Greenlight vs. Current [2025]: Is Paying for a Kids’ Debit Card Worth It?

Both Greenlight and Current put kids in the driver's seat of their finances with parents operating as a co-pilot. Here's how the two platforms, which we'd argue differ more than other kids' budgeting apps, compare.

Card type	Kids' debit card	Kids' debit card
Features	Chores and allowance Interest on saving Parental control Cash back on debit card purchase Educational game Investing for kids	Chores and allowance Parental controls
Monthly subscription fee	$5.99 to $24.98/month	None
Number of kids supported	Up to five	One
Minimum age	No minimum age	13
Free trial	Yes, 30 days	No
FDIC insurance	Yes	Yes
	Visit Greenlight	Visit Current

What is Greenlight?

Greenlight is a fintech company that offers debit cards for kids with tools that can help parents teach lessons on earning, saving, and investing.

There are four Greenlight plans to choose from, with the most expensive Family Shield plan being the most full-featured, and the least expensive Greenlight Core plan being the most basic.

But compared to other kids' debit card and budgeting platforms, even Greenlight's most basic plan is more robust than the competition. It's known for being one of the most comprehensive money apps for kids and teens, and it supports kids of all ages, unlike many.

How it works

Parental controls

With Greenlight, you can:

• Track your child's spending
• Set controls on where they can shop
• Turn the card on and off
• Set up direct deposit for your teen's paycheck
• Set up purchase round-ups
• Instantly add money from a linked bank account
• Set up automatic weekly transfers
• Set up required chores tied to an allowance

Features for kids/teens

What tools and features kids can use with Greenlight depends on which plan your family has. Greenlight Core offers up to 2% interest on savings, kids' debit cards, chores and allowance, and educational games. These are features offered by every plan.

Upgrading your account to Greenlight Max or Greenlight Infinity unlocks additional features and protections. Under the Greenlight Max plan, for instance, your child unlocks investing and cash back on their debit card spending. Greenlight Infinity comes with family location sharing and other protections.

Funding

To fund your child's Greenlight account, you'll need to transfer money from your parent account with the platform. You can set up one-time transfers on an as-needed basis, schedule recurring transfers as allowance, and use chores to pay them when they complete tasks.

Visit Greenlight | Read our Greenlight review.

What Greenlight does better than Current

• Kids earn interest on their savings
• Kids can earn cashback on their purchases
• Educational content
• Kids can invest

Even if you don't pay parent-paid interest, kids can earn a small amount of interest on their balance no matter the plan you choose with Greenlight. This is a great way to show kids the value in compound interest as their earnings grow.

You can start early, teaching kids the value of cash back even on necessary purchases. Who knows, you may set them up for a lifetime of enjoying the best rewards credit cards.

I'm a firm believer that real-life experience is the best way to learn about budgeting, but there's value in educational content, especially the games, podcasts, and Kahoot lessons Greenlight offers.

It may sound scary to let a kid invest, but Greenlight does it in a way that ensures there's parental consent before any transactions take place, and kids only need $1 to start.

What is Current?

Unlike Greenlight, Current is an online financial institution for anyone, not just teens¹ <p><b>Current is a financial technology company, not a bank. Banking services provided by Choice Financial Group, Member FDIC.</b>.</p> . However, it offers one of the best free debit cards for kids as a Teen Account that includes a debit card and an app with parental controls.² <p>You may earn Points in connection with your everyday spending and by completing other actions that Current designates as subject to the Current Points Program. The amount of Points granted for different actions as well as the purchase requirements necessary to earn Points will vary, and is subject to Current’s sole discretion. After qualifying, please allow 3-5 business days for points to post to your Current account. The Current Points program is not available to Teen Account holders. See Current Points Terms and Conditions.</p>

How it works

Parental controls

With Current, you can:

• Choose how much your child can spend per day
• Limit shopping at certain merchants
• Set up automatic transfers
• Create a weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly allowance
• Set up direct deposit for your teen's paycheck
• Get immediate release of gas station authorization holds

Features for kids/teens

Teens can earn allowances and complete chores you assign, spend with their debit cards in person and online, use ATMs, and add funds via direct deposit (a great option you won't see with every teen debit card that could be handy if your child already works).

They won't earn interest on their savings, but they can create different Savings Pods for goals they have. Teens can't invest or earn cash back with Current.

Funding

Parents have two ways to fund a Current Teen Account:

• Link an external bank account to transfer funds, which can take three to five business days
• Open an individual Current account to instantly transfer funds

Visit Current | Read our Current review.

What Current does better than Greenlight

• No monthly fee
• Supports independence

Greenlight can get pricey and only offers paid plans, but Current doesn't charge a monthly fee. They also don't have any minimum balance requirements.

Compared to Greenlight, Current is better for older kids and teens with a bit more experience managing their own money. The app is designed with kids over 13 in mind, so there's a bit less hand-holding. You and your teen both might appreciate the fact that the Current platform more closely resembles a typical bank account.

What makes Greenlight and Current similar

• Parental controls: Letting kids learn to manage their money is a great way to help them learn, but parental controls are a nice feature to ensure they don't go overboard or make big financial mistakes, and both apps allow this. That said, Greenlight has more.
• Allowance: Greenlight and Current allow parents to pay allowance a single time or set up recurring payments based on completed chores.
• Savings roundup: Teaching kids small ways to save can add up, which makes the savings roundup feature Greenlight and Current offer a big help.

Which kids' debit card you should choose

When comparing Greenlight vs. Current, the right one for you comes down to what features you want.

When Current is best for you

We would consider Current to be the better choice for your family if:

• You have a teen over 13.
• You don't want to pay for a kids' banking app.
• Your teen is mainly focused on spending with a debit card.

If you're simply looking for a way to send money to your child so they can have cash for lunch, gas, or the occasional shopping trip, Current is free.

When Greenlight is best for you

On the flip side, we'd pick Greenlight for you if:

• You want access to as many money management features and perks for kids as possible.
• You have a child or children under 13.
• You want your kids to learn many money skills.

However, if you want instant transfers, educational content, or the ability to teach your child how to invest, Greenlight offers these features and more, again for a fee.

I think the biggest deal is the instant transfers, especially for teens. For example, if you have a new driver out there and he needs gas now, you can't wait three to four days for a transfer to complete; he needs the money instantly. Unless you (the parent) have a Current account, a transfer can take three to four days, whereas Greenlight transfers are instant.

Overall, the Current debit card is good for day-to-day spending, but the Greenlight is a better tool for educational content, investing, and immediate transfers.

FAQs

Bottom line

You can't go wrong with Greenlight or Current because opening either account means you're teaching your kids about money. Although hypothetical lessons about money could be a good starting point, at some point, it'll be time for them to get some practice with their own cold-hard cash.

Greenlight and Current both make it easy to introduce children and teens to managing money with your oversight. Current teen banking could be a good choice if you're looking for an account with parental controls to transfer cash and teach everyday spending lessons.

Greenlight offers the option to invest, and that could make it the better choice if your goal is to teach them about long-term saving and wealth-building. Greenlight is also open to kids of all ages and not just teens, so if your kid is under 13 years old, it could be the better fit.

Learn More

2025 award winner Best for Kids and Teens

• 
  Get real-time notifications every time your kids spend money
• 
  Kids get up to 1% cash back and 2% on their savings balances

VS

Learn More

• 
  Doesn’t unnecessarily hold funds when you purchase gas (no gas holds)
• 
  High APYs on up to $6,000 in savings
• 
  No monthly maintenance fees