Written by Steve Theunissen | ISSA: CPT & Fitness Nutrition
Fact checked by Tyler DiGiovanni
FACT CHECKED
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The biggest aspect in determining your success in reaching your physical goals is what you put in your mouth. That's true whether you're trying to lose weight, gain muscle or improve your overall fitness level. Without on-point nutrition, you're going to be spinning your wheels, regardless of how hard you're working in the gym.
For many of us, nutrition is a struggle. We live busy lives, making it extremely tough to get the right nutrients into our bodies at the right time. So, it's no surprise that so many people have discovered the benefits of subscribing to a meal delivery service. It's also no surprise that the meal delivery market is booming. In fact, with so many choices, it's hard to know which service to select.
That's where we come in. We take the top-rated meal delivery service providers and put them head to head in order to discover which one is most deserving of your business. Today we compare two of the best that offer nutritious meals: Trifecta and Factor.
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Trifecta vs Factor
Trifecta and Factor are both healthy meal delivery services that offer pre-prepared meals designed to support a variety of dietary needs and goals. However, there are some differences between the two services that you may want to consider when choosing between them.
- Meal Options: Trifecta offers a wide range of meal options, including; gluten-free, ketogenic, paleo and vegan or vegetarian options. They also have an a la carte menu option, where you can order individual items or dishes instead of ordering a set meal or package. Factor offers a more limited selection of meal options, including ketogenic and paleo options.
- Quality of Ingredients: Both Trifecta and Factor use high-quality, whole-food ingredients in their meals. However, Trifecta uses primarily organic ingredients, while Factor does not specify the use of organic ingredients.
- Customization: Trifecta allows customers to customize their meals, including the portion size and ingredients, while Factor does not offer customization options.
- Delivery Area: Trifecta delivers to all 50 of the United States, while Factor only delivers to the 48 contiguous states.
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Price: Trifecta and Factor both offer competitive pricing, but the cost may vary depending on the specific meal plan and delivery area.
Trifecta Rundown
Trifecta Nutrition is a healthy meal delivery service that offers pre-prepared, healthy meals designed to support a variety of dietary needs and goals. Trifecta's meals are made with high-quality, whole-food ingredients, and are designed to be convenient, delicious, and nutritious.
Trifecta offers a wide range of meal options, including plant-based, gluten-free, ketogenic, and paleo options. Customers can choose from a wide variety of meal plans, including a la carte options and weekly meal plans, and can also customize their meals, including the portion size and ingredients. The chef-prepared Meals are macronutrient balanced to meet the needs of athletes and gym goers.
The Trifecta app allows customers to track their meals, monitor their progress, and access a variety of nutrition resources and tools. The app provides information about the ingredients in each meal, including calorie and macronutrient content, and allows customers to log and track their meals, set goals, and monitor their progress.
Trifecta delivers nationwide in the United States and uses sustainable packaging materials to minimize its environmental impact which makes it a great meal delivery service. Trifecta's meals are designed to be convenient and easy to prepare, and can be heated in the microwave or oven.
Pros
- Meals are created by chefs and designed for athletes and gymgoers
- Wide range of meal options including vegan, paleo, and keto
- Weekly meal plans
- Nationwide US delivery
- Comprehensive nutrition app
Cons
- You can exclude just two ingredients from your weekly plan
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Factor Rundown
Factor is a subsidiary of HelloFresh and was previously known as Factor 75. As with Trifecta, the meals are geared toward athletes, weightlifters, and fitness enthusiasts. You can choose from 27 meal options per week that are designed by a chef with input from a number of dietitians.
Factor provides options for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, though the breakfast menu is pretty limited. You can also tag add-ons to your menu. The menus cater to the paleo, keto, vegan, and vegetarian diets.
Your subscription includes a single free virtual nutrition coaching session. In addition, Factor has been including cold-pressed juices on its menu since its relaunch under the Hello Fresh umbrella.
Factor prides itself on its commitment to transparency and quality, and provides detailed information about its ingredients and manufacturing processes on its website.
Pros
- Targeted toward everyday athletes
- 27 meal options each week
- Complimentary virtual nutrition coaching session
- Cold pressed juices
- Can include add-ons to your order
Cons
- Limited vegan meal options
- Does not include recipe cards
Trifecta Vs Factor: Meal Options
Both Trifecta and Factor are meal delivery companies that offer nutritionally balanced meals that are designed by in-house chefs. There are quite a few similarities in their meal offerings but also some notable differences.
Trifecta Options
Trifecta allows you to choose from up to 28 meals per week, including each of the three main meals of the day. The menu covers the globe, including meals from Asia, the Middle East, and South America. Meals range in energy count between 350 and 500 calories. Trifecta also caters to the vegan, vegetarian, keto, and paleo diets.
Rather than choosing individual meals, you choose from six meal plans with set meals covering breakfast, lunch, dinner, and an entree. If you want more choice, you can go for the Meal Builder kit, where you can mix and match your own meals.
Factor Options
Factor has almost as many meal options as Trifecta, also covering all meals. However, their breakfast choices are not as extensive. Factor's menu supports vegan, vegetarian and keto, and paleo diets. Their vegan and vegetarian offerings are not as extensive as Trifecta.
No preparation is required when you receive your meals; simply heat and eat. To make life even easier, your single-serve meals arrive in microwave-friendly containers. The serving sizes, while they should be sufficient, are generally not as large as you get with Trifecta.
Factor offers a range of cold-pressed juices in a 4-pack option. The current flavors are Apple Beet Ginger, Apple Kale Wheatgrass, Pineapple Turmeric Basil, and Carrot Orange Ginger.
Verdict: Trifecta Wins
Trifecta is the winner here. It has a wider meal selection, better breakfast offerings, and slightly larger meals. It also offers more flexibility by way of the Meal Builder Kit option.
Trifecta Vs Factor: Ingredients
Both Trifecta and Factor use high-quality, whole-food ingredients in their meals. However, there are some key differences that may impact your selection between the two services.
Trifecta
Trifecta puts a priority on using organic ingredients. In terms of sustainability, Trifecta sources its ingredients from sustainable and responsible farmers and producers.
The ingredients used in Trifecta's meals include a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins, and healthy fats. The company is committed to using fresh, whole-food ingredients to create delicious, nutritious, and convenient meals.
Oils are used sparingly in the Trifecta meal recipes. The healthiest options are selected including avocado, coconut, and olive oil. When it comes to the keto menu, the oils used are sesame, coconut, and extra virgin olive oil.
Factor
Factor does not specify whether their ingredients are organic. Neither is Factor as transparent as Trifecta regarding its ingredients sourcing practices. As a result, it is not really possible to get a gauge on its sustainable practices.
Factor uses an effective color coding system so you can easily identify the ingredients in each meal. Meat containing meals have an orange cardboard label, while vegan meals are green seafood blue and breakfast meals yellow.
Factor meals are all gluten-free. Instead of gluten, the Factor chefs have substituted ingredients such as coconut flour, butternut squash, and almond flour. It should be noted, however, that Factor, as a company, is not certified gluten-free. That means that it is possible for cross-contamination to occur at the factory.
Verdict: Trifecta Wins
Trifecta comes out on tops here, thanks to its ingredient sourcing transparency, and use of transparent ingredients.
Trifecta Vs Factor: Taste & Sample Meals
While taste preferences are subjective, there are some real differences between the two services in terms of flavor and taste. For this comparison, I selected two sample meals that were roughly comparable.
Trifecta Taste Rating
Sample Meal: Kung Pao Chicken with Roasted Sweet Potato and Brown Rice
This meal provides you with a healthy helping of sweet and savory Sichuan kung pao chicken served with seasonal vegetables and white sweet potato. The chicken was flavorful, juicy and tender. The roasted sweet potato was perfectly cooked, and the brown rice had a nice texture. Overall, the meal was very appetizing and well-portioned.
Factor Taste Rating
Sample Meal: Ranch Based Chicken
This meal is a combination of chicken breast, white mushrooms, riced broccoli, and avocado oil mayonnaise. The chicken is flavored with a home-made ranch dressing, consisting of garlic, dill, chives, and parsley. The result is an extremely palatable chicken, that was just as tender and flavorsome as the Trifecta meal. The priced broccoli and white mushrooms complement the main nicely. This was another very pleasing meal, though the portion size was not quite as filling as I got with Trifecta.
Verdict: Trifecta Wins
Based on the sample meals, both meal delivery services offer delicious meals that are healthy, and well-balanced. Based on the fact that Trifecta meals are lightly more substantial, I will rate it as the winner here.
Trifecta Vs Factor: Costs
The cost of subscribing to a meal delivery service can be quite substantial so pricing is an important factor when trying to decide between two services. Let's break down the costs involved when subscribing to Trifecta and Factor.
Trifecta costs
You can choose between a number of different weekly plans, with each plan coming in at a different price point. Classic Plan plans are the least expensive, with the per-meal cost starting at around $10.50.
Vegan and vegetarian plans bump the per neal cost up to between $11 and $14 per serving. Paleo and keto plans are the most expensive, with meals costing between $14.82 and $15.86 per meal.
If you decide to order one meal a day, seven days per week, the pricing starts at $99.99. Two meals per day, seven days per week will cost between $179.99 and $219.99. And if you wish to order three meals a day for a total of 2 meals per week, the cost will be $314.99-$414.99.
Trifecta provides free shipping on all orders. The minimum order is 7 meals.
Factor costs
Factor has more of a standardized pricing system, so that the meal prices are the same, regardless of the meal plan. The per-meal prices range from $11-15, depending on how many meals you order. The maximum order is 18 meals per week, at a cost of $208 once the shipping fee is factored in.
Factor charges $9.99 per order for shipping. The minimum order is 4 meals.
Verdict: Trifecta Wins
Overall Trifecta meals work out at a lower per-serving cost. They also provide free shipping to all 50 US states. these factors make them a better value proposition.
Trifecta Vs Factor: Packaging
Packaging is an important factor when it comes to meal delivery services. You will be receiving packages on a weekly basis, so you want to ensure that the materials used are environmentally friendly and sustainable.
Trifecta Packaging
Trifecta uses sustainable and environmentally-friendly packaging materials in its meal delivery service. The company uses biodegradable and compostable materials in its packaging to minimize its environmental impact. Trifecta's meals are delivered in insulated boxes with ice packs to ensure the freshness of the meals, and the company encourages customers to reuse or recycle its packaging materials.
Factor Packaging
Factor meals arrive in large boxes that contain a good amount of insulation and several cold packs. Each meal is packaged in a BPA-free CPET recyclable plastic container that can be put directly into the microwave. It is covered in a film of plastic and has a cardboard sleeve that indicates what the meal is as well as providing a list of the ingredients and the nutritional breakdown.
The cardboard box that your order arrives in is recyclable. Of the three types of insulation used - laminated, cotton, and PET - the laminated portion can be recycled. The gel packs that keep the meals cool in transit can be kept to be used in your picnic cooler.
Verdict: Tie
Both companies got to lengths to ensure that their packaging is sustainable while also being functional and minimalist. This one is a tie.
Trifecta Vs Factor Meals: Customer Service
Customer Service is the great intangible when it comes to meal delivery services. Of course, all companies promise great customer service, but the proof is in the pudding, so to speak. So let's see how Trifecta and Factor measure up.
Trifecta Customer Service
When it comes to customer support, Trifecta has four ways that customers can get in touch with the company:
- Chat room
- Phone line
- FAQ page
If you want to postpone or cancel your order, you need to give Trifecta 7 days' notice. The company is based in California and will respond to customer queries between 8 am and 5 pm Pacific Standard Time.
Trifecta gets high marks from its customers in terms of responsiveness and the ease at which customer problems and queries are resolved.
Factor Customer Service
Factor also offers four means to get in touch. They have a slightly shorter lead time for pausing or canceling your order. So long as you let them know by midnight on Wednesday Central Time (they are in Illinois), you can change your order status for the coming week. You can contact factor between 6 am and 11 pm Monday to Friday to get real-time support.
Factor also has a lot of positive feedback regarding their customer service.
Verdict: Factor Wins
Both Trifecta and Factor do a very good job in terms of customer service. They are both open and transparent and offer multiple means of getting in touch. In terms of rating one above the other, it's close call, but I'd put Factor slightly ahead solely on the basis that it has longer live contact hours.
Trifecta vs Factor: Which is the meal delivery service for you?
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Now that we've done a pretty comprehensive head-to-head comparison between these two top-rated meal delivery services, which one appeals most to you? We've discovered that they both provide excellent service with delicious, healthy meals.
However, Trifecta's menu is more extensive, the meals are slightly cheaper, they offer free shipping to all 50 US states, provide greater menu flexibility and provide more transparency regarding the sustainable sourcing of their ingredients.
For those reasons, we rate Trifecta as the winner in this meal delivery service head-to-head comparison. We also wrote up a full Trifecta Review if you're interested in learning more about the winner.
If you're ready to allow Trifecta to simplify your life and revolutionize your meal times.
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Steve Theunissen
Author