Most “chore apps that pay kids” are really debit cards with a chore list attached: a monthly fee, a bank account in your child’s name, and a card they can spend from. EarnIt does the part families actually want — chores with a price, a running balance for each kid, approval in one tap — and leaves the money in your hands. Free for up to 2 kids. No card, no bank account, no fees.

How kids earn money in EarnIt

Five steps, most of them done by the kid:

  1. You set the chores and what each one pays. Make the bed $1, mow the lawn $5 — or let a chore be unpaid but expected. Lists can run every day, on certain days (Mon, Wed, Fri), once a week, monthly or just once.
  2. Kids log in on their own device with the family code and a PIN — no email, no account to create. They see today’s chores and their balance.
  3. They tick off what they did and send it in, with a photo if you ask for proof.
  4. You approve in one tap (or send it back). The money lands in their balance, split into Spend, Save and Give at the percentages you choose.
  5. They ask for a payout when they want to spend. You hand over cash, move money to their account, or buy the thing — EarnIt records it and the balance goes down.

The balance, savings goals, badges and levels keep the motivation going between paydays. Parents get a notification when a chore is submitted, so nothing waits for Sunday night.

What it costs (and what’s free)

The free plan is a real plan, not a trial. It includes:

  • Up to 2 kids and 1 parent account
  • Unlimited chores, with money or points attached
  • 2 active chore lists per kid (a daily list and one more, for example) and 2 savings goals
  • Balances, money splits, payout tracking and the full earnings history
  • iPhone, iPad, Android and web — the same family on all of them

Premium is $5 a month or $30 a year (local prices in the app stores) and adds the kid side of the loop:

  • Kids log in with their own PIN, submit chores with photo proof and request payouts
  • The weekly chore chart, push notifications and up-for-grabs chores any kid can claim
  • Allowance on autopilot: a set amount every week, two weeks or month
  • Up to 10 kids and a second parent account

On the free plan, parents log the chores and payouts themselves and kids see the results on a shared device. That is enough for many families with young kids; Premium is for the moment they want to run it themselves.

Why no debit card

Greenlight, BusyKid and GoHenry are good products for a 13-year-old who needs to buy lunch. They are a lot of product for a 6-year-old who made the bed. A card means a bank account, identity details, a monthly fee, and money your child can spend without you in the room.

EarnIt keeps the ledger and lets you decide how to pay: cash from your wallet, a transfer to an account you already have, or buying the thing they saved for. Kids learn earning, saving and waiting first. If you want the side-by-side, see BusyKid vs Greenlight vs EarnIt and BusyKid vs Greenlight.

Don’t pay cash? Use points

Some families don’t pay for chores at all. EarnIt has a points mode: chores earn points, kids save them toward rewards you define (a movie night, a later bedtime, a toy), and nothing is ever converted to money. Same lists, same approvals, same kid app.

Is EarnIt the right chore app for your family?

EarnIt fits best when:

  • Your kids are roughly 4 to 16 and you want chores tied to real money or points
  • You want to pay in cash (or however you like), not through a card
  • You want a plan that stays free for a small family and costs $30 a year, not $60–$240, when you need more
  • You use Spanish, German, French or Portuguese at home — the app and the kid screens are translated

It fits less well if what you actually need is a spending card for a teen — then one of the card products is the better buy. For the whole field, the best chore and allowance apps of 2026 compares nine of them.

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What is the best chore app that pays kids?

It depends on whether you want a card. If you do, Greenlight and BusyKid pay chores onto a kids’ debit card for a monthly fee. If you don’t, EarnIt tracks what each chore pays, lets kids submit chores and ask for payouts, and leaves paying out to you — free for 2 kids, with no card or bank account.

How much do chore and allowance apps cost for a family with several kids?

Card-based apps charge per family, typically $5 to $20 a month ($60 to $240 a year), and some add per-card fees. EarnIt is free for up to 2 kids and $30 a year for up to 10 kids with a second parent account.

Which allowance apps work without a debit card?

EarnIt is built without one: it keeps a balance for each kid and records payouts you make in cash or by transfer. Most of the other well-known allowance apps are card products, so a bank account and card are part of the setup.

Can kids earn real money with a chore app?

Yes, as long as a parent pays it out. The app does the fair part — what each chore is worth, what was done, what was approved, what the balance is — and the parent hands over the money. In EarnIt, kids request a payout and the parent confirms it.

At what age can a kid use the EarnIt app themselves?

Kids log in with a family code and a 4–6 digit PIN, so most 6-year-olds can do it. Younger kids use the picture chore chart with a parent; the balance and badges still work for them.

Try it with your kids this week

Set up two kids and a few chores in five minutes. Free, no card, no bank account, no ads.

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