The family savings app that makes saving a game.
A virtual pet that grows as your kids save. Backed by read-only Open Banking so you can trust the numbers, gamified so the kids actually engage. Rootpup turns weekly pocket money into a habit.
What Rootpup is
Rootpup is a UK family savings app that connects to a parent's bank account via read-only Open Banking, tracks savings goals set by the family, and rewards the child with a growing virtual pet as the balance climbs. It is designed for parents who want to teach saving as a habit rather than a lecture.
Teaching kids to save is a losing battle without the right tool.
Every parent knows saving is a habit best learned young, and every parent also knows that a jar of coins on the shelf does not compete with a Roblox account. The existing children's finance apps skew either towards spending (debit card for kids) or towards abstract nudges (a graph that no six-year-old will look at twice). Nothing sits in the middle where saving is fun for the child and trustworthy for the parent.
Read-only banking, plus a pet that only grows when the balance grows.
Rootpup connects to the parent's bank account via read-only Open Banking (no card issued, no money moving, no risk). The parent sets a savings goal per child. Every time the balance goes up, the child's virtual pet grows, unlocks accessories, and celebrates milestones. It is a game the child wants to play, powered by numbers the parent can trust.
Designed for the family, not the finance nerd.
Read-only Open Banking
Rootpup only reads balances. No card, no debit permission, no way for the app to move a single penny.
A pet per child
Each child in the family gets their own pet, their own goal, their own progress. Grows with the balance, loses interest when the balance stalls.
Weekly family digest
One notification, one screen, one weekend conversation. No dashboard obsession.
Milestones and celebrations
The kid saves £50, the pet celebrates. Saves £100, the pet gets a party hat. Behavioural science built in.
Multi-parent, one family
Both parents (or grandparents) can be on the account and see the same view.
12.7m UK households with children, one growing category.
There are 12.7 million UK households with dependent children. UK children's finance apps are a growing category (GoHenry, RoosterMoney, Nimbl) but every existing player is a spending app, not a saving app. Rootpup is the only UK product going after the saving side specifically, and it sits at a lower regulatory bar because it never touches funds.
The gamification bar plus the trust bar.
Two-sided moat. To win the kid you need a game they choose to open on a Saturday morning, which is a product design challenge most fintechs never clear. To win the parent you need read-only Open Banking with FCA-registered AISP handling, which is a regulatory challenge that keeps out the gaming-only competitors. Rootpup clears both bars.
Frequently asked about Rootpup
What is Rootpup?
Rootpup is a UK family savings app that connects to a parent's bank account via read-only Open Banking, tracks savings goals set by the family, and rewards the child with a growing virtual pet as the balance climbs.
Is Rootpup regulated?
Rootpup uses FCA-registered Open Banking providers for read-only access to bank balances. No money moves through Rootpup and no card is issued, which places it at the lower regulatory tier of the sector.
Does Rootpup issue a card to my child?
No. Rootpup deliberately does not issue a card. It is a savings app, not a spending app. The parent's bank account is the source of truth and the child sees a game, not money-moving controls.
Which UK banks does Rootpup work with?
Rootpup supports every UK bank that offers Open Banking, which includes all the major high-street banks and every major challenger. Full list published on the product site at launch.
How much does Rootpup cost?
Freemium at launch. A free tier with one child and basic pet features, and a paid family plan with multiple children, milestone celebrations, and shared parent access.
Is Rootpup live?
Rootpup is in MVP as of 2026, in trial with a small group of UK families. Public launch is scheduled following the SEIS-funded iteration cycle.
Join the waitlist, or back the studio behind six products like this.
Rootpup is in MVP with real families. Join the waitlist for the public launch, or back the SEIS round funding the studio.