Is there a truly free alternative to Greenlight with a debit card?

Yes. Modak offers a free Mastercard debit card for kids 6 and up with no monthly fee. It covers chore tracking and parent controls, though it does not include investing. Modak earns revenue from interchange fees rather than subscriptions, which is why the consumer price stays at zero.

What is the cheapest paid Greenlight alternative?

BusyKid at $4 per month is the lowest-cost paid option that still includes a debit card, chore automation, charity donations, and fractional share investing. That works out to $48 per year, compared to $72 to $180 for Greenlight depending on the tier.

Which Greenlight alternative is best for younger kids (ages 3 to 7)?

For ages 3 to 7, skip the debit card entirely. Penny Time and Kikaroo both focus on chore tracking and allowance logs without involving a payment card, which matches what kids that age actually need. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests concrete money concepts work better than digital balances at this age.

Does Penny Time replace Greenlight for older kids?

Not directly. Penny Time covers the teaching layer (chore chart, allowance math, save-spend-give splits, budget planning) but does not issue a debit card. Many families use Penny Time alongside a free card app like Modak so the card handles spending and Penny Time handles the conversation.

Did Acorns Early replace GoHenry?

Yes. Acorns acquired GoHenry in 2023 and rebranded the US product as Acorns Early in 2024. Existing GoHenry families were migrated, and the $5 monthly fee now covers both the kids' debit cards and the parent's Acorns Premium investing account.

By Penny Time Editorial May 20, 2026

Free Alternatives to Greenlight: 2026 Comparison

Greenlight charges between $5.99 and $14.98 per month depending on the plan. For a family that just wants a chore tracker, an allowance log, or a starter debit card, that adds up to $72 to $180 a year. Most families do not need the full feature set, and several apps now cover the core jobs for free or close to it.

This page compares the five alternatives we hear about most from parents: Penny Time, Modak, Kikaroo, BusyKid, and Acorns Early (formerly GoHenry US). We built it after seeing the same question repeated on r/personalfinance, r/daddit, and parenting Facebook groups: which Greenlight alternative is actually free, and which one is worth paying for.

Quick verdict by use case

Just want chore tracking and allowance logs: Penny Time or Kikaroo (both free, no debit card).
Need a real debit card with no monthly fee: Modak.
Want weekly allowance plus charity and investing buckets: BusyKid at $4 per month.
Want kids to own real stock with parent oversight: Acorns Early at $5 per month (includes the rest of the family plan).
Want to teach the money math before any card is involved: Penny Time plus its allowance calculator and birthday money calculator.

Feature matrix

App	Monthly cost	Debit card	Chore tracking	Investing	Min age
Penny Time	Free	No	Yes	No	3+
Modak	Free	Yes (Mastercard)	Yes	No	6+
Kikaroo	Free	No	Yes	No	4+
BusyKid	$4	Yes (Visa)	Yes	Yes (fractional)	5+
Acorns Early	$5 (family plan)	Yes (debit)	Yes	Yes (custodial)	Any
Greenlight (for reference)	$5.99 to $14.98	Yes	Yes	Yes (paid tiers)	Any

Penny Time (free, no card)

Penny Time is the option we know best because we built it. It is a free web app that focuses on the teaching layer most card apps skip: how to actually split money between save, spend, and give buckets at different ages. Parents use it for the chore chart, the budget planner, and the wants vs needs sorter. There is no debit card and no fees. Best fit for ages 3 to 12 when the goal is habits and conversation, not card swipes.

Modak (free debit card)

Modak launched in 2022 and is the closest real Greenlight competitor in the free tier. It offers a Mastercard debit card for kids 6 and up, parent controls, chore tracking, and instant transfers. Modak makes money on interchange fees and optional perks rather than monthly subscriptions. The trade-off: no investing feature, and the chore system is simpler than BusyKid's. Reviewed on the App Store at 4.8 stars (75,000+ ratings as of late 2025).

Kikaroo (free chore and reward app)

Kikaroo is a chore and rewards tracker, not a card. Parents set chores, kids check them off, and earnings sit in virtual buckets that parents pay out in cash or by bank transfer. It is genuinely free with no premium upsell. Better than Greenlight for families who want a tracker without giving a 7-year-old a debit card.

BusyKid ($4 per month)

BusyKid has been around since 2017 and was an early champion of the save-spend-share model. The $4 monthly fee covers a Visa debit card, weekly allowance automation, charity donations to vetted nonprofits, and fractional share investing. The investing piece is what sets it apart from Modak. Annual cost works out to $48, still under half of Greenlight's mid-tier plan.

Acorns Early ($5 per month, family plan)

Acorns Early was rebranded from GoHenry US in 2024 after the Acorns acquisition. The $5 per month plan now bundles into Acorns Premium and covers the parent's investing account plus up to four kids. Custodial UTMA accounts mean the child actually owns the shares. Best for families who already use Acorns and want one app for everything.

What Greenlight still does better

To be fair: Greenlight's parent controls are still the most polished, the card design is the most popular with kids by most surveys, and the highest tier includes identity theft protection and cell phone insurance. If those matter to you, the price is reasonable. If they do not, one of the apps above will cover the actual money-teaching work.

How to choose in five minutes

Decide if you want a debit card now or in 12 months. If later, start with Penny Time or Kikaroo and skip card fees entirely.
If you want a card, decide if investing matters. No investing: Modak (free). Yes investing: BusyKid ($4) or Acorns Early ($5).
Check the minimum age. Modak starts at 6, BusyKid at 5, the others are flexible.
Run the math on a year. Greenlight Max at $9.98 is $120 a year. BusyKid is $48. The gap pays for a lot of birthday savings.

Whatever app you land on, the app is the easy part. The harder work is the weekly conversation about why money goes where it goes. That part is free everywhere.

Frequently Asked Questions

: Yes. Modak offers a free Mastercard debit card for kids 6 and up with no monthly fee. It covers chore tracking and parent controls, though it does not include investing. Modak earns revenue from interchange fees rather than subscriptions, which is why the consumer price stays at zero.
: BusyKid at $4 per month is the lowest-cost paid option that still includes a debit card, chore automation, charity donations, and fractional share investing. That works out to $48 per year, compared to $72 to $180 for Greenlight depending on the tier.
: For ages 3 to 7, skip the debit card entirely. Penny Time and Kikaroo both focus on chore tracking and allowance logs without involving a payment card, which matches what kids that age actually need. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests concrete money concepts work better than digital balances at this age.
: Not directly. Penny Time covers the teaching layer (chore chart, allowance math, save-spend-give splits, budget planning) but does not issue a debit card. Many families use Penny Time alongside a free card app like Modak so the card handles spending and Penny Time handles the conversation.
: Yes. Acorns acquired GoHenry in 2023 and rebranded the US product as Acorns Early in 2024. Existing GoHenry families were migrated, and the $5 monthly fee now covers both the kids' debit cards and the parent's Acorns Premium investing account.

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.

No credit card. No ads. No strings.