Best Pocket Money App UK: Three Free, Two Cost a Fee

Picking the best pocket money app in the UK comes down to one question most comparison pages skip: are you paying for a teaching tool, or do you just want your child to have a card? Three of the five big names cost nothing if you already bank with them. The other two charge a monthly fee, and what you get for it is chores, lessons and a card that is not tied to your own bank.

We checked every app below against its provider’s own pages in September and October 2026. Fees and rates change, and every interest rate here is variable.

The short answer

• Best free option if you bank with Monzo: Monzo Under 16s. No fee, 2.75% AER (variable) on savings, and a straight run into Monzo’s 16-17s account.
• Tightest spending controls: Starling’s Under 16s Space, free for Starling customers, with merchant-category blocks built in.
• Best free chores feature: Revolut Kids & Teens, where parents set Challenges with a reward attached.
• Best for chores if you bank with NatWest, RBS or Ulster Bank: NatWest Rooster Money.
• Best if you want lessons, ISA and gift links in one place and do not mind paying: GoHenry.

Fees, ages and controls side by side

The column that decides it for most families is the fourth. The three free apps are all bolted on to the parent’s own account. If you bank with one of them already, the decision is nearly made for you. If you do not, you either open an account with that bank or pay GoHenry or Rooster for a standalone card.

Monzo Under 16s

Monzo’s account for 6 to 15 year olds has no up-front cost, subscription or top-up fee. A parent or guardian with a Monzo account sets it up, and the child gets their own neon card plus a stripped-back app.

From the parent’s side you see every payment in your own Monzo app, can switch on instant notifications, set and change a daily spending limit, turn cash withdrawals and online payments on or off, freeze the card, and schedule pocket money to land automatically. Your child also gets a secure payment link that grandparents can use to send birthday money straight to them.

Savings pay 2.75% AER (variable), paid monthly, which is better than any pocket money app on this page. Apple Pay and Google Pay unlock at 13. At 16 your child can apply for Monzo’s 16-17s account, which they open on their own and which becomes a full current account at 18. There are no chores or lessons: Monzo gives a child an account, not a parenting system.

Starling Under 16s Space

Starling’s version used to be called Kite. It is not a separate bank account but a Space inside the parent’s Starling personal or joint account, with a debit card for a child aged 6 to 15. Opening one costs nothing.

The controls are the strongest of the free options. You can set a daily spending limit, get instant notifications, lock the card, block online payments and ATM withdrawals separately, and lower the contactless limit. Starling also blocks whole merchant types for under 16s, including pubs, gambling sites, pawn shops and arcades, so you are not relying on a spending cap alone. Pocket money can be scheduled weekly or monthly. Apple Pay and Google Pay are open from 13.

The trade-off is the extras. Starling’s own page does not advertise interest on the Space and lists no chores feature. Because the money sits in your Starling account it is covered by the FSCS, up to £120,000 per person per banking licence. Our Starling Bank review covers the parent account you would need.

Revolut Kids & Teens

Revolut’s children’s account covers 6 to 15, and the parent needs their own Revolut account. One child account comes free on the Standard plan; families with several children need a paid plan to add more, which our piece on whether Revolut’s paid plans are worth it weighs up.

What Revolut has that Monzo and Starling do not is a chores system without a fee. Parents set Challenges, such as tidying a room or helping with the shopping, choose the reward, and make them one-off or repeating daily, weekly or monthly. A child can ask for a Challenge, but you approve it. Pocket money can be paid automatically, and children can save towards goals funded from allowance or Challenge rewards.

Savings pay interest, but the rate depends on the parent’s Revolut plan: when we checked in September it was 2.9% AER (variable) on Standard, rising on the top plan. At 13 a teenager can start the sign-up themselves with your approval, and payments to and from other Revolut Kids & Teens users switch on.

NatWest Rooster Money

Rooster Money is the app for families who want a chore chart first and a card second. There is a free Virtual Tracker that records pocket money and chores with no card at all, which suits a six or seven year old who just needs to see the number go up. The Rooster Card adds a prepaid debit card for ages 6 to 17 at £1.99 a month or £19.99 a year after a one month free trial.

NatWest, Royal Bank of Scotland and Ulster Bank customers get an offer on the Rooster Card, so check what NatWest is offering before you pay. You do not need a NatWest account to use Rooster at all, which makes it the cheapest standalone card on this page. The parent must be 18 or over and UK resident. Apple Pay and Google Pay open at 13.

There is no interest. Rooster is about the habit of earning and spending, not storing money.

GoHenry

GoHenry is the only one here that runs from 6 all the way to 18, and the only one that bundles financial lessons into the app. Its Money Missions, more than 100 short lessons, are included on every plan. Every plan also includes pocket money and chore lists, Giftlinks for family to send money, parental controls, and a Junior Stocks and Shares ISA (capital at risk).

It costs the most. Everyday is £3.99 a month per child, with one free top-up a month and 50p for each top-up after that. Plus, at £5.99 a month per child, adds unlimited free top-ups and interest on savings goals at 2.63% AER (variable). Max is £9.99 a month for up to four children with everything in Plus. Personalised card designs cost extra. There is a one month free trial on each plan.

Two catches. A year on Everyday costs about £48 per child, and that buys no interest at all. And GoHenry is not a bank: its money is electronic money, held in safeguarded accounts, but not covered by the FSCS the way a Monzo or Starling deposit is.

Which app for which family

1. You already bank with Monzo, Starling or Revolut: use theirs. It is free, the money is in a bank, and it hands over neatly as your child gets older.
2. You want chores without a fee: Revolut Kids & Teens, or Rooster’s free Virtual Tracker if you do not need a card yet.
3. Your child is under 10 and you mainly want a chore chart: Rooster Money. Its card runs to 17, so you will not need to switch again soon.
4. You want lessons, an ISA and gift links in one app and will pay for it: GoHenry. If you have three or four children, Max works out cheaper than Plus for each.
5. You want the money to earn something: Monzo’s 2.75% AER beats GoHenry Plus, and costs nothing.

Our best kids savings app UK guide covers savings accounts that pay more than any of these. When your child hits their teens, the best money app for teenagers UK explains the age limits that force a switch at 15 or 17.

What to check before you sign up

• Where the money sits. Bank-based options are FSCS protected; prepaid e-money cards are safeguarded instead. Our explainer on whether digital banks are safe covers the difference.
• The top-up cost. A free plan with a fee on every top-up is not free if you top up weekly.
• How many children. GoHenry charges per child unless you take Max, and Revolut’s free Standard plan covers one child account; check the limit before you add a second.
• The cancellation route. GoHenry and Rooster both start with a one month trial and renew automatically after it. Put a reminder in your calendar.

Read the provider’s own terms before you open anything: Monzo’s Under 16s page and Starling’s Under 16s page list the current rates and controls.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best pocket money app in the UK? For most families it is the free one from the bank they already use: Monzo Under 16s, Starling’s Under 16s Space or Revolut Kids & Teens. If you want chores, lessons and a card that is not tied to your bank, GoHenry is the most complete, and NatWest Rooster Money is the cheaper alternative.

Is there a free pocket money app with a card? Yes. Monzo Under 16s and Starling’s Under 16s Space are free if the parent banks with them, and Revolut gives one free child account on its Standard plan. NatWest customers get an offer on the Rooster Card. GoHenry has no free plan after its one month trial.

How much does GoHenry cost? When we checked in October 2026, Everyday was £3.99 a month per child, Plus was £5.99 a month per child, and Max was £9.99 a month for up to four children. Only Plus and Max pay interest on savings goals.

What age can a child have a pocket money card? Six on every app here. Monzo, Starling and Revolut cover 6 to 15, Rooster Money 6 to 17 and GoHenry 6 to 18. Apple Pay and Google Pay generally open at 13.

Which pocket money app pays interest? Monzo Under 16s pays 2.75% AER (variable) for free. Revolut pays interest at a rate that depends on the parent’s plan, and GoHenry pays 2.63% AER (variable) only on its Plus and Max plans. Rooster Money pays none.

Is money on GoHenry protected? GoHenry is not a bank. Money on it is electronic money held in safeguarded accounts under the Electronic Money Regulations 2011, which is not the same as FSCS protection. Money in a Monzo or Starling child account sits with a bank and is covered by the FSCS up to £120,000.