Thrive Market is an online marketplace that brands itself as one of the most affordable ways to get healthy food delivered to your door. The homepage of Thrive Market's website asks if you're "tired of overpaying for organic groceries?"
But is Thrive Market really cheaper than other major online platforms, or are these just marketing claims? How does the price of the same item on Thrive Market and Amazon compare? Is Thrive Market worth it considering the membership fee? And how do real users rate and describe Thrive Market's food options?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more as we compare the cost of the same item on Thrive Market and Amazon across different food categories.
We'll compare the cost of packaged foods, meat and seafood, frozen foods, supplements and personal care products and conclude on whether Thrive Market is worth it in our opinion.
We'll also share Thrive Market customer reviews including a haul video.
Packaged Food Price Comparison
Packaged food includes products like beef jerky, dried fruit, chips, chocolate and more.
Here's a per-unit cost comparison of some randomly-selected packaged foods on Thrive Market and Amazon.
Unreal Dark Chocolate Coconut Bars
- Thrive Market: $5.49
- Amazon: $5.28 (link)
Banza Rotini Chickpea Pasta
- Thrive: $3.99
- Amazon: $2.86 (link)
Really Raw Honey
- Amazon: $20.10
- Thrive: $13.99
Three Wishes Grain Free Cereal
- Amazon: $12.94
- Thrive: $6.99
Archer Grass-Fed Beef Jerky
- Amazon: $6.49
- Thrive: $6.29
Redmond Real Salt
- Amazon: $11.69
- Thrive: $8.99
Category average: 12% cost savings on Thrive Market
We Tried Thrive Market Ourselves
As one of the authors of this article (Calloway), I wanted to try Thrive Market myself to share my thoughts on the product quality and overall experience.
The shipping materials are entirely plastic-free, which always makes me more likely to purchase from a brand.
I ordered some healthy snacks like the Sprouted Popcorn above, and everything I tried was tasty and high-quality; similar to what I'd get at Whole Foods.
Delivery seemed relatively slow at around five days, because I'm used to Amazon Prime.
My experience using Thrive Market's website was mostly negative. I dislike having to log in and be prompted with a quiz or enter my credit card details just to check the prices and available items.
One pro of Thrive Market is the availability of "exotic" items that may be difficult to find at local retailers like organic coconut chunks or Brazil nuts.
Because I have a great selection of local grocers (Whole Foods, a local coop, farmstands, etc), I don't plan to purchase from Thrive Market personally, but it could make a fun gift for someone health-conscious and I could see it being very useful for people far from healthy grocery options.
Overall, I'd rate Thrive Market 6/10.
Meat & Seafood Price Comparison
Thrive Market sells meat and seafood that ships frozen. Amazon doesn't ship frozen food but does list Whole Foods items on their platform (since Amazon now owns Whole Foods). Here's the cost comparison:
1 Pound Grass-Fed Beef
- Thrive: $13.99
- Amazon: $8.49 (link)
1 Pound Organic Boneless Chicken Breast
- Thrive: $9.99
- Amazon: $8.99 (link)
1 Pound Salmon
- Thrive (wild-caught): $24.66
- Amazon (unclear if farmed or wild-caught): $17.99 (link)
Category average: 25% cost savings on Amazon
Unsurprisingly, buying fresh and frozen meat and seafood is more expensive on an online-only marketplace than in-store. It's simply more expensive to ship individually with ice, and Thrive Market will never be able to compete on cost in this category.
Real People Try Thrive Market
Before continuing to the other categories of price comparisons, we wanted to feature a few real Thrive Market customer reviews.
A YouTube creator named "Organic Life with Daniella" did a Thrive Market haul video which highlights some of her favorite products:
A TikTok creator named Erin showed how much food she was able to buy for $75 on Thrive Market:
@itserinconfortini what $75 gets you from @Thrive Market 🌟 #groceryhaul #grocerybudget ♬ original sound - Erin
Frozen Food Price Comparison
Thrive Market offers a wide variety of frozen foods, from pizzas to breakfast foods to produce and more.
Amy’s Margherita Pizza
- Amazon: $10.49
- Thrive: $8.24
Alexia Sweet Potato Fries
- Thrive: $6.49
- Amazon: $5.99 (link)
10 Ounces Frozen Spinach
- Amazon: $3.99
- Thrive: $3.29
32 Ounces Frozen Strawberries
- Thrive: $11.99
- Amazon: $9.49 (link)
10 Ounces Frozen Peaches
- Thrive: $6.99
- Amazon: $3.49 (link)
Category average: 8% cheaper on Amazon
Supplement Price Comparison
Amazon is the largest online retailer of dietary supplements, but Thrive has a surprisingly large catalog.
1 Pound Great Lakes Collagen
- Thrive: $28.99
- Amazon: $26.99 (link)
Gaia Herbs Turmeric Supreme Extra Strength
- Amazon: $39.99
- Thrive: $35.99
New Chapter Woman's Multivitamin
- Thrive: $43.99
- Amazon: $40.50 (link)
Nordic Naturals Ultimate Omega
- Thrive: $59.49
- Amazon: $59.46 (link)
Ancient Nutrition Super Greens
- Amazon: $38.21
- Thrive: $35.96
Category Average: equal pricing
Personal Care Product Price Comparison
Both Thrive Market and Amazon have an extensive portfolio of natural personal care products like soap, shampoo, hand sanitizers and other household items.
Dr. Bronner’s Pure Castile Bar Soap
- Amazon: $4.69
- Thrive: $4.49
EO Lavender Hand Sanitizer
- Amazon: $8.99
- Thrive: $7.99
Giovanni Tea Tree Shampoo
- Amazon: $18.42
- Thrive: $15.49
Babo Botanicals Mineral Sunscreen
- Amazon: $16.99
- Thrive: $16.49
Mineral Fusion Liquid Foundation
- Thrive: $27.99
- Amazon: $21.99 (link)
Seventh Generation Organic Cotton Tampons
- Amazon: $8.62
- Thrive: $6.79
Category Average: 6% cheaper on Thrive Market
Is Thrive Market Worth It?
Thrive Market's membership fee is $12 on a monthly basis and $59.95 on an annual basis. Whether or not the service is worth it obviously depends on whether the cost savings will offset the membership fee.
$59.95 per year is only $5 per month.
For anyone who shops for food, supplements or personal care products online, we believe that Thrive Market is worth it and will save you money.
Even though the cost of some categories on Thrive Market tend to be higher than Amazon or local stores (like meat and seafood), the potential cost savings on packaged foods, personal care products and supplements alone can more than offset the membership fee.
Thrive Market also has a Price Guarantee Program that will match the price difference between any product on Thrive Market and other platforms, and will pay the difference in Thrive Cash which can be used towards orders.
Thrive Cash can be earned by referring other users and purchasing certain items on the site. This is automatically applied to the next order at checkout.
Overall we believe that the average online shopper will save money on Thrive Market, and a budget-conscious shopper can save a significant amount of money by targeting foods and products that are at a greater discount on Thrive Market than on other platforms like Amazon.
