Modak vs. Greenlight: Which Kids’ Card Is Worth It?

Greenlight is one of the most well-known and reputable kids’ debit cards out there. It’s full of perks, but you’ll pay at least $5.99 per month. Modak Makers has no monthly fees and offers its fair share of features, but its parental controls fall a little short compared to Greenlight.

Modak vs. Greenlight: Account options

Greenlight has three tiers: Core for $5.99 per month, Max for $9.98 per month and Infinity for $14.98 per month. Each plan has different features, with the most perks included in the most expensive plan. However, all its plans offer up to five kids’ debit cards, so you don’t have to upgrade just because you have more than one kiddo.

With the Modak app, there are no membership tiers or additional plan options — just one simple plan with no monthly fees. While Modak costs nothing to open or maintain, its cards don’t work at ATMs. If that’s a deal-breaker, then Greenlight might already be winning in your book.

Neither option has any age requirements or restrictions, but parents or guardians must sign up for the account.

Related: How to open a kids' bank account in 5 steps

Modak vs. Greenlight cost comparison

If you’re looking for a more affordable option, Modak is the clear winner in cost. With no monthly fees or opening deposit requirements, it’s a great option for families on a budget or for avoiding another paid membership.

Greenlight has an unavoidable monthly fee for all its plans, ranging from a reasonable $5.99 to a high $14.98 per month.

Parental controls

Greenlight offers superior parental controls. It lets you set spending limits by category or even on a store level, such as setting limits on gaming or a specific restaurant. Parents can also set limits for ATM cash withdrawals, whereas Modak cards don’t work at ATMs at all.

Additionally, Greenlight lets kids move money from their spend pockets to their savings, but they need parental permission to do so. With the Max and Infinity plans, Greenlight offers an optional investing platform with parental supervision and permission.

Modak claims to have parental controls, but these appear to be limited to simply turning the card on and off (which Greenlight also offers), with no mention of parents being able to set custom spending limits by store or category. But like most kids’ cards, Modak says its cards won’t work at merchants that sell alcohol or the lottery, but it doesn’t list specific merchants.

Which kids’ card has more features?

Modak and Greenlight both have chore and allowance charts, spend and savings pockets, savings goals, free cash reload options and virtual cards.

But there’s no doubt about it — Greenlight offers more features than Modak, even with its base plan. That’s not to say that Modak doesn’t have any great perks, but Greenlight just has a little more oomph.

Here are just some available Greenlight features you won’t get with Modak (though most require Max or Infinity):

However, Modak has one feature Greenlight doesn’t: rewards called MoBucks (MBX), which are paid out by the fintech itself. Mobucks can be earned by completing in-app or parent-set challenges, such as completing homework or walking. MBX can be directly redeemed for cash, with a conversion rate of 100 MBX equaling $1.

Is Modak or Greenlight safer?

Modak and Greenlight have bank partners that offer FDIC deposit insurance up to $250,000, so there’s no need to worry about that. In the unlikely event of a bank failure, any money in Modak or Greenlight accounts is protected up to that amount.

But if you want more safety or parental controls, Greenlight might be the way to go.

With Greenlight Infinity, you get extra safety features like location sharing between families, phone insurance for up to five phones, purchase protection with Greenlight card purchases, identity theft monitoring, car crash detection and more.

Modak vs. Greenlight: Which one’s better?

If cost is your main concern, Modak is the better option. It has no monthly fees at all, whereas Greenlight starts at $5.99 per month — and there’s no way to waive the fee. To access Greenlight’s best safety features, earn more savings bonuses on savings balances or earn cashback rewards, you need to upgrade to Max for $9.98 per month and Infinity for $14.98 per month.

But if you can swing a monthly fee and want the most perks, Greenlight is hard to beat. With its custom store- and category-level spending controls, investing platform, purchase cashback rewards, savings rewards and more, Greenlight has significantly more perks than Modak.

At a glance: Modak is more affordable

If you’re most worried about price, Modak is worth considering over Greenlight. Modak doesn’t have messy price tiers or offer different perks based on how much you pay: just one simple plan with no monthly fees. And for a no-fee kids’ card, its perks are impressive.

At a glance: Greenlight has more features

With custom spending controls and almost too many safety features to list, Greenlight is the way to go if you want a fully loaded kids’ banking experience.

Alternatives to Modak and Greenlight

Greenlight and Modak aren’t the only options for getting your kids their first debit card.

• Current teen banking. Current is a fintech, and its Current Teen Debit Card is designed for kids ages 13 and up. There are no monthly fees, but it requires parents or guardians to have a regular Current account (also with no monthly fees).
• Cash App for kids. The popular peer-to-peer money app Cash App also has a teen account designed for kids 13 to 17. There are no monthly fees, but parents must have their own Cash App account.
• Chase First Banking. Available to kids 6 to 17, Chase First Banking has no monthly fees or opening deposit requirements. It’s available to kids whose parents or guardians have a Chase checking account. Fun fact: this account is actually powered by Greenlight.
• Acorns Early (formerly GoHenry). A frontrunner in kids’ banking, Acorns Early stands out for its investing platform and gamified learning. It’s designed for kids ages 6 to 18, with costs starting at $5 per month.

See how even more kids’ cards stack up

• Best debit cards for kids and teens
• Acorns Early (formerly GoHenry) vs. Greenlight
• Greenlight vs. Current
• Famzoo vs. Greenlight