Comparison
DinnerDrop vs eMeals
eMeals has planned dinners since 2003, with 15 meal plans and a team of food writers and dietitians. DinnerDrop plans the week around your own family instead of one menu per plan, and it's free to use. No card.
| DinnerDrop | eMeals | |
|---|---|---|
| Free plan | Yes — unlimited weekly plans, $0, for as long as you like | No free plan; 14-day free trial |
| Card needed to start | No | Yes — card or PayPal for the trial |
| Paid plan | Family: $4.99 a month (month-to-month) or $39 a year; first 14 days free, no card | $59.99 a year (shown as $4.99/mo), or $37.50 every 3 months; no month-to-month dinner plan |
| How the menu is made | Built for your family: size, budget, allergies, each person’s dislikes, your weekly protein mix | 7 recipes a week from the meal plan you choose (15 plans) |
| Family input | Everyone in the house votes on the week’s dinners by text; tastes are learned per person | Not offered |
| Grocery handoff | One tap to Instacart (any store on Instacart) or straight into a Kroger cart | Walmart, Kroger, Instacart, Amazon Fresh, Albertsons/Safeway, H-E-B, Shipt |
| Compare your stores | Prices your list at each store you shop and can split it between two | Not offered |
| Nutrition | On every recipe | On 7 of the 15 plans |
| Dinner from what’s in the fridge | Snap a photo of the fridge, get dinners you can make | Search recipes by an ingredient you have |
| Recipe library | 1,100+ and growing every night | 25,000+ |
| Apps | Works on any phone or computer; iPhone app coming | iPhone and Android apps |
| Breakfast and lunch plans | Not yet | Paid add-ons |
eMeals details from eMeals' website, help center and checkout page on October 31, 2026. Prices change, and eMeals sometimes runs promotions; check their site for current offers.
Choose eMeals if…
- You shop at Walmart for pickup or delivery.
- You want a native Android app today.
- You want breakfast and lunch plans too.
- You'd rather pick from one set menu each week than have one built for you.
Choose DinnerDrop if…
- You want to try it for real without handing over a card.
- Your house has picky eaters, allergies, or one person who won't eat fish.
- You want the whole family to vote on dinner instead of arguing about it.
- You shop on Instacart or at Kroger and want the list to land in your cart in one tap.
- You'd rather pay $4.99 a month than $59.99 up front.
How billing works at DinnerDrop
Planning and the Instacart cart are free, always. Family is free for your first 14 days with no card. To keep it after that, add a card from Account: $4.99 a month or $39 a year. We email you three days before any charge, and you can cancel in one tap.
Plan this week's dinners free
Five dinners for your family, one grocery list, one tap to your cart. Two minutes to set up.
Start free — no cardSources: eMeals home page · eMeals pricing · eMeals nutrition information · eMeals recipe search · eMeals signup and checkout pages (viewed Oct 31, 2026). eMeals is a trademark of eMeals, Inc. DinnerDrop is not affiliated with or endorsed by eMeals.