Subway vs. Jimmy John’s vs. Firehouse Subs: 20 Sub Sandwiches Scored Out of 100

Here is the full ranking at a glance. Scores are rounded to the nearest whole number, and where two subs share a rounded score, the higher unrounded total ranks first. The nutrient column is out of 75, the bread column is out of 25, and the bread-swap column shows how many points the sub gains or loses on the chain's alternative bread.

Two patterns show up right away. Jimmy John's places five subs in the top six, and Firehouse Subs, whose standard Medium is the largest default size in the field, fills most of the bottom half. Sodium explains a lot of that, and so does the bread, as the scorecards below show.

The Daily Vitality Score was built for packaged foods, then adapted for restaurant items in our taco ranking. This piece uses the same restaurant rules, with one change to the ingredient section explained below.

Per sub, at the standard size. Each sub is scored as one sandwich, the way the chain sells it by default: a Subway 6-inch, a Jimmy John's 8-inch Regular and a Firehouse Subs Medium. Those defaults include each chain's standard bread, cheese, toppings and sauce. Because the sizes differ, a bigger sub naturally carries more calories and sodium, and the scores reflect that rather than adjusting it away.

Nutrients (75 points). Four components reward keeping amounts low, with end points set at or near half of the relevant FDA Daily Value:

Points scale in a straight line between the end points. The 140 mg sodium mark matches the FDA's definition of "low sodium." Fiber and protein are measured per 100 calories, so a bigger sub doesn't earn extra credit just for being bigger. All three chains publish added sugars, so that is the sugar figure used throughout.

Bread (25 points). Two components look at the bread's ingredient statement:

• First ingredient (10 points). A bread whose first ingredient is a whole grain earns 10. A bread that starts with enriched or refined flour earns 0.
• Ultra-processing markers (15 points). Each marker costs 3.75 points, with a floor of zero.

The markers come from the ingredient and additive classes described by Monteiro and colleagues in Public Health Nutrition, such as added gluten, emulsifiers like mono- and diglycerides, flavorings and colors. Enzymes, vitamin C, preservatives and flour treatments are not counted.

Here is the one change from the taco piece. There, markers were counted across every component, and every taco hit the floor of zero, which made the section unable to tell one apart from another. For subs, markers are counted on the bread alone. Deli meats, cheeses and sauces vary by build, but the bread is the one decision every customer makes, and it's where the chains genuinely differ.

Bands. 85 to 100 is Excellent, 70 to 84 Good, 55 to 69 Fair, 40 to 54 Weak and under 40 Poor.

What's in and what's out. For each chain, we scored the six core deli builds all three sell (turkey, ham, roast beef, tuna, an Italian and a veggie sub), plus a signature hot sub at Subway (Meatball Marinara) and Firehouse Subs (Hook & Ladder). Jimmy John's contributes its full six-sub Originals line, which covers the same six builds. All data was captured on November 2, 2026, from Subway's October 2026 nutrition and ingredient guides, Jimmy John's nutrition menu updated October 26, 2026, and Firehouse Subs' nutrition menu updated September 9, 2026.

Jersey Mike's was part of the original plan for this ranking. It publishes nutrition and ingredients only through its online calculator, and on the day of capture the Jersey Mike's nutrition page returned an error instead of data, so its subs couldn't be scored from published figures.

If you've read our taco ranking, the approach will feel familiar, apart from the bread-only marker count.

Taco Bell vs. Del Taco vs. Jack in the Box: 20 Fast-Food Tacos Scored Out of 100

The Only Sub Under 600 Milligrams of Sodium

Subway's Veggie Delite takes the top spot by a wide margin, and it gets there mostly on sodium. Its default build stacks provolone, spinach, cucumbers, peppers, lettuce, tomatoes and onions on Hearty Multigrain bread, and the Subway nutrition guide lists it at 580 mg of sodium. That's about a quarter of the Daily Value, and it's the only sub in this field that keeps more than half of the 20 sodium points.

At 310 calories it is also the lightest sub here, and 16 g of protein in that small package works out to just over 5 g per 100 calories, enough for full protein marks. Where it gives ground is the bread. Hearty Multigrain lists enriched flour ahead of whole wheat flour, so it earns no first-ingredient points, and it carries two markers. Interestingly, the Veggie Delite is the one Subway sub that already comes on multigrain by default. Swapping it to Artisan Italian would drop the score to about 50, while Artisan Flatbread would nudge it up to 59.

Ten Milligrams Away From Sodium Points

Jimmy John's Turkey Tom is about as simple as a sub gets: turkey, lettuce, tomato and mayo on an 8-inch French roll. On the chain's current nutrition menu, it comes in at 470 calories, 3 g of saturated fat, 0 g of added sugars and 24 g of protein, which clears the full-marks line for protein per calorie.

The near miss is sodium. At 1,160 mg, it sits just 10 mg past the formula's zero point, so it collects none of the 20 sodium points. The bread is where Jimmy John's quietly pulls ahead of Subway. Its French bread lists enriched flour first, so the first-ingredient points are gone, but its statement includes only one marker, wheat gluten, which leaves 11.25 of 15 marker points in place. A Subway 6-inch on Artisan Italian keeps only 3.75. That eight-point bread gap is a big part of why Jimmy John's simple Originals rank so high.

Roast Beef That Earns a Sliver of Sodium Credit

The Big John pairs roast beef with lettuce, tomato and mayo, and it lands at 500 calories, 4 g of saturated fat, 1,110 mg of sodium and 26 g of protein. That sodium figure is just under the zero line, which is worth less than one point, but it's one of only five subs in the field to earn any sodium credit at all.

Protein is the Big John's strong suit at 5.2 g per 100 calories, and there are no added sugars on the chain's nutrition menu. Saturated fat is a touch higher than the Turkey Tom, which is the main reason it finishes about a point behind. It shares the same one-marker French bread, so the ingredient section reads exactly the same. The roast beef itself is rubbed with salt, flavoring and caramel color, which a whole-sandwich marker count would have flagged, but under this piece's bread-only rule, it's the roll that's being judged.

The Best Fiber Ratio at Jimmy John's

Totally Tuna skips the mayo spread because the mayo is already in the tuna salad, which Jimmy John's makes with tuna, celery, onion, mayo and a splash of soy sauce, then tops with cucumber, lettuce and tomato. The nutrition menu lists 490 calories, 3.5 g of saturated fat, 1,170 mg of sodium, 4 g of fiber and 20 g of protein.

That 4 g of fiber gives it the best fiber-per-calorie figure of the six Jimmy John's subs, though fiber is thin across this whole field. Protein is where it slips slightly, at about 4.1 g per 100 calories, just under the full-marks line. Like the Turkey Tom, its sodium lands within shouting distance of the threshold without crossing it. Taken together, the top three Jimmy John's subs sit within about two points of each other, so the choice among them comes down to the filling you prefer more than the score.

Full Protein Marks, Zero Saturated Fat Points

The Vito is Jimmy John's Italian: salami, capocollo, provolone, onion, oil and vinegar, oregano-basil, lettuce and tomato, with no mayo. It scores 38, which puts it at the top of the Poor band, about seven points behind the Totally Tuna.

Two lines account for nearly all of that drop. Cured Italian meats push saturated fat to 11 g, past the formula's 10 g zero point, and sodium climbs to 1,880 mg, or about 82% of the Daily Value in a single sub. On the other side of the ledger, the Vito delivers 33 g of protein, 6 g per 100 calories, which is the highest protein ratio of any Jimmy John's Original. Its 550 calories are moderate for an Italian. It is a good example of why the scorecards show every component: a sub can be excellent on protein and still lose ground on two of the heaviest-weighted lines.

Ham and Provolone, Held Back by Calories

The Pepe is Jimmy John's ham and provolone sub with lettuce, tomato and mayo. At 590 calories, it is the second-heaviest of the chain's Originals, and it carries 9 g of saturated fat and 1,570 mg of sodium.

Saturated fat sits just below the zero point, so it keeps about one point there. Protein earns full marks at 30 g, and the nutrition menu lists 0 g of added sugars, so the sugar line stays perfect. What keeps it at 37 is the combination of calories and sodium. Compared with the Turkey Tom at number two, the Pepe adds 120 calories, 6 g of saturated fat and 410 mg of sodium, mostly from the ham and cheese, and the score falls by about 10 points. The bread is identical, which makes this pair one of the cleanest filling comparisons in the ranking.

A Turkey Sub Held Back by Its Bread

Subway's Oven-Roasted Turkey has a lot in common with the Turkey Tom at number two. Both are 470 calories, both lean on turkey, lettuce, tomato and mayo (Subway adds provolone and onions), and both land right around the sodium threshold. Subway's actually sneaks under it at 1,120 mg, which is worth about half a point.

So why is it 12 points behind? The bread. Subway's Artisan Italian lists enriched flour first, and its ingredient guide shows wheat gluten, natural flavor and mono- and diglycerides, three markers that leave only 3.75 of 15 points. Saturated fat is also higher at 7 g, mostly from the provolone and mayo. Bread is also where this sub has the most room to move. On Hearty Multigrain, it would score 41; on Artisan Flatbread, which has no markers at all, it would score 45, closing most of the gap with Jimmy John's.

The Biggest Turkey Sub, Kept in the Race by Its Roll

Firehouse Subs' turkey sub is the first entry from the chain, and its default build is smoked turkey breast, provolone, mayo, spicy mustard, lettuce, tomato and onion on a Medium white sub roll. On the Firehouse Subs nutrition menu, it lists 670 calories, 8 g of saturated fat, 1,630 mg of sodium and 36 g of protein.

Calories and sodium take a heavy toll here, because a Medium is a bigger sandwich than the other chains' defaults. It nearly zeroes out the calorie line and fully zeroes the sodium line. Yet it lands within half a point of Subway's turkey sub. The reason is the roll. Firehouse's white roll carries only one marker, wheat gluten, so it keeps 11.25 marker points, about seven and a half more than Subway's Artisan Italian. Protein also earns full marks. The extra food costs points, and the simpler bread wins some of them back.

The Highest Protein Ratio at Subway

Subway's Roast Beef 6-inch comes with provolone, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and mayo on Artisan Italian. It lists 490 calories, 7 g of saturated fat, 1,100 mg of sodium and 30 g of protein, which works out to about 6.1 g of protein per 100 calories, the best ratio of any Subway sub in this field.

Its sodium lands just under the zero line, good for one point. The rest of the story mirrors the turkey sub: modest saturated fat points, near-perfect sugar points and the same three-marker bread that holds the ingredient section to 3.75 of 25 when you add the first-ingredient zero. It finishes a hair behind the Firehouse turkey, separated by about a point on the unrounded totals. On Artisan Flatbread, this sub would score about 45, the single largest swap gain in the ranking at 11 points.

The Lowest-Sodium Meat Sub in the Field

Subway's Tuna has the lowest sodium of any meat or fish sub in this ranking: 920 mg, which earns 4.6 sodium points. Its default build is tuna salad, provolone, lettuce, tomatoes and onions on Artisan Italian, with no added mayo spread because the tuna salad carries it.

The trade-off shows up in calories and saturated fat. At 560 calories and 9 g of saturated fat, it's heavier than the turkey and roast beef subs, and those two lines give back most of what sodium earns. Protein lands just under full marks at 4.8 g per 100 calories. The net result is a score of 33, essentially tied with the subs around it. If sodium is the number you watch most closely, this is the Subway meat sub with the most headroom, and on Hearty Multigrain it would rise to about 40.

The Most Protein in the Ranking

Firehouse Subs' roast beef sub delivers 41 g of protein, the most of any sub in this field, alongside provolone, mayo, spicy mustard, lettuce, tomato and onion on the Medium white roll. It also carries 730 calories, which is past the formula's 700-calorie zero point, plus 9 g of saturated fat and 1,630 mg of sodium.

That leaves the nutrient section with very little beyond full protein marks and nearly full sugar points. The roll keeps it competitive, as it does for every Firehouse sub, holding 11.25 marker points. Side by side with Subway's roast beef at number nine, Firehouse's version brings 11 g more protein and 240 more calories, and it gives up about half a point in the final score. The comparison is a useful reminder that these are different sizes of sandwich, not different versions of the same one.

Just Over the Sodium Line

Subway's Black Forest Ham lands at 480 calories, 7 g of saturated fat, 1,160 mg of sodium, 4 g of added sugars and 25 g of protein, with the standard provolone, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and mayo on Artisan Italian. Like the Turkey Tom, its sodium sits just 10 mg past the zero point.

That near miss is the main difference between it and Subway's turkey sub five spots up: same calories within 10, same saturated fat, same bread, but no sodium credit and a gram more added sugar from the ham's cure. Protein earns full marks. As with every Subway sub on Artisan Italian, the bread section is its weakest area, and Artisan Flatbread would lift it to about 43.

A Veggie Sub That Leans on Cheese

Jimmy John's The Veggie and Subway's Veggie Delite sit 12 places apart in this ranking, and the biggest difference is cheese. Jimmy John's builds its Veggie with double provolone, avocado spread, cucumber, lettuce, tomato and mayo, and the nutrition menu lists 660 calories, 15 g of saturated fat and 1,250 mg of sodium.

That 15 g of saturated fat is three-quarters of the Daily Value, the second-highest figure in the field, and it zeroes out the saturated fat line. Calories are also high for a meatless sub. Protein, mostly from the cheese, comes in at 27 g, or about 4.1 g per 100 calories. The French bread still holds 11.25 marker points, which keeps it ahead of several Firehouse and Subway subs. It is a good illustration that "veggie" describes what's missing from a sandwich more than what's in it.

Plant-based swaps can surprise in the grocery aisle too, as our comparison of plant-based patties and beef found.

Plant-Based Patties vs. Beef: Cost, Protein and Sodium Per Patty

The Signature Sub, With a Sweet Twist

The Hook & Ladder is one of Firehouse Subs' signature subs, layering smoked turkey breast and honey-cured ham under melted Monterey Jack with the standard toppings. At 710 calories, 9 g of saturated fat, 1,540 mg of sodium and 37 g of protein, it follows the Firehouse pattern of full protein marks and very little else in the nutrient section.

What sets it apart is added sugar. The honey ham's cure brings the sub to 10 g of added sugars, enough to cost almost four of the 10 sugar points. Every other line looks much like the chain's turkey sub at number eight, which is why the Hook & Ladder lands about five points lower. The roll, as always at Firehouse, keeps 11.25 marker points.

The Lowest Protein Ratio in the Field

Firehouse Subs' Veggie is a hot, cheese-forward sub: cheddar, Monterey Jack and provolone with seasoned bell peppers, mushrooms and caramelized onions on the Medium roll. It lists 710 calories, 13 g of saturated fat, 1,470 mg of sodium and 25 g of protein.

Protein is where it trails every other sub here. At about 3.5 g per 100 calories, it earns 7 of 10 protein points, the lowest in the ranking. Saturated fat is past the zero point, and calories are as well. It finishes in a statistical tie with the Firehouse tuna sub just below it, a hundredth of a point apart on the unrounded totals. Next to Subway's Veggie Delite, it carries more than twice the calories and about 900 mg more sodium, which shows how differently three chains interpret a "veggie" sub.

The Second-Highest Calorie Count

Firehouse Subs' tuna sub brings tuna salad, provolone, mayo, spicy mustard, lettuce, tomato and onion together on the Medium roll, and at 890 calories it is the second-heaviest sub in the field. It also lists 11 g of saturated fat, 1,530 mg of sodium, 6 g of added sugars and 40 g of protein.

The tuna salad itself contributes much of the load. Its statement includes mayo, cucumbers, high fructose corn syrup and sugar, and the sub adds more mayo on top. Its fiber ratio, about 0.2 g per 100 calories, ties the Firehouse Italian for the lowest in the ranking. Protein is strong at 40 g, just under full marks per calorie. Compared with Subway's tuna at number 10, the Firehouse version has 330 more calories and 610 mg more sodium, and it scores four points lower.

Saturated Fat Takes the Biggest Bite

Subway's Meatball Marinara is the chain's signature hot sub: meatballs, marinara, provolone and parmesan on Artisan Italian. It lists 550 calories, 12 g of saturated fat, 1,330 mg of sodium, 4 g of fiber and 26 g of protein.

The 4 g of fiber is the best figure among Subway's meat subs, thanks partly to the tomato sauce. But 12 g of saturated fat is past the zero point, and sodium is well past the threshold. Protein just misses full marks. The result is a 28, and it falls into the bottom four. Like every Subway sub on Artisan Italian, it has room to move with the bread, rising to about 33 on Hearty Multigrain and 38 on Artisan Flatbread.

A Full Day's Sodium in One Sub

Firehouse Subs' Italian has the highest calories and sodium in the ranking. Its build includes pepperoni, salami, honey ham and provolone with the standard toppings, and the nutrition menu lists 920 calories, 16 g of saturated fat, 2,300 mg of sodium, 9 g of added sugars and 40 g of protein.

That sodium figure equals 100% of the Daily Value in a single sub, and the saturated fat is 80% of its Daily Value. With calories, sodium and saturated fat all zeroed out, the nutrient section falls to about 16 of 75. Protein just misses full marks per calorie. The roll keeps 11.25 marker points, which is a big part of why it doesn't finish last.

The Most Added Sugar in the Field

Firehouse Subs' ham sub uses the same honey-cured ham as the Hook & Ladder, piled on its own with provolone and the standard toppings. It lists 730 calories, 9 g of saturated fat, 1,560 mg of sodium, 16 g of added sugars and 37 g of protein.

Those 16 g of added sugars are the most of any sub in this ranking, almost a third of the 50 g Daily Value, and they cost more than six of the 10 sugar points. Combined with calories past the zero point and sodium well beyond the threshold, the nutrient section lands at about 16 of 75. Protein earns full marks. Next to Subway's Black Forest Ham, the Firehouse version adds 250 calories and 12 g of added sugar.

Last Place Goes to Subway's Italian

The lowest score in the ranking belongs to Subway's B.M.T., at 26. Its default build is pepperoni, Genoa salami, ham, provolone, lettuce, tomatoes, onions and mayo on Artisan Italian, and it lists 590 calories, 12 g of saturated fat, 1,470 mg of sodium and 26 g of protein.

Three lines drive the result. Saturated fat is past the zero point, sodium is too, and the three-marker Artisan Italian holds the bread section to 3.75 of 25. Protein lands just under full marks at about 4.4 g per 100 calories. It's worth noting that the B.M.T. is a smaller sandwich than the Firehouse Italian and carries 330 fewer calories and 830 mg less sodium; it finishes below it because of the bread. On Artisan Flatbread, the B.M.T. would score about 36 and move up several places.

The bread is the one choice every sub customer makes, so it's worth looking at on its own. Each chain offers an alternative to its default bread, and the effects run in different directions.

At Subway, the alternatives help. Hearty Multigrain cuts 10 calories, 1 g of saturated fat and 30 mg of sodium, adds 2 g of fiber and drops one marker, adding about 5 to 7 points to every sub that starts on Artisan Italian. Artisan Flatbread goes further. Its ingredient statement contains no markers at all, which is worth 11.25 points by itself, and that outweighs its slightly lower protein:

At Jimmy John's, Sliced Wheat adds 60 calories, 2 g of fiber, 3 g of protein and 5 g of sugar while trimming 30 mg of sodium. On balance, that costs 1.5 to 2.7 points. Jimmy John's doesn't publish an ingredient statement for its wheat bread, so the bread section is held at the French bread's value for that comparison.

At Firehouse Subs, the wheat roll saves about 38 mg of sodium and 14 calories but adds about 2 g of added sugars and a second marker, caramel color, and every Firehouse sub loses about 4 points on it. Its first ingredient is still enriched wheat flour, with whole wheat flour fourth on the list. In other words, a "wheat" label doesn't automatically mean a whole-grain bread, and none of the breads with a published ingredient statement lists a whole grain first.

The same lesson about reading past the front of the package showed up in our first scored ranking, of popular chips.

Lay's Chips vs. Doritos vs. SunChips: 16 Popular Chips Scored Out of 100

Step back from the individual scorecards, and three patterns explain most of the ranking.

Sodium sets the ceiling. Fifteen of the 20 subs carry 1,150 mg of sodium or more and score zero on the formula's heaviest component. Only five earn any sodium points, and four of them are Subway subs. For context, the American Heart Association recommends no more than 2,300 mg of sodium a day and an ideal limit of 1,500 mg for most adults. Most subs here supply roughly half to three-quarters of that larger figure before a side or a drink.

Simple builds rise, cured meats and extra cheese sink. The top four are a veggie sub and three simple single-filling subs. The bottom of the list is crowded with Italians, cheese-heavy veggie builds and honey-cured ham, where saturated fat, sodium or added sugar push one or two components to zero.

Bread quietly decides close calls. Jimmy John's and Firehouse Subs breads each carry one marker, while Subway's Artisan Italian carries three. That 7.5-point gap is why Jimmy John's simple Originals outscore Subway's equivalents, and why Firehouse's larger subs stay close to Subway's smaller ones. It's also why Subway has the most to gain from a single swap.

If you'd like to see similar trade-offs across other chains, our chain-by-chain guide to menu swaps looks at the same kinds of choices beyond sub shops.

Fast Food Menu Swaps: Chain-By-Chain Choices That Make A Real Difference