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The Best Piggy Bank

Last updated on February 6, 2023

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Whenever you need a place to conveniently put your loose change, a piggy bank has long served as a classic solution for kids and adults alike. This container makes it easy to save up your money since you simply insert your money in the piggy bank’s slot. When you want to use the money or deposit it into a bank account, you just find the opening and get your cash.

Piggy banks come both in simple and high-tech forms so that you have many choices. These differ in factors such as design, usability, maintenance and suitability for users of different ages. Also, some are reusable while others need to be broken to access the money.

Traditional piggy banks may take the actual shape of an actual pig or another animal or object. Others look like round or square containers with fun graphics like princesses and unicorns. These types of piggy banks are especially popular for kids since they’re fun, simple and creative. Simple piggy banks targeting adults may instead resemble small square safes without any electronic components and may be transparent.

The most sophisticated piggy banks require batteries and offer additional functionality to count or protect your money. Some look like plastic jars with a special counting sensor on the lid where you insert the coins, and these have a small display that shows the current balance. More complex piggy banks look like small ATMs and may accept an electronic code to access the money inside. These often display the balance on a small screen and may even speak the balance when you deposit money or press a button.

When choosing a piggy bank, keep the user in mind. For example, a large electronic piggy bank will be easier for older children and adults than for small kids. Plus, simple piggy banks made of plastic or metal are a more durable choice for kids than those made of easily breakable materials. In addition, consider how easily the piggy bank opens since you might find unscrewing a lid or removing a stopper easier than remembering and entering a code.

Our Picks For The Top Piggy Banks

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Product Overview
Our Take
 Top Pick

Vcertcpl Plastic Jar With LCD Display Counter Lid Piggy Bank

Don't Waste Your Money Seal of Approval

Vcertcpl

Plastic Jar With LCD Display Counter Lid Piggy Bank

Coming with four different lid color options, this jar counts your coins for you and shows the balance on the top. You also get buttons to adjust the balance if needed. It's big enough for up to 1,000 coins.

Overall Take

Helpful Technology FeaturesThis option provides you with a simple, sturdy design and a handy feature that automatically counts your coins.

 Runner Up

Amago Plastic Jar With LCD Display Lid Piggy Bank

Amago

Plastic Jar With LCD Display Lid Piggy Bank

This jar comes in both medium and large sizes and is designed to be easy and safe even for children to use. Your coins get counted as you put them in the lid's slot, and the buttons let you adjust for bills you insert.

Overall Take

Spacious and FunctionalYou'll find this option a good choice for anyone who needs a lot of space and wants to save time counting money.

 We Also Like

Totola Electronic Password Code Lock Mini Safe Piggy Bank

Totola

Electronic Password Code Lock Mini Safe Piggy Bank

Featuring a creative design that looks like an ATM, this bank has you enter a code to access your money. You'll find separate coin and bill slots along with a knob to open the container. You can choose from eight colors.

Overall Take

Fun FeaturesConsider this option if you'd like a unique bank that takes a security code and offers plenty of space and versatility.

 Strong Contender

Pearhead Polka Dot Ceramic Piggy Bank

Pearhead

Polka Dot Ceramic Piggy Bank

Available in four colors, this simple bank comes in a pig shape and has a small coin slot on the top. You remove the money by accessing a stopper on the bottom. It's spacious and made of ceramic.

Overall Take

Simple and ClassicThis pig-shaped bank offers simplicity and serves as nice piece of decor for a child's room as well.

What to Look For

  • Any piggy bank will accept coins, but you’ll need to shop around if you also want to insert bills. Some models have a large slot that can take either coins or bills, while others have separate coin and bill slots. Although the jar-style banks usually just take coins, you can always unscrew the lid and put bills inside; however, any electronic sensor won’t detect the extra money to update the balance.
  • To get started using your piggy bank, you could simply stash away extra coins from your everyday cash purchases. You could also look around the house to find spare change. 
  • If you want to help your child develop money management skills, you could offer them some starter change and encourage them to put away part of their allowance or special occasion money in the piggy bank. It also helps to encourage your child to save for some specific goal, whether that’s to buy a new bike or an upcoming video game. When your child reaches an appropriate age, you might get them a bank account where they can deposit their piggy bank funds occasionally.
  • Keep in mind that non-tech piggy banks come with the downside of needing to physically count what’s inside to know the balance. While this may be inconvenient for adults, it can help children improve their math skills.
  • Some manufacturers list the piggy bank’s capacity in terms of bills and coins.
  • If you have a larger budget, you might consider advanced electronic piggy banks with features such as a security alarm, automatic bill feeder and savings goal tracker. These models might have a fake debit card or fingerprint reader to let you more conveniently access money than by entering a code. They might also keep a record of who last opened the bank.
  • Forgetting your electronic piggy bank’s code can be frustrating, but manufacturers usually put a simple reset button somewhere on the back or bottom. Pressing this with something sharp like a paper clip should reset the bank’s settings so you can choose a new code. The downside, however, is other information like the balance and savings goal gets lost as well.

More to Explore

Did you know that the piggy bank has existed for more than 600 years? Back then, people in Europe didn’t have banks to turn to, so they needed something affordable to put their money in at home. Therefore, they’d turn to jars and pots made of clay, which was actually called “pygg” (pronounced “pug”).

Because “pygg” didn’t actually refer to the animal and even had a different pronunciation, these early piggy banks didn’t resemble the animal at all. But as the pronunciations evolved to sound the same, the English would start creating pig-shaped containers during the 1800s. These piggy banks were made for a single use since the only way to get the money out involved literally “breaking the bank.”