A top chores and allowance app lets you set customizable chore schedules, set the frequency of allowances and, most importantly, help you toss those messy chore charts at home. Many of the best family chore apps, like FamZoo and Greenlight, have a monthly fee of around $2.99 to $5.99, but there are free options like Current and Chores & Allowance Bot. And if you want some extra oomph, many family chore apps have extra perks, like kids’ debit cards, savings rewards and gamified learning.
Greenlight is a top kids' banking app with granular chore and allowance features for up to 5 kids per plan. Parents choose the frequency of allowances and whether to tie allowances directly to completed chores. For example, when a child checks off a chore, parents will be notified and can approve or deny the payment, or allowances can be sent out automatically regardless of chore completion. You get up to five prepaid debit cards with free card reloads, spend and save subaccounts, savings rewards, gamified learning and customizable parent-set spending limits. There are three plans with a monthly fee: $5.99, $9.98 or $14.98. The more expensive plans get extras like cashback rewards, higher savings rewards and an investing platform. Greenlight also stands out for its unique protections, offering identity theft, cellphone and purchase protection with the pricer plans.
Maintenance Fees
$5.99 monthly
Age requirements
Any age
Greenlight is a top kids' banking app with granular chore and allowance features for up to 5 kids per plan. Parents choose the frequency of allowances and whether to tie allowances directly to completed chores. For example, when a child checks off a chore, parents will be notified and can approve or deny the payment, or allowances can be sent out automatically regardless of chore completion. You get up to five prepaid debit cards with free card reloads, spend and save subaccounts, savings rewards, gamified learning and customizable parent-set spending limits. There are three plans with a monthly fee: $5.99, $9.98 or $14.98. The more expensive plans get extras like cashback rewards, higher savings rewards and an investing platform. Greenlight also stands out for its unique protections, offering identity theft, cellphone and purchase protection with the pricer plans.
Pros
Up to five kids
Customizable chore tracking
Prepaid debit cards
Strong parental controls
Cons
Unavoidable fee
Best perks require pricier plan
Fee
$5.99 per month
ATM withdrawal
$0
Card replacement fee
$3.50
Age requirements
Any age
Card type
Debit
Card network
Mastercard
Special offer
For each successful referral you or your kid make, you’ll earn a cash bonus and so will your referral.
Acorns Early, previously known as GoHenry, is great for gamified learning and chore tracking. It's for kids ages six to 18 and costs $5 per month for one kid and $10 per month for up to four kids. Parents assign chores (called Tasks) for kids to complete and get paid. You set an automatic weekly allowance or pay per completed chore. There's also Acorns Early's gamified learning feature called Money Missions, designed for kids 12 and up, featuring lessons on saving, interest, investing, borrowing and more. When kids complete a mission, they earn points and badges. Acorns Early also offers debit cards for the kids to spend their earned allowances. Acorns Early is also part of Acorns, so if parents have a Gold Acorns Checking account, they get a Acorns Early account for free.
Maintenance Fees
$5 monthly
Age requirements
6 to 18 years old
Acorns Early, previously known as GoHenry, is great for gamified learning and chore tracking. It's for kids ages six to 18 and costs $5 per month for one kid and $10 per month for up to four kids. Parents assign chores (called Tasks) for kids to complete and get paid. You set an automatic weekly allowance or pay per completed chore. There's also Acorns Early's gamified learning feature called Money Missions, designed for kids 12 and up, featuring lessons on saving, interest, investing, borrowing and more. When kids complete a mission, they earn points and badges. Acorns Early also offers debit cards for the kids to spend their earned allowances. Acorns Early is also part of Acorns, so if parents have a Gold Acorns Checking account, they get a Acorns Early account for free.
Pros
Automatic allowances or paid per completed chore
Earn points and badges for learning
Strong parental controls
Free Acorns Early account with Gold Acorns Checking membership
Cons
Unavoidable fee
Costs more if you have multiple kids
Fee
$5 per month
ATM withdrawal
$0
Card replacement fee
$0
Age requirements
6 to 18 years old
Card type
Debit
Card network
Mastercard
Special offer
Get an exclusive 2 months free and $10 allowance when you sign up to Acorns Early with Finder's exclusive code: AFFUSFDR10.
FamZoo's chore and allowance tracking is one of the most customizable and great for the whole family. Parents set custom chores' fields, allowance and chore frequency, expiration dates, reminders, rewards (and penalties) and choose to send allowances to checking or savings. You can also create one chore checklist for the whole family to see, offering the unique ability for kids to claim 'dibs' on specific chores if they want. It has banking features, too, offering prepaid cards for kids, mock loans to teach kids about borrowing and interest, and parents can set up IOU accounts and track savings goals. Famzoo costs about $2.50 per month if you pay $59.99 in advance for 24 months, or you can go with a slightly more expensive $5.99 per month plan.
Maintenance Fees
$5.99 monthly
Age requirements
Any age
FamZoo's chore and allowance tracking is one of the most customizable and great for the whole family. Parents set custom chores' fields, allowance and chore frequency, expiration dates, reminders, rewards (and penalties) and choose to send allowances to checking or savings. You can also create one chore checklist for the whole family to see, offering the unique ability for kids to claim 'dibs' on specific chores if they want. It has banking features, too, offering prepaid cards for kids, mock loans to teach kids about borrowing and interest, and parents can set up IOU accounts and track savings goals. Famzoo costs about $2.50 per month if you pay $59.99 in advance for 24 months, or you can go with a slightly more expensive $5.99 per month plan.
Pros
Customizable and granular chore charts
Send allowances to checking or savings
Savings goals and mock loans
Whole family can view chore chart
2-month free trial
Cons
Unavoidable fee
Fee
$5.99 per month
Additional Card Fee
$0 $3 Additional Card Fee (after first 4 free cards)
Current is an all-in-one banking app designed for teens with chore and allowance features and no monthly fees. Parents set up weekly chores and send out allowances even if the teen didn't finish the chores. Like most other chore and allowance apps, teens check off chores as they complete them, and allowance payments are sent from a linked bank account through ACH. But you can only do weekly chores. Parents must also have a regular Current account before opening a teen account, but both accounts are free to open and maintain.
Maintenance Fees
$0 monthly
Age requirements
Any age
Current is an all-in-one banking app designed for teens with chore and allowance features and no monthly fees. Parents set up weekly chores and send out allowances even if the teen didn't finish the chores. Like most other chore and allowance apps, teens check off chores as they complete them, and allowance payments are sent from a linked bank account through ACH. But you can only do weekly chores. Parents must also have a regular Current account before opening a teen account, but both accounts are free to open and maintain.
BusyKid is another kids' banking option with chore and allowance features. For kids five and up, parents set up automatic allowance payments and separate allowances into three buckets: Spend, Save or Share. If you don't choose specific percentages, they're automatically split into 40% to Spend, 50% to Save and 10% to Share. Parents get to set the chores, and allowances are direct deposited each Friday. Additionally, parents can match kids' savings contributions, kids can donate to charities and parents get strong parental controls. BusyKid also features an investing platform with no commission fees at no extra cost. BusyKid costs around $48 per year, which is about $4 per month.
Maintenance Fees
$4 monthly
Age requirements
5 to 17 years old
BusyKid is another kids' banking option with chore and allowance features. For kids five and up, parents set up automatic allowance payments and separate allowances into three buckets: Spend, Save or Share. If you don't choose specific percentages, they're automatically split into 40% to Spend, 50% to Save and 10% to Share. Parents get to set the chores, and allowances are direct deposited each Friday. Additionally, parents can match kids' savings contributions, kids can donate to charities and parents get strong parental controls. BusyKid also features an investing platform with no commission fees at no extra cost. BusyKid costs around $48 per year, which is about $4 per month.
While it is Chase, the kid's Chase First Banking account is actually powered by Greenlight. It's more of a traditional kids' banking option with the extra perk of chore and allowance features. In the Chase app, parents set up custom or pre-filled chores, due dates and an optional allowance amount. Once your child marks the chore as complete, you can approve or deny the payment in the app. On top of all that, Chase First Banking has no monthly fees and is available for ages six to 17. However, parents must have a qualifying Chase checking account to get this account.
Maintenance Fees
$0 monthly
Age requirements
6 to 17 years old
While it is Chase, the kid's Chase First Banking account is actually powered by Greenlight. It's more of a traditional kids' banking option with the extra perk of chore and allowance features. In the Chase app, parents set up custom or pre-filled chores, due dates and an optional allowance amount. Once your child marks the chore as complete, you can approve or deny the payment in the app. On top of all that, Chase First Banking has no monthly fees and is available for ages six to 17. However, parents must have a qualifying Chase checking account to get this account.
Offering a free and paid version, Chores & Allowance Bot is a mobile app to manage family chores and allowances. There's no limit on how many kids you can add or chores you can create. Customize allowances and chores, and set up a daily, weekly or monthly schedule. Create one-time or repeating chores, approve partial allowances based on chores completed, set up savings goals, set up an optional parental passcode to stop kids from making changes without permission and much more. Some better features require a paid subscription starting at $2.99 per month, $15.99 for six months or $19.99 annually. A paid subscription offers things like setting aside a percentage of allowances for savings goals, setting up chore reminders and reordering chore lists. While Chores & Allowance Bot isn't a full-fledged banking app like others on this list, it does what it's designed to do well and comes highly recommended by users.
Maintenance Fees
$0 monthly
Age requirements
Any age
Offering a free and paid version, Chores & Allowance Bot is a mobile app to manage family chores and allowances. There's no limit on how many kids you can add or chores you can create. Customize allowances and chores, and set up a daily, weekly or monthly schedule. Create one-time or repeating chores, approve partial allowances based on chores completed, set up savings goals, set up an optional parental passcode to stop kids from making changes without permission and much more. Some better features require a paid subscription starting at $2.99 per month, $15.99 for six months or $19.99 annually. A paid subscription offers things like setting aside a percentage of allowances for savings goals, setting up chore reminders and reordering chore lists. While Chores & Allowance Bot isn't a full-fledged banking app like others on this list, it does what it's designed to do well and comes highly recommended by users.
Pros
Free version
Highly customizable
No kids and chore creation
Daily, weekly or monthly chores schedule
Cons
Paid subscription for more features
Fee
$0 per month
Age requirements
Any age
Card type
Credit
Maintenance Fees
$0 monthly
Age requirements
Any age
For Apple users
Things 3
Just for Apple devices, the Things 3 app is a highly recommended task and chore app. And the thing that makes Things especially special is that it doesn't have a monthly fee — there's just a one-time purchase fee for one type of device, such as $9.99 for iPhones in the US. It supports Apple's Family Sharing, so family members share the app on the same type of device at no extra cost. Families set to-do lists, organize projects with deadlines and create 'Areas' for parts of your life, like Work and Family, and you can try it out for free for 15 days. However, if you want the app on your Apple Watch or iPad, you must pay another one-time fee to get the app on separate devices, but syncing your information between devices is free.
Maintenance Fees
$0 monthly
Age requirements
Any age
Just for Apple devices, the Things 3 app is a highly recommended task and chore app. And the thing that makes Things especially special is that it doesn't have a monthly fee — there's just a one-time purchase fee for one type of device, such as $9.99 for iPhones in the US. It supports Apple's Family Sharing, so family members share the app on the same type of device at no extra cost. Families set to-do lists, organize projects with deadlines and create 'Areas' for parts of your life, like Work and Family, and you can try it out for free for 15 days. However, if you want the app on your Apple Watch or iPad, you must pay another one-time fee to get the app on separate devices, but syncing your information between devices is free.
Pros
One-time fee per device
Supports Apple Family Sharing
Organize to-do lists, projects and more
Free 15-day trial
Cons
Additional one-time purchase fee for other types of devices
Fee
$0 per month
Age requirements
Any age
Card type
Credit
Maintenance Fees
$0 monthly
Age requirements
Any age
Are chore apps worth it?
If keeping track of chores and allowances for your kiddos is tough, disorganized or simply too much with the rest of daily life, then a chore app can definitely be worth it.
Not only can it help keep parents and guardians organized and accountable, but it can also be great for kids who frequently forget to do their chores. Many family chore apps offer push notifications or reminders. Also, kids’ apps like Greenlight let you pay kids per completed chore, offering a real incentive for kids to finish their work and require parents to approve the payment.
What to look for in a chore app for families
Here are some typical features to compare when looking for a family chore app:
Monthly fees. If paying for the chore app and sending out allowances will break your bank, consider free apps or kids’ accounts like Chase First Banking, Current or Chores & Allowance Bot’s free version.
Customizability. You’ll probably want a chore app that gives you some freedom in terms of custom chore charts and setting up schedules on your terms. Many of the best chore apps let you set up recurring chore lists, repeating lists and one-time chores.
Financial literacy. If you’re giving your kids allowances, there’s a good chance you’re doing so to teach them financial literacy. Some top chore apps offer additional education features, like Greenlight and GoHenry, and subaccounts for spending and saving to get a taste of managing real money.
Usability. If you’re assigning chores to kids in an app, make sure they can actually use the app — and have it work well. Reading through customer reviews is a good way to get insight into how well an app works and whether other parents found it easy to set up and easy for their kids to use.
Safety. Some of the best kids’ apps offer strong parental controls like store-level spending limits and parental passcodes to stop kids from editing permissions or personal information. If you’re keeping a large sum within the app, make sure the account has FDIC deposit insurance.
Allowance apps can make parents’ and kids’ lives easier. With automatic allowance transfers, recurring payments, repeating chore lists, reminders and more, these apps take some mental load off parents and remind kids to clean their room or take out the trash. Chore apps also eliminate the need to pull out cash each week to pay your kids’ allowances.
For more kids’ banking options and other apps with chore features, check out our best kids’ debit card list.
Frequently asked questions
How much allowance should my kids earn for chores?
It depends on your child’s age and how much you have to do around the house. Many parents pay around $5 to $10 in weekly allowance. Some parents pay per chore, such as an extra $5 for mowing the lawn. Another method is adding $1 per week for your child’s age, such as $6 per week for a six-year-old.
For help deciding how much to pay your kids based on age and the task, check out our kids’ chore calculator.
Which apps teach kids about money?
Many kids’ banking apps have financial literacy education, such as
GoHenry, featuring Money Missions with lessons on investing, saving and more.
Greenlight and Step also have financial literacy education features. And for young kids, the PNC ‘S’ Is For Savings account teaches kids about money with Sesame Street characters.
What age can I start chores and allowances?
It’s common for kids aged four to six, or preschool age, to start doing chores and allowances. With the prospect of full-time school near and upcoming independence, as they enter a classroom with other little ones, chores can not only help the family but teach the value of helping others. Kids as young as three understand basic money concepts, according to a PBS report.
Bethany Hickey is the banking editor and personal finance expert at Finder, specializing in banking, lending, insurance, and crypto.
Bethany’s expertise in personal finance has garnered recognition from esteemed media outlets, such as Nasdaq, MSN, Yahoo Finance, GOBankingRates, SuperMoney, AOL and Newsweek. Her articles offer practical financial strategies to Americans, empowering them to make decisions that meet their financial goals. Her past work includes articles on generational spending and saving habits, lending, budgeting and managing debt.
Before joining Finder, she was a content manager where she wrote hundreds of articles and news pieces on auto financing and credit repair for CarsDirect, Auto Credit Express and The Car Connection, among others.
Bethany holds a BA in English from the University of Michigan-Flint, and was poetry editor for the university’s Qua Literary and Fine Arts Magazine. See full bio
Bethany's expertise
Bethany has written 435 Finder guides across topics including:
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