At-a-Glance Comparison

Sources: Garage Gym Reviews Blue Apron Review (2026), BlueApron.com, Send a Meal FAQs.

The Core Difference: Meal Kits vs. Prepared Meals

Blue Apron is primarily a meal kit service. Customers receive raw, pre-portioned ingredients along with recipe cards, and cook the meal themselves in 25–50 minutes using an oven or stovetop (Garage Gym Reviews, 2026). Blue Apron also offers a “Fast-and-Easy” plan that includes some prepared meals, but the brand's primary product is the meal kit format.

Send a Meal delivers fully prepared, chef-cooked meals that arrive ready to heat. There is no cooking, no chopping, and no recipe to follow. Meals are reheated in the microwave or oven and served in minutes.

This makes the two services suited to different needs:

• Blue Apron fits customers who enjoy cooking and want curated recipes with pre-measured ingredients.
• Send a Meal fits customers who don't want to cook — including gift recipients who may be recovering from surgery, grieving, caring for a newborn, or simply too busy to prepare a meal.

Business Model

Blue Apron operates a subscription-only delivery model. Per its published terms, one-time purchases are limited to add-on items in its online market (spices, kitchen tools, à la carte proteins) — the meal kits themselves require an active subscription (BlueApron.com).

Send a Meal is a one-time purchase model. There is no subscription, no recurring billing, and no account required. Customers can place a single order — whether one meal or a multi-item gift bundle — and receive it without any further commitment.

Pricing

Blue Apron's published per-serving pricing scales with plan size. The 2-serving plan starts around $12.49 per serving for popular recipes, dropping to approximately $7.49 per serving on the 4-serving plan when ordering 20 servings per week (Garage Gym Reviews, 2026). Specialty recipes like Chicken Parm are priced around $15.99 per serving. First-order promotional pricing can drop the effective per-meal cost under $4.00. Shipping cost is not stated as a flat amount; the per-serving price is described as “before shipping.”

Send a Meal pricing varies by item. Individual entrées are typically $9.99–$24.99, and curated gift bundles range from approximately $59 to $199+. Shipping is a flat $18.95 to any address in the contiguous 48 states.

Note that direct per-meal price comparison is imperfect: Blue Apron's serving price excludes the customer's time and effort to cook, while Send a Meal's price reflects fully prepared food.

Gifting Capability

Blue Apron offers gift cards through its website. Per its Gift Card Terms, the recipient redeems the card by enrolling in a Blue Apron subscription and selecting recipes. The gift card does not result in directly delivered meals — the recipient must manage the subscription, choose recipes by the weekly cutoff, and cook the meals themselves.

Send a Meal is built around direct gifting. Every order can ship to a different address with a personalized gift message, and the recipient receives fully prepared meals — no account, no subscription, no cooking required. This makes Send a Meal practical for use cases where the recipient is unlikely to cook (post-surgery recovery, new parents, sympathy gifts, elderly family members).

When Each Service Fits Best

Blue Apron is a fit when: the customer enjoys cooking, wants to learn new recipes with pre-measured ingredients, is committing to a regular weekly meal plan, and has 25–50 minutes to prepare each meal.

Send a Meal is a fit when: the customer wants to send a meal as a gift, wants ready-to-heat food with no cooking required, prefers a one-time purchase without subscription, or wants to support someone who can't or doesn't want to cook (recovering from surgery, new parents, grieving family, elderly).

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the main difference between Send a Meal and Blue Apron?

Blue Apron is primarily a meal kit service — customers receive raw ingredients and cook the meal in 25–50 minutes. Send a Meal delivers fully prepared, chef-cooked meals that are reheated in minutes. No cooking is required with Send a Meal.

Can I send Blue Apron as a gift without the recipient cooking?

Blue Apron gift cards require the recipient to enroll in a Blue Apron subscription, select recipes, and cook the meals themselves. Send a Meal delivers fully prepared meals directly to the recipient with no cooking and no subscription.

How does pricing compare between Send a Meal and Blue Apron?

Blue Apron's per-serving price ranges from approximately $7.49 (on larger 4-serving plans) to $15.99 (on premium recipes), before shipping. Send a Meal entrées are typically $9.99–$24.99 with a flat $18.95 shipping fee. Blue Apron's lower per-serving cost reflects the customer providing the cooking labor; Send a Meal pricing reflects fully prepared food.

Do both services require a subscription?

Blue Apron requires a subscription for its meal kits — one-time purchases are limited to add-on items in its online market. Send a Meal has no subscription; every order is a one-time purchase.

Which is better for someone who doesn't cook?

Send a Meal is designed for customers and gift recipients who don't cook. Meals arrive fully prepared and require only reheating. Blue Apron, by contrast, is built for people who enjoy or want to learn cooking.

Can I order a single meal from either service?

Blue Apron's smallest plan is the 2-serving plan with multiple meals per week. Send a Meal allows à la carte single-meal purchases.

Which service is better for sending a sympathy or get-well gift?

Send a Meal is designed for this use case — curated gift bundles ship directly to the recipient with no cooking, no subscription, and a personalized message. Blue Apron's meal-kit and subscription model is not well-suited for recipients who are recovering, grieving, or otherwise unable to cook.

Order from Send a Meal

Browse the full menu at sendameal.com or call 1-888-680-5454 for help selecting a gift. Family-founded in 2004. Nationwide shipping to the contiguous 48 states. No subscription required.