Is Thrive Market Worth It?

Today I have another guest post from my friend Chrystal Paull! She wrote a post last December with fun holiday activities for toddlers, and now she’s sharing her thoughts on Thrive Market.

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As a busy mom, I’m always looking for ways to save on my groceries, especially since I prefer to shop for organic products. I’m sure you know how expensive some items can get.

I saw some glowing reviews for Thrive Market, an online marketplace where you can get a variety of natural and organic products at a discount. The website even says “Find a product cheaper elsewhere? We’ll beat their price!” 

How could you not want to sign up? 

I bought three Thrive Market boxes with some delicious organic snacks and pantry items, but am I really saving money? Is Thrive Market actually cheaper? 

I needed to know. You need to know. So, I compared items from my most recent order to similar products at Aldi, Target, Walmart, and Whole Foods. And here’s the kicker, I saved on some items, but not all.

What Is Thrive Market And How Much Does It Cost?

Thrive Market is an online marketplace that sells natural and organic foods, wine, household and beauty products. You can also shop by diet, such as gluten free, keto, organic, vegan, and many more. 

Thrive Market comes with a membership fee, kind of like Amazon, Costco, and Sam’s Club. You can sign up for the annual membership for $59.95 ($5 a month) or $9.95 per month. You can see which is the better deal, but you’re committed to a year.

There are some perks with the membership, such as a free gift on your first order and free shipping on orders over $49. For every new membership, Thrive Market donates a membership to low-income families, students, veterans, first responders and teachers for free. You have to apply with Thrive Market to see if you qualify for the free membership and can do so here.

And get this, Thrive Market guarantees you’ll save money. According to the website, “if you do not make back your annual membership fee in savings, we’ll give you the difference in the form of store credit, Thrive Cash, upon renewal of your annual membership. While this benefit doesn’t apply to monthly memberships, there are other great ways to get valued savings.”

Is Thrive Market Cheaper?

I spent $65.98 on my most recent Thrive Market order. I order enough items to get a free gift, free shipping and everything I bought was marked down. Without the discounts, I would have paid about $35 more ($100.19) based off the original price listed. Advertisements really make it a point to say that every customer saves on average $30 each time they place an order.

But, are the products cheaper elsewhere? I looked at Whole Foods, Target, Walmart and Aldi to find out.

Thrive market sells its own organic pasta sauces. I picked up two for $4.99 each. Walmart, Target and Aldi sell their own organic pasta sauce for about $2. 

I snagged a bottle of Cholula Hot Sauce from Thrive Market at $2.99. I was surprised to see that it was 74-cents cheaper at Whole Foods. 

A bag of Kool Ranch Kale Chips was also cheaper at Whole Foods. 

Thrive Market sells a lot of its own products, so I gave its organic peanut butter a try. It comes in a 10 oz pouch, which cuts back on the company’s use of plastic and no mess! Every time I stir the natural butter in the jar, oil goes everywhere and then the bottom gets all dry. The pouch was way better for that, though it was awkward to store. Just to compare, a 16 oz jar at Aldi was only 36-cents more, and I felt like we went through the Thrive Market peanut butter fast.

I also found that Thrive Market wasn’t the cheapest place to get some oils, even though reviews said otherwise. Organic extra virgin olive oil and avocado oil were cheaper at Aldi, Target, and Walmart.

There is a trend, but don’t jump to conclusions just yet.

Thrive Market is a marketplace for those with special dietary needs. I found that monkfruit sweetener was cheaper on Thrive Market than at Whole Foods. I also love Thrive Market’s coconut aminos. It’s a substitute for soy sauce and is gluten free. I also think it taste better. At regular price it’s $8.99, but I only paid $5.79. Whole Foods sells a similar product that is $6.99.

With all that said, is it actually worth it?

Is This Money Well Spent?

It depends on your dietary needs. If you are not someone who cares about organic or keto or whatever, then a membership will cost you more in the end. However, if you do care or need certain products without gluten, for example, then yes! 

While you can get organic and natural products from Aldi, Target, Walmart and Whole Foods, Thrive Market carries way more products to meet your individual needs. And more often than not, you can get a discount on the products you need.

For me, I’ve spent more money with Thrive Market, but that’s because I signed up for the monthly membership and then forgot about it. A year later and I’ve only ordered three boxes. I spent more on the membership.

Will I continue paying for Thrive Market? This is something I’m still debating, but I’m leaning towards yes. While I shop at Aldi for all my groceries and there are a fair number of organic products we buy, the selection isn’t close to Thrive Market’s.

Have you tried Thrive Market? Have you noticed any savings? Leave me a comment below and I’ll respond to you!

Written by Chrystal Paull for The Nutmeg Diaries

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You can read Chrystal’s last guest post here.

Make sure you follow all of Chrystal’s social media accounts!

All graphics and photos in this post are courtesy of Chrystal Paull. Terms and Conditions.