If you're an Australian parent weighing up Spriggy, you're in good company — it's one of the most popular kids' money apps in the country, and the prepaid card makes pocket money tidy and cashless.
Short version: Spriggy is a good Australian prepaid card for managing a kid's money. earnt is a different kind of tool entirely — it's built to grow the kid, not just move their money. Here's the honest breakdown so you can pick the right one for your family.
The core difference in one line
Spriggy answers "how do I manage the money my kid has?" earnt answers "how do I raise a kid who's actually capable with money — and with life?" Both are valid. They're just aiming at different targets.
Side by side
| Spriggy | earnt. | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | Prepaid debit card + app | Capability-building app (no card) |
| Main goal | Manage & track a kid's spending | Build a capable kid through real work |
| Money used | Money you load onto the card | Real money & real jobs already in your home |
| Chores / jobs | Chore & reward add-ons | Core: Family Jobs vs paid jobs, built in |
| Progress shown | Balance & transactions | Living Capability Score /100 |
| Buckets | Save / Spend style pots | Save, Spend, Give & Invest |
| Ongoing cost | Monthly card/account fee (check site) | $49/year, 7-day free trial, no card fees |
| Best for | Hands-off money management | Actively raising a capable young adult |
Features and pricing for Spriggy change over time — always check their site for current details. This comparison reflects the two products' overall approach.
Where Spriggy shines
Spriggy does the money-management job well. The prepaid card means no cash to lose, parents can top up instantly, and kids can see their balance and save toward goals in-app. If your main need is a clean, cashless way to hand over and track pocket money, it's a genuinely good fit — and plenty of families are happy with exactly that.
Where earnt is different
earnt starts from a different question. Instead of “how do we manage the money,” it asks “how do we build the kid.” So the whole app is organised around capability, not balances:
- A living Capability Score — the first thing you see isn't a balance, it's who your child is becoming across responsibility, reliability, work ethic and initiative. It climbs as they do real work.
- Family Jobs vs paid jobs — earnt separates "done because you're part of this family" from "earned through real effort," so kids learn to contribute and to earn.
- Save, Spend, Give, Invest buckets — money is split on purpose, so every dollar teaches a decision.
- No card, no monthly card fees, no fintech account — earnt runs on the real money and real jobs already in your home. You're the bank; the app is the coach.
So which should you choose?
If you want a cashless card and simple money tracking, go with Spriggy — it's built for that. If what you actually want is to raise a young adult who's capable, responsible and good with money — and to watch that happen week by week — that's what earnt is built for. Many parents even use a card for spending and earnt for the raising. There's no wrong answer, only the one that matches what you're really after.
Try the capability-first alternative to Spriggy
See it free for 7 days. Watch your child's Capability Score climb from the very first week — no card to order, no fees, just real jobs and real progress.
Start 7 days free →The bottom line
A card teaches a kid to spend and track money they're given. That's genuinely useful. But the thing that keeps parents up at night isn't whether their kid can tap a card — it's whether they'll be capable when the door closes behind them.
That's the gap earnt was built to close. If you want a slick prepaid card, Spriggy is a solid pick. If you want to raise a capable human, that's a different tool — and it's the one we made.