WhichMealKitTovala vs HelloFresh
How much cooking you want decides it: HelloFresh sends recipe kits you chop and cook, for two to six people; Tovala sends single meals, mostly prepped, that cook themselves in its own Smart Oven.
Three dinners for two: Tovala’s standard meal price adds up to $94.93 with shipping; HelloFresh’s own pages put it at about $9.99–$11.49 a serving, or $70.93–$79.93 with shipping.
Tovala’s standard meals are $13.99 each plus $10.99 shipping, with the oven bought separately. HelloFresh shows its box prices after you enter a ZIP code.
Tovala
6 single meals · 6 portions
HelloFresh
3 recipes for 2 · 6 portions
Choose by what you need
Choose Tovala if
You eat alone or at different times, want about a minute of prep, and will buy its oven.
Choose HelloFresh if
You like to cook, want recipes for two or more, and no appliance to buy.
Side by side
| Detail | Tovala | HelloFresh |
|---|---|---|
| Price for three dinners for two | $94.93 $15.82 a meal $83.94 food + $10.99 shipping, before tax; the Smart Oven its meals cook in is extra, $299 at list price · checked 18 Oct 2026 | $70.93–$79.93 $11.82–$13.32 a portion with shipping HelloFresh’s own approximate $9.99–$11.49 a serving × 6, with $10.99 shipping, before tax; the exact price shows after you enter a ZIP code · checked 8 Oct 2026 |
| Your box | 6 single meals: 6 portions | 3 recipes for 2: 6 portions |
| Format | Meals for its own smart oven | Meal kits and prepared meals |
| Cooking | Scan and cook in its own oven | Chop and cook |
| Smallest box | 4 single meals (4 portions) | 2 recipes for 2 (4 portions) |
| Order once | No, weekly plan | No, weekly plan |
| Breaks | Skip up to 5 weeks ahead, or pause for 4 to 8 weeks | Skip the weeks you want off; no set pause length |
| Cutoff | Changes, skips, pauses and cancellations until 6 PM Central on the Wednesday the week before delivery | 11:59 PM Pacific, five days before the next delivery |
| After the cutoff | After the Wednesday cutoff Tovala starts preparing the next week’s meals and can’t cancel them; a cancellation then stops the deliveries after that one. | A box already processed after the cutoff is still charged and delivered. |
| Menu labels | Vegetarian, gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb, high-protein, low-calorie, low-sodium, Mediterranean | Vegetarian, plant-based/vegan, pescatarian, dairy-free, low-carb, high-protein, low-calorie, low-sodium, Mediterranean, organic |
| Order minimum | No dollar minimum published | No dollar minimum published |
| Delivers to | The 48 contiguous states; not Alaska or Hawaii | Lower 48 states; its pages differ on Alaska and Hawaii |
| Next step | Tovala details See Tovala’s menu | HelloFresh details See HelloFresh’s menu |
Neither fits? Also look at Blue Apron, Factor, CookUnity, Clean Eatz Kitchen or Mom’s Meals. See every box that fits your household.