The Bark Phone vs Other Kid’s Phones
See how the Bark Phone’s comprehensive protection stacks up against other popular phones for kids.
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Bark’s software is included in all data plans, including our locked-down starter plan that monitors texts, photos, and videos.
Gabb’s parental controls come built into their phones, which include text monitoring with Gabb Messenger.
Pinwheel’s parental controls allow you to manage screen time, look at texts, track location, and more.
Troomi’s parental controls are called KidSmart OS and allow you to manage screen time, look at texts, track location, and more.
iPhones come with Apple Screen Time, but it doesn’t have a monitoring tool.
Bark Phone starter plans are available to be easily upgraded to advanced plans on the same device. This makes it easy for the phone to grow with your child over the lifetime of the plan.
Gabb Phone plans with increased functionality require a new phone model for an upgrade and you'll never be able to add internet or social media.
You’ll never be able to add social media, web browsers, or full access to an app store on Pinwheel phones.
You can add Troomi-approved apps and a web browser, but not any social media or apps outside their list.
iPhones come with all features available at once.
Parents choose whether to allow deletion of text messages.
Parents choose whether to allow deletion of text messages.
Pinwheel phones don’t allow kids to delete texts at all, even if there's disturbing content.
Child can delete messages on the device but parents can still view deleted messages through their parent portal.
Child can delete messages on the device.
On Bark Phone advanced plans, Bark automatically monitors texts, Chrome, TikTok, Snapchat, Discord, WhatsApp, KIK, and 30+ more apps. We have the most coverage of any parent monitoring tool. Limiting the phone to educational and kid-friendly apps only is easy to set up with a click.
Right now, Gabb only monitors texts with Gabb Messenger, which requires parents to have iPhones.
Pinwheel doesn’t monitor apps and doesn’t allow social media at all.
Troomi doesn’t monitor apps and doesn’t allow social media at all.
iPhones don’t come with a monitoring tool.
Kids can’t delete the settings you set.
Kids can’t delete the settings you set.
Kids can’t delete the settings you set.
Kids can’t delete the settings you set.
Kids often find workarounds for Apple Screen Time.
Bark now offers starter plans and advanced plans.
The starter plan is perfect for families looking for a no-internet phone with no social media or access to dangerous apps.
Need more functionality? Easily upgrade to advanced plans for parent-approved internet and app access on the same device.
The Gabb Phone does not allow access to the app store on all of their phone models. On the Gabb Phone Plus, Gabb has a curated list of third-party apps that they deem safe. Apps outside of this list cannot be downloaded on the phone.
Pinwheel offers a variety of curated apps, but not everything your child may need.
Troomi will give you access to the apps they think are best — not you.
Parents can allow the app store when needed.
Bark's advanced plans allow parent-monitored web browser access. Blocking of individual websites or website categories, such as adult content, can easily be set up with our built-in parental controls.
The Gabb Phone does not allow access to web browsers or internet on all of their phone models. Gabb has a curated list of third-party apps that they deem safe. Apps outside of this list cannot be downloaded on the phone.
No web browsers are ever allowed on Pinwheel phones.
Troomi allows you to add a web browser and block any sites you deem inappropriate.
You can customize settings on iPhones.
Unlimited talk and text is included with every Bark Phone plan.
Unlimited talk and text are included under the Gabb plan.
You’ll need to find and add cell service for a Pinwheel phone after purchase.
Troomi offers unlimited talk and text with tiered data plans.
Depends on your plan and carrier.
Bark Phones don't require a contract — and your phone is yours to own after three months!
Gabb requires a contract except for some seasonal sales.
Pinwheel requires a contract except for some seasonal sales.
Troomi requires a contract except for some seasonal sales.
Depends on your carrier.
The Bark Phone was included in TIME’s Best Inventions of 2023.
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Real-life Bark families. Real-life stories.
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Features You’ll Love
Meet the Bark Phone
Titania Jordan walks you through the coolest features of the best kid’s phone on the market — the Bark Phone.
Bark Phone FAQs
The Bark Phone for kids is a Samsung A series. We purposely designed it so that it wouldn’t be recognizable as a “kiddie” phone. No one will know it’s a kid phone unless you tell them. Bark’s powerful parental controls are all internal — there’s no Bark branding, logos, or other tell-tales that would broadcast it as a kid’s phone.
It comes with all the standard features of a Samsung phone.
Regardless of whether a parent has an iPhone or an Android, they will be able to manage the Bark Phone with no issues, so don’t worry about compatibility problems.
Because Bark’s software is built directly into the phone, it automatically monitors texts, emails, social media, and apps. Bark also can't be deleted from the Bark Phone, which helps ensure the settings you put into this cell phone for kids will stay.
The Bark Phone also offers exclusive features that the app doesn’t, including:
- Contact approvals
- App install approvals
- Remote alarms
- Daily screen time limits
- Completely tamper-proof settings
Every Bark Phone comes with:
- Unlimited talk and text
- Bark Premium subscription for the entire family
- USB-C charging cord
- A data plan that fits your family’s needs (non-starter plans only)
- Quick start guide for easy setup
If you already have a Bark Premium subscription, that’s okay! We will adjust your plan and prorate the remaining amount left and apply it to your Bark Phone subscription.
The Bark Phone is free! No hefty deposit or long contract is required, and after 90 days, the phone is yours to keep. We’re confident your family will love the Bark Phone, but if you need to cancel your subscription, just return your non-damaged phone to us and you’re all set.
Our monthly subscription plans range from $39/month to $89/month.
Plans include the device, our built-in parental controls, unlimited talk & text, data (if you need it), and a Bark Premium subscription for the entire family.
Choose the plan that fits your family's needs.
Starter plan:
- $39/month for unlimited talk, text, and no internet, app store, or games
Advanced plans:
- $49/month for unlimited talk, text, and Wi-Fi only (no data)
- $59/month for unlimited talk, text, and 4GB data
- $69/month for unlimited talk, text, and 8GB data
- $89/month for unlimited talk, text, and data1
1 After exceeding 35GB/month of data use, data speeds will be reduced for the remainder of the monthly billing cycle. After exceeding 50GB/month of data usage, data speeds may be reduced further and/or data connection may be turned off for the remainder of the monthly billing cycle.
Right now, the Bark Phone for kids is only available for families located in the U.S.
We have two options when it comes to apps on our cell phone for kids.
The starter plan is our locked-down version perfect for younger kids or teens who need more supervision. It allows for texting and calling — that’s it. No internet, no apps, no games.
Our advanced plans, on the other hand, allow your child to request any apps in the Google Play store. You can choose which ones to allow or block.
The Bark Phone stands out from other kid phones because of our advanced content monitoring that comes built-in. Our software automatically scans texts, photos, videos, apps & social media for dangers and sends you an alert if something concerning is found.
We also made it completely customizable, because every family — and kid — is different. For younger kids, you can make the Bark Phone work essentially like a non-smartphone with our starter plan, which is talk and text only with no internet access.
As they get older and become ready for more responsibility, you can easily upgrade to our advanced plan and add in access to apps and games. The best part? You keep the same phone!
Yes! The Bark Phone is updated regularly and automatically to keep up with changes in technology and when we add new features — which happens frequently! We’re constantly in touch with actual Bark Phone parents and implement feedback that families would like to see.
If you cancel before 3 months, you’ll need to ship the Bark Phone back to us.
If you cancel after 3 months, the phone is yours to keep, but:
- Voice/text/data service will be deactivated.
- The phone number will be released if you haven’t already ported it to a new carrier.
- Monitoring and parental controls will no longer work on the device.
- To remove the Bark software and use it as a regular Samsung phone, you’ll need to reach out to customer support, who will guide you through how to manually remove it.
If you have further questions you can contact us for help.
This is a common concern for families! Keep in mind that you’ll always be able to keep on on your child’s data usage from your Bark parent app/dashboard.
If your child reaches their allotted data limit for the month, you won’t be charged anything. Their experience on the Bark Phone will simply be reduced speeds — this is called “throttling” and is standard practice for phone carriers.
If you’d like to upgrade your child’s data plan, you can add more GB at any time from your account, and it will go into effect quickly.
Rest assured that your account will never automatically upgrade. Your child just may experience slower speeds for streaming and surfing the web. To help reduce data usage, encourage your kid to connect to trusted Wi-Fi networks whenever possible.
Simply email our customer support team with your initial questions and they’ll get back to you promptly — many customers benefit from a one-on-one Zoom or phone call. Additionally, you can check out all of our support articles here.
Absolutely! When you buy a Bark Phone, you get free access to the Bark app, which you can put on other phones, tablets, computers, and more — perfect for siblings! Adding Bark to every device in your house helps create layers of protection for your family no matter how your children get online.
Nope! You keep the same phone and simply upgrade (or downgrade!) straight from the parent app. Changes will go into effect in just a few minutes.
FCC Hearing Aid Compatibility (HAC) Regulations for Wireless Devices
The FCC established requirements for devices to be compatible with hearing aids and other hearing devices. For more information, visit the FCC website.
The wireless phone devices sold by Bark have been shown to be HAC compatible for GSM, LTE, and UMTS.
HAC for Newer Technologies:
The wireless phone devices sold by Bark have been tested and rated for use with hearing aids for some of the wireless technologies used. However, there may be some newer wireless technologies used in this device that have not been tested yet for use with hearing aids. It is important to try the different features of this device thoroughly and in different locations, using your hearing aid or cochlear implant, to determine if you hear any interfering noise. Consult your service provider or the manufacturer of this device for information on hearing aid compatibility.
Get the only phone with Bark built in
Designed from the ground up with safety in mind, the Bark Phone will change the way you think about a kid’s phone.
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Check out our individual comparison charts below.
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- Bark Phone vs Pinwheel Slim
- Bark Phone vs Troomi
- Bark Phone vs iPhone SE
- Bark Phone vs Samsung A32
- Bark Phone vs Google Pixel 7
- Bark Phone vs Verizon Kids Phones & Plans
- Bark Phone vs AT&T Kids Phones & Plans
- Bark Phone vs Metro Phones & Plans
- Bark Phone vs Walmart Family Mobile