Bark vs. Aura parental controls: Which is best to keep your kids safe?

Keeping children safe online seems to get harder each day. With the rise of smartphones and social media, children are exposed to many online risks — from cyberbullying or explicit content to online predators.

Parental control apps offer a solution, providing a way to monitor and limit your kid’s online presence. Bark and Aura are among the best parental control apps available today and offer unique features.

I teamed up with the Cybernews research team to review both apps and see which one is better suited for families. I’ll compare Bark and Aura in this article, assessing their features, price pool, customer support, and more.

Let’s dive in and see which parental control app is the right fit for your kid.

Overview of Aura vs. Bark parental control apps

There are several key factors to consider when choosing a parental control app. The table below provides an overview of some key features of Bark and Aura:

Winner

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While both Bark and Aura offer strong parental control features, they differ in pricing and focus. Bark is more comprehensive when it comes to social media monitoring and provides unlimited device coverage, which is ideal for larger families. It also offers location tracking features — something Aura lacks.

Aura, on the other hand, combines parental controls with advanced security features like identity theft protection, making it an all-in-one solution.

If you're looking for parental controls, Bark offers more extensive monitoring. However, Aura provides better value with its broader protection suite.

Bark pros and cons

Bark is a strong option for parental control, offering the following advantages:

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Aura parental controls pros and cons

Aura is a security powerhouse that offers less flexibility when it comes to parental control.

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Features overview: Bark vs. Aura

Aura and Bark offer a robust set of features, but their focus slightly differs. Below is a quick overview of how their features compare:

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Screen time management

Both Bark and Aura provide screen time management tools but take slightly different approaches. Bark allows parents to set flexible screen time schedules, such as blocking apps or app categories and pausing internet access during bedtime or study hours. You can customize these settings for individual family members or apply them across all devices.

Aura offers built-in screen time limits that you can easily manage through the app, with additional time awarded if needed. The feature is simple to use but less flexible than Bark’s — focusing more on setting daily limits than managing usage. There’s also a Pause the Internet feature that immediately shuts down the internet connection on your child’s device.

Monitoring and alerts

Bark monitors your child’s devices 24/7 across social media, text messaging, and email. The app uses machine learning to detect possible threats, including cyberbullying, violence, or adult material. If it detects any threats, parents will receive alerts with detailed explanations. However, the notification may be delayed.

Aura also provides monitoring and alerts, but its focus is broader, covering not just online activity but also identity theft and security threats. While it offers detailed activity reports, Aura’s social media monitoring isn’t as comprehensive as Bark’s, making it less ideal for parents concerned about online interactions.

There’s also no text and email monitoring option, except for the Safe Gaming feature. The app tracks voice and text chats across over 200 game titles and Discord and sends parents real-time notifications if it encounters potential cyberbullying. However, it’s only suitable for dealing with gaming spaces.

Web and content filtering

Bark allows for more customization when it comes to filtering content. Parents can block specific websites or types of content, set up filters for categories like adult content, violence, or gambling, and adjust alert sensitivity. Besides searching keywords, Bark also analyzes conversational content, which helps cover a broader range of potential threats.

Aura offers similar web filtering capabilities, tracking potential threats across over 30 content categories and blocking specific topics or apps. However, the filters are bundled with its overall security suite, which offers strong overall protection but less customizability for parental control.

Social Media Monitoring

Bark is a leader in social media monitoring. It covers over 30 platforms (although there are slightly fewer options for iOS compared to Android) and scans for risky behavior, inappropriate conversations, and suspicious activity across posts, images, and interactions. This makes it perfect for parents who want to monitor their children’s social media presence closely.

While effective in general internet monitoring, Aura doesn’t offer dedicated social media coverage. It’s more focused on web filtering and security, making it a better choice for monitoring online safety.

Location tracking

Bark offers several tracking options. With location tracking, parents get regular alerts about their child arriving at a pre-set location ( useful when your kid has a set schedule) and can review their location history. There’s also a check-in feature that lets parents ask their kids for an immediate location update. Your child will then send you a check-in, informing you about their whereabouts.

Aura, on the other hand, lacks location tracking features, which is one of the app’s weakest points.

Overall, Bark offers a more parental control-oriented set of features empowered by location and social media tracking.

Winner

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Aura vs. Bark: Plans and pricing

Aura has 2 plans with parental control features. It has a Kids plan for $10/month and a more extensive Family plan at $32/month (if billed yearly). Aura’s Kids plan sticks to basic content monitoring and blocking tools as well as the Safe Gaming feature. In contrast, the Family plan offers additional safety solutions, like VPN and identity theft protection.

Both monthly and annual prices are pretty high due to the app’s extensive security services. However, most of these safety features may be unnecessary for parents who need a simple parental control solution.

Bark offers users two pricing options: Bark Premium and Bark Jr. Premium is available at $14/month or $99/year and provides comprehensive coverage, including monitoring social media, phones, tablets, and computers, along with alerts for concerning activity. It also allows parents to manage screen time, block websites and apps, and track their child's location.

Bark Jr, priced at $5/month or $49/year, focuses on screen time management, website and app blocking, content filtering, and location tracking with live GPS and check-in features.

Both Bark and Aura are among the more pricey parental control solutions. Your choice depends on whether you want comprehensive online protection or need a parental control tool.

Aura vs. Bark: Compatibility and customer support

Compatibility

Both Bark and Aura are compatible with iOS and Android devices. However, Bark supports a wider range of platforms: it is also available for Windows, MacOS, Chromebooks, and Amazon Fire tablets.

Aura, on the other side, integrates better with security features on compatible operating systems.

Customer support

Aura offers 24/7 support via chatbot, email, and phone. It also has an extensive FAQ database. While the chatbot’s resources are limited, it’s useful for basic inquiries, and the system connects you to a real person quickly when needed.

Meanwhile, Bark’s options are more limited. There is no 24/7 support or live chat. Instead, you can email or submit a request for a phone call, which is more time-consuming.

While Bark offers more compatibility with a wide range of devices, Aura excels in its flexible customer support.

Final verdict: Aura vs. Bark – Which is the better parental control app?

After thoroughly comparing Bark and Aura, it’s clear that each app has its strengths and is suited for different types of parents. If you’re looking for parental control only, Bark is the better choice, with its focus on social media and location monitoring. However, if you need an all-in-one security solution with features like identity theft protection, Aura is a great option.

If you're unsure which option will work best for you, both apps offer free trials. So, you can try them to see which app best meets your family’s needs.

We have guides comparing other parental control apps, such as Qustodio vs. Bark. You can also read our reviews of other parental control solutions like Qustodio and Norton Family.

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