Social platforms enable people from around the world to effortlessly connect with each other. But for all the good it does, social media is not all sunshine and rainbows. It can be a dangerous playground for children due to cyberbullying, online predators, and scams, to name but a few. One way families can ensure the safety of their kids is by using parental control software like Bark or mSpy to regulate and monitor social media use. Both supervise children’s activity online 24/7 and notify parents of anything alarming right away. But although their monitoring capabilities are unmatched, this comparison sheds some light on the noticeable differences between the two parental control tools.
Overview |
Bark |
mSpy |
Logo | ||
Rating | ||
Reviews | Reviews | Reviews |
Visit | Visit Site | Visit Site |
Coupons | Coupons | Coupons |
Headquarters | Georgia, U.S. | UK |
Founded | 2015 | 2010 |
Languages | EN, AF, ES | EN, FR, DE, ES, AR, JP |
Extra Services | n/a | n/a |
Main Features |
Bark |
mSpy |
Profile Limits | Unlimited | 1 |
Content Filter | ||
Website Blocker | ||
Pornography Blocker | ||
Schedule Restriction | ||
Remote Management | ||
Browser History | ||
Keystroke Logger | ||
Social Media Monitoring | ||
YouTube Monitoring | ||
Permission Requests | ||
Uninstall Protection |
Mobile |
Bark |
mSpy |
Location Tracking | ||
Geofencing | ||
App Blocker | ||
Call Monitoring | ||
SMS Monitoring | ||
Battery Monitoring | ||
Panic Button |
Devices |
Bark |
mSpy |
Windows 10 | ||
Windows 8 | ||
Windows 7 | ||
macOS | ||
Android | ||
iOS | ||
Kindle | ||
Chromebook |
Pricing |
Bark |
mSpy |
Number of Devices | Unlimited | 3 |
Lowest Price | $4.09/mo ($49/yr) | $11.66/mo |
1 Year |
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$11.66/mo |
2 Years | n/a | n/a |
3 Years | n/a | n/a |
Free Trial | 7 days | n/a |
Free Version | n/a | |
Money-Back Guarantee | n/a |
Payment Methods |
Bark |
mSpy |
Visa | ||
Mastercard | ||
American Express | ||
PayPal | ||
Wire Transfer | ||
Discover | ||
Liberty Reserve | ||
Bitcoin | ||
Amazon Payments | ||
Google Pay |
Customer Support |
Bark |
mSpy |
24/7 Support | ||
Live Chat | ||
Community | ||
On Call | ||
Remote Desktop |
Bark
Since 2015, Georgia-based Bark has been protecting millions of children across the U.S. and is one of the most popular choices for parents. What makes the company stand out is that it employs AI to monitor and analyze online activity. It also alerts parents to potential signs of cyberbullying, violence, and other serious issues like suicidal thoughts and depression. Bark covers an impressive number of social media networks and mobile apps. Whether it’s text, audio, images, or text taken from images, the software can sniff out even the most subtle clues. At the same time, it offers parents recommendations from child psychologists on the best way to address matters like app use and online abuse. Although Bark may occasionally flag false positives, it’s possible to adjust the sensitivity level of the content filter so that alerts remain relevant to a child’s online activity.
App Monitoring
Bark is not the typical parental control software because it can handle more than just text messages and emails. It features impressive monitoring capabilities that span across more than 30 mobile apps and social media platforms, such as TikTok, Instagram, and Reddit. The software also keeps an eye on the music that kids listen to on Spotify. If it discovers any offensive words or phrases in a song’s title or lyrics, it notifies parents immediately. What’s more, adults can use Bark’s content filter to block access to certain apps and games, set up filters that manage web searches, and restrict access to websites that contain harmful content.
Supported Devices
The software is compatible with mobile devices that run on Android and iOS, as well as Chromebooks and Amazon Fire tablets. But although Bark runs flawlessly on Android, it’s a totally different story when it comes to iOS, as users need to activate the monitoring functions using the desktop application. Fortunately, parents can breathe a sigh of relief as it is a one-time setup that only takes a couple of minutes to complete. As for desktop devices, users can benefit from installing Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge browser extensions, which monitor online activity like searches done in incognito mode. The cherry on top is that the software supports an unlimited number of devices, meaning parents can create profiles for the entire family.
Customer Service
When it comes to customer support, Bark is the top dog as it gives parents plenty of resources to refer to. The company conveniently responds to email queries within a couple of hours and has a self-service chatbot that helps parents resolve issues without contacting an agent. The Bark website also hosts an FAQ section and a blog page featuring the latest product news and tips on how to keep children safe online.
Pricing
Bark is an affordable contender in the parental control software category. It offers families two plans to choose from and is available as a monthly or yearly subscription. Parents can score a discount by purchasing the annual subscription, which includes premium features like comprehensive app monitoring and real-time alerts. More importantly, Bark offers new subscribers a 7-day free trial to put its monitoring tool to the test.
mSpy
London-based tech company mSpy was founded in 2010. Since then, it’s become a comprehensive parental control tool. As the name suggests, it offers spyware-like monitoring capabilities that help protect children from the dangers of the digital world. It’s so undetectable that children won’t even realize that adults are monitoring their online activities. While it doesn’t use AI like Bark, mSpy provides data for parents to analyze that can be used to spot potential problems like cyberbullying and depression. The software includes a control panel where users can view linked devices, access detailed reports, and manage control settings. In addition, mSpy lets parents view recent call history and messages from different social media platforms. To top it all off, browsing through locally stored media like photos and videos to identify inappropriate content is also possible.
App Monitoring
The software goes beyond app and social media monitoring by acting like a keylogger that records keystrokes and screen taps while a child surfs the internet on their phone. It’s capable of monitoring many apps, including social media platforms and popular instant messaging services like WhatsApp and Kik. mSpy stays one step ahead of children by letting parents secretly monitor private texts, emails, and deleted messages. In addition, adults can set up alerts for keywords and phrases that point to harmful activities like drug use. What’s more, the software makes blocking apps and websites a breeze via the control panel. While it lacks a proper content filter, there’s a screen recording function that takes snapshots of the child’s device every couple of minutes.
Supported Devices
mSpy works exclusively on Android and iOS devices. Although it’s not possible to monitor desktop devices, the software makes up for it with its advanced monitoring capabilities. The company provides two options to monitor mobile phones, either with local sync or by jailbreaking a device. However, jailbreaking a smartphone is only necessary if adults want to unlock additional features like social media monitoring. Setting up mSpy is as straightforward as following the company’s step-by-step guides on how to install the monitoring software.
Customer Service
The company takes a different approach to customer service and charges parents an additional fee for premium support options, such as mAssistance and Support Priority Line. However, it’s possible for users to contact customer support by submitting a request on the website or using the live chat function. With self-service in mind, mSpy also provides a help center that hosts a variety of guides, tutorials, and blogs, so users can quickly resolve minor issues by themselves.
Pricing
Even though mSpy is slightly more expensive than other parental control software, it’s worth the price due to its monitoring features. There’s only a single plan available that offers monthly, quarterly, and yearly payment options, with prices decreasing the longer the billing cycle. Standard subscriptions only cover a single device, but families can get Family Kit to monitor up to three devices. There isn’t a free trial, but mSpy offers a free demo of the service and gives subscribers a 14-day money-back guarantee in case the monitoring tool doesn’t live up to the hype.
Conclusion
Both Bark and mSpy offer a range of tools and features to help parents better monitor and manage their child’s online activities. However, the more you delve into them, the more obvious it is that they are two very different beasts. On the one hand, Bark harnesses the power of AI to supervise and protect children from potential cyber dangers. On the other hand, mSpy boasts spyware features like keylogging and message monitoring to manage a child’s digital life.
Ultimately, the choice between Bark and mSpy comes down to needs and budget. While Bark is a more affordable solution that offers parents guidance on issues like depression and cyberbullying, mSpy provides more features like screen recording and a stealth mode. Since both companies offer a way to try out the platform for free, it’s worth checking for yourself the two options to see which one works best for your family.
Best Parental Control Software of 2024
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