Forget the vending machine. Savvy nibblers are logging on to subscription services that mail their tasty treats straight to the office. Here are five to try:
NatureBox
How it works: Standard subscribers ($19.95 per month) receive a monthly box with five medium-size bags of different snacks, about 20 servings in total. You can choose your snacks yourself, from more than 100, or let NatureBox do it for you.
What we got in our box: Banana-bread granola, honey macadamia pretzel pops, dried pineapple, Sriracha cashews and masa crisps.
Snacking satisfaction: ★★★★★
The offerings are creative and delicious, especially the cashews; you can choose the snacks yourself and it’s a relative bargain per serving compared to other services.
Healthy Surprise
How it works: All snacks are gluten-free, natural, vegan, soy-free, corn-free, wheat-free and usually less than 200 calories per serving. As the name suggests, the service does the choosing for you. The starter box ($40 per month) features full-size packages of 11 different snacks, 16 to 20 servings in total.
What we got in our box: Various types of fruit crisps, multiple organic mash-ups (essentially puréed fruits or veggies), sunflower seeds, almonds, seed bars, kalenola (granola made out of kale), chocolate bars and cookie dough macaroons.
Snacking satisfaction: ★★★
The dark chocolate bar was good quality, the kookier healthy options were surprisingly delicious and the green-tissue-paper wrapping made the box feel like a special present (or an elaborate wedding invite). But it’s costly.
Love With Food
How it works: Subscribers get eight ($10 per month) to 20 ($17 per month) single servings of new snacks each month. The company curates each month’s snacks around a theme: April is “Flower Power” month, March was “Flavors of the World.”
What we got in our box: Crispy dried fruit, stroopwafel (a waffle cookie), chocolate- and mint-flavored honey paste, kettle corn and seed bars from boutique brand names like Meli and BumbleBar.
Snacking satisfaction: ★★★
The snacks, like the honey paste, are intriguing and international, but they’re not always as tasty as the fancy packaging might suggest.
Nibblr
How it works: Nibblers can order a box of four individually portioned snacks for $5.99 whenever they want. There are 59 available snacks; users don’t get to choose outright, but they do get to rank their preferences and sort by calories to get something that suits them.
What we got in our box: “Punchy fruit” — dried fruits infused with pomegranate juice — granola, almonds covered in sesame seeds and “ale house blend” mixed nuts.
Snacking satisfaction: ★★
The snacks weren’t all that exciting, but at least Nibblr gives you plenty of choice when it comes to delivery date and the snacks themselves. The small individual servings of each snack are good for those interested in portion control, but not those looking for value.
Graze
How it works: Most subscribers opt to receive a weekly box containing four individually portioned snacks ($6). Users can specify dietary requirements — like gluten-free or low-calorie — and rank past snacks; a fancy computer algorithm takes that info and, supposedly, finds snacks that you’ll love.
What we got in our box: Mini dried strawberries and apples, banana cookies with caramel dipping sauce and “summer berry flapjack” oat bars.
Snacking satisfaction: ★★
The snacks weren’t quite as tasty as the competitors’. As with Nibblr, the individual servings are good for weight watchers, but not bargain hunters. Given its emphasis on feedback, maybe the next box will be better.