Most parents have been there. You ask your child to empty the dishwasher. They groan, stall, or pretend they did not hear you. You repeat the request three times, eventually raise your voice, and the whole thing ends with both of you frustrated. That is exactly why so many families are searching for a chore app for kids with rewards — a way to make daily tasks visible, trackable, and tied to something the child actually wants.

But with dozens of apps on the market — each promising to transform reluctant kids into eager helpers — finding the right chore app for kids with rewards is its own chore. Some focus on allowance. Others on gamification. A few connect chores directly to screen time, which turns out to be the reward most kids ages 5 to 12 care about most.

We tested and researched seven of the most popular family chore apps to find out what actually works, what falls short, and which approach matches different parenting styles. This is not a sponsored ranking — it is an honest comparison from a team that builds one of the apps on this list.

Why Chore Apps with Rewards Actually Work

The psychology behind every chore app for kids with rewards is straightforward: visible progress and predictable rewards change behavior. When a child can see their completed tasks adding up toward something they want, chores stop feeling like punishment and start feeling like a path to a goal.

This is not just intuition. Behavioral research consistently shows that rewards work best when they are consistent, predictable, and connected to effort rather than outcomes. A child who earns 10 points for loading the dishwasher — regardless of whether the dishes are perfectly arranged — learns that effort matters. That is a lesson that transfers far beyond housework.

Why apps work better than paper charts

Traditional sticker charts work for a while, but they have limitations. They are easy to forget, hard to update when you are busy, and they lack the instant feedback that keeps kids engaged. A kids chore reward app solves these problems by automating the tracking, sending reminders, and making the reward connection immediate. The child finishes a task, taps a button, and sees their progress update in real time.

There is also an accountability factor. When chores are tracked in an app that the whole family can see, there is no debate about whether someone did their tasks. The data is right there. This alone eliminates a significant source of household arguments.

Responsibility vs. compliance: The best chore apps teach children that their contributions matter, not just that they have to obey. Look for apps that frame chores as family teamwork rather than parental orders. If the app makes your child feel like they are earning rewards through genuine effort rather than being bribed, you are on the right track.

How We Evaluated These Apps

Not all chore apps are designed with the same goals in mind. Some prioritize financial literacy. Others focus on habit formation. A few emphasize screen time management. To compare them fairly, we evaluated each app across six criteria that matter most to families.

We also looked at real parent reviews and community discussions, including active threads on Reddit parenting forums where families share what actually works beyond the first week. The recurring theme: the best chore app for families is the one that is simple enough for kids to use daily and flexible enough to grow with them.

The 7 Best Chore Apps for Kids with Rewards

1. Timily

Timily is not a traditional chore app — it is a screen time management app with an earn-first model. The core idea: children start with zero screen time and earn minutes by completing tasks, including chores, homework, focus sessions, and custom challenges. This makes it the only app on this list that directly connects chores to the reward most kids actually want — more time on their devices.

The philosophy here is transparency. Kids can see exactly how many minutes they have earned, what they earned them for, and how much time they have left. Parents set the tasks and point values, but the system handles enforcement. There is no arguing about whether it is time to stop — the earned minutes simply run out.

2. S’moresUp

S’moresUp takes a gamification-heavy approach to family chores. Kids earn points and badges for completing tasks, and the app includes features like a family scoreboard and team challenges. The interface is colorful and clearly designed to appeal to younger children, with characters and animations that keep things engaging.

Where S’moresUp excels is in making chores feel like a game rather than an obligation. It supports custom rewards, so parents can set up anything from extra screen time to a trip to the ice cream shop. The app also includes a built-in behavior tracking feature, which some parents find useful and others find overly surveillance-oriented.

3. Homey

Formerly known as Chore Monster, Homey combines chore tracking with financial literacy. Kids earn real or virtual money for completing tasks, and the app teaches basic budgeting by letting children allocate earnings into spend, save, and share categories. It is one of the more thoughtful approaches to connecting chores with life skills.

The chore setup is straightforward: parents create tasks with dollar values, assign them to specific children, and set recurring schedules. Homey also supports non-monetary rewards, though the financial angle is clearly its primary selling point. The interface is clean and works well for families with kids spanning a wide age range.

4. FamilyWall

FamilyWall is primarily a family organizer — shared calendars, grocery lists, and to-dos — with chore tracking built in as one module. This makes it a good option for families who want a single app for household management rather than a dedicated chore tool. The chore feature lets parents assign tasks, set due dates, and track completion across the family.

The reward system in FamilyWall is minimal compared to dedicated chore apps. It focuses more on task completion visibility than on gamification or earning. For families who prefer a low-key approach to chores — where the reward is simply contributing to the household — this can be a feature, not a bug.

5. OurHome

OurHome is one of the more balanced options on this list. It combines chore assignment, point tracking, a rewards store, and a shared family grocery list. Kids earn points for completing tasks, and parents can set up a custom rewards store where points can be redeemed for anything — screen time, outings, treats, or privileges.

The standout feature is the rewards store. Parents stock it with custom items and set point costs, and children choose what to redeem. This gives kids a sense of autonomy and teaches basic decision-making. The interface is practical without being flashy, which makes it work well for older kids who might find gamified apps childish.

6. Greenlight

Greenlight is a fintech platform that includes a debit card for kids, savings goals, and a chore tracking feature. The chore connection is financial: kids complete tasks, earn real money, and manage it through the Greenlight card. It is the most sophisticated financial tool on this list and the one most likely to teach kids about earning, saving, and spending responsibly.

For parents focused on financial education, Greenlight is hard to beat. The chore module is clean, and tying tasks to real earnings makes the stakes tangible. However, Greenlight's monthly subscription is among the highest on this list, and the chore feature is just one piece of a broader financial product. If you are looking specifically for an app to motivate kids to do chores, you are paying for a lot of functionality you may not use.

7. BusyKid

BusyKid also ties chores to real money, but with a more structured approach than Greenlight. Parents assign chores with specific dollar values, and at the end of the week, kids allocate their earnings into spend, save, share, or invest categories. Yes, kids can actually invest in real stocks through BusyKid — an unusual feature that appeals to some families and feels premature for others.

The weekly payout structure mimics a real paycheck, which reinforces the work-to-earn connection. The app also includes a "don't get paid if you don't do the work" philosophy — if a child skips their chores, they do not earn. This is a deliberate design choice that mirrors real-world accountability.

Quick Comparison Table

Here is a side-by-side look at all seven apps. Whether you are looking for a chore app for kids with rewards based on screen time, allowance, or points, this table shows the criteria that matter most when choosing a chore tracker with screen time rewards or other reward types.

App Reward Type Ages Free Tier Standout Feature
Timily Screen time minutes 5–14 No (subscription) Chores → screen time pipeline
S’moresUp Points, badges, custom 4–10 Yes Heavy gamification
Homey Allowance, custom 6–17 Yes Spend/save/share budgeting
FamilyWall Task tracking All ages Yes All-in-one family organizer
OurHome Points, rewards store 6–14 Yes Custom rewards store
Greenlight Real money, debit card 6–18 No Full financial platform
BusyKid Real money, investing 6–17 No Real-world paycheck model

Chores + Screen Time: The Most Effective Reward Pipeline

Most chore apps on this list reward kids with money, points, or generic "custom rewards." These work fine for some families. But there is a growing body of evidence — and a lot of real-world parent feedback — suggesting that the most effective reward for kids ages 5 to 12 is not cash. It is screen time.

This makes intuitive sense. Ask a seven-year-old whether they would rather have two dollars or thirty minutes on their iPad, and the answer is immediate. Screen time is the currency kids already value. The question is whether harnessing that value teaches responsibility or just creates another problem.

When screen time rewards work

Screen time as a chore reward works when three conditions are met:

When these conditions are met, a chore-to-screen-time pipeline does something powerful: it teaches children that access to enjoyable things is earned through effort. That is not bribery. That is how the working world functions. As one parent put it in a Reddit discussion: "If they choose not to do the work, they don't get paid — same accountability as the working world."

When screen time rewards do not work

The system breaks down when screen time is used reactively — offered in the moment to stop whining, or taken away as punishment after the fact. This turns screen time into an emotional bargaining chip rather than a structured incentive. The distinction between structured earning and bribery matters enormously here: a reward system with clear rules set in advance teaches accountability, while an impulsive offer to stop bad behavior teaches manipulation.

The pipeline in practice: Timily is the only app on this list that directly connects chore completion to earned screen time minutes. The child completes a chore, earns minutes, and then uses those minutes on their device. When the earned time runs out, access pauses until more is earned. There is no parent enforcement needed — the system handles it. This is what makes a chore tracker with screen time rewards different from a simple checklist with a sticker at the end.

How to Choose the Right App for Your Family

The right chore app for kids with rewards depends on your family's specific needs, your children's ages, and what kind of reward system aligns with your parenting philosophy. Here is a practical framework for deciding.

Start with the reward type your kids actually care about

This is the most important decision. If your kids are motivated by money and old enough to understand it, Greenlight, BusyKid, or Homey make sense. If your kids are younger and screen time is what drives them, Timily's earn-first model creates a direct chore-to-reward pipeline. If your kids respond to gamification and social competition, S’moresUp's badge system may keep them engaged.

The worst mistake is choosing an app based on what you think should motivate your child rather than what actually does. A beautifully designed financial literacy app is useless if your eight-year-old does not care about earning fifty cents.

Consider your family's complexity

Families with kids of different ages need an app that supports varied chore lists and reward structures. A five-year-old's chore list (make the bed, put toys away) looks nothing like a twelve-year-old's (mow the lawn, do laundry). The app needs to handle both without becoming a management burden for parents.

Also consider how many adults need access. Co-parenting households benefit from apps that let both parents view and manage tasks, especially when maintaining consistent routines across different days and contexts.

Test before you commit

Many chore apps offer free tiers — download two or three, run them for a week each, and see which one your kids actually open on their own. Note that Timily runs on a subscription model rather than a free tier, but the other apps on this list give you room to test before committing. The app that requires constant parental nagging to use defeats the entire purpose.

The goal is not to find the perfect chore app for kids with rewards. It is to find one that makes chores visible, rewards consistent, and daily arguments less frequent. Any app that does those three things is worth trying.