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GoHenry Is Now Acorns Early: What Changed and What It Means for Parents
If you searched for GoHenry and landed on an Acorns page, you are not lost. Acorns acquired GoHenry in April 2024 and quietly rebranded the U.S. product as Acorns Early through 2024 and 2025. The U.K. version still trades under the GoHenry name. This guide walks through what actually changed for U.S. parents, what stayed the same, and what to do if you were a paying GoHenry subscriber.
The short version
Same card, same app shell, new branding and a new pricing structure. Existing GoHenry U.S. accounts were migrated into Acorns Early. Cards kept working through the transition. The investing and savings hooks now live alongside the kids' debit features, which is the whole reason Acorns bought GoHenry in the first place.
Timeline of the rebrand
- April 2024: Acorns announced the GoHenry acquisition. Terms were not disclosed publicly.
- Late 2024: U.S. GoHenry accounts began migrating to the Acorns Early product, bundled inside Acorns Family.
- 2025: The standalone GoHenry U.S. app and brand were retired. The U.K. business continues as GoHenry.
What changed for U.S. parents
1. Pricing model
GoHenry charged a flat monthly fee per child (most recently around $4.99 to $9.98 depending on the plan and number of kids). Acorns Early is bundled into Acorns Family, which runs $12 per month and covers the parent investing account, retirement, and up to four kids on Early. If you only wanted the kids' card, you are now paying for an investing product you may not need. If you wanted both, the bundled price is competitive.
2. Investing is the headline feature
GoHenry was built around chores, allowance, and savings goals. Acorns Early keeps those, but pushes custodial investing (UTMA accounts) to the front. Parents can drop spare-change round-ups or recurring contributions into a kid's investing account from day one. That is the lever Acorns wanted from the acquisition.
3. The card and core features
The debit card, parental controls, spending notifications, store blocks, and allowance automation carried over. Chore lists and missions are still there. The look and feel inside the app changed to match Acorns' visual style.
4. What you do not get anymore
The standalone, kid-card-only subscription. Acorns retired the cheaper one-child plan in favor of the Family bundle. If you only had one child and used GoHenry for the card, your monthly cost likely went up.
Acorns Early vs GoHenry side by side
| Feature | GoHenry (legacy) | Acorns Early (now) |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly cost | $4.99 single, up to $9.98 family | $12 Acorns Family (includes parent investing) |
| Kids covered | Up to 4 | Up to 4 |
| Debit card | Yes | Yes |
| Custodial investing (UTMA) | No | Yes |
| Chores and allowance | Yes | Yes |
| Parent investing included | No | Yes |
| Age range | 6 to 18 | Under 18, no minimum age for investing |
What if I was a GoHenry subscriber?
Migration happened automatically for most U.S. customers. Cards continued to work. If you have not logged in since 2024, check your billing: you may have been moved to the $12 Acorns Family plan. Log in at acorns.com with your GoHenry email. If billing or transfer questions are unresolved, Acorns support (in-app or via the help center) handles legacy GoHenry accounts.
If the new price does not work for you
You have options. Greenlight starts at $5.99/month for up to five kids and is the closest direct competitor on the kids-card-only angle. Step is free and aimed at teens 13+. BusyKid is around $4/month. None of these have the investing depth Acorns now offers, but if you only wanted chores, allowance, and a card, you may save money switching.
Is Acorns Early worth it?
If you already wanted to start an Acorns account for yourself and a custodial investing account for your child, the $12/month bundle is fair. The UTMA account alone at most brokerages requires more setup than tapping a button in an app. If you only want a kids' debit card with chore tracking and were happy paying $4.99 at GoHenry, you are paying a premium now for features you may not use.
You do not need an app to teach the basics
Apps make the mechanics easy, but the conversations matter more. Before paying $12/month, work out what allowance actually makes sense for your family with our allowance calculator, set up a paper chore system with the chore chart, and walk your child through wants vs needs before they start swiping a card. If a birthday or holiday windfall is coming, the birthday money calculator turns it into a save/spend/give split you can talk through together.
The card and the app are tools. The habits you build at the kitchen table are what stick.
Frequently Asked Questions
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In the U.S., yes. GoHenry was acquired by Acorns in April 2024 and rebranded as Acorns Early through 2024 and 2025. The U.K. version of GoHenry is still operating under the original brand. U.S. customers were migrated to Acorns Family, which now houses the Early product.
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No. Acorns confirmed that existing GoHenry cards continued to function during the migration. Account balances, scheduled allowance, and saved goals transferred over. If your card stopped working, contact Acorns support in-app, as they handle all legacy GoHenry accounts now.
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GoHenry charged roughly $4.99 to $9.98 per month depending on plan. Acorns Early is only sold inside Acorns Family at $12 per month, which also includes the parent investing account and covers up to four children. If you only used GoHenry for the kids' card, your monthly cost likely increased.
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Acorns Early is a UTMA custodial account under the hood, just packaged inside an app with round-ups and recurring contributions. Brokers like Fidelity and Charles Schwab offer UTMA accounts with no monthly fee but require more setup and do not bundle the kids' debit card. Acorns trades cost for convenience.
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Greenlight ($5.99/month for up to five kids) is the closest direct GoHenry replacement on price and feature set. BusyKid runs about $4/month and emphasizes chore-based allowance. Step is free for teens 13 and up but has no parental chore tools. None match the custodial investing depth of Acorns.
Make allowance effortless
Penny Time automates allowance, lets kids track their balance, and puts parents in control of every cash-out. Free for the whole family.
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