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Free Chore Chart and Allowance Tracker With No Subscription
You want a chore chart that lets you set your own chores and reward schedule, and you do not want to hand over a card number to do it. That is a reasonable ask, but most of the popular options do not offer it. Greenlight starts at $5.99 per month, and Acorns Early (the US version of GoHenry, renamed in 2024) costs $8 per month on its Lite plan. Each one wraps its chore and allowance features inside a paid debit card subscription. If all you want is to track chores and allowance at home, you are paying for a bank you did not ask for.
The good news: a genuinely free chore chart with custom chore lists and reward schedules exists, and it does not require a credit card, a debit card, or a monthly fee. Below is how to set one up, what to look for, and how to avoid the free-trial traps that turn into charges.
Why most chore chart apps charge a subscription
The math is simple. Apps like GoHenry, Greenlight, and Acorns Early are not chore-tracking businesses. They are prepaid debit card companies for kids. The chore chart and allowance features are the hook that gets parents in the door, and the real product is the monthly card fee plus interchange revenue when your child spends. Greenlight confirms its plans start at $5.99 per month on its own pricing page, and Acorns Early lists its Lite plan at $8 per month for up to four kids.
That model works if you actually want a kids' debit card. But a large share of parents searching for a chore chart just want to assign tasks, track who did what, and calculate allowance at the end of the week. For that job, a card and a subscription are dead weight.
What a free chore chart should include
Before you pick a tool, make sure it actually does the two things the paid apps charge for:
- Custom chore lists - you add your own tasks (walk the dog, empty the dishwasher, 20 minutes of reading), not a fixed template.
- Reward or allowance schedules - you decide what each chore is worth and how often it pays out (per chore, weekly, or a mix).
- No card required - if a tool asks for payment details before you can use it, it is a free trial, not a free tool.
- Age-appropriate structure - a 5-year-old and a 12-year-old need different chore loads and reward sizes.
How to set up a free chore chart in three steps
- List the chores by child and age. Younger kids (ages 4 to 6) do best with two or three simple daily tasks. Older kids (ages 10 and up) can handle weekly responsibilities like taking out the trash or helping with laundry.
- Set the reward schedule. Decide whether you pay per chore, a flat weekly allowance, or a base allowance plus bonuses for extra work. Our allowance calculator gives you an age-based starting number so you are not guessing.
- Track and pay out. Mark chores complete through the week, total them up, and pay. Cash, a piggy bank, or a bank transfer all work. You do not need a special card.
The free tools Penny Time gives you
Penny Time is a children's financial literacy app, and its web tools are free to use with no account and no card. Start with the chore chart tool, where you build custom chore lists and set reward values yourself. Pair it with the allowance calculator to set fair amounts by age, and the budget planner to help your child split what they earn into spending and saving. Full disclosure: Penny Time is our own free app, not one of the paid services compared here. These tools live on this website. The app itself does not track chores; it handles the allowance side.
Once your child has money coming in, the lessons matter as much as the tracking. The wants vs needs sorter turns allowance into a teaching moment about spending choices, and the birthday money calculator shows what a lump sum can grow into with a little patience. None of these ask for payment.
Want a printable allowance chart?
If you would rather stick a chart on the fridge than track chores on a screen, the printable allowance chart does both. Build it once with your own chores and pay amounts, then hit Print for a clean one-page chart, with no signup, email, or subscription. Because it prints your actual chores and rates, your child gets a personalized chart instead of a blank template you fill in by hand.
Free chore chart vs paid subscription apps
| Feature | Our free chore chart | GoHenry / Greenlight / Acorns Early |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $0 | $5.99 to $8 |
| Card required | No | Yes |
| Custom chore lists | Yes | Yes |
| Reward schedules | Yes | Yes |
| Works without a bank account | Yes | No |
Watch out for free-trial traps
Many apps advertise a free month, then auto-charge once the trial ends. The Federal Trade Commission warns that these negative-option offers are a common source of surprise charges, because the burden is on you to cancel before the deadline. If a chore chart asks for card details up front, assume you will be billed. A truly free tool never needs your payment information.
The right setup depends on what you actually need. If you want your child to have a spendable debit card with parental controls, a paid app may be worth it, and our roundup of allowance apps for kids and teens shows what each one charges before you commit. But if your goal is to teach chores, track allowance, and build money habits at home, a free chore chart and allowance tracker does the job without a monthly line item on your statement.
Frequently Asked Questions
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Yes. The chore chart and allowance tools on this site are free to use with no account, no card, and no monthly fee. You can build custom chore lists and set your own reward schedules without paying anything or entering payment details. They are web tools, separate from the Penny Time app, which does not track chores.
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Those apps are prepaid debit card services for kids, not standalone chore trackers. Greenlight's plans start at $5.99 per month and Acorns Early (formerly GoHenry in the US) costs $8 per month, because the chore and allowance features are bundled with a paid card. If you only need chore tracking, you are paying for a card you may not want.
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Yes. A free chore chart should let you add your own tasks per child. Younger kids (ages 4 to 6) do well with two or three simple daily chores, while kids 10 and up can handle weekly responsibilities. Our free chore chart lets you set both the tasks and their reward values.
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Never enter card details for a tool you want to use for free. The Federal Trade Commission warns that free-trial or negative-option offers often auto-charge once the trial ends, putting the burden on you to cancel first. A genuinely free chore chart never asks for payment information.
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No. You can track chores and allowance with a free web tool and pay out in cash or a piggy bank. Bank-linked apps require an account, but home tracking with a chore chart and the allowance calculator works with no bank connection at all.
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