Friend That Cooks alternative
Hourly chefs bill by the clock. Livin prices by the plate.
4.9 ★ · 35K+ dinners cooked
Two ways to handle dinner
Friend That Cooks sends an hourly personal chef, roughly $56 to $71 an hour plus your grocery bill, for a weekly cook day. Fully custom, cost varies. Livin is a vetted chef too, but you choose from 450+ dishes at about $26 a plate, groceries included, with macros on every dish. Same idea, very different bill.
| What we compared | Livin | Friend That Cooks |
|---|---|---|
| Who's cooking | ||
| The cook day | LivinChef shops, cooks fresh in your kitchen, cleans up | Friend That CooksChef shops, cooks in your kitchen, cleans up |
| What you eat | ||
| Menu | Livin450+ dishes you browse and choose from | Friend That CooksOpen-ended, planned with your chef each week |
| Nutrition data | LivinMacros computed from USDA data on every dish | Friend That CooksNone shown, ask your chef |
| What it asks of you | ||
| Getting started | LivinPick meals online, book in minutes | Friend That CooksIn-home consultation, then scheduling |
| Allergies and hard-nos | LivinSet once in your household profile, chef cooks around them | Friend That CooksDiscussed with your chef directly |
| Coverage | LivinAtlanta and Los Angeles | Friend That Cooks24 US markets, rates vary by city |
| What it costs | ||
| Per plate | LivinAround $26 a plate. | Friend That CooksAbout $56 to $71 an hour for chef time, plus your grocery bill No shipping, the chef cooks in your home |
Friend That Cooks details verified July 2026.
Now, the easiest part of your day: dinner.
Fresh, not frozen.
Your chef shops for fresh ingredients, with your household's preferences and needs as their guide.
Cooked in your kitchen.
No commissary. No ghost kitchen. No meal kit box. Your stove, your standards, your table.
This month, your chef is making
Real dishes from the current menu. Customizable, with USDA-verified nutrition on every plate.
“For the first Sunday in like a year, I don't feel exhausted. I actually went outside and played with my boys. It was awesome! This is truly the best thing I've spent money on in a long time! Best. Service. Ever!”
— Crystal, Executive and Mom of Twins
Be honest with yourself
Stay with Friend That Cooks if
You want dishes that do not exist on any menu: family recipes, a specific cuisine done your way, full creative control with your chef. Hourly chefs like Friend That Cooks are built for exactly that, and if you are in one of their markets and comfortable with a variable weekly total, the open-ended custom plan is something a fixed menu cannot match.
Switch to Livin if
You want the in-home chef experience without managing an hourly bill and a grocery budget. You would rather browse a menu with macros on every dish and know the per-plate price before you book. You want to start this week, not after a consultation. And you are in Atlanta or Los Angeles.
It gets better every week
A box is the same on week one and week fifty. Livin learns. You give feedback, your profile updates, next week is sharper. Same chef or a new one.
- 01
We learn your household.
Allergies, picky eaters, the way your Tuesdays go. We build your profile before anyone steps in your kitchen.
- 02
We propose your menu
Each week, dinners built for your household. Keep what we send, swap a dish, or send us a request.
- 03
Your chef handles the kitchen
Shopping, cooking, cleanup. Plus heating notes so the rest of the week is easy.
- 04
We keep tuning
You give feedback. We update your profile. Sometimes a new dish. Sometimes a new chef. Either way, next week is sharper.
Who's behind it
“I built Livin so dinner could feel like an actual part of life again, not a thing to survive.”
Erica
Founder of Livin
A chef who learns your household. Not a box from a menu.
Get StartedFrequently asked questions
- Hourly services like Friend That Cooks run roughly $56 to $71 an hour with a 3-hour minimum, plus your grocery bill, so a weekly cook day can land north of $250 all-in once groceries are added, depending on the week's menu. Livin prices per plate instead, about $26, groceries included, so the weekly number is set when you pick your meals.
- By reputation, yes. Professional background-checked chefs, fully custom weekly plans, no contracts, and they handle shopping through cleanup. The trade-offs are the variable hourly-plus-groceries bill, no menu or macros to browse, and a consultation before you start. It is a strong pick if open-ended custom cooking matters most.
- Both send a real chef to cook in your kitchen. The difference is how you choose and how you pay. With an hourly chef, you plan the menu together and pay for time plus groceries. With Livin, you choose from 450+ dishes with macros computed from USDA data, pay about $26 a plate with groceries included, and your chef cooks your picks around your allergies and dietary needs.
- Usually, but it is not guaranteed. Every Livin chef is vetted, and your household profile carries your allergies, dietary needs, and hard-nos, so whoever cooks has what they need. Hourly services typically assign you one chef, which some households prefer.
- No, and that is the honest trade. Livin chefs cook from the Livin menu, 450+ dishes across cuisines, and cook around your allergies, dietary needs, and hard-nos. If you need fully custom recipes built from scratch to your spec, an hourly chef is the better fit. If you want great food, a set price, and zero planning, that is Livin.