I have tried Nutrisystem food before...and so has one of the administrators, and I also know people who have went on Jenny Craig. Here are some of the differences that I know of right off that may help you decide:
~Nutrisystem is an at home program-as in, there is no center for you to go into each week to get face to face counseling, and to get your food and weigh in. They have their website, and if you need to speak to a counselor about a question or concern, you log into their website and can be directed to an online counselor who can "chat" with you instead about your issues.
The food from Nutrisystem is "shelf stable", meaning that it can all be stored and shipped at room temperature. It is usually shipped via UPS if it is a large order, or by USPS if it is a small order.
Because the food is shelf stable, it means that a lot of the entrees are either dehydrated (like cup-a-soup), shelf stable canned (like Chef Boyardee, Dinty Moore beef stew, and canned soup are) or full entrees that are shelf stable packed-that you microwave.
One of the positives about NS is that you don't have to sign any contract to do the plan for a certain amount of time. The food costs a certain amount per week or per month (depending on how you set up your orders) and when/if you want to stop doing it-you just cancel any future orders and stop. The counseling online, the online forum, etc. are all included in the basic food cost.
With Jenny Craig-there is a choice. You can either go to a local center...or you can do their Jenny Direct/at home plan. (Check out their website for that option.) You DO sign up for a certain amount of time on the plan-but they often have shorter "try me" specials so you aren't automatically signing up for a year...some of the specials are the "20 pounds for $20" and other promotions, which you can look up on their site. There is the joining fee...and then the cost of food on top of that.
With the actual centers-you go in, weigh in, and can get counseling face to face. If you go to a center, you can get some of their shelf stable entrees and snacks...but you can also get some of their frozen entrees as well...and in my personal opinion, a lot of frozen meals simply taste better than the shelf stable ones. With the Jenny online program-the choices are more like NS, where they are shelf stable and can be shipped to you. Jenny Craig also has an online forum, and other things available as well.
There are pros and cons to each one, really-the no contract is a big plus for NS...but the option of better tasting frozen choices as well at your local center is a plus for JC. Other than that, it is really the decision on whether you want to do it on your own, or go to a center and weigh in...and that sort of thing.
With either one, to see if you like the food-you can go online and try a few items to see first. Jenny Craig has a sample pack in their online store that has a couple shelf stable entrees and snacks, and a coupon off your joining fee. With NS, you can go to their site and choose to order an "a la carte" order rather than buying a full week or month of food-and you can choose an entree or two and a few snacks and just try them out if you would like before you spend a lot of money on a full order.
I hope that I have helped.
Aphil