The Fast Facts
- Factor offers fresh, ready-to-heat meals that are designed by registered dietitians.
- Our first tester was “very impressed” with the choice, ingredient quality, and freshness of the Factor meals they tried.
- Alternatively, our second tester felt some meals weren’t for them. Read on for their honest and in-depth thoughts.
Pros
- Factor uses pasture-raised, grass-fed ingredients that are free from gluten, antibiotics, hormones, soy, and genetically modified organisms.
- Meals do not contain refined sugar.
- Users only need to heat their meals in the microwave or oven.
- People can purchase add-ons, such as extra protein, snacks, and soups.
- The company offers breakfast, lunch, and dinner.
- Factor offers options for a variety of diets, including keto, vegetarian, and gluten-free.
Cons
- Cross-contamination is possible through Factor’s shared cooking area.
- The service is more costly than some other similar options.
- The service only ships to the 48 contiguous states.
- There are limited options for vegetarians.
- The service does not help users develop cooking skills.
- The sodium levels may be high in some of the meals.
Our first meal kit tester, Heather Riesebeck, tried Factor in 2023 for a week and found it offered a lot of healthy options with different dietary focuses, such as low carb, high protein, and low calorie.
Overall, I was very impressed with the choice, ingredient quality, and freshness. Read on to learn about my experience with Factor.Heather Riesebeck
More recently, KB Britt, who takes GLP-1 medication and, as a result, follows a high protein diet, appreciated that Factor offered meals tailored to his dietary needs.
He said, “There were a number of good options for high protein/keto/GLP-1 which made me feel good, but I’m always a little concerned about repeating meals too much or not having the option to pick a favorite again if it’s not on the menu that week.”
How we tested Factor
Heather was offered meals for a week. She chose the six-meal plan, which included various Protein Plus, Calorie Smart, and Keto. Factor preselected her meals but gave her the option to change them. However, all the selections sounded so good that she ultimately changed only one.
Meanwhile, KB chose from a preselection of GLP-1-specific meals, which he said was “helpful to track protein value in my diet.”
How Factor works
According to Heather, “The signup process was super easy to navigate. You need an account to order your meals, but you can have a look at the menu and filter meals by dietary requirements before doing that.”
She continued, “I could change my delivery date or pause for a certain time if needed. It was also very easy to cancel my subscription. It gave me the option to pause for no charge if I preferred that. You find out pricing and shipping information after you put in your ZIP code.”
KB also thought the sign-up process was easy, saying, “The process feels very simple and is geared toward getting you to select meals quickly. I would have liked to see more coverage of the total size of their repertoire versus just recent and upcoming week menus.”
Factor meals menu
Heather was impressed with the variety of meals available. She noted that they seemed to be mostly American, Italian, and Mexican cuisine.
However, within these cuisines, she found numerous options, allowing her to have variety throughout her week.
She shared, “There were lots of healthy options with different focuses, like low carb, high protein, and low calorie. I try to have meals with higher protein, so it was nice to have that category easy to find on the website.”
Meanwhile, KB said, “I feel like the selection is pretty wide and varied. However, when signing up, I would be a little nervous that on any given week, they would not have a lot of things that appealed to me once I narrowed down to the high protein options.”
Here are their thoughts on some of the meals they tried:
| Heather’s meals | Heather’s verdict | KB’s meals | KB’s verdict |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweet Potato Grits and Sage Chicken | This was my absolute favorite. The sweet potato grits were amazing and unlike anything I’d tasted before. The chicken’s texture was perfect, and everything tasted delicious. I want the recipe for the grits! | Chorizo & Black Bean Queso Fundito | I had high hopes for this one, but was let down. The chorizo was bland and a little overcooked, and the queso was not very flavorful or had any meaningful kick. It also wasn’t very filling. I was still hungry after eating this one. |
| Sweet and Tangy BBQ Ground Pork | This had a unique flavor that I really enjoyed. However, I wish the potatoes were a little softer. | Smoky Gouda Macaroni and Shredded Beef | This was my second favorite. The shredded beef was a little chewy and bland, but the macaroni and gouda was a great consistency and delicious. I don’t think I got the full nutritional value because I didn’t eat all of the beef, but the macaroni was great. |
| Chicken Alfredo Pasta | The chicken and vegetables had a great texture, and I was satisfied with the seasoning. | Cavatappi & Meatballs | This is another one I expected good things from, but didn’t get them. I love cavatappi, and I love meatballs and red sauce, but it was too bland, too chewy, and too much like a traditional frozen microwave meal. |
| Ground Pork Chili and Cheddar Mac | This has good flavor and texture and was a simple, yummy meal. | Smoked Gouda & Bacon Shredded Chicken Hash | This one surprised me! The flavors were good, the cheese was a good consistency, and the overall texture was the best of the lot. I would order this meal again. |
Preparing Factor meals
According to Heather, “These were by far the easiest meals I’ve ever had delivered.”
She added, “The items were packaged in a microwavable tray with a removable cover containing nutrition information and labeling. The meals were extremely easy to prepare, requiring only a couple of holes in the plastic film of the tray and then 2 minutes of microwaving. I cooked each meal for exactly 2 minutes and was always pleased with the temperature.”
Factor’s packaging
Heather’s box got delivered to her while she was at work on the day Factor said it would be delivered.
She said, “When I got home later in the evening, all the meals were still perfectly refrigerated. The box wasn’t too big or heavy. All their packaging felt very intentional. The packaging was extremely eco-friendly. Everything had descriptions of how it could be properly recycled, and it was made very clear that the packaging materials were recyclable.”
Heather continued, “The box also stated that the company is carbon neutral, which was nice to know. Even the padding and the frozen packs were recyclable with clear instructions. What stood out to me most were the company’s sustainability efforts and how they made it easy to recycle the packaging.”
Interestingly, KB, who used the service in 2025, had a different experience. He commented that it was not clear which packaging materials could be reused, recycled, or composted. As a result, he “threw all materials in the trash after heating.”
Heather, who is “normally very skeptical about reheating meat, “said, “she was blown away by the texture of the chicken.”
She added, “The chicken breast was juicy and flavorful as if I had just cooked it.”
In terms of vegetables, she said, “All of the vegetables were very fresh as well, not mushy like lots of other microwavable meals. I found that all the meals I tried were seasoned well. I could see that if someone wanted to enhance it further, it would be easy to add more spices (however, I did not need or want to).”
Overall, Heather was “very impressed with the ingredient quality and freshness.”
Meanwhile, KB’s overall assessment was a bit more critical. He said, “The cost is high enough that I would expect a more flavorful, fresh meal overall. Generally, the meat was the kind of rubbery you expect from a microwave meal, and the textures were soft overall.”
Factor does not charge more for certain menu plans. Instead, the number of meals per week influences the cost per meal. People may find that buying more meals is a better value.
Overall, Heather said she would recommend Factor to “anyone who wants high quality meals without having to cook. It couldn’t have been easier to use, and the meals were great.”
She continued, “I think the company’s customer service, shipping, and overall process are done well and are in line with other meal delivery services I have tried. As I said before, what stood out to me most were Factor’s sustainability efforts and how it made it easy to recycle the packaging.”
Factor’s competitor reviews
Read our detailed reviews of Factor’s main competitors here:
Factor meals do not recommend freezing their meals. Instead, they are intended to be stored in the fridge for 7 days after delivery.
According to Factor Meals, people can cancel and manage their subscriptions online through their account settings. Our reviewer found it very easy to cancel their Factor subscription.
The monthly cost of Factor depends on the meal plan a person selects. Currently, prices range from $84 (for 6 meals per week) to $207 (for 18 meals per week), plus shipping.
Yes, Factor meals can be a healthy option for many people. Their ready-to-heat meals are designed by registered dietitians, with a focus on a balanced and wholesome approach to eating.
However, nutritional values vary by meal. Some Factor meals are relatively high in sodium, with 700 to 1,050 mg per serving, while others may contain up to 30 g of sugar. Depending on a person’s dietary needs, they may need to balance their other meals throughout the day to stay within recommended limits for sodium and added sugars.
Yes, HelloFresh owns Factor. It acquired the company in 2020.
Factor offers dietitian-approved meals that cater to various dietary needs.
Our two testers had mixed experiences. Heather appreciated the brand’s sustainability efforts and thoroughly enjoyed the meals, complimenting the variety in cuisines, tastes, and textures. In contrast, KB liked the high-protein options but felt some meals lacked flavor and that the packaging guidance could have been clearer.
Overall, Factor will suit individuals looking for convenient, dietitian-designed meals, although individual preferences for taste and packaging may vary.
People can also supplement their diet with Factor’s new products that aim to boost hydration, greens, and protein.
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