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Parenting & Family · head to head

Apple Screen Time vs Find My Kids

Apple Screen Time logo

Apple Screen Time

Parenting & Family

Apple's built-in parental controls for iOS and Mac

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Find My Kids logo

Find My Kids

Parenting & Family

Child GPS tracker and parental control app

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Apple Screen Time parental controls require setting up Family Sharing and a Child Account rather than working standalone; Find My Kids screen time limiting on Android depends on the accessibility services permission
  • They diverge on capability: Apple Screen Time covers Screen time tracking, Find My Kids covers Real-time GPS tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Apple Screen Time and Find My Kids actually diverge.

Attributes where Apple Screen Time and Find My Kids differ
AttributeApple Screen TimeFind My Kids
Pricing modelfreefreemium
PlatformsIos, Ipados, MacosIos, Android

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Parenting & Family), founded (2016).

What each one covers

Drawn from each product's published feature list. An absence here means we hold no record of it - not that the product lacks it.

Only in Apple Screen Time

  • Screen time tracking
  • App limits
  • Downtime scheduling
  • Content filtering
  • App restrictions
  • Communication limits
  • Purchase controls
  • Family Sharing management

Only in Find My Kids

  • Real-time GPS tracking
  • Location history
  • SOS button
  • Loud signal
  • App usage stats
  • Screen time control
  • Geofencing
  • Battery status

Both cover

  • Cloud deployment
  • Ios support
  • English language support
  • Spanish language support

What people use each for

The jobs each tool is most often brought in to do.

Apple Screen Time

  • Screen time managementnot Find My Kids
  • Content filteringnot Find My Kids
  • Device controlnot Find My Kids
  • Family safetynot Find My Kids

Find My Kids

  • Viewing a child's live location and the route they travelled during the daynot Apple Screen Time
  • Getting alerts when a child arrives at or leaves school, home or another saved placenot Apple Screen Time
  • Sending a loud signal that rings through silent mode and receiving SOS alertsnot Apple Screen Time

Where each one falls short

Documented limitations, not opinions. Every one is a constraint you would hit in normal use.

Apple Screen Time

  • Parental controls require setting up Family Sharing and a Child Account rather than working standalone

Find My Kids

  • Screen time limiting on Android depends on the accessibility services permission
  • The app requires camera and photo access to set a child avatar and microphone access to send voice messages in chat
  • Tracking requires the child to carry a phone running the paired child app

Pricing, plan by plan

Apple Screen Time

Free
  • Included with iOS/macOSFree
    • Screen time limits
    • App restrictions
    • Content filtering

Find My Kids

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Basic location
    • SOS button
    • Limited history
  • Premium$2.99/month
    • Real-time tracking
    • Unlimited history
    • Multiple children

Which should you pick?

Choose Apple Screen Time if

  • You need screen time tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ios, Ipados, Macos.
  • You also want app limits.
Apple Screen Time review

Choose Find My Kids if

  • You need real-time gps tracking.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ios, Android.
  • You also want location history.
Find My Kids review

Questions people ask

Is Apple Screen Time or Find My Kids better?
Neither clearly leads. Apple Screen Time starts at Free and Find My Kids at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Apple Screen Time or Find My Kids?
Apple Screen Time starts at Free and Find My Kids at Free.
Does Apple Screen Time or Find My Kids run on more platforms?
Apple Screen Time runs on Ios, Ipados, Macos. Find My Kids runs on Ios, Android.
Can I use Apple Screen Time for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Apple Screen Time best used for?
Apple Screen Time is most often used for screen time management, content filtering, device control, family safety. Of those, screen time management and content filtering are not what Find My Kids is typically brought in for.
What can Apple Screen Time do that Find My Kids cannot?
Apple Screen Time covers Screen time tracking, App limits, Downtime scheduling, Content filtering. Find My Kids covers Real-time GPS tracking, Location history, SOS button, Loud signal. Both handle Cloud deployment, Ios support, English language support, Spanish language support.
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