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Side by side.

Pick two or three cards. Every field, every number, in one table.

Field	Greenlight Mastercard Verified July 2026 8.2/10 Kids	Step Visa Verified July 2026 6.6/10 Teen	Acorns Early Visa Verified July 2026 7.4/10 Kids
Monthly fees	$5.99/mo (Core), $10.98 (Max), $15.98 (Infinity), $19.98 (Family Shield). Up to 5 kids per family.	$0. No monthly fee, no minimum balance, no overdraft fees.	$5/mo for 1 kid or $10/mo for up to 4 kids (formerly GoHenry).
Parental controls	The most granular controls in the segment: per-store and per-category blocking, custom spend limits, real-time alerts, chore approval.	Very limited: a fixed $1,000/day cap, no category blocking, no per-merchant controls.	Solid basics: spend limits, chore approval, real-time alerts, and Giftlinks for family transfers.
Savings features	Platform-paid savings rewards from 2% to 6% per annum (a reward, not bank interest), depending on the plan.	Up to 3% savings rewards, but only unlocked with $500/mo in qualifying direct deposits.	No platform-paid savings interest. Parents can set up their own paid interest on saved balances.
Security	PIN, biometric unlock, real-time transaction alerts, instant card lock.	PIN, biometric unlock, instant card lock, transaction alerts.	PIN, biometric unlock, transaction alerts, instant card lock.
Coverage	FDIC insured via Community Federal Savings Bank.	FDIC insured via Evolve Bank & Trust.	Debit account FDIC insured via Community Federal Savings Bank. Custodial investment accounts are not FDIC insured.
Investing	Available from the Max plan and up. Kids invest in individual stocks and ETFs, each trade requires parent approval.	In-app stock and crypto investing available inside the app.	Parent-managed custodial investment accounts. Kids don't place trades themselves.
Financial education	Level Up, an in-app game that teaches money concepts through missions.	Basic Money 101 articles inside the app.	Money Missions — the market reference. Curriculum-aligned quizzes, badges, and rewards.
Customer support	24/7 phone and chat.	Email only.	Email and in-app chat.
Geographies	United States only.	United States only.	United States only.
Strengths	Most granular parental controls on the market (per-store, per-category, custom limits). A full ecosystem that grows with the child, from age 6 to 18. Real platform-paid savings rewards, where most competitors pay nothing.	The only card in the panel that builds credit history before 18 — reports to all 3 bureaus, up to 2 years retroactive. Genuinely 100% free core offer — no monthly fee, no gotchas on the base account. Built for teens with jobs: real direct deposit and P2P payments.	Best built-in financial education of the panel — Money Missions is genuinely well-designed. Simple, competitive pricing for a single kid at $5/mo. Giftlinks let extended family send money easily, no bank details shared.
Weaknesses	Most expensive of the segment ($72–$240/yr), best features locked behind higher tiers. No free tier — every family pays a monthly subscription. No dedicated free ATM network, so out-of-network fees add up.	Very limited parental controls — a fixed $1,000/day cap and no category blocking. Email-only support, no phone line when something goes wrong. Savings interest requires $500/mo in direct deposits, unrealistic before 16.	No platform-paid savings interest or cash back. Kids never practice investing themselves — the custodial account is passive. The GoHenry → Acorns transition made pricing and plan names confusing.