Crowd Cow and ButcherBox are two online meat delivery services that claim to provide grass-fed beef and follow sustainable practices.
While these two companies have many things in common, there are several noticeable differences.
To determine which meat delivery comes out on top, we’ve tested both Crowd Cow and ButcherBox for an entire month, comparing their features, quality, and overall service.
ButcherBox vs Crowd Cow: The Main Differences
The main difference between these meal delivery services is how both services work.
ButcherBox works only with subscription boxes, whereas Crowd Cow offers an a la carte service and four subscription boxes.
Another difference between the two is meat sourcing and transparency.
While ButcherBox is very strict with its standards, they tend to be vague with their information, referring to products across the board instead of individually.
Crowd Cow, on the other hand, is very transparent with all of their sourcing, listing over 70 different farms where they source their meat and fish.
They also offer details on specific products, such as heritage pork.
Price and shipping are also quite different between these meat delivery services.
ButcherBox offers free shipping on all orders, while Crowd Cow offers only free shipping on subscription boxes or orders over $125.
Comparing ButcherBox vs Crowd Cow Features Head to Head
We have analyzed all the essential features to better understand what each of these meal delivery services offers.
1. Meat Selection
Both Crowd Cow and ButcherBox take pride in their high-quality meat, but there are some key differences in specific items.
ButcherBox
ButcherBox is known for the humanely raised beef, free-range organic chicken, heritage breed pork, and wild-caught seafood. Since they work on a subscription basis, the types of meat and cuts available depend on your chosen plan and month.
Since their boxes are quite a niche, ButcherBox tends to have a smaller inventory. This is good because it makes their website easy to navigate. That being said, we do wish there was more information on the individual products.
Products from ButcherBox include:
- New York strip steak
- Boneless skinless free range organic chicken breast
- Ribeye steaks
- Ground beef
- Ground pork
- Top sirloin steak
- Uncured hot dogs
- Cured meat
- Dry-aged steak
Crowd Cow
Like Butcher Box, Crowd Cow meat delivery offers beef, heritage pork, pasture-raised chicken, and wild-caught fish. They have a much wider range of products, carrying items such as American Lamb, Black Cod, and Salmon Patties.
Crowd Cow also offers specialty cuts like Japanese Wagyu Beef, Brisket, Filet Mignon, and many more. This is ideal if you’re searching for a specific cut, as they house almost everything you can manage.
That being said, it can be quite difficult to sift through the large catalog, despite how user-friendly their website is.
Products from Crowd Cow include:
- Ground bison
- Ground turkey
- Kobe beef
- Game meat
- American wagyu beef
- Wild salmon
2. Meat Quality
Since these meat delivery services promote high-quality meat and the use of sustainable farms, it’s even more important that they hold up to good standards.
ButcherBox
Butcher Box provides antibiotic, growth hormone, and synthetic-free cuts in each meat box.
They work with a range of small family-owned farms to create high-quality beef that has been humanely raised.
This is great as grass-fed and grass-finished beef tends to be healthier than grain-fed [1].
The humanely raised pork from Butcher Box is pasture-raised and the free-range chicken.
This meat delivery service also sells a range of heritage pork, which is said to contain fine marbling, which makes the pork more tender and juicy.
Butcher Box doesn’t disclose which specific ranches or farms they partner with; however, they attest that all follow sustainable practices and comply with all regulations.
Crowd Cow
Crowd Cow works with similar products as Butcher Box, advertising grass-fed beef, organic chicken, and wild-caught seafood directly from seas worldwide. The meat doesn’t include any additives; however, I noticed a few products labeled “no unnecessary hormones” rather than no hormones at all.
Crowd Cow claims to only work with independent farms and not collaborate with meat brokers or industrial factory farms. This is great because, unlike your local grocery store, you know exactly where your meat is coming from [2].
3. Delivery and Packaging
When handling perishable goods such as meat and seafood, you need to ensure that the company you’re going for has good delivery practices.
Butcher Box
When you order from Butcher Box, you will receive an email with the tracking information. This is great because it allows you to prepare for the arrival of your box.
Unfortunately, you cannot select a specific date or time for your delivery, but customers tend to receive their box three-four days after ordering; we received ours after four.
For every order, including their custom box, mixed box, grass-fed beef box, humanely-raised pork box, and free-range organic chicken box, you will get free delivery.
Packaging-wise, the meat will arrive in a big box alongside some dry ice, which is designed to keep the meat frozen until it arrives. It should also keep the meat cold for 6-8 hours after delivery [3].
The meat within the mixed box is also vacuum-sealed, which is great for keeping everything fresh. All the packaging is designed to be sustainable and environmentally friendly and can be recycled conveniently.
Butcher Box delivers to all 48 states, excluding Hawaii, Canada, and Alaska.
Crowd Cow
Crowd Cow also provides customers with tracking information. We found them slightly prompter than Butcher Box, taking only two days to arrive after shipping.
Postage prices for Crowd Cow vary for each state; however, you will have to spend $150 to get free shipping or $125 if you are a member. Your order also must be at least $75 to be completed.
“Instead of going out to dinner, buy good food. Cooking at home shows such affection. In a bad economy, it's more important to make yourself feel good.”
- Ina Garten, Chef
For packaging, Crowd Cow ships all their meat and wild-caught seafood directly and fully frozen inside an insulated box.
The dry ice ensures that the Crowd Cow food remains cold and can be left on your front door for quite a few hours before defrosting; this is ideal if you’re not at home to collect your order immediately.
The Crowd Cow packaging is 100% recyclable and compostable custom box.
Crowd Cow delivers to all 48 states, excluding Hawaii, Canada, and Alaska.
4. Subscription Options and Prices
Both Butcher Box and Crowd Cow offer subscriptions; however, they are both include different meats and retail at different prices.
Butcher Box
Butcher Box has five boxes to choose from, all offering different meats and cuts. You can choose to receive your meat subscription box every four, six, or eight weeks. All boxes come in two sizes; the classic box, which is 8 - 11 lbs, and the big box, which is 16 - 22 lbs.
- Custom Box: If you select this box, you can choose up to twenty different cuts of meat, including beef, pork, chicken, seafood, and ‘other’, which includes turkey, uncured hot dogs, and more. This box is slightly different, with the smaller option costing $159 and including 9 - 14 lbs, and the bigger box containing 18 - 26 lbs and costing $288.
- Mixed Box: This box is similar to the first as it includes all types of cuts; however, everything is chosen for you, so you can’t see what you’re getting. This could be an excellent option for someone who wants to experiment with different meats. The small box is $137 and the larger $253.
- Two Meat Boxes: Butcher Box offers two options, chicken and beef or pork and beef. These boxes will only contain your selected meat types, and you can’t edit what goes into the box. Again, the smaller box is $137 and the larger $253.
- All Beef: If you’re only interested in beef, you can select the all-beef option. As with the previous two boxes, you can’t choose the cuts, and they cost the same amount.
Crowd Cow
With Crowd Cow, you can choose to shop a la carte or choose from four subscriptions. Like Butcher Box, they also offer pre-selected boxes; however, with Crowd Cow, you do get a chance to view and edit your box before it is shipped to fit your protein and cut preferences.
If you don’t edit your Crowd Cow box, they will send the same products every month, depending on their inventory. It is possible that some monthly boxes may be more or less expensive depending on the cuts delivered. In that case, they will send you an email so you can review your box.
- Custom Box: This box allows you to shop all of the items on the marketplace and purchase them at a lower price. This includes meats, seafood, artisan sides, and desserts. The price of this box depends on how much meat you choose, and you can get free shipping with orders over $125.
- Best Of Crowd Cow: This box contains a mix of proteins featuring Crowd Cows' top-selling items.
The box costs $125 and includes:
- 1 Heritage Thick-Cut Bacon (12oz)
- 2 NY Strip Steaks (12oz)
- 2 Filet Mignons (8oz)
- 1 Premium Ground Beef 80/20 (1lb)
- Free-Range Chicken Breasts (1lb)
- 2 Norwegian Atlantic Salmons (12oz)
- Best of Beef: This box contains only beef, selected from an assortment of premium steaks, wagyu, and burger patties.
This box costs $125 and includes:
- 2 NY Strip Steaks (12oz)
- 2 Boneless Ribeye Steaks (16oz)
- 2 Filet Mignons (8oz)
- 1 Premium Ground Beef 80/20 (1lb)
- Best of Japanese Wagyu: This box contains A5 Japanese Wagyu steaks with premium taste, texture, and marbling.
This box costs $125 and includes:
- 1 Japanese A5 Wagyu Ground Beef (1lb)
- 2 Japanese A5 Wagyu Petite Striploin Steaks (4oz)
5. Customer Service
The quality of the products is always important, but how the delivery services handle issues could set them apart. It becomes even more apparent when they respond to customer issues online. An excellent way to measure this factor is through their online ratings and accreditations.
Butcher Box
This company has been selling its products for five years, holding an A+ rating with the Better Business Bureau (BBB). The average customer experience is less stellar due to the average rating across various platforms.
Most people loved the taste of their products, but some complained about deliveries, cancellations, and some common customer service requests. Regardless, the A+ rating and longevity hold a lot of weight.
Crowd Cow
This meat delivery service lacks a BBB accreditation as of the writing of this guide. However, Crowd Cow holds an unofficial A- rating.
Many customers gave Crowd Cow a high rating on Google, citing their excellent customer service. It could be a point to Crowd Cow’s customer service capabilities, but its less-official nature holds it back.
6. Website Experience
It’s frustrating to jump through hoops and other obstacles to order from a meat delivery service. That’s why I’m comparing my experience between Butcher Box and Crowd Cow’s website. It’s an essential factor, especially when you aren’t computer-savvy.
Butcher Box
Butcher Box’s website is easy to navigate because of how it’s organized. It’s easy for anyone to understand what they’re doing, no matter how experienced they are with the internet. It lays out all choices to make it easier for you to decide.
The only drawback is it’s still sometimes challenging to pick from so many precious menu items. After all, you’ll see lots of tasty pictures and descriptions for every item. You will also see each item’s quantities and suggestions on how to cook meals.
Crowd Cow
Like Butcher Box, the Crowd Cow website is easy to navigate, allowing you to find what you want quickly. You can also browse all their meat and farm options if you have the time.
You can also find some Crowd Cow recipes and other cooking tips for your selection. The best part is how the Crowd Cow website suggests other items you might enjoy based on what you have on your cart.
Sourcing information for each item is readily available, giving you peace of mind.
Butcher Box vs Crowd Cow: Stand out Features
One thing that Butcher Box lacks and what we enjoyed about Crowd Cow was their a la carte shopping.
Crowd Cow offers customers choice out of hundreds of different cuts and meats, so we really like that you can choose what you want and how much you want.
Butcher Box seems a little restrictive when it comes to flexibility, especially when you cant select your items for the most part.
Crowd Cow lets you choose from grass-fed and grass-fed beef, bison, chicken, duck & game, wagyu, lamb, pork, seafood, and turkey.
That being said, Crowd Cow does work out to be slightly more expensive than Butcher Box, especially when you are shopping this way.
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ButcherBox vs Crowd Cow: Our Winner
Both Crowd Cow and Butcher Box work to provide good quality food delivered directly to your door. That being said, we believe that Butcher Box takes the lead as they provide 100% antibiotic and hormone-free meat.
Crowd Cow is very transparent with their sources, but we do believe Butcher Box is slightly more strict when it comes to the quality of their meat.
Butcher Box offers pre-selected boxes and customizable ones, which is the perfect solution for picky and experimental eaters. Their prices are reasonable, which means they don’t sacrifice quality, and their free shipping is a nice touch to an already great subscription.
#1 Meat Delivery Service
ButcherBox
- Grass-fed and grass-finished beef delivered directly to your door
- Without antibiotics or added hormones
- Customizable boxes available
- Select from up to 21 different cuts
- Get the BEST PRICE until the end of May
- No organ meat
