Thrive Market Review: Is Thrive Market Worth It?

Can you save money with Thrive? Are their products really healthy? Is Thrive Market worth it? I answer these questions and more here in my honest review of Thrive Market.

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Eating healthy doesn’t have to take a lot of time. With just a little planning and the right strategies, you can have healthy food on the table in minutes. That said, it often does take a little more time to prepare a healthy meal than to have a pizza delivered.

But not eating healthy isn’t an option for me. So, I try to save time wherever I can. One of the ways that I save time is to order my ingredients online.

I do not like grocery shopping. It takes time (which I am short on). It takes money (which I am also short on). And the grocery stores near me don’t have a wide variety of healthy ingredients.

I still remember the day (several years ago) it hit me that I really didn’t have to go to the grocery store. I could order what I needed online. Oh, happy day!

Where to buy healthy ingredients online

Where to buy healthy ingredients online depends on what type of food you want and what your shopping habits are.

If you are interested in affordable, organic food staples in bulk (like grains, beans, produce, nuts, seeds, flours, etc.), Azure Standard is a great option. You do have to pick up your order, but you can place the order at your convenience and in the comfort of your home, and pickup is fast.

If you want to buy just a few items here and there, and you want them delivered to your door, Amazon Grocery may be your best bet.

If you have specific dietary needs/preferences (like vegan and organic) and want the convenience of your food being delivered to your doorstep fast, then you may be interested in Thrive Market.

Thrive Market is a convenient way to get healthy foods delivered straight to your door.

But can you save money with Thrive?
Are their products really healthy?
Is Thrive Market worth it?

I’ll look at the answer to these 3 questions (and more) below.

What is Thrive Market?

Thrive Market is a membership-based online store with a large selection of organic, non-GMO, and allergy-friendly products for nearly every diet and lifestyle.

Saving Money with Thrive Market

Can you save money with Thrive Market? It depends on several factors, which I’ve listed below.

Thrive normally charges a membership fee ($60/yr). You can get 30% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER + A FREE GIFT with this link.

Is the membership fee worth it?

Can you save money with Thrive?

If you:

normally purchase organic or non-GMO or vegan or gluten-free or other specialty foods
have limited local access to a wide variety of inexpensive healthy foods (or prefer having groceries delivered)
follow my tip (below) about marking your favorites
spend $49 or more on your order so you get free shipping

then you will probably save the membership fee several times over.

Is the Thrive Market cheaper than whole foods?

Yes, Thrive Market is generally cheaper than Whole Foods, but the savings depend on your personal grocery needs.

Is Thrive cheaper than Trader Joe’s?

Not usually. Trader Joe’s is generally cheaper than Thrive Market. However, if you (like me) don’t live near a Trader Joe’s, then Thrive may be a better option.

Is Thrive cheaper than Sprouts?

This one really depends on your shopping habits. Some items are cheaper and some are not. But again, if you (like me) don’t live near a Sprouts, then it doesn’t matter if items at Sprouts cost less.

Is Thrive cheaper than ALDI?

No, ALDI is generally cheaper than Thrive Market (but, of course, the savings depend on your personal grocery needs). However, Thrive has far more options that ALDI.

How I save money with Thrive Market

These are the 2 ways that I personally save money with Thrive Market:

1. Simply avoiding going to the grocery store saves me money. When I order online, I not only save money on fuel, but I also save time.

2. When I first joined Thrive Market, I made a 30-minute, upfront investment and “favorited” all the items that 1.) met my “is it healthy” criteria and 2.) were less expensive than if I bought them elsewhere. Now, all I have to do is go to my “favorites”, quickly fill up my cart and checkout. And I avoid the items that are more expensive.

A Peek at My Order from Thrive Market

I eat a simple, sugar-free, oil-free, plant-based diet. Very few packaged foods. So, many of the items at Thrive Market don’t fit my needs. However, I have found many healthy items that I do like from Thrive.

(And I did I mention how much I love NOT going to the grocery store?)

Here is a peek at my latest order from Thrive:

I normally make my own apple sauce using a special method. (It’s the best, creamiest applesauce you’ve ever had!!) But when I create/test recipes that use applesauce, I use store-bought applesauce since that’s what most who try the recipe will be using. Thrive carries a good, organic applesauce that’s perfect for this.

I like this lemon juice because it contains no additives or preservatives and it’s a good price. I also like that it’s in a glass (not plastic) bottle.

It’s difficult to find organic canned pineapple. It was good to see that Thrive Market has it. I use it for this amazing vegan Coconut Pineapple Milk.

Thrive Market is one of the few places I’ve seen that carries beans (cooked) without EDTA.

I’m thankful for a source for almond milk that doesn’t have unhealthy added ingredients (like natural flavors and gellan gum). This brand is just water, organic almonds, and sea salt.

Is Thrive Market worth it? Great source for healthy Almond Milk

Thrive Market has a good selection of gluten-free pasta.

Many canned tomato products contain citric acid. Thrive Market carries several (tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, etc.) that are citric-acid-free!

Is Thrive Market worth it? It one of the few places to find tomato products without citric acid

Are Thrive Market products really healthy?

Thrive Market does not sell items that contain artificial flavors, synthetic colors, antibiotics, synthetic nitrates and other nitrites, and parabens. Most of the items they sell are organic and all are non-GMO.

However, they still carry many items that I personally would not use. My advice? No matter where you shop, don’t fall for the super-healthy-sounding front label. Look at the ingredients label. (Which is one thing that I really like about Thrive Market!!! Every product page includes a full ingredient list.)

As far as quality, everything that I’ve ever purchased from Thrive Market has been good – usually excellent – quality.

Pros and Cons of a Thrive Market Membership

After buying from Thrive Market for the last few years, here’s my review of the pros and cons of a Thrive Market membership.

Pros

Thrive Market carries organic/non-GMO/vegan /gluten-free/other specialty foods.
They prioritize ethically-sourced products.
Thrive carries products that many grocery stores don’t (unless you live near a big city).
Thrive also offers personal care and household items.
No trips to the grocery store and no long checkout lines. (yay! 🙂 )
Shipping is free with order of $49 or more.
Shipping is fast!
Packaging is excellent.
If you do it right, shopping at Thrive can be quick and easy. You can easily reorder items by looking at your “Buy it Again” tab. And you can create your own personal shopping lists and favorites lists in your account.

Cons

You have to have a membership.
Minimum item quantity for certain products.
Not all products save you money.
I had to sort through a lot of unhealthy and more expensive products to find the ones that I wanted.
No fresh produce.

Healthy Products from Thrive Market

Non-Dairy Milk

Thrive market carries several non-dairy milks with no unhealthy additives.

Pasta

Huge variety of healthy gluten-free pasta (and other types of pasta).

Grains

Thrive has a variety of organic gluten-free grains, such as amaranth, polenta, GF steel cut oats (for this yummy Power Porridge), rice, and quinoa (for this vegan Quinoa Lentil No-Meat Loaf)

Flours

Thrive Market also carries organic gluten-free flours, such as almond flour (for this Oil-Free, Sugar-Free Pear Crisp), arrowroot starch flour, brown rice flour, cassava flour, coconut flour, masa harina flour (organic!), sorghum flour, and tapioca flour.

Legumes (beans, peas, etc.)

Thrive carries all kinds of beans including, cannellini beans, chickpeas, red split lentils, and more.

Nuts and Seeds

Thrive carries a large selection of organic and regeneratively-grown nuts and seeds.

Nut Butters and Seed Butters

It’s challenging to find nut/seed butters without added sugar and oil and other stuff. I’m so happy Thrive carries simple and healthy nut/seed butters. They even have sprouted almond butter.

Fruit – Dried fruit, fruit juice, applesauce, etc.

Thrive carries organic applesauce, Deglet Noor and Medjool dates (for this healthy frosting recipe!), dried apricots, dried pineapple, lemon juice, pineapple, raisins, and more.

Fruit Spreads

They have Chia Smash – A healthier fruit spread that contains no sugar or other refined sweeteners, no grape or apple juice concentrate, and no citric acid. The first ingredient is fruit!

Tomato Products

Many canned tomato products contain citric acid (an ingredient I try to avoid). Thrive carries several (tomato paste, crushed tomatoes, etc.) that are citric-acid-free!

Snacks

If you are looking for snacks, Thrive Market has got you covered and then some! They carry lots of snacky foods.

If your are looking for healthy snack-like foods, I would suggest checking out Thrive’s selection of Larabars, That’s It bars, and South 40 bars.

Bread

In the freezer section, Thrive has some healthy breads, like Ezekiel 4:9 bread. (To buy from the frozen section, you need a minimum of $65 in frozen items to checkout and a $99 to $120 minimum for free shipping.)

Seasonings

They carry lots of seasonings. I purchase some of my dried herbs, like oregano, thyme, basil, etc. from Thrive.

Misc

And they have date sugar (for these Coconut Orange Breakfast Bars) and date syrup and pure maple syrup.

Is Thrive Market worth it?

Should you join Thrive Market? Is Thrive Market worth it?

Thrive Market is most cost-effective for those who:

regularly purchase niche products (organic, vegan, non-GMO, etc.)
are not interested in buying in bulk
want groceries delivered to their door fast

If you are still unsure if Thrive Market is for you, you can give them a try at a discount using this this link (30% OFF YOUR FIRST ORDER + A FREE GIFT)