I want to give my 9 year old a debit card. We give him his allowance in cash, but we'd like him to have an app-based way to view his spending. We're comparing Greenlight, Acorns Early, and Capital One Teen Checking.

Greenlight https://greenlight.com/plans

• -The most expensive option, costing between $6 and $20 per month.

• -The most fully featured option, with features that aren't available in the other services.

• -Kid's app that can view their spending, both individual purchases and categories.

• -Parent's app can set spending limits on both companies ($10 a week at MacDonalds) and categories ($10 a week on video games).

• -Interest bearing savings.

• -Location tracking.

• -A negative point: Only the two parents on the account can add money. Grandparents and friends (even those with their own Greenlight account) can't send money.

Acorns Early: https://www.acorns.com/early/

• -A less expensive option, at $5 per month for 1 kid.

• -Fewer features, with no option to limit spending on categories (only specific stores).

• -Kid's app with features similar to Greenlight.

• -Gift links allow people outside the family to deposit money in the account.

• -No safety features like location tracking.

• -No interest on savings.

Capital One: https://www.capitalone.com/bank/checking-accounts/teen-checking-account/

• -Cheapest option. It's complete free. Note that my wife and I use Capital One for our banking.

• -A real bank account, with account and routing numbers.

• -Because of point 2, grandparents and friends can send money via Zelle, Cash App, etc.

• -No spending controls. You can see what your kid is spending, but you can't limit it.

• -Limited budgeting and category reports. It uses the same Capital One app that adult accounts use.

We're leaning toward Greenlight. The higher monthly fee is not too much for us. We'll make good use of features like category limits and savings accounts. The main thing keeping us from getting it is third-party contributions. I'd like for grandparents and friends to be able to add money to a Greenlight account directly, not sending it through the parents' accounts.

Acorns Early is very tempting. Its features are very similar to Greenlight, and it's a lower monthly cost (if you have one kid). But we'd like to get interest-bearing savings so our kid sees how their money can grow.

Capital One is probably out. It's a standard checking account, without the extra features like financial education and spending limits. It's free, though.

What are your thoughts? If you had to pick one of these three, which would you get?