Bark vs mSpy

Compare the Features

Bark vs mSpy
Screen time management
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Bark
Set custom rules for school time, bedtime, and free time
mSpy
Available with Family Kit and Premium bundles.
Blocking
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Bark
Block specific sites and apps or choose from 19 categories, including adult content, gaming, and streaming sites — all on any browser.
mSpy
Block specific sites and apps on iOS and Android.
App download alerts
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Bark
Get notified when your child downloads a risky app.
mSpy
Monitor downloads and view in mSpy dashboard.
Monitor social media
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Bark
Scans activity in 30+ popular social media apps for concerning content.
mSpy
11 messaging apps only; jailbreak and rooting required for most apps
Monitor text messages
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Bark
Scans activity in texts — including images and videos — and receive an alert for concerning content.
mSpy
Review texts messages from the mSpy dashboard.
Alerts for potential dangers in text or on social media
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Bark
Alerts are sent using Bark’s powerful AI to detect concerning content across 19 different categories.
mSpy
Get notifications for issues like cyberbullying, sexual content based on keywords only.
7-day free trial
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Bark
Try Bark risk free for 1 week.
mSpy
Must purchase in full and then request a refund within 14 days if not satisfied
Covers unlimited devices + accounts
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Bark
Just $14/month or $99/year to protect your entire family
mSpy
Premium package:

1 Month – $48.99/mo*

3 Months – $28.00/mo*

12 Months – $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
Spyware
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Bark
Bark only alerts you to potential issues so you can save time and help protect your child while also building trust
mSpy
mSpy 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

Manage screen time

Block websites

Track location

Our Products & Prices

Save up to 42%

Bark Jr

Our entry-level product is perfect for younger kids.

$ 5 USD /month
$ 49 USD /year with annual plan
Features
  • 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

Bark vs mSpy: Which is the better parental control app?

Bark's content monitoring, website blocking, and screen time features offer more comprehensive protection. Plus, mSpy requires you to jailbreak your child's phone, while Bark does not.

Between Bark vs mSpy, which is the better value?

Bark is just $14/month or $99/year to protect your entire family, and you can try it out with a free 7-day-trial.

You cannot try mSpy — only purchase in full and then request a refund within 14 days if not satisfied. Also, mSpy is $69.99/month for 1 device only.

Does spyware destroy trust?

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.

How is Bark different from spyware?

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.

Comparing Bark vs mSpy, which offers better alerts about issues?

Bark monitors 30+ social media apps, texts, images, emails, and more and sends alerts when kids encounter issues like sexual content, online predators, suicidal ideation, and cyberbullying.

mSpy requires you to jailbreak your child's phone if they have an iPhone, and only sends keyword alerts.