Current vs. Greenlight: Which money app is better for your family?

Families today have no shortage of money management apps to choose from, but not all are built with kids and teens in mind. Two popular names that come up in the search for a kid-friendly debit card are Current and Greenlight.

At a glance, they might seem similar. Both offer debit cards for kids, let parents set spending limits, and come with sleek mobile apps. But when you take a closer look, the differences start to matter, especially if you're looking for features like investing, savings incentives, financial education tools, or built-in safety features.

Whether you're hoping to teach your kids financial independence or you're just trying to manage allowance without cash, this guide breaks down Current vs. Greenlight to help you decide which app fits your family's goals the best.

Features comparison

If you're raising younger kids or want a full platform to help your child learn financial responsibility, including spending controls, saving goals, investing³, and built-in educational content, Greenlight is for you. On the other hand, if your teen just needs a simple debit card with basic controls and you're looking to avoid a monthly fee, Current may cover the essentials. Here’s a look at how they compare side-by-side.

Current at a glance

Current is a digital banking app that originally launched for adults, with a teen account added later. With Current Teen Banking, parents can set up a debit card for teens 13 and older. It includes real-time spending alerts, money transfers, and a few parental controls, but it’s more limited when it comes to teaching kids how to manage money, especially for younger users.

Current pros

• No monthly fee for teen accounts

• Real-time spend alerts

• Instant money transfers between parent and teen accounts

• Lets parents block or allow spending at specific merchants

• Easy-to-use app with modern design teens will like

Current cons

• Not available for kids under 13

• No investing options for kids or teens

• No cash back or savings bonuses

• No custom debit cards

• No built-in financial education or money lessons

• Lacks advanced safety features like location sharing or crash detection

• Parental controls don’t include full category-based restrictions

Greenlight at a glance

Greenlight is a debit card and financial app made for families, with tools to help kids and teens build smart money habits from the start. Greenlight Core includes up to five debit cards, chore and allowance tracking, and access to fun, interactive money lessons. Families who upgrade to Greenlight Max or Infinity unlock extra perks like up to 1% cash back², identity theft, phone⁵, and purchase protection, and advanced safety tools (including crash detection, real-time location sharing, and driving reports⁴). Parents stay in control with flexible settings, while kids get hands-on experience with money that’s actually fun.

Greenlight pros

• Built specifically for families and young users

• Allowance and chore tracking are built in

• Flexible parental controls and real-time notifications

• Custom debit cards that kids can design themselves

• Tools for spending, saving, giving, and earning

• Educational content that kids and teens actually use

• Can be used by kids of all ages

• Investing for Kids³ feature with built-in lessons and parent approval on all trades

• Safety features like crash detection, location sharing and SOS alerts⁴

• Up to 5% on savings¹ and up to 1% cash back² (on eligible plans)

• Identity theft, phone⁵, and purchase protection

Greenlight cons

• Monthly subscription fee starting at $5.99 for up to five kids

• Some features (like investing and safety) are only available on higher-tier plans

Pricing

Current offers its teen banking product with no monthly fee, which is a major draw for families looking for a free option. However, it comes with fewer features overall, like no teen-specific investing platform, educational content, or tools for younger kids.

Greenlight starts at $5.99 per month for Greenlight Core, which includes a debit card for up to five kids, customizable parental controls, savings goals, and chore management. Higher-tier plans unlock investing, cash back, and safety features like crash detection⁴ and location tracking.

Who wins?

If your priority is a free, no-frills app for teens 13 and over, Current might do the trick. But if you’re looking for more value, features, and flexibility, Greenlight’s tools give you more ways to teach smart money habits at every age.

Allowance and chores

Current allows parents to automate allowances and assign recurring chores to help teens earn money. While it covers the basics, there’s less flexibility in how tasks are tracked or rewarded. Current’s allowance and chores features include: 

• Assignment of basic chores

• Recurring allowance 

Greenlight includes a full system for managing allowance and chores. Parents can set up one-time or recurring tasks, assign due dates, tie payments to completion, and automate allowance on a schedule that works for them. Greenlight’s allowance and chores features include:

• One-time and recurring chore assignments

• Custom due dates and reminders

• Payments tied to completion

• Full allowance automation across multiple kids

Who wins?

Both apps support chores and allowances, but Greenlight’s setup offers more customization and structure, making it especially helpful for younger kids or parents looking to reinforce responsibility.

Earning and saving

Current helps teens save with round-ups and Saving Pods, which are separate spaces where they can set aside money for specific goals. It also lets parents set up recurring allowance and tie payments to chores. Current’s earning and savings features include: 

• Saving Pods for goal setting

• Recurring allowance

• Chore-to-payment connection

Greenlight offers more ways to actively build good money habits. Kids can create custom savings goals, earn through chores, and have automated allowances. Some plans also include up to 5% on savings¹ and up to 1% cash back on purchases². Parents can even reward their kids for saving and reinforce the value of long-term goals with parent-paid interest. Greenlight’s earning and savings features include: 

• Custom savings goals

• Automated allowance

• Chore management with payments tied to completion

• Parent-paid interest to reward saving

• Up to 5% savings bonus¹ and 1% cash back² (on eligible plans)

Who wins?

Greenlight turns saving and earning into an everyday habit, not just in the background, making it a stronger choice for teaching real-world money skills.

Learn to earn, save, and invest together.

With a debit card of their own, kids and teens learn to spend wisely, keep an eye on balances, and track their spending. Big money dreams? Set savings goals and start investing with as little as $1 — with your approval on every trade.

Learn more

Parental controls

Current gives parents a handful of helpful tools, including the ability to block or allow specific merchants, receive real-time spending alerts, and features to manage chores and automate allowance. But it doesn’t offer full customization by category or store type, for instance. Current’s parental controls include: 

• Real-time spending alerts

• Ability to block or allow specific merchants

• Chore and allowance automation

Greenlight takes parental controls further. You can set spend limits by store or category, automate allowance, assign chores, toggle the debit card on or off instantly, and require approval for certain spending. You also get real-time notifications and visibility into how, where, and when your child is using their card. With Greenlight, parental controls include: 

• Real-time notifications for every transaction

• Spending controls by category or specific store

• Toggle debit card on/off instantly

• Approval required for certain purchases

Who wins?

Both apps offer solid controls, but Greenlight gives parents more options, especially for those with younger kids or families who want to tailor the experience as their child grows.

Safety features

Safety is non-negotiable. Current offers the basics: account alerts and spending notifications to help parents keep tabs on transactions. But it doesn’t include features like location sharing, crash detection, or identity theft protection. Here’s what Current offers in terms of safety: 

• Account alerts and spending notifications

Greenlight takes family safety to the next level with its Max and Infinity plans. You get real-time location tracking, crash detection, SOS alerts⁴, and identity theft protection for the whole family. There's even a driving report feature⁴ for teen drivers. Greenlight offers the following in terms of family safety: 

• Real-time location sharing⁴ 

• Crash detection and driving reports⁴ 

• SOS alerts via the app⁴

• Identity theft protection for the whole family

Who wins?

Greenlight offers a broader safety net, especially for families with kids on the go or teens starting to drive.

Investing

Current doesn’t offer investing options for kids or teens. While crypto investing is available, it’s limited to users who are 18 or older.

Greenlight includes Investing for Kids³, where kids of all ages can invest in real stocks and ETFs with parental approval, available through Greenlight Max and Infinity. Kids and teens can explore the market, build a portfolio, and learn as they go with in-app educational content that breaks down investing basics. There are no trading fees and parents can approve every trade. And kids and teens can get started with investing with as little as $1! Teach kids about investing with: 

• Stock and ETF investing with parental approval for every trade

• No trading fees

• Educational content built into the app

• Guided portfolio learning

Who wins?

Greenlight is the clear winner; it’s one of the only apps that lets kids and teens invest and understand what they’re doing.

Take on investing together

When kids start investing early, they have the chance to grow their money as they save toward all their future goals. New car. College education. First apartment. You name it.

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Educational features

Current focuses on banking, not teaching. There are no built-in financial literacy tools for kids or teens.

Greenlight, on the other hand, includes in-app lessons, video content, and tools that promote real-world learning with Level Up™, a financial literacy game for kids and teens. With quizzes, earning/saving challenges, and investing walkthroughs, kids learn by doing with: 

• Level Up™ financial literacy game

• In-app videos, quizzes, and lessons

• Teaches saving, investing, and responsible spending

• Learning built into real-life actions

Who wins?

Greenlight takes the lead because kids need more than just access to money. They need context and coaching, too.

Current vs. Greenlight: Which app is best for your family?

Greenlight is ideal for families who want an all-in-one platform to help their kids learn financial responsibility. It works for younger children, middle schoolers, and teens, and includes tools to learn how to spend, save, earn, invest, and stay safe. If you're looking for a kid-first app that evolves with your child, this is it.

Current may be a better fit for families with older teens who just need a no-cost debit card and don’t need educational or investing features. Current can be a simple, budget-friendly option if your teen already understands money basics and just needs a little oversight.

Built for them. And for you.

Both you and your kids download the Greenlight app — with tailored experiences. They check off chores, you automate allowance. They spend wisely, you set flexible controls. They build healthy financial habits, and you cheer them on.

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