Greenlight Debit Card for Kids & Teens vs Current Account

Current is free: it dropped its subscription in 2026 and teen banking is included at no cost. Greenlight has no free tier and runs $5.99 to $19.98 per month, $72 to $240 a year.

Greenlight's controls go down to per-store and per-category spending limits with chore-tied allowance automation, the deepest set in the category. Current's teen controls cover the basics but nothing that granular.

Greenlight pays a 2% savings reward on Core scaling to 6% on Family Shield, on up to $5,000 per family. Current's 4% boost lives in the parent's Savings Pods, capped at $6,000, and is not a teen savings feature.

One Greenlight subscription covers up to 5 kids, and upper tiers add kid investing with parental approval, location sharing, and driving reports. Current's teen account is a single feature, not a platform.

Current is a full banking app in its own right: paycheck advances up to $750, early direct deposit, fee-free overdraft up to $200, and the Build Card for credit building. Greenlight does nothing for the adult paying for it.

Is Greenlight Debit Card for Kids & Teens or Current Account better?

Pick Greenlight if you are shopping for a kids' money product and want real controls, chores, and savings rewards, and you accept that it costs $72+ a year. Pick Current if the parent would genuinely use Current as a bank, because then the teen account is a free add-on and the subscription question disappears. Paying for Greenlight to get only its teen card while banking elsewhere is the one setup that makes no sense; free rivals cover that case.

Does Greenlight or Current charge a monthly fee?

Greenlight Debit Card for Kids & Teens: $5.99-$19.98 per family (up to 5 kids), no free tier. Current Account: $0; no account fee listed on the product page.

Which earns a higher APY, Greenlight or Current?

Greenlight Debit Card for Kids & Teens pays 2% savings reward on Core, up to 6% on Family Shield (on up to $5,000 per family) APY. Current Account pays 4.00% boost on up to $2,000 per Savings Pod ($6,000 total) with a $200+ payroll deposit every 35 days, 0.25% otherwise; balance above the cap earns nothing APY.

Which is better for price?

Current. Current is free: it dropped its subscription in 2026 and teen banking is included at no cost. Greenlight has no free tier and runs $5.99 to $19.98 per month, $72 to $240 a year.

Current vs Greenlight: which is better?

It depends on whether you are shopping for a kids' money platform or already bank with Current. Greenlight wins on control: per-store spending limits, chore-tied allowance, and savings rewards up to 6%, for $5.99 to $19.98 a month. Current wins on price and adult utility: it is free, and the parent also gets a $750 paycheck advance, early direct deposit, and a credit-building Build Card. A family that wants the deepest kid controls should pay for Greenlight; a family that would use Current as its own bank gets the teen account free.

Is Current good for teen banking?

Yes, if the parent is willing to use Current as a real bank. Teen banking rides along free, with no separate subscription, inside an app that also pays a 4% boost on up to $6,000 in Savings Pods and offers paycheck advances up to $750. What it lacks is Greenlight's depth: no per-store spending limits and no chore-based allowance automation.

Does Current cost money, like Greenlight does?

No. Current dropped its premium subscription in 2026, so the app, including teen banking, is entirely free. Greenlight has no free tier at all, running $5.99 (Core) to $19.98 (Family Shield) a month depending on how many kids and which controls you need.

Does Greenlight or Current build credit?

Current, for the parent. Its Build Card is a secured charge card that reports to all three credit bureaus. Greenlight has no credit-building product at any tier. Neither account builds credit history specifically for the teen; for that, compare Greenlight and Current against Step, which does report a teen's own payment history.