Quick answer: S'moresUp is alive and still being developed; this is not another dead-app story. But its Premium price rose to $9.99/month or $99.99/year on July 5, 2026 (its second increase in two years; earlier subscribers keep $7.99), and its maker's attention is visibly shifting to a newer, pricier family super-app called "It's a Family Thing." If that combination has you shopping around: Twiggly is the psychology-first pick for chores and rewards, Homey ties chores to allowance for less money, BusyKid pays chores in real money, Joon motivates through an actual game, and Cozi covers family logistics without any rewards layer.
What's Changing at S'moresUp
S'moresUp has long been the feature-heavyweight of the kids' chore category: points (the "S'mores"), approval workflows, chore rotations, photo proof and family scheduling, from a company founded by ex-PayPal engineers (Rotation 5). It's a mature product, and it earns its spot in most "best chore app" roundups. Three things are worth knowing before you commit to it in 2026, all from the company's own pages:
- The price ladder. Premium was $4.99/month in its early years, moved to $7.99/month in 2025, and, per S'moresUp's own pricing page, moved again to $9.99/month or $99.99/year on July 5, 2026. Subscribers who signed up before that date keep the $7.99 rate "for as long as you are subscribed." Most app roundups still quote the old prices.
- The pivot. In 2025, Rotation 5 launched a broader family super-app, It's a Family Thing, which S'moresUp's own site presents as "the next evolution of S'moresUp." Its tiers run up to $29.99/month, and its current annual promotion ($99.99/year) bundles S'moresUp in for free, a fairly clear signal of where the company sees its future.
- The platform gap. The Android app is actively updated (most recently May 2026). The iOS app's most recent update shipped in October 2025. That's not abandonment, but iPhone families should note the difference in cadence.
None of this means S'moresUp is going away. It does mean the deal you're evaluating today is different from the one in the roundup you probably read.
The Honest Part: You Might Not Need to Switch
If you're already subscribed at $7.99 and the app works for your family, the grandfathered rate is genuinely good value for the feature set, and switching costs real effort — re-entering chores, re-training kids, losing history. Staying put is a defensible choice.
The families for whom the alternatives below make sense are the ones deciding fresh at $9.99/month, the ones on iPhone watching the update gap, and the ones who tried S'moresUp and found it heavier than they wanted. The most consistent complaints in its store reviews are slow loading, the tablet experience and unresponsive support. Which alternative fits depends on what you actually want from the app:
- Kids' motivation with less bulk — Twiggly or Joon, two very different philosophies.
- Chores tied to money — Homey (allowance and jars) or BusyKid (real money on a real card).
- Family logistics, rewards not needed — Cozi.
S'moresUp Alternatives Compared
| App | Price | Platforms | How rewards work | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S'moresUp | Free basic tier; premium $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr since July 5, 2026 (earlier subscribers keep $7.99/mo) | Android, iOS (iOS last updated Oct 2025) | "S'mores" points toward parent-defined rewards; approval workflows | Large families who want deep scheduling features |
| Twiggly | Free trial, then subscription (via Google Play) | Android (iOS on the roadmap) | Points toward rewards the family sets together; parent approves with one tap | Helping kids ~6–14 grow capable and homes grow calmer |
| Homey | Free for up to 3 family members; premium listed at $4.99/mo on its website ($6.99/mo currently shown on the App Store) | Android, iOS | Unpaid "responsibilities" vs. paid "jobs"; allowance and savings jars | Tying chores to allowance and money habits |
| BusyKid | $4/mo billed annually (no refunds on annual subscriptions per its FAQ) | Android, iOS | Chores pay real allowance into Save, Spend, Share and Invest buckets; prepaid Visa card | Kids earning and managing real money (built around US banking) |
| Joon | Free version; premium $12.99/mo or $89.99/yr | Android, iOS | Real-life "quests" earn coins to raise a virtual pet in a kids' game | Kids 6–12 with ADHD or kids motivated by games |
| Cozi | Free with ads; Gold $39/yr | Android, iOS, web | None; chores are a plain checklist with no points or rewards | Shared calendar, grocery and to-do lists, not kids' motivation |
Prices and store facts verified July 7, 2026 against each app's own website and store listings; BusyKid's facts re-verified July 12, 2026 (its site no longer states an up-front total or a free trial, so we removed those). Subscription prices change — check the app's own page before deciding.
Twiggly — If You Want the Motivation Without the Bulk, Built on Child Psychology
Twiggly (that's us) turns everyday chores into a habit-building system that helps children grow capable and self-directed, while making home life calmer for the whole family. Kids see what's theirs to do, mark it done (optionally with a photo), and earn points toward rewards the family sets together — and the point system is deliberately designed to teach delayed gratification, one of the most research-backed predictors of positive long-term outcomes. Short parenting tips explain the child-development "why" behind each task type, which is what keeps parents consistent. Where S'moresUp grew broad, Twiggly stays deliberately focused: the chores-and-rewards loop, done carefully.
It's also built to stay out of your family's data: no ads, no behavioural tracking, no advertising identifiers; kids sign in with a family code plus a PIN, so no child email is ever collected; and task photos auto-delete 30 days after approval. It's designed for families with children roughly 6–14, and it's built independently by a Finnish father.
Where it's not the right pick: it's Android-only today (iOS is on the roadmap, not in development), there's no shared grocery list or family calendar, and there are no chore rotations or scheduling depth to match S'moresUp — if that breadth is why you chose S'moresUp, Twiggly will feel minimal by comparison.
Homey — If You Want Chores Tied to Allowance
Homey (homeyapp.net, by HomeyLabs) splits tasks into unpaid responsibilities and paid jobs — allowance only pays out if the responsibilities got done, which is a genuinely smart "money is earned" design. Kids split earnings into savings jars for goals. It's free for up to three family members; premium is listed at $4.99/month on Homey's own site, though the App Store currently shows $6.99/month — the website appears to lag the real price. Either way, it undercuts S'moresUp's new rate.
Where it's not the right pick: reviewers and user reviews report crashes and multi-device sync problems, its bank-transfer feature is US-only (and current reviews disagree about whether it still works), and younger kids can find it complex. Its marketing site and blog have been dormant for years even though the app has shipped updates far more recently.
BusyKid — If You Want Chores Paid in Real Money
BusyKid takes the money framing all the way: completed chores pay a real allowance every Friday, which kids allocate across saving, sharing and spending, including buying real stock from $10 a transaction and spending from a prepaid Visa card. At $4/month billed annually, it's the cheapest paid option on this list, and for teaching hands-on money management it's hard to beat at the price. See our full BusyKid alternatives page for the details.
Where it's not the right pick: it's built around US banking, so it's a poor fit outside the United States. Money is the only motivator: there's no points-toward-privileges mode for families who'd rather not pay cash for chores. Its store ratings are middling (3.4 stars on the App Store), with reviews citing bugs and support issues. And privacy-conscious parents should read its Google Play Data safety section, which declares that data including app activity and device IDs may be shared with third parties, including for advertising or marketing purposes.
Joon — If Your Kid Is Motivated by an Actual Game
Joon is a two-app system: parents assign "quests" in one app, and kids complete them to feed and evolve a virtual pet in a genuinely well-made game. It leads its marketing with ADHD and neurodivergent kids, and reviewers consistently praise how well the game motivates that group. Ages 6–12, $12.99/month or $89.99/year after a trial.
Where it's not the right pick: it's the most expensive app on this list (more than S'moresUp's new price); the parent has to stay in an assign-and-verify loop (Common Sense Media notes it "isn't right for families looking for a hands-off approach"); reviewers report kids losing interest once the pet-game novelty fades; and the reward for finishing real-world tasks is, structurally, more screen time — a trade-off some families are fine with and others aren't.
Cozi — If What You Really Used Was the Scheduling
Some families discover that what they actually relied on in S'moresUp was the family coordination (who's where, what's for dinner, what needs doing) rather than the points. If that's you, Cozi is the category leader in family organizing: shared color-coded calendar, grocery and to-do lists and meal planning, with millions of families on it and a free tier.
Where it's not the right pick: kids' motivation. Cozi's chores feature (added in 2025) is a plain checklist — no points, no rewards, no streaks, nothing child-facing; Cozi's own blog points families to a separate money app for allowance. There's also no child login of any kind (the whole family shares one password), the free tier is ad-supported, and the calendar's free version has been restricted since 2024.
Frequently Asked Questions
How much does S'moresUp cost in 2026?
Since July 5, 2026, S'moresUp Premium is $9.99 per month or $99.99 per year. Subscribers who joined before that date keep the previous $7.99 per month rate for as long as they stay subscribed, and the free Intro Pack (which includes a 45-day Premium trial) still exists.
Is S'moresUp shutting down?
There is no evidence of that. The Android app received an update as recently as May 2026 and the company continues to sell subscriptions. What is true: the iOS app's last update was October 2025, and the maker's newest product, It's a Family Thing, is presented on S'moresUp's own site as the next evolution of S'moresUp. That's worth considering if you're choosing an app to build a long-term family routine around.
What is "It's a Family Thing"?
A newer family app from the same company behind S'moresUp (Rotation 5), launched in 2025 and presented on S'moresUp's own site as "the next evolution of S'moresUp." Its tiers run from $9.99 up to $29.99 per month; its current annual promotion ($99.99 per year) includes S'moresUp for free, and grandfathered S'moresUp subscribers get three months of access included.
What is the cheapest alternative to S'moresUp?
For chores with kids' rewards, Homey is free for up to three family members. Cozi has a free ad-supported tier, but its chores are a plain checklist with no rewards. BusyKid is $4 per month billed annually if you want chores paid in real money. Twiggly, like most actively maintained chore apps, uses a free trial followed by a subscription.
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