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Education · head to head

Bark for Schools vs SkySafari

Bark for Schools logo

Bark for Schools

Education

Free content monitoring of school Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 accounts

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
SkySafari logo

SkySafari

Education

Astronomy app sold in three tiered editions, from a cheap star chart to telescope control

From
On request
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Only Bark for Schools has a free tier, so it costs nothing to try first.
  • Each has a real cost: Bark for Schools it is free, which means the school has no commercial leverage: support response, feature requests and continued availability all depend on a consumer business the school does not pay into.; SkySafari the three tiers are separate purchases, so upgrading from Basic to Plus or Pro later means buying again rather than paying the price difference.
  • They diverge on capability: Bark for Schools covers Google Workspace monitoring, SkySafari covers Tiered editions.
  • Prices and features above were last checked on 1 September 2026.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Bark for Schools and SkySafari actually diverge.

Attributes where Bark for Schools and SkySafari differ
AttributeBark for SchoolsSkySafari
Starting priceFreeOn request
Pricing modelFree to US K-12 schools, funded by the consumer productOne-time purchase per tier
Free tierYesNo
PlatformsWeb, Chrome OS, Windows, macOSiOS, Android, macOS

Identical on both: user rating (Not yet rated), category (Education).

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 Bark for Schools

  • Google Workspace monitoring
  • Microsoft 365 monitoring
  • Alerting with context
  • Chrome and Edge web filtering
  • DNS filtering
  • Severity categories
  • Bark for Schools+
  • No seat cap

Only in SkySafari

  • Tiered editions
  • Telescope control
  • Large object catalogue
  • Event finder
  • Observing log
  • Time control

What people use each for

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

Bark for Schools

  • A district with no safeguarding budget at all that needs content-level alerting on pupil email and documents without a purchase order.not SkySafari
  • A school that already runs a CIPA filter and wants to add detection of what pupils write, which a URL filter cannot see, at no additional cost.not SkySafari
  • A small independent school whose entire technology function is one part-time member of staff and which cannot run a procurement for a paid alerting platform.not SkySafari
  • A district piloting content monitoring before committing budget, wanting real alert volumes from its own pupil population before comparing paid alternatives.not SkySafari

SkySafari

  • An amateur astronomer with a motorised telescope mount who needs live control from a phone or tabletnot Bark for Schools
  • A serious hobbyist who wants a deep-sky catalogue far larger than a casual sky map app providesnot Bark for Schools
  • Someone planning an observing session who wants an event finder for conjunctions and eclipsesnot Bark for Schools
  • A buyer choosing Basic first as a cheap star chart with no intention of telescope controlnot Bark for Schools

Where each one falls short

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

Bark for Schools

  • It is free, which means the school has no commercial leverage: support response, feature requests and continued availability all depend on a consumer business the school does not pay into.
  • It monitors content inside the school Google or Microsoft tenant, not general web browsing, so it does not meet a CIPA filtering requirement on its own and a district still needs a filter.
  • Alert volume in a large district is substantial and the free tier gives you no triage, so schools without a rostered safeguarding responder accumulate unread alerts that are worse than no alerts in an incident review.
  • Detection works on language patterns and produces false positives on legitimate coursework about difficult topics while missing coded or image-based content entirely.
  • The offer is scoped to US K-12 schools, so schools elsewhere cannot rely on it, and any school outside that scope should assume the terms could change with the consumer business that funds it.

SkySafari

  • The three tiers are separate purchases, so upgrading from Basic to Plus or Pro later means buying again rather than paying the price difference.
  • Even the Basic tier costs more than a comparable free or freemium app like Star Walk 2 for a casual user.
  • Telescope control only works with compatible motorised mounts, so it is useless to someone with a manual telescope or no telescope at all.
  • Pricing fluctuates with frequent promotional sales, so the list price is not a reliable guide to what most buyers actually pay.
  • The interface, particularly on the Pro tier, has a steeper learning curve than a simple AR sky map app aimed at casual users.

Pricing, plan by plan

Bark for Schools

Free
  • Bark for SchoolsFree
    • No cost to K-12 schools in the United States
    • No per-pupil charge and no seat cap
    • Google Workspace and Microsoft 365 content monitoring
  • Bark for Schools+$undefined/year
    • Trained specialists triage urgent alerts
    • Escalation by phone, text and email 24/7
    • Quoted per school or district

SkySafari

On request
  • SkySafari Basic$4.99/one-time
    • Core star chart
    • Modest object catalogue
    • No telescope control
  • SkySafari Plus$14.99/one-time
    • About 2.5 million stars and 32,000 deep-sky objects
    • Telescope control
    • Event finder and observing log
  • SkySafari Pro$29.99/one-time
    • Largest catalogue tier
    • Telescope control
    • Advanced observation planning tools

Which should you pick?

Choose Bark for Schools if

  • You need google workspace monitoring.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Web, Chrome OS, Windows, macOS.
  • You also want microsoft 365 monitoring.
Bark for Schools review

Choose SkySafari if

  • You need tiered editions.
  • You work on iOS, Android, macOS.
  • You also want telescope control.
SkySafari review

Questions people ask

Is Bark for Schools or SkySafari better?
Neither clearly leads. Bark for Schools starts at Free and SkySafari at On request, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Bark for Schools or SkySafari?
Bark for Schools has a free tier; the other does not. Paid plans start at Free for Bark for Schools and On request for SkySafari.
Does Bark for Schools or SkySafari run on more platforms?
Bark for Schools runs on Web, Chrome OS, Windows, macOS. SkySafari runs on iOS, Android, macOS.
Can I use Bark for Schools for free?
Yes. Bark for Schools has a free tier, so you can try it without paying. SkySafari starts at On request.
What is Bark for Schools best used for?
Bark for Schools is most often used for a district with no safeguarding budget at all that needs content-level alerting on pupil email and documents without a purchase order., a school that already runs a cipa filter and wants to add detection of what pupils write, which a url filter cannot see, at no additional cost., a small independent school whose entire technology function is one part-time member of staff and which cannot run a procurement for a paid alerting platform., a district piloting content monitoring before committing budget, wanting real alert volumes from its own pupil population before comparing paid alternatives.. Of those, a district with no safeguarding budget at all that needs content-level alerting on pupil email and documents without a purchase order. and a school that already runs a cipa filter and wants to add detection of what pupils write, which a url filter cannot see, at no additional cost. are not what SkySafari is typically brought in for.
What can Bark for Schools do that SkySafari cannot?
Bark for Schools covers Google Workspace monitoring, Microsoft 365 monitoring, Alerting with context, Chrome and Edge web filtering. SkySafari covers Tiered editions, Telescope control, Large object catalogue, Event finder.

Answered from the vendors’ own pages

Bark for Schools: Is Bark for Schools genuinely free?

Yes, the core monitoring is free to K-12 schools in the United States with no seat cap. It is funded by the paid consumer Bark subscription and Bark Phone.

SkySafari: What is the difference between Basic, Plus and Pro?

Basic is a simple star chart, Plus adds a much larger catalogue and telescope control, and Pro adds an even larger catalogue and advanced planning tools.

Bark for Schools: Does it satisfy CIPA on its own?

No. It monitors content in your Google or Microsoft tenant. You still need a web filter, though Bark offers a filtering component alongside it.

SkySafari: Can I upgrade from Basic to Plus later?

Not as a discounted upgrade; each tier is sold as a separate one-time purchase.

Bark for Schools: What is Bark for Schools+?

A paid tier where trained specialists triage urgent alerts and contact the school by phone, text and email around the clock.

SkySafari: Does it work with any telescope?

Only telescopes with compatible motorised mounts and a supported connection method can be controlled from the app.

Bark for Schools: Does it monitor personal accounts?

No. It sees content in the school-owned tenant. A pupil using a personal Gmail account on the same device is not covered.

Bark for Schools: What happens if the consumer business changes strategy?

The school offer depends on that business. Any school treating Bark as its only safeguarding alerting should have a documented alternative.

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