Aura Parental Controls vs. Bark 2024

Overall, Bark is a better parental control app than Aura, giving you more features to keep your children safe online — including conversation monitoring and location tracking.

That said, Aura Parental Controls is an interesting add-on to a quality standalone product in the identity theft and data removal space. If you're just looking for some robust screen time monitoring features, then it could be enough for you. But if your priority is parental controls, then Bark is the better option.

In this review, we'll dive into the findings of our in-house testing around pricing, monitoring and alert features, usability, and more. And if neither Aura nor Bark offers the coverage your family needs, we also recommend more of the best parental control apps.

Aura Parental Controls vs. Bark review at a glance

At first glance, these two parental control services are similar. Both offer the ability to block and filter websites and apps, managing what your child can and can’t see on the internet. Additionally, they both offer screen time limits. On closer inspection, we found that these parental control software services have some notable differences, namely their monitoring capabilities.

While Aura offers alerts for cyberbullying and online predator threats through gaming platforms, it doesn’t offer any monitoring for social media, text messages, or emails. Conversely, Bark offers extensive monitoring for social media, text messages, and emails, as well as videos and images. Additionally, Aura doesn’t offer location tracking, while Bark services include location tracking and geo-fencing.

• Aura: Best for bundled cybersecurity
• Bark: Best overall parental control app

Aura Parental Controls vs. Bark compared

		Our Pick
Star rating	3.7 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.	4.4 AllAboutCookies writers and editors score products based on a number of objective features as well as our expert editorial assessment. Our partners do not influence how we rate products.
Price	$8.25-$32.00/mo	$4.00–$14.00/mo
Free trial	Yes — 14 days	Yes — 7 days
Number of protected devices	Unlimited	Unlimited
Web filtering
Conversation monitoring		Yes — Social media, text, email
Screen time management
Location tracking
Activity reports
Remote lock
Supported devices	iOS and Android	Android phone or tablet, iPhone, iPad, iPod, Amazon Fire, Chromebook, Computer, Gaming console
Learn more	Get Aura Parental Controls Read Aura Parental Controls Review	Get Bark Read Bark Review

Aura Parental Controls pros and cons

During our testing of Aura Parental Controls, we found that the service is a strong option when it comes to impressive content filtering and screen time management features. It proved itself to be up for the job when it came to creating healthy online boundaries and wasn't just a half-baked add-on to a good product.

There were two main areas where Aura falls short, and that's in the fact that it doesn't monitor conversations on the device or location tracking. The first one we can understand, since it can feel overly intrusive for some parents, but location tracking is almost a staple in parental control products. We thought that was a big miss.

Though overall we liked the app and thought it worked well, our major disappointment was that we were able to easily delete the app from the phone without the parent dashboard giving us a notification. This makes it hard to trust for older kids who know their way around apps.

Bark pros and cons

Bark is a juggernaut in the parental control category, covering almost every feature you can even imagine wanting. That said, our biggest disappointment overall was that the alerts came in quite delayed in our testing and the app drained our phone's battery.

But when it comes to the features, Bark delivers on its promises. You can control screen time, filter content, and even get alerts for inappropriate or dangerous content on social media, text messages, and emails. The big thing to keep in mind is that you can't see all the conversations happening on the phone, only the messages that trigger an alert. That helps keep some privacy for your child.

Which parental control app is the better value?

Aura offers the better value overall, thanks to being able to bundle with its larger identity theft protection and data removal service. It also offers a better free trial and a money-back guarantee.

	Our Pick
Price range	$8.25-$32.00/mo	$4.00–$14.00/mo
Best value plan	Aura Ultimate Family for $32.00/mo (billed annually)	Bark Premium for $14.00/mo
Free trial	Yes — 14 days	Yes — 7 days
Money-back guarantee	Yes — 60 days
	Get Aura Parental Controls Read Aura Parental Controls Review	Get Bark Read Bark Review

Aura Parental Controls plans

Aura has two plans: Aura Parental Controls and Aura Ultimate Family. Aura Parental Controls covers one adult and unlimited children. Its best for those who are solely seeking parental controls. 

Aura Ultimate Family plan covers five adults and unlimited children. It's best for families who want comprehensive coverage, including identity theft protection, credit monitoring, and parental controls.

• Aura Parental Controls: For $8.25/mo (billed annually),, this plan includes website filters and blocks, screen time management, and online predator alerts while gaming. It also comes with cybersecurity tools like antivirus, VPN, a password manager, and a sensitive files vault. 
• Aura Ultimate Family: Jumping up to $32.00/mo (billed annually), this plan comes with everything in Parental Controls plus child SSN monitoring and three-bureau credit freeze for your child. It also provides identity monitoring features, financial fraud protection, and identity theft insurance for adults on the plan.

 Aura offers a free 14-day trial that requires payment information upfront, as well as a 60-day money-back guarantee on annual plans.

Bark plans

Bark offers four plans for families to choose from. Bark plans are all designed to help parents work cooperatively with their children to monitor content, set screen time limits, and overall, protect kids online. Bark Jr. is their most basic plan, perfect for younger kids. The Bark phone is a product designed to keep your child safe online. 

• Bark Jr: At $5.00/mo, Bark Jr. offers screen time management, website filtering, and geo-fencing tools. This tier is less restrictive and geared toward older children who are learning independence but still need parental guidance.
• Bark Premium: At $14.00/mo, Premium gives you all the tools to monitor your kids’ activities on their phones as well as set screen time limits and block content. The geo-fencing features give you an idea of where your child is at all times. It’s a comprehensive and useful service.
• Bark Home: At $6.00/mo, Bark Home plan goes beyond mobile and allows parents to monitor any internet-connected devices in the home. You have features like screen time management and content filtering on TVs, game consoles, tablets, and more.
• Bark Phone: Finally, for $39.00/mo + cost of phone, Bark provides a Samsung A series device preloaded with Bark’s software. The service is month to month, with unlimited talk and text, and doesn’t require a contract. The cost of the phone is included in the monthly charge for either the starter or advanced plan, and you also get a Bark Premium subscription for the entire family.

Bark offers a free seven-day trial but requires payment information upfront.

Which app has the better monitoring and alerts?

Bark has the better monitoring and alerts overall, providing important extras like location tracking and conversation monitoring.

Feature		Our Pick
Website filtering
App filtering
Social media monitoring
Text message monitoring
Email monitoring
Internet search monitoring
Screen time limits
Remote lock
Cyberbullying and online predator alerts
Location tracking
Geo-fencing
Activity reports
Learn more	Get Aura Parental Controls Read Aura Parental Controls Review	Get Bark Read Bark Review

When you break it down, Aura’s parental control offering is really identity theft protection, with some parental control features built in. The most glaring discrepancy is Aura’s lack of conversation monitoring. While Aura does offer website and app blocking, as well as cyberbullying alerts from online gaming, there really is no way for parents to monitor what’s being sent via email or text message.

Plus, Aura doesn’t offer typical parental control location services, like location tracking or geo-fencing. This isn’t a total deal breaker, as these features are important components of keeping kids safe offline, while Aura really specializes in online cybersecurity. So if you’re more interested in bundled online protection, the Aura Ultimate Family plan will comprehensively cover you.

But as far as standalone parental control apps go, we were impressed by Bark’s robust filtering and monitoring features. In addition to text and email, Bark offers social media, photo, and video monitoring. Bark’s content screens span over 18 categories, and the app library reaches over 30 popular apps, like Discord and TikTok, to help keep kids safe on social media apps. We also appreciate Bark’s location services. Bark not only offers location tracking but also a location alert feature. This feature automatically alerts parents when your child arrives at a location you’ve added to their account.

Which parental control app has the better support and compatibility?

Bark has the better compatibility overall, thanks in part to being available on virtually any device that connects to the internet through Bark Home.

		Our Pick
Windows
macOS
Android
iOS
Other devices		Android tablet, iPad, iPod, Amazon Fire, Chromebook, Gaming console
24/7 customer support
Customer support options	Chat, phone, email, guides	Email, guides
Learn more	Get Aura Parental Controls Read Aura Parental Controls Review	Get Bark Read Bark Review

While Aura Parental Controls is focused on iPhone and Android devices, Bark is available as an app on Windows and Macbooks too. You can take this compatibility even further by getting Bark Home, which is a router that forces content filtering on the Wi-Fi level. That means any device, even the iPads and gaming consoles, will be subject to content filtering rules as long as they're connected to your home's internet.

When it comes to customer support, Aura does have the better experience, since you can get 24/7 help through a wider variety of methods, including the ever-helpful live chat. 

FAQs

Aura Parental Controls vs. Bark: Which is better?

Bark is a better parental control app than Aura, thanks mostly to its large array of features like location tracking and conversation alerts. 

		Our Pick
Value
Features
Compatibility & customer support
Learn more	Get Aura Parental Controls Read Aura Parental Controls Review	Get Bark Read Bark Review

Bark offers an extensive monitoring suite and a more robust parental control setup. Bark’s software monitors text messages, emails, photos, and videos for over 18 content categories and alerts parents of potentially dangerous conversations or images. Bark also offers location services and geo-fencing so you can rest easy that your child is where they should be.

Conversely, Aura offers features to protect your child’s identity, like Social Security number monitoring, and safe gaming to offer parents peace of mind while their kids game online. Cyberbullying and online predator threat alerts offer an additional layer of security. However, Aura’s lack of monitoring and location services is a big miss in our book. But if you’re looking for an identity theft protection service for your child that has a few parental control bonuses built in, Aura could be a good option for you.

Top alternatives

There are many factors to consider when choosing a parental control app for your family, including features and price. If you aren’t sure if Aura or Bark is right for your family, there are more of the best parental control apps that might suit your family’s needs: