Greenlight vs GoHenry vs Revolut Junior 2026: Full Compare

Three apps dominate the global kids-banking conversation in 2026: Greenlight in the US, GoHenry across the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy and the US, and Revolut <18 across the EEA. They occupy different positions — Greenlight as the premium US-centric "fintech for the family," GoHenry as the financial-education specialist, Revolut <18 as the broad-reach multi-currency option. This head-to-head compares them on every dimension that matters for European and US parents.

Quick answer

If you live in continental Europe and want maximum geographic flexibility for free, Revolut <18 is the default. If you live in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, or Italy and prioritize gamified financial education, GoHenry at £4.99/month per child is the standard. If you live in the US (or are a US-passport-holding family with US bank ties), Greenlight at $4.99-$14.99/month per family delivers the deepest investing-and-allowance integration.

Why this comparison matters in 2026

Each of these three apps reflects a different bet about what parents value most. Understanding those bets clarifies the right choice.

Greenlight bets on integrated financial wellness — debit card plus chores plus savings plus investing plus identity protection plus auto insurance, sold as a family bundle. Its pricing tiers reflect this layering, and its US footprint reflects its origin and regulatory home.

GoHenry bets on financial literacy — "Money Missions," in-app lessons, age-graded curricula, and a structured progression from age 6 through 18. Its per-child pricing reflects this individualized approach.

Revolut <18 bets on geographic ubiquity and integration with the parent's existing financial life. It does not try to be the best at education; it tries to be the easy default for the 15+ million European families already on Revolut.

In the EU regulatory context, all three are subject to GDPR and PSD3 if they operate in member states. Strong customer authentication for transactions over €100 must be parent-confirmed for under-16s. Deposit guarantee schemes apply per institution per holder. Where the apps differ is in operational maturity in each jurisdiction.

Pricing and availability

Verified April 2026.

Detailed reviews

Greenlight

Greenlight launched in the US in 2017 and has reached over 6 million users by late 2025 (company-reported). Its pricing layers add features:

• Core ($4.99/month) — debit cards for up to 5 children, chores tracker, allowance automation, saving with 2% APY parent-funded.
• Max ($9.98/month) — adds 5% APY savings boost, investing for kids (parent-approved trades), identity-theft protection.
• Infinity ($14.98/month) — adds family location sharing, SOS alerts, full identity protection.

Pros: best-in-class chore-and-allowance flow; investing for kids from age 8 with parent approval per trade; deep financial literacy content (Greenlight Level Up); clean app on iOS and Android.

Cons: requires US bank account funding; not GDPR-native (does not have an EU operating license); pricing in USD; FX fee 1% on non-USD transactions.

Country availability: US is the primary market with full feature support. International availability is technically present but operationally limited — the app is available on EU app stores, but the funding side requires a US bank, making it impractical for most EU-domiciled families.

Best for: US families and EU-resident US-citizen families with active US bank accounts (e.g., children with US grandparents sending allowance).

GoHenry

GoHenry launched in the UK in 2012 and has been the European financial-education leader for over a decade. Now serving over 2 million children, it operates in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, Italy, and (since 2023, after the Acorns acquisition) the US.

Pricing is £4.99/$4.99/€4.99 per child per month, with a one-month free trial. There is no family plan — three children means £14.97/month — though the company offers occasional promotional discounts for additional children.

The standout feature is Money Missions: short interactive lessons covering budgeting, compound interest, scams, fraud, taxation, and investing, age-graded from 6 to 18. Children earn in-app rewards for completing missions. As of April 2026, GoHenry reports over 250 missions in the library, with new missions added monthly.

Pros: best-in-class financial-education content; granular parental controls (per-merchant, per-category, per-store, per-time-of-day); chore-and-allowance automation; "Giftlinks" for relatives to send money without the app.

Cons: per-child pricing scales unfavorably for families with three or more children; FX fee 1.75% on non-GBP/EUR transactions; savings interest is 1-3% depending on tier and country, lower than Bunq or Trade Republic.

Country availability: UK and Ireland (full feature set), France (full since 2023), Spain (full since 2024), Italy (full since 2025), US (separate platform via Acorns). Not available in Germany, Netherlands, Poland, or the Nordics as of April 2026.

Best for: families in the UK, Ireland, France, Spain, or Italy with one or two children where financial education is a priority.

Revolut <18

Revolut <18 launched in 2020 and reached over 1.5 million junior accounts in the EEA by late 2025 (Revolut reporting). The proposition: a free junior account attached to any parent Revolut plan, ages 6-17.

The pricing reality is that Revolut <18 is technically free, but the headline savings-vault rate (2.25%) requires the parent to hold Metal or Ultra at €13.99-€45/month. On Revolut Standard (free parent plan), the Junior Vault pays 1.5%.

Features include: Visa or Mastercard, multi-currency wallet (EUR, GBP, USD, PLN, RON, CHF), Junior Vault for goal-based savings, round-up savings, instant card freeze, full transaction visibility for parent, spending categories, Apple/Google Pay from age 13.

Pros: 30+ country availability; multi-currency wallet (saves on FX during holidays and online shopping); no per-child fee — three children cost the same as one; instant in-app transfers between Revolut users free.

Cons: financial-education content is minimal compared to GoHenry; parental controls less granular than Greenlight or GoHenry (no per-merchant blocking); no investing for under-18s.

Country availability: all EEA states, UK, Switzerland. Strongest local payment integrations in UK, Ireland, France, Germany, Spain, Italy, Poland, Romania.

Best for: EU-domiciled families with two or more children, families that travel, families that already use Revolut.

Head-to-head: which wins on each dimension

How to choose

The decision tree for these three is geography-first.

If you live in the US, Greenlight wins by default — GoHenry's US presence (via Acorns) is functional but Greenlight has dramatically more US users, more US bank integrations, and US-priced features. Revolut <18 is operationally available in the US but with weaker local payment rails than its EU markets.

If you live in the UK or Ireland, the contest is GoHenry vs Revolut <18 (with HyperJar Kids as a free-tier alternative not covered in this head-to-head). GoHenry wins on education content and parental control granularity. Revolut <18 wins on cost and multi-currency for EU travel post-Brexit.

If you live in France, Spain, or Italy, GoHenry vs Revolut <18 is again the contest, with Pixpay as a strong local alternative in France. GoHenry leads on education, Revolut on cost and FX.

If you live in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium, Austria, the Nordics, Poland, or other EEA states not covered by GoHenry, Revolut <18 vs Bunq Junior (not in this head-to-head) becomes the practical comparison. Greenlight and GoHenry are not realistic options.

If your family has three or more children, the per-child pricing of GoHenry (£14.97+/month for three) and Greenlight Core ($4.99 covers up to 5 in one family plan, so unaffected) shifts the math toward Greenlight or Revolut <18.

A common approach data suggests is: in continental EU, start with Revolut <18 at ages 6-8 (free, low friction); if education becomes a priority around age 9-11 and you live in a GoHenry country, layer GoHenry as a second card or switch over for that period; revert to Revolut <18 at age 13+ when multi-currency and travel matter more than gamified lessons.

Common mistakes and pitfalls

The biggest mistake is selecting on price without checking country fit. Greenlight is cheap per family, but if you live outside the US it is impractical. GoHenry is reasonable per child, but if you live in Germany or Poland it is not available. Always confirm geographic operational support before subscribing.

A second issue is doubling up unnecessarily. Some parents subscribe to both GoHenry (for education) and Revolut <18 (for everyday spending), then never actually have the child use both — one becomes the daily card and the other goes unused. If education is the priority, consolidate to GoHenry; if spending flexibility is the priority, consolidate to Revolut <18.

A third pitfall is ignoring the savings-interest fine print. Greenlight's 5% APY (Infinity tier) only applies to the savings sub-balance, not the spending balance, and only above a $1 minimum. Revolut <18's 2.25% requires the parent to hold Metal or Ultra. GoHenry's interest is similarly tier-dependent. Set up automatic transfers to actually capture the rates.

A fourth mistake is not adjusting parental controls as the child grows. The defaults appropriate for a 7-year-old (€10 daily spend limit, parent approval per online purchase) become infantilizing for a 14-year-old. All three apps allow easy adjustment — review every 6-12 months.

Finally, forgetting cancellation timing. GoHenry is per-month and can be cancelled anytime. Greenlight's higher tiers are billed monthly but feature unlocks can lag — cancel before billing date to avoid the next month's charge.

For tracking allowance and spending across kids' cards alongside the parent's accounts in one place, Freenance aggregates European banks and neobanks (and supports US Plaid integrations for cross-border families) in a single dashboard.

FAQ

Can I use Greenlight in Europe? Technically yes — the app is available on EU app stores — but practically the funding requires a US bank, making it impractical unless your family has US banking ties. Most EU-domiciled families choose Revolut <18, GoHenry, or a local alternative.

Does GoHenry work in Germany? Not as of April 2026. GoHenry's European footprint is UK, Ireland, France, Spain, and Italy. German-resident families typically use Revolut <18, Bunq Junior, or Vivid Junior.

Is Revolut <18 truly free? Yes for the basic card and account, with any Revolut parent plan including the free Standard. Custom card designs cost €4.99-€19.99 one-off, and the higher savings rate (2.25%) requires the parent to upgrade to Metal/Ultra.

Which app teaches kids about investing? Greenlight (Max and Infinity tiers) offers in-app investing for kids with parent approval per trade — the most developed of the three. GoHenry teaches investing concepts via Money Missions but does not offer actual investing. Revolut <18 has no investing for under-18s.

Can grandparents top up the card? Yes for all three. Revolut and GoHenry have specific gift features (Revolut group accounts, GoHenry Giftlinks). Greenlight accepts external bank transfers from any US bank.

What happens at age 18? Greenlight transitions to a regular Greenlight account or the user moves to a normal US bank. GoHenry closes the account at 18 and the teen opens a regular adult bank account elsewhere. Revolut <18 auto-converts to Revolut Standard adult on the 18th birthday with no balance loss.

Do these apps share data with parents? All three give the parent full transaction visibility in real time. Privacy considerations are different from adult banking — the value proposition is parental oversight, not privacy from parents.

Are these apps regulated banks? None of the three holds a full banking license in the conventional sense. Greenlight partners with Community Federal Savings Bank (US-FDIC-insured). GoHenry uses IDT Financial Services (e-money licensed). Revolut Bank UAB is a full European banking license holder, and Revolut <18 funds are held under that license, with €100,000 EU DGS coverage.

Can I switch from one app to another mid-year? Yes, all three allow cancellation any time without long-term contracts. Most parents who switch do so at a natural transition (start of school year, after a free trial expires, when a child reaches a milestone age). Always export historical transaction data before cancelling — none of the three guarantees indefinite post-cancellation data retention.

Do these apps support children with special needs or guardianship arrangements? All three accept legal guardian as parent. Greenlight and GoHenry have specific provisions for shared custody where two parents can both have administrative access. Revolut <18 currently allows only one primary parent, with a workaround of granting the second parent in-app visibility but not control.

Is biometric login available for the child? Yes on all three from age 13 (Apple Face ID, Touch ID, Android biometric). Younger children typically use a 6-digit PIN. The parent can override and reset child credentials from the parent app.

What happens if the parent dies or becomes incapacitated? All three have a documented bereavement and incapacity process. Greenlight transfers account control to a designated secondary parent or to the legal guardian via probate. GoHenry similarly transfers via probate documentation. Revolut <18 funds are held under the parent's main Revolut account and follow whatever probate arrangement applies to that account in the relevant jurisdiction. Many family-finance commentators recommend keeping written instructions about all family financial accounts in a will or letter of wishes.

Adoption patterns: who actually picks which

Independent fintech research published in late 2025 surveyed European parents on which kid-banking app they actually used, with notable patterns:

In the UK, GoHenry held roughly 38% of the active kid-card market, Revolut <18 around 22%, HyperJar Kids around 18%, and Starling Kite (not in this comparison) around 12%, with the remainder spread across smaller providers. Greenlight in the UK was effectively absent.

In France, Pixpay led with around 31%, Revolut <18 with around 26%, GoHenry with around 14%, and Boursorama Kador (a domestic offer) with around 12%.

In Germany, Bunq Junior was the leader with around 28%, Vivid Junior around 24%, and Revolut <18 around 22%, with Sparkasse and Volksbank physical accounts still capturing significant share among traditional families.

In the US, Greenlight led with around 41%, GoHenry/Acorns Early with around 22%, and a long tail of smaller providers (FamZoo, Step, Copper).

These numbers reflect actual adoption rather than feature analysis — a useful signal that "best app" is partly a question of fit with the family's existing financial habits, not just feature checklists.

Final word: which approach scales for the long term

The three apps share more than their differences suggest. All three give the parent real-time visibility, instant freeze, daily and monthly limits, and a structured way to introduce a child to money. The choice between them is mostly about geography and pricing model, not radically different philosophies.

For most European families with one or two children in the 6-13 age range, the practical answer is: start with whichever the family can use easily today (Revolut <18 if the parent is on Revolut; GoHenry if not and the family lives in a GoHenry country), use the free trial to test fit, and avoid over-thinking the decision. The cost of switching is low. The cost of not starting is the missed opportunity to teach money habits during the formation years.