The short answer
- A typical Subway meal is lighter: 540 calories against 650.
- Jimmy John's gives more protein in a typical meal: 35g against 29g.
- Subway is lower in sodium: 1,410mg against 1,850mg.
- Per calorie, Subway is the leaner menu: 5.5g of protein per 100 calories against 5.2g.
These are medians across the complete meals in our data, not a judgement on any single order. What you pick matters more than where you go, so the tables below show the best and worst of each.
The menus side by side
| Across all meals | Subway | Jimmy John's |
|---|---|---|
| Meals compared | 129 | 171 |
| Typical calories | 540 | 650 |
| Typical protein | 29g | 35g |
| Protein per 100 cal | 5.5g | 5.2g |
| Typical sodium | 1,410mg | 1,850mg |
| Meals at 500 cal or less | 53 of 129 | 38 of 171 |
| Meals with 30g+ protein | 63 of 129 | 108 of 171 |
Green marks the better figure in each row: fewer calories, less sodium, more protein.
Item against item
The closest equivalents on each menu, one serving each.
Turkey sub
| Per serving | 6" Oven-Roasted Turkey | Turkey Tom® (8" French) |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 470 | 480 |
| Protein | 25g | 23g |
| Net carbs | 39g | 44g |
| Fat | 22g | 19g |
| Sodium | 1,120mg | 1,160mg |
Tuna sub
| Per serving | 6" Tuna | Totally Tuna® (8" French) |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 560 | 510 |
| Protein | 27g | 21g |
| Net carbs | 40g | 46g |
| Fat | 32g | 22g |
| Sodium | 920mg | 1,160mg |
Italian sub
| Per serving | 6" B.M.T.® | Vito® (8" French) |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 590 | 570 |
| Protein | 26g | 32g |
| Net carbs | 42g | 47g |
| Fat | 35g | 26g |
| Sodium | 1,470mg | 1,850mg |
Highest-protein orders
Subway
| Order | Protein | Cal | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Double chicken footlong | 82g | 730 | 1,550mg |
| 5 Meat Italian Wrap | 65g | 1000 | 3,350mg |
| 5 Meat Italian Protein Bowl | 65g | 930 | 3,110mg |
| Steak & Bacon Wrap | 58g | 880 | 2,100mg |
| Chicken & Bacon Ranch Wrap | 55g | 840 | 1,990mg |
Jimmy John's
| Order | Protein | Cal | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hunter's Club® (16" Giant French) | 110g | 1650 | 4,150mg |
| Billy Club® (16" Giant French) | 101g | 1610 | 4,730mg |
| Italian Night Club® (16" Giant French) | 96g | 1860 | 5,700mg |
| Country Club® (16" Giant French) | 96g | 1560 | 4,710mg |
| Spicy East Coast Italian (16" Giant French) | 91g | 1700 | 6,040mg |
Lightest meals
Subway
| Order | Cal | Protein | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6" Veggie Delite (Fresh Fit) | 220 | 10g | 360mg |
| 6" Oven Roasted Turkey (Fresh Fit) | 270 | 20g | 810mg |
| Veggie, avocado | 275 | 10g | 485mg |
| 6" Black Forest Ham (Fresh Fit) | 280 | 19g | 850mg |
| 6" Grilled Chicken (Fresh Fit) | 300 | 26g | 570mg |
Jimmy John's
| Order | Cal | Protein | Sodium |
|---|---|---|---|
| Little John 4 | 240 | 12g | 580mg |
| Slim 6 (Unwich® lettuce wrap) | 240 | 17g | 470mg |
| Little John 2 | 250 | 13g | 560mg |
| Little John 3 | 250 | 10g | 590mg |
| Slim 3 (Unwich® lettuce wrap) | 250 | 11g | 700mg |
Check your own order
Build the exact meal you would order in the Subway calculator and the Jimmy John's calculator, or let the macro finder search both for orders that fit your calories and protein.
Frequently asked questions
Is Subway or Jimmy John's lower in calories?
A typical Subway meal is lighter: 540 calories against 650. "Typical" means the median of the complete meals in our data: 129 at Subway and 171 at Jimmy John's.
Which has more protein, Subway or Jimmy John's?
Jimmy John's gives more protein in a typical meal: 35g against 29g. The single highest-protein order is Double chicken footlong at Subway (82g) and Hunter's Club® (16" Giant French) at Jimmy John's (110g).
What is the lightest meal at Subway and at Jimmy John's?
At Subway it is 6" Veggie Delite (Fresh Fit) with 220 calories. At Jimmy John's it is Little John 4 with 240 calories.
6" Oven-Roasted Turkey vs Turkey Tom® (8" French): which has fewer calories?
6" Oven-Roasted Turkey (Subway) has 470 calories and 25g of protein. Turkey Tom® (8" French) (Jimmy John's) has 480 calories and 23g of protein.
6" Tuna vs Totally Tuna® (8" French): which has fewer calories?
6" Tuna (Subway) has 560 calories and 27g of protein. Totally Tuna® (8" French) (Jimmy John's) has 510 calories and 21g of protein.
About this comparison
Figures come from Subway U.S. Nutrition Information (October 2026) and Jimmy John's Nutrition Guide, US (effective July 22, 2024; latest published). MacroTray is independent and not affiliated with either restaurant. Read our methodology.