Adulting isn’t always easy. What with having to hold down a job, pay bills on time, maintain a social life, and stay in contact with friends and family, most of us don’t have time to restock the fridge, let alone the bathroom cabinet or coffee pot.
That’s where subscription boxes come in. As well as making ideal gifts, these delivered-to-door services alleviate the task of regular online shopping or the pain of going to the shops, which means you can spend more time doing, well, just about anything else.
With that nirvana firmly in mind, we went in search of the best subscription boxes for men.
After a month of snacking, sipping, showering, shaving and spritzing, we came up with a list of the top 12 – each tested for its ability to make life easier, more fun or just generally a little more bearable.
From the services that will keep you caffeinated to the brands aiming to automate your underwear drawer, these are the best men’s subscription boxes. Welcome to the future, we think you’re going to like it here.
You can trust our independent reviews. We may earn commission from some of the retailers, but we never allow this to influence selections, which are formed from real-world testing and expert advice. This revenue helps us to fund journalism across The Independent.
Manual treatments: From £15 per month, Manual
Founded in 2019, wellness-slash-healthcare brand Manual offers treatments for everything from libido to hair loss with expert advice from clinicians along the way. No waiting rooms. No gimmicks. Just effective treatments, backed by science. We tried the skin and hair kit (£39 every two months), which includes three clinically proven products: A shampoo made of caffeine, biotin and saw palmetto; and two moisturisers – one for the morning and one for evening use. All were effortless to work into an existing routine, and the Instagrammable bottles mean you don’t have to worry about hiding them away.
Buy now
Bloombox: From £35 per month, Bloombox
For some, the days of decorating your home with movie posters might be over. Enter plants – one of the easiest ways to upgrade your (air)space, and Bloombox makes getting into horticulture hassle-free. Sign up, and every month you will receive new foliage delivered to your door – ideal for those frequently guilty of plant murder. Our tester opted to pay as you go (£35 per month) rather than commit to a year’s subscription (£395), and was just as impressed with the ceramic pot each delivery comes with as the plant itself.
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CDLP automatique: From £53 every three months, CDLP
Underwear is the first thing that you put on in the morning and the last thing you take off at night, so it deserves to be taken seriously. The “automatique” service by Swedish basics brand CDLP delivers a fresh pack of premium pants every quarter. Choose from boxers, trunks, shorts or briefs (all crafted from lyocell – a soft material), select your preferred colours, then sit back and wait for them to arrive. You can even modify or speed up your subscription at any time. How’s that for a neat package?
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Wanderlust Wine club: From £48 every two months, Wanderlust Wine
If your usual wine selection technique falls somewhere between “what’s the cheapest?” and “oh, nice label”, consider roping in an expert to buy your booze. Specialising in unusual quality wines curated by the season, Wanderlust is one subscription box worth raising a glass to. You can sign up to receive either four (£48), eight (£116) or 10 (£200) bottles every two months, as well as buy additional bottles and access exclusive tasting events. Best of all each bottle comes with enough information to be able to blag your way through a dinner party.
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Stitch Fix: £10 styling fee per box plus purchases, Stitch Fix
Whether you’re stuck in a wardrobe rut or just don’t enjoy shopping, clothing subscription boxes are a great time saving style hack. Stitch Fix is one of the biggest names in the game. All you do is sign up, answer a few questions, and a combination of algorithms and personal stylists will get to work selecting items based on your needs and preferences. The service may not be perfect from the start, but it learns your taste and improves over time. Plus, the “fixes” (the clothing that arrives) can be curated regularly or whenever you request one, and there’s no membership fee. When your box of clothing arrives, you try before you buy, and return free of charge the items that didn’t quite work.
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Farmison & Co eat better meat subscription: From £36.50 per week, Farmison & Co
Meat gets a lot of stick, and we’re not just talking about kebabs. Still, the award-winning butchers behind Farmison & Co believe eating it needn’t leave a bad taste in your mouth. That’s why the farmers it works with to produce the brand’s monthly subscription boxes only contain grass-fed meat from ethically sourced locations across Yorkshire and the UK. Pick a family bundle (£70) to make weekday meals a breeze, it includes a range of meat from lamb cutlets to short rubs. Or, like us, go all out with a large box (£50), which contains enough meat for approximately 30 portions and includes better than your average farmhouse sausages and streaky bacon, as well as a range a whole host of exciting cuts from heritage breed lamb cutlets to grass fed mince beef.
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Hanx condom subscription: From £4.24 per week week, Hanx
Shopping for condoms is no one’s idea of fun. If you’re struggling to stay stocked, get a hand from Hanx. Founded by a gynaecology doctor and an investment banker, the sexual wellness brand has created handsomely designed wraps that are 100 per cent vegan, ultra-thin and clean scented. Arrange for deliveries anywhere from every week to once a month, in single packs or sets of 10.
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Harry’s shave plan: From £14 every two months, Harry’s
Shaving is a ritual most guys would happily live without, which makes shopping for the necessary tools feel like even more of a chore. Harry’s takes care of the irritation in more ways than one. The brand spent years developing its German-engineered razors with ergonomic handles, and it shows. Once you’ve become attached (it took us all of three days) keep it updated by signing up to receive fresh blades and non-drying shave foams at set intervals. Not convinced? Take the brand for a test drive with a trial starter set.
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Flaviar membership: From £150 every six months, Flaviar
Everyone likes getting a surprise in the mail. Unless, of course, that surprise is an extortionately large phone bill. Fortunately, with Flaviar, the only unknown is a selection of rare, unsung spirit samples to enjoy from the comfort of your own home (bar). For £150 for half a year or £250 for a full year, you’ll get a tasting box containing three double-sized spirits of your choice plus a full-sized bottle each quarter. Found a new favourite? You can also buy additional bottles at a discount and get access to members-only events.
Buy now
Gadget Discovery Club: From £17.99 per month, Gadget Discovery Club
Getting your hands on the coolest and latest tech usually involves camping overnight outside a store, not so with Gadget Discovery Club. While everyone else wrestles with their tent, you can sit on your sofa and wait for the postman to drop off a new gizmo from the likes of Google, Samsung and Philips every month. You’ll only get one item per box, though, and you don’t get to choose what it is (in our case, it was a mini speaker), so you better be the type to like surprises as well as gadgets.
Subscribe now
Scentaddict fragrance subscription: From £10 per month, The Fragrance Shop
It’s no use dressing well if you don’t also smell good. Whether you’re on the hunt for a signature spritz or consider yourself poly-aroma-ous, Scentaddict is the grooming wingman you need. Powered by The Fragrance Shop, each month you’ll be able to pick a new 8ml scent (enough for around 30-days) that slots into the travel-sized atomiser that comes with your first order. While there are similar services on the market, we were impressed by the number of brands on offer – around 100 at the time of writing, including Tom Ford, Armani and Hugo Boss.
Buy now
Pact Coffee plan: From £6.95 every two months, Pact Coffee
If you’re the type of guy who likes to be kept constantly caffeinated, a coffee subscription box could be the fix you need. With Pact, everyone’s a winner. Not just because the London-based business offers a unique selection of whole bean, fine and Nespresso packs delivered daily, weekly or monthly, but also because it pays farmers more than the Fairtrade price. You can sip knowing that no one is short-changed. Ethical benefits aside, Pact also scores highly for offering a range of grind sizes, including ground, meaning java newbies who only own the bare minimum equipment can also get involved.
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The verdict: Men’s subscription boxes
There isn’t a subscription box on this list that doesn’t make the job of adulting that bit easier. However, despite only launching in 2019, Manual has established itself as a real game-changer in the world of men’s health If you’re looking to automate one of life’s dullest tasks (i.e. underwear shopping) it’s hard not to love CDLP automatique, while Flaviar and Scentaddict both make excellent gift options.
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