As a regular customer of both My Muscle Chef and YouFoodz, I can tell you firsthand what sets these leading Australian meal delivery services apart and which one might suit your lifestyle.
Having tested everything from taste and portion sizes to nutrition and value, I’ve learned that each service serves a distinct market. My Muscle Chef focuses on fitness goals with protein-rich portions, while YouFoodz delivers balanced, calorie-conscious meals for busy professionals.
This detailed comparison covers exactly what you’ll get from each service, helping you choose based on your goals, budget, and taste preferences. Whether you’re supporting your training, eating healthier, or simplifying weeknight dinners, I’ll help you make an informed choice.
Featured Service
Page Contents
My Muscle Chef vs YouFoodz: Quick Comparison & Discounts
Larger, Protein-Rich Portions
Additional Snacks, Sides and Protein Shakes
Best-Tasting Ready Meals
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Calorie-Controlled Portions
Value Meal Plans
Flexible Delivery Options
Our comparison will look in detail at each service’s offering, food and cost before making a final recommendation for which service is right for you.
My Muscle Chef vs YouFoodz: The Offering
We’ll start by look at the various products and services that each company provides, identifying any differences that are important to consider.
My Muscle Chef
My Muscle Chef has been serving prepared meals since 2012, becoming easily the largest and most disruptive meal delivery service in Australia. A selection of their meals can often be found in supermarkets like IGA and Woollies, with their full range only available from them direct.
Subscription Options: My Muscle Chef offers flexible purchasing options through their Standard, PRO (higher protein), and PLUS+ (larger portions) ranges. It’s very easy to either purchase a one-off box of meals or subscribe to regular deliveries. Their menu includes options for various dietary preferences including vegan, keto, and low-calorie meals. Through their website, you can fill in a few questions about your goals and they’ll recommend a personalised meal plan that works for you.
Meal Variety: With a rotating selection of 70+ different meals available at any one time, there is always a good selection of meals to choose from. This includes 8 Plant-Based meals making the service suitable for vegetarians and even vegans. While the menu heavily features chicken (53%) and beef (26%) dishes to maintain competitive pricing, I’ve found there’s still enough variety to keep things interesting.
Delivery Options: Delivery to over 4,200 postcodes across Australia means you’re very likely to be able to receive a My Muscle Chef delivery. The available delivery dates depend on the area you live in, with delivery windows either during the day (8am-6pm) or overnight. From my experience with multiple deliveries, their service has been reliable and their insulated packaging keeps everything properly chilled.
Additional Products: My Muscle Chef offers a comprehensive range of additional products including side dishes (which I quite enjoyed to get my calories up on gym days), protein shakes, and breakfast options. They’ve recently expanded their range to include protein powders, high-protein jerky, and recovery bars. Their protein yogurts taste good without any artificial protein flavor, and the porridge portions are surprisingly generous. While some protein snacks like their cookies need improvement, their side dishes work well for boosting calories on training days. This makes My Muscle Chef a quite comprehensive service that could make up your entire diet.
YouFoodz
YouFoodz has been delivering prepared meals across Australia since 2012, serving over 850,000 customers with more than 60 million meals. In 2021, they were acquired by HelloFresh, leading to significant changes in their service model. Like My Muscle Chef, YouFoodz meals can be found in major supermarkets including Coles, ALDI, and Woolworths.
Subscription Options: Following HelloFresh’s acquisition, YouFoodz has transitioned to a subscription-focused model. New customers can choose between 6, 8, 10, 12, 14, and 18 meals per week, with more flexible options available on mobile. After your first week, you can adjust your order size anywhere between 5 and 45 meals weekly.
Meal Variety: The menu features 40+ different meals split across three distinct ranges:
- Standard Meals with around 25 options each week
- Premium Protein Meals featuring premium cuts of meat
- FUEL’D Range offering larger portions with 30g+ protein
The menu heavily features chicken dishes, making up 45% of all meals. Currently, only 5 vegetarian options are available, making YouFoodz less suitable for those following plant-based diets.
Delivery Options: YouFoodz maintains an extensive delivery network covering all major cities and many regional areas across Australia. Delivery is available most days of the week, though you’ll need to allow 7 days’ notice to set or change your delivery day in most areas. They now charge a standard fee of $9.99 per delivery, with additional fees for some regional areas.
Additional Products: YouFoodz offers an extensive range of snacks and drinks to complement their meals. Their selection includes protein bars, crisps, cookies, and various drinks including protein shakes and juices. I’ve found their snacks to be particularly delicious, especially their protein cookies, and they’re reasonably priced compared to supermarket alternatives.
My Muscle Chef vs YouFoodz Service Comparison
These are the key differences you should consider when choosing between these services:
Overall, while these services share some similarities in their core offering of prepared meals, they’ve developed distinct approaches to meet different customer needs. My Muscle Chef tends to focus more on fitness and protein-oriented goals, while YouFoodz aims for convenient, portion-controlled meals at a lower price point.
My Muscle Chef vs YouFoodz : The Food
Knowing the difference/similarities in the options provided by these two meal delivery services, it’s important to talk about how good their actual food is! This definitely comes down to a lot of personal preference, but hopefully I can give you a good idea about what you’ll receive.
My Muscle Chef Meals
Packaging: Meals now arrive in distinctive bright red trays with a cardboard sleeve and unique vacuum-seal technology. Unlike other services that require peeling corners or piercing film, the vacuum seal automatically expands during cooking, which helps maintain freshness and makes preparation effortless. Just pop it in for 90 seconds in the microwave and you’re ready to eat, although I’ve found 2 minutes works better in some microwaves.
Flavour: Let me be clear: these meals completely redefined what I thought possible from microwave meals. The flavoring is consistently bold and restaurant-quality, going well beyond the simple seasoning typical of many prepared meals. Their Salmon Risotto genuinely surprised me with restaurant-quality taste. After 8+ years perfecting these recipes, their experience shows in every bite.
Texture: The vacuum-seal packaging creates some kind of magic. You won’t find the typical mushy vegetables or dry meat common in other microwave meals. Even traditionally difficult dishes like risotto maintain the perfect bite, while most proteins remain tender and juicy. Some meals can be slightly watery and a few have an overly acidic taste, but these are rare exceptions to their usually excellent quality.
Additional Products: Their protein yogurts taste genuinely delicious without any artificial protein flavor, and the porridge portions offer surprisingly generous servings. The protein snacks vary in quality (the cookies particularly need work), but their side dishes work perfectly for boosting calories on gym days. These larger portion sizes and additional options make it easy to build a complete meal plan that meets higher calorie needs.
My favorite My Muscle Chef meals include the incredible Salmon Risotto, Korean Beef, Chipotle Chicken Burrito Bowl, and Chicken Nasi Goreng. All of these I’d happily eat again and again.
YouFoodz Meals
Packaging: Meals come in clear plastic containers that are fully recyclable, with separate compartments that help prevent ingredients from mixing during delivery. You’ll need to peel back one corner of the film before microwaving to let steam escape – a slightly more involved process than My Muscle Chef’s vacuum seal. Each meal takes 3 minutes to cook, though I often add an extra 30 seconds to ensure everything is piping hot.
Flavour: Since HelloFresh’s acquisition, YouFoodz meals have improved significantly in quality, though they remain quite hit and miss. They focus on simple, clean ingredients that create straightforward flavors – think home cooking rather than restaurant dishes. Some meals like their Slow Cooked BBQ Beef really deliver on taste, while others can feel a bit bland and under-seasoned.
Texture: The separate compartments in YouFoodz packaging help prevent sogginess, and recent improvements to their cooking process have addressed many previous texture issues. Vegetables now retain some crunch, and pasta dishes avoid becoming mushy. However, meats can sometimes be a bit tough or chewy when reheated, and sauces often turn watery. It’s worth noting that their meals are generally smaller portions than My Muscle Chef, which can affect how ingredients hold up during reheating.
Additional Products: YouFoodz excels with their snack range, particularly their protein cookies which I found genuinely delicious. Their selection includes protein bars, crisps, and various drinks including protein shakes and juices. All are reasonably priced compared to supermarket alternatives, though portion sizes tend to be modest in line with their ‘healthy eating’ approach.
My favorite YouFoodz meals include the Chicken & Potato Salad, Fish Curry and the Slow Cooked BBQ Beef & Mash – all of which maintain good flavor and texture despite microwave reheating.
The portion size difference between these services reflects their distinct market positions. YouFoodz meals typically contain 300-400 calories, aligning with their focus on portion control and weight management. My Muscle Chef offers substantially larger portions, particularly in their PRO and PLUS+ ranges, making them better suited for those with higher caloric needs or active lifestyles.
After extensively testing both services, My Muscle Chef consistently delivers a more premium experience. Their vacuum-seal technology and careful attention to cooking methods result in restaurant-quality meals with better texture and more complex flavors. While YouFoodz has improved significantly since their HelloFresh acquisition, particularly in their FUEL’D range, they seem content focusing on simple, healthy meals at a more accessible price point.
Your choice between the two will likely depend on whether you prioritize portion size and premium taste, or prefer lighter, budget-friendly meals that support a calorie-conscious lifestyle.
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Before I compare the cost of each service, it’s worth considering the discounts you can get with each service. Taking advantage of a discount when you subscribe will make your first box incredibly good value, allowing you to make your own decision about the food. Simply click one of our unique discount links to get access to your money off.
My Muscle Chef vs YouFoodz : The Cost
Since we’ve already covered the discounts you can get with these services, it’s definitely time to look at the cost of each subscription. As they both offer different meal types, I’m going to compare their standard meal prices and delivery costs to help you understand the real price difference between these services.
You might be interested to find my industry analysis of the cheapest meal delivery service, allowing you to compare My Muscle Chef and YouFoodz against all the other prepared meal services.
Base Meal Pricing
| Service | Standard Meals | Premium/Specialty Meals | Minimum Order |
|---|---|---|---|
| My Muscle Chef | $10.95 – $12.95 | $12.95 – $13.95 | $99 (~10 meals) |
| YouFoodz | $9.29 – $10.99 | FUEL’D range + $1.00 | 6 meals minimum |
At first glance, YouFoodz offers more competitive pricing with meals starting approximately 15% cheaper than My Muscle Chef. This difference becomes more significant when comparing minimum order requirements – YouFoodz’s 6-meal minimum provides a lower barrier to entry compared to My Muscle Chef’s $99 minimum spend.
Bulk Discounts
| Service | Discount Tiers | Lowest Possible Price |
|---|---|---|
| My Muscle Chef | 2.5% off 13+ meals 5% off 16+ meals 10% off 21+ meals 15% off 25+ meals | $9.31 per meal |
| YouFoodz | Automatic scaling: 8 meals: $10.79 10 meals: $10.29 12 meals: $9.99 14 meals: $9.79 18 meals: $9.29 20 meals+: $8.99 | $8.99 per meal |
YouFoodz ultimately offers better value at their lowest price point, coming in about 30 cents per meal cheaper than My Muscle Chef’s best bulk discount. However, they achieve this differently: YouFoodz offers gradual price decreases as you order more meals, while My Muscle Chef requires larger orders to access their best discounts.
Delivery Costs
| Service | Standard Fee | Free Delivery | Additional Costs |
|---|---|---|---|
| My Muscle Chef | $15 – $20 | With subscription | +$5 per box after 30 meals |
| YouFoodz | $9.99 | No | Additional fees for some regional areas |
Delivery costs can significantly impact the total price of your order. YouFoodz maintains a lower standard delivery fee that’s roughly 40% cheaper than My Muscle Chef’s base rate. However, My Muscle Chef’s free delivery with subscription could save you more in the long run if you’re ordering regularly.
Which Service Offers Cheaper Meals?
The best value for you will depend on your ordering habits:
- Trying for the first time? YouFoodz has a lower barrier to entry with their 6-meal minimum order, compared to My Muscle Chef’s $99 minimum spend.
- Regular orders under 20 meals? YouFoodz offers better value with their graduated pricing system, working out 10-30% cheaper depending on order size.
- Large orders (20+ meals)? YouFoodz remains more cost-effective at $8.99 per meal, even compared to My Muscle Chef’s 15% bulk discount.
- Weekly subscription? While YouFoodz maintains lower meal prices, My Muscle Chef’s free delivery can offset this difference for regular customers, especially in areas with higher delivery fees.
Both services regularly offer introductory discounts that can make your first box significantly cheaper, allowing you to try the service before committing to regular orders.
Should I buy My Muscle Chef or YouFoodz?
After extensively testing both services, it’s clear they serve different needs in the prepared meals market. Let me break down who I think each service is best for.
YouFoodz is perfect if you’re watching your calories or your budget. Their smaller portion sizes (300-400 calories) and competitive pricing make them ideal for weight management goals. Since HelloFresh took over, their meal quality has improved significantly, though they still focus on simple, homestyle dishes rather than premium recipes.
My Muscle Chef delivers a genuinely premium experience. Their vacuum-sealed meals consistently provide restaurant-quality taste and texture. If you’re serious about your fitness goals or just want larger, more satisfying portions, they’re the clear winner. Yes, you’ll pay a bit more, but the quality difference is noticeable in almost every meal.
For beginners to meal prep services, YouFoodz offers an easier entry point. Their 6-meal minimum order and straightforward menu make it simple to get started. Plus, their extensive snack range gives you plenty of options to experiment with. Check out my full YouFoodz review for a detailed look at their menu options.
Budget-conscious customers will find YouFoodz hard to beat, especially with meals available from $8.99 when ordering in bulk. Even without discounts, their straightforward pricing and lower delivery fees make weekly ordering more affordable.
However, if you want the best-tasting options available, My Muscle Chef is worth the extra investment. Their protein-focused meals and larger portions better suit active lifestyles, and their innovative packaging really does make a difference to the final taste. I’ve covered this in detail in my highest rated meal delivery service review.
Ultimately, both services deliver on their promises. It just depends what you’re looking for. YouFoodz excels at providing simple, healthy meals at great value, while My Muscle Chef offers premium quality and larger portions for those willing to spend a bit more. You can find more options in my reviews of other meal delivery services.
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