Bark vs mSee
Learn how the Bark Premium app stacks up against mSee, a spyware app.
Compare the Features
Alerts are sent for worrisome content across 19 different categories
Parents can view their children’s online activities by logging into their Control Panel
Set custom rules for school time, bedtime, and free time, plus create different schedules for any day of the week
While screen time scheduling isn’t available, parents can block adult content
Block specific websites and apps as well as 19 categories, including adult content, gaming, and streaming sites
Adult content and other sites can be blocked
Scans text messages, emails, photos, videos, and 30+ apps and social media platforms on children’s phones, tablets, and Chromebook
Allows open access to some content and online activities on your child’s phone and accounts
Check your child’s location in real time on a map
Receive location alerts when child arrives or leaves pre-set locations
Get your child’s exact location with check-ins
Get exact GPS location and history as well as geofencing
$49/year for unlimited devices with screen time, web filtering, and location tracking
$99/year for content monitoring, screen time, web filtering, and location tracking for as many kids and devices as your family needs
Pricing is for only one device (Android or iOS), though there is a family plan option for 3 devices
Initial pricing options:
1 month for $48.99/mo
3 months for $28/mo
12 months for $11.67/mo
The price is discounted. Users will be charged the full price starting from the next subscription renewal, which are:
1 month for $69.99/mo
3 months for $40/mo
12 months for $16.67/mo
Bark only alerts you to potential issues so you can save time and help protect your child while also building trust
mSee gives you full access to everything on your child’s phone, creating a lot of work while potentially destroying trust
With Bark, you can:
Monitor content
Get alerts for issues like bullying, predators, sexual content, and more.
Manage screen time
Create custom daily screen time schedules for your child’s device.
Block websites
Block access to specific websites or even whole categories.
Track location
Stay on top of your child’s location with our real-time map, location alerts, and check-ins.
Our Products & Prices
Bark Premium
Our comprehensive parental intelligence solution.
- Manage screen time
- Filter which websites your kids can visit
- Keep up with kids with location alerts and check-ins
- Monitor texts, email, YouTube, and 30+ apps and platforms
- Get alerts for issues like cyberbullying, online predators, suicidal ideation, and more
Bark Jr
Our entry-level product is perfect for younger kids.
- Manage screen time
- Filter which websites your kids can visit
- Keep up with kids with location alerts and check-ins
- Monitor texts, email, YouTube, and 30+ apps and platforms
- Get alerts for issues like cyberbullying, online predators, suicidal ideation, and more
Ready to get started?
Bark was created by parents, for parents, to offer a better, easier, and more effective way to help families create healthy digital habits.
FAQs
Each of Bark's key features — content monitoring, website blocking, and screen time management — is more robust than mSee's counterparts.
For example, Bark lets you block specific websites and apps as well as 19 categories, including adult content, gaming, and streaming sites; and works equally well on iOS and Android.
Through mSee, apps and websites can only be blocked on Android devices.
Bark scans text messages, emails, photos, videos, and 30+ apps and social media platforms on children’s phones, tablets, and Chromebook.
mSee allows open access to just some content on your child’s phone, but this isn't preferable because you have to sift through everything instead of getting alerts, which Bark does.
If your parents ever looked through your pen-and-paper journal growing up or secretly listened to one of your phone calls, you know how spying can breed resentment. And while parents are responsible for their child’s safety — and phones can be extremely dangerous — there’s a happy medium between outright spying and making sure everything’s okay. Spyware programs simply encourage kids to find alternate ways to talk to their friends, which can cause problems in another way.
Bark helps you build trust by allowing your child to learn how to safely use their phone while also giving them a digital safety net that centers you as the go-to person for help.
Bark strikes the perfect balance between monitoring your child’s phone and giving them privacy to learn about growing up with a digital device. You don’t get unfettered access to everything on their phone, but you will get alerts about potential dangers like online predators, sexting, depression, and more. This way, you can see the concerning message, but you won’t have to wade through hundreds of Fortnite memes or texts about baseball practice.
Bark is $99/year for robust content monitoring, screen time, web filtering, and location tracking for as many kids and devices as your family needs.
mSee is $139.92/year for limited protection for one device (Android or iOS).