Qustodio vs. Bark: finding the right fit for family safety in 2025

Qustodio and Bark are two of the best parental control apps to provide top-notch safety for your family. While both apps offer robust security features, such as setting time limits, blocking apps and websites, and monitoring social media, they each have their unique selling points.

Qustodio offers in-depth web filtering, calls and text monitoring, a panic button, and incredible geofencing features. On the other hand, Bark has a mobile phone with a Bark-infused operating system and a whole-home Wi-Fi filter device that applies content and search monitoring on the Wi-Fi level (not just individual devices).

So, the choice of whether to get Bark or Qustodio is entirely yours. Now, I'll briefly break down both parental control apps to see which suits you better.

Qustodio vs. Bark: overview

	Qustodio	Bark
Starting Price:	From $4.58/month (billed annually)	From $5/month
Number of Devices:	1, 5, or Unlimited	Unlimited
Web & App Filtering:	Yes	Yes
Time Limits:	Yes	Yes
Live Location Tracking:	Yes	Yes
Geofencing:	Yes	No
Extra Features:	Panic Button, Pause Internet Access	Custom Keyword Triggers, Social Media Monitoring
Supported Operating Systems:	Windows, Android, iOS, Mac, and Kindle	iOS, Android, Chromebook, Amazon Fire
Customer Support:	Ticketing system, help center, FAQs	AI assistant, email, knowledge base, video tutorials
Free Plan:	Yes, three days	Seven-day free trial.
Money-Back Guarantee:	30-day money-back guarantee	No

Key features comparison in detail

Qustodio and Bark have many security features that let you ensure your children’s online safety. However, Qustodio is more affordable and in-depth, while Bark has numerous features and monitors 30+ social media platforms and apps. With this in mind, let’s compare their key features in more detail!

Screen time management

Qustodio has one of the best screen time management features. You can set daily time limits, block device access on specific days, and customize the rules on what happens at those limits. You can also restrict device usage during particular times of the day and choose between no restrictions, daily limits, or complete app blocking.

However, one feature that stands out is Routines. This enables you to schedule different rules for various events, such as homework or bedtime, and customize rules for specific website categories and apps.

With Bark, you can easily limit screen time and create custom schedules for how and when your kids can use their devices. The best part is that it is all available with the tap of a button. In addition, I must point out that Bark has more customization options, which allow you to get alerts for issues like bullying, predators, sexual content, and more.

Still, Qustodio ensured that you could implement screen time management for particular activities, which is why it has a minor advantage over Bark.

Location tracking and geofencing

Qustodio’s location tracking feature lets you monitor your children’s real-time whereabouts. You can track their location, save frequently visited places, and receive notifications when they arrive at or leave those locations.

You can also create custom boundaries on the map and receive notifications when your children enter or exit those areas. Although the geofencing notifications are generally helpful, they could be improved in terms of delay.

With Bark, you’ll be able to track your kid’s location in real-time, get alerts, and find out if they’re walking, biking, or driving – even how fast. Not only does Bark offer full location tracking, but it also has a location alert feature. This means you don’t have to open the map app to see where your child is.

However, the most notable difference that sets Qustodio apart is that it allows you to set up a boundary within which your kid can move without you being alerted. Also, you will get insights into 30-day reports compared to Bark’s 7-day reports.

Web and app filtering

Qustodio allows you to block access to websites in ten categories, including Drugs, Gambling, Pornography, Proxies/Loopholes, and Violence. You can also customize web filtering by blocking, allowing, or receiving alerts about access to specific categories.

Furthermore, Qustodio blocks unsupported browsers and uncategorized websites by default. It works on major browsers like Chrome, Edge, Firefox, and Safari but not on Brave, Opera, and Tor. It also implements safe searches on popular search engines and notifies you when it blocks a site. However, Qustodio does not block specific keywords or profanity.

Compared to it, Bark can block websites associated with keywords because machine learning catches the latest slang and coded keywords. In addition, Bark monitors a broader range (30+) of social media platforms and apps through app and web filtering.

Bark even monitors and sends alerts for any suicidal, sexual assault, or bullying content that your child may face online.

Overall, Qustodio gets another plus, as its web filtering feature offers more granular control than Bark's. Qustodio lets you automatically filter websites across 29 different categories, whereas Bark only offers 17 categories. While this doesn’t mean that Bark simply fails to block objectionable sites and materials, it does mean that Qustodio has much more granular controls that allow you to fine-tune what is and isn’t allowed.

Games and apps

Qustodio’s Games & Apps feature allows you to control your child’s app usage by allowing, blocking, or setting time limits. In fact, you can view all apps your kid has accessed and receive alerts for new app usage. While this feature helps create a safe gaming and app environment, there may be occasional delays in enforcement.

Bark, on the other hand, can disable internet access for mobile apps but it doesn’t block offline apps like games or media players. This means it offers limited protection when your kids use apps that don’t rely on an internet connection.

Activity reports

Qustodio provides comprehensive activity reports, including daily, weekly, and monthly reports of your child’s online activity. Additionally, you can receive real-time reports to track your kids’ activity while they are online.

In comparison, Bark provides regular activity reports in its parent dashboard, offering insights into your child’s screen use, including recently installed apps and top contacts. The app also sends weekly summary reports and alerts via email, text, or the Bark app if it detects potential issues in your child’s online activities.

However, I give Qustodio a few extra points because it has daily, weekly, and monthly reports, while Bark has only weekly ones.

Extra safety features

An incredible standout feature of Qustodio is its Panic Button. More precisely, Qustodio’s Panic Button feature allows your child to send an SOS alert in an emergency. You just need to add a few trusted contacts, and the kid will be able to send all of you an alert with a single click.

The app will continue to track their location until the Panic Button is deactivated either by the child or via the web portal.

Bark also offers unique physical devices called Bark Home and Bark Phone for parental monitoring. Bark Home connects to your router and manages all internet-connected devices, while Bark Phone is a Samsung phone with additional features like remote alarms and text deletion prevention.

Both devices offer unlimited device and account support, website and app blocking, screen time management, and location tracking. Bark Phone also includes monitoring and alerts for texts, apps, and social media, as well as offering app and contact approvals.

Still, these Bark features are essentially all included in the Qustodio premium subscription, which is why it emerges as a slightly better solution once again.

Apps and ease of use

Qustodio is easy to install and set up on various devices, including Windows, Android, iOS, Mac, and Kindle. You can use the same app for your and your child’s accounts, making the setup process seamless:

1. Download and install. Qustodio is available on Windows, Android, iOS, macOS, and Kindle. You can install the app directly from the official app store.
2. Create your accounts. Simply use the same app to manage both your own and your child’s account.
3. Setup rules and filters. You can now customize screen time, web filtering, and app controls with just a few taps.
4. Use the dashboard. The mobile and web dashboards are clean, intuitive, and easy to navigate – even if you are a less tech-savvy parent.

On the other hand, installing and setting up the Bark Premium account was straightforward, but connecting individual devices took some time:

1. Download from the website. Instead of app stores, Bark's app has to be downloaded directly from their site, which may raise security flags for some users.
2. Grant permissions. You must manually allow several permissions and customize settings, which adds to the setup complexity.
3. Connect accounts and devices. You have to link your child’s email and social accounts and devices individually for monitoring. This process can be time-consuming.
4. Navigate the dashboard. The parent dashboard can feel overwhelming at the beginning, but I can tell you that it becomes easier to use over time.

Plans and pricing

Qustodio offers three plans suited to different needs and budgets. You can create an account for free and test essential features like SafeSearch, web filtering, and daily time limits, though this option is limited to just one device. The Basic Plan costs $54.95/year and covers up to five devices for app blocking, location monitoring, and detailed screen time management.

For larger families Qustodio offers a Complete Plan that is priced at $99.95/year and includes custom routines, AI-powered search alerts, YouTube and call/message monitoring, and coverage for an unlimited number of devices. All Qustodio plans come with a 3-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee, so take the chance and test Qustodio risk free!

Bark takes a slightly different approach by offering you both app-based and hardware-based solutions. You can get the Bark App for $14/month with core parental controls like screen time management, web filtering, and location tracking. You can test it for free with the 7 day trial.

For families seeking direct device control, Bark offers various hardware options. Bark Home, available for a $6/month subscription, connects to your home router to enforce parental controls across all internet-connected devices. The Bark Phone on the other hand is a mid-range Samsung A-series smartphone with all of Bark's premium features pre-installed for $29/month.

Customer support

The last aspect I’ll review is the customer support of both Qustodio and Bark. Starting with Qustodio, it offers excellent customer service through its responsive ticketing system and premium Care Plus service (US only). Although it lacks live chat, you can find helpful information and solutions in the knowledge base or FAQ section.

Ultimately, Bark provides customer support via live chat, email, online forums, and guides. Although its online forums and guides are detailed, I was especially surprised by the breadth of its YouTube channel, which offers tutorials on various Bark features and troubleshooting.

Due to the extensive customer support, Bark gains a point against Qustodio.

Our testing methodology for parental control apps

At Cybernews, we take a transparent approach to testing parental control apps. Our goal is to provide honest and data-driven tips and help your family make safer decisions. Below are the key criteria I used to evaluate the two apps:

• Safety and monitoring features (30%): I compared all security features from screen time controls, app blocking, web filtering, location tracking, and emergency features.
• Ease of use and setup (20%): It’s important that the app is simple to install and configure across devices. My rating depends on how intuitive the interface is for both parents and children, and how the features function during everyday use.
• Reporting and alerts (15%): I tested how effectively the app delivers real-time alerts, activity summaries, and detailed reports.
• Device and platform compatibility (10%): Support for Android, iOS, Windows, macOS, and Kindle, as well as compatibility with browsers and apps is crucial for easy cross-platform syncing.
• Customer support (10%): Support options are tested through real-time interactions and help center reviews. I considered response time, support quality, and the availability of live chat, email, forums, or video tutorials.
• Pricing and value (10%): I assess the value for money based on feature-to-price ratio, availability of free trials, refund policies, and the flexibility of subscription options.
• Privacy and data security (5%): I verified how the app handles your data once you subscribe, including strong encryption, data sharing policies, and compliance with child privacy regulations like COPPA or GDPR.

Overall winner: Qustodio

In my Qustodio vs. Bark comparison, Qustodio is the overall winner. It easily beats the competition thanks to its more granular web and app filtering capabilities, strong screen time management, and robust security features like VPN and private browser protection.

Also, Qustodio’s filters effectively block online and offline apps and provide detailed activity reports, a panic button, and SMS monitoring. For an in-depth analysis of all of Qustodi’s stand-out features, head over to our comprehensive Qustodio review.

Bark excels at content monitoring across 30+ social media platforms and apps and offers valuable scheduling and location-tracking tools. However, Qustodio outshines it in critical areas, particularly its robust, harder-to-bypass restrictions and more informative activity reporting.

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