for special dietary needs, Gobble wins this category because they slightly more dairy-free and gluten-free options. If a food intolerance or allergy isn’t an issue, and you’re more focused on low-calorie options, both of these companies would be a good fit.
Meal Prep & Variety
Gobble
- 13-15
- 3 meals for 2 people
Blue Apron
- 50+
- 2 Meals for 2 People
Many people choose a meal delivery service because they love the idea of slashing their time in the kitchen by letting someone else do a little of the shopping and prep work. The ease of meal prep and the variety of meals are often the deal-maker (or deal-breaker) when choosing a meal delivery service.
Both companies offer fresh meal kits with prepared ingredients. When comparing the two, Blue Apron’s meals tend to be slightly more complex, taking an average of 25-30 to finish preparing and cook, although a few meals will take even longer.
Gobble is built on the promise of fresh, delicious meals FAST. All of their meals are designed to be prepared and cooked in about 15 minutes, taking about half the time of the average Blue Apron meal.
Currently, Blue Apron offers about 11 meal options each week, offering a good selection of classic Amerian and worldly cuisine. The meals are all made with ingredients and flavors that are generally well-liked, even by picky eaters. Blue Apron also offers wine pairings to add to your meal kit.
Gobble currently offers more than 20 meal selections each week. They also offer a range of classic favorites and worldly dishes with interesting flavors. Many of their dishes lean towards being comfort-style foods, with generous portions sizes. Plus, they also offer desserts that look truly decadent.
Meal Variety Winner
Gobble wins for meal prep & variety for a couple of reasons. First, their meal selection is nearly double that of Blue Apron, and they offer a more diverse range of flavors. The dessert options are great if you’re preparing a special meal, or you just have an insatiable sweet tooth. Gobble also wins major points for all meals prepared in about 15 minutes.
Ingredients
Gobble
- Non-GMO
- Organic
- Grass Fed
- Wild-Caught
Blue Apron
When you choose a meal delivery service, you’re putting all your trust in them that they’re going to supply you with fresh, high-quality ingredients. After all, the quality of the ingredients determines the quality of the meals.
Blue Apron is committed to sourcing the highest quality ingredients they can. The company works with a network of more than 100 farms that are family-run, to ensure the quality of their produce and proteins. Sustainability and ethical sourcing are also high priorities at Blue Apron.
Blue Apron packages their meal kits with fresh ingredients, and ideally, they’ll land at your doorstep in perfect condition. According to customer reviews, this doesn’t always happen but this is outnumbered by the number of customers who are satisfied with the ingredient quality.
Gobble tends to use more processed ingredients in their meal kits than many of its competitors, including Blue Apron. Honestly, this is something they need to do if they want to provide meal kits that can be cooked and on the table in 15 minutes. With Gobble, you are sacrificing a bit of freshness in exchange for a fast meal.
Ingredients Winner
Overall, Blue Apron has a better philosophy around sourcing its ingredients. Their commitment to ethical sourcing is strong, and they use few processed ingredients, unlike Gobble.
Taste & Sample Meals
Gobble
- Pan-Seared Top Sirloin Steak with Loaded Baked Potato
- Burmese Shredded Chicken with Coconut Rice & Burmese-Style Salad
- Chimichurri Salmon with Broccolini & Saffron Rice
Blue Apron
- Seared Steaks & Calabrian Chile Butter with Collard Greens & Cheesy Potatoes
- Mediterranean Farro Bowls
- White Cheddar Cheeseburgers
Both Gobble and Blue Apron offer kits for similar styles of meals, that being many classic American favorites with a few bolder options mixed in. Some customers complain of Blue Apron’s meals being a bit on the bland side, especially the meats.
Gobble receives great customer reviews for their flavor profiles, with the taste of their meals being flavorful without being over the top. Gobble meals taste home-cooked like you’d expect them to. This is a nice surprise considering they use more processed ingredients than Blue Apron.
Taste Winner
Gobble wins the category for taste & sample meals because of their consistent, reliable flavors that appeal to and please their customers. It’s hard to find a Gobble customer that has anything negative to say about the taste of this company’s meals.
Pricing
Gobble
MEALS PER WEEK | Dinner for 2 | Dinner for 4 |
2 Nights | $16.99 / serving | $12.99 / serving |
3 Nights | $14.99 / serving | $11.99 /serving |
4 Nights | $12.99 / serving | $11.99 / serving |
5 Nights | $11.99 / serving | $11.99 / serving |
Blue Apron
MEALS PER WEEK | 2 PEOPLE | 4 PEOPLE |
Two | $11.99 | $9.49 |
Three | $9.99 | $8.49 |
Four | $9.49 | $7.99 |
When choosing a meal delivery kit service, you’re paying for the convenience of not having to the shopping or the prepping but also for the quality of ingredients. In general, you can expect to pay at the low end of what you’d pay for a restaurant meal with these services.
Blue Apron is pretty standard in their pricing. Meal prices range from about $8-$10, depending on the menu you choose. There are more economical options out there, but considering the effort Blue Apron puts into using quality ingredients, the pricing is right on point.
Gobble is more expensive than Blue Apron, with the average meal costing a couple of dollars more. Gobble meal prices are more in line with the average cost of a family dining restaurant. Gobble’s meals are quick, and they taste good, but some might find the higher price tag a little unappealing for less than the freshest ingredients.
Pricing Winner
Blue Apron is the winner for the price. They offer their meals at a lower price point than Gobble but they also include fresher ingredients in that price point.
Get up to 16 meals free across 6 orders (a $130 value)—plus, your first order ships free!
New Customers: Enjoy $110 off across your first 5 orders + free shipping on your first order!
Packaging & Recycling
Meal kit services need to package their kits to reach your doorstep in the freshest possible state. This requires a dedicated approach to packaging, but they also know their customers don’t want to deal with the hassle of disposing of this packaging every week.
Blue Apron is as committed to ethics and sustainability in the packaging as they are with their ingredients. They use as many recyclable packaging materials as possible and minimizing the need for extra packaging whenever they can.
Most of Blue Apron’s packaging components are recyclable, except for a few small pieces. If you’re unsure about what can be recycled or how to recycle the packaging, they also provide a short video that explains it all.
Most of Gobble’s packaging components are also recyclable, but they tend to use a lot more plastic, which isn’t the most environmentally friendly option. Some customers complain that Gobble’s packaging is excessive and sometimes useless – like wrapping eggs in bubble wrap but not wrapping the eggs separately from each other.
Packaging Winner
Blue Apron uses less packaging than Gobble, and almost all of it is recyclable. Blue Apron also uses less plastic and is committed to minimizing packaging whenever possible.
Customer Service
Gobble
- Skip a Week
- Pause
- Cancel
Blue Apron
- Difficult
Customer service is key to a positive experience with a meal delivery service. Among the details we looked at for customer service excellence include responsiveness, problem resolution, and ease of modifying or canceling a subscription.
Blue Apron doesn’t have stellar user reviews in the customer service department. Claims range from a lack of responsiveness to difficulties canceling subscriptions. Blue Apron makes it easy to pause your subscription or skip a week, but you need to directly contact their customer service department via email if you want to cancel your subscription.
Gobble currently has excellent reviews for their customer service. They’re applauded for their responsiveness, willingness to work with customers, and ease of managing or canceling a subscription online.
Customer Service Winner
Overall, Gobble’s customer service leaves its customer base more satisfied. The ability to completely manage your subscription online and pause delivery weeks in advance earn them major bonus points.
Winner
Gobble
Both companies offer a good service that appeals to many customers. When comparing Blue Apron vs Gobble, Gobble squeaks out a little ahead. Their customer service is top-notch, they offer a great selection of quick meals, and the quality and taste of their meals are consistently great.
Just because Gobble won here doesn’t mean that Blue Apron isn’t right for you. Each company has its strong points, and it’s best to consider your tastes and needs when choosing the best meal delivery company for you.
Choose Gobble if you:
- You love the idea of a home-cooked meal being on your table in 15 minutes
- You like a range of variety and flavors in your weekly meal selection
- You like the idea of including a decadent dessert in your meal kits
- You’re looking for more options for vegetarian or low-calorie meals
- You value a commitment to quality customer service
Choose Blue Apron if you:
- You appreciate the freshest possible ingredients
- Ethical sourcing and sustainability are important to you
- You like classic, not bold, flavors
- You’re looking for a more economical meal delivery service
- Minimal packaging is important to you