🏡 School apps, family logistics and safety
Acorns Early (formerly GoHenry)
By GoHenry Inc. d/b/a Acorns Early (Acorns). Visit Acorns Early (formerly GoHenry)
Desk research from the maker's own pages. Not yet tried by us. Checked 2026-10-24.
The US version of GoHenry, now run by Acorns. Parents get an app and up to four debit cards for kids, send allowance, pay for chores, set spending limits and get alerts on every purchase. Kids set savings goals and work through Money Missions, short videos and quizzes on money skills. Families on the Acorns Gold plan can also open an investment account for each child, with a 1% match on the first $7,000 a year.
Our take: A fair pick for families who want a kids' card with money lessons; compare the fee with Greenlight and BusyKid first.
| Ages it suits | 6-18 |
|---|---|
| What its terms say about age | Anyone under 18 may use the website only to register with prior permission from a parent or guardian; parents open and run the account, and the child picks their own password. Acorns' own investing services are not for anyone under 18. (terms) |
| Price | Paid. Acorns Early Lite $8/month or Acorns Gold $12/month (adds kids' investing), auto-renewing (USD, Oct 2026). |
| Works on | iPhone and iPad, Android |
| Account | A parent's account |
| Ads | None |
| In-app purchases | Yes |
| The AI in it | No AI features for kids described; the Acorns privacy policy says Acorns may use AI for chatbots and to improve its services. |
What's good
- Debit card with parent controls and alerts
- Chore and allowance automation
- Money Missions lessons for kids
- Up to four kids on one fee
Watch for
- Monthly fee whether or not the card is used
- Brand change from GoHenry may confuse old customers
- Interest-based advertising in the privacy notice
- Investing features push families toward the pricier Gold plan
Data and privacy
The Acorns Early privacy notice says it collects children's information when they use their account, and for users over 13 can include contact lists stored on the phone. It describes interest-based advertising through third-party ad companies and sharing contact data with them for ads on other platforms. Read the privacy policy.
Does it work?
The maker's own claims only; Acorns calls its Money Missions award-winning, but no independent study was found.
Alternatives to Acorns Early (formerly GoHenry)
Desk researchPaidNo ads
1Password Families
AgileBits Inc. (1Password) · ages whole family; under 16 needs a parent's consent
A good family password plan if you are willing to pay; Bitwarden is the cheaper option with a free tier.
Desk researchFree, with paid extrasNo ads
Bitwarden Families
Bitwarden, Inc. · ages 13+
The best value for families with teens 13 and up; younger kids are not allowed on their own accounts.
Desk researchPaid
Brightwheel
Brightwheel · ages mostly 0-5, plus school-age kids in camps and afterschool programs
Useful if your child care uses it; check the photo and marketing settings, since the privacy policy reads like a general commercial app's.
Desk researchPaid
BusyKid
BusyKid · ages kids and teens (chores are preset by age)
A good-value chore and card app for families who want a weekly allowance routine; skip it if you only need a chore chart.
Desk researchPaidNo ads
Canopy
Netspark Inc. (doing business as Canopy) · ages for parents of kids and teens (about 6-17)
A strong option for parents of a child's first phone who want explicit content filtered; parents of older teens should weigh the trust cost of this much monitoring.
Desk researchFree, with paid extrasNo ads
ClassDojo
ClassDojo, Inc. · ages about 4-14 (preschool through middle school)
Handy for families whose teacher already uses it; parents can stick with the free core and skip the paid extras.
Where these facts come from
- https://www.acorns.com/early/
- https://www.acorns.com/pricing/
- https://www.acorns.com/early/website-app-terms/
- https://www.acorns.com/early/april-2026-promotion-terms/
- https://www.acorns.com/early/privacy-notice/
- https://www.acorns.com/privacy/
Prices, terms and features change. Nobody paid to be listed, nothing here is an affiliate link, and Peabody never rates itself. Where we and the maker disagree, the maker's own pages are the ones to trust.