Softwr

Software · head to head

Life360 vs Apple Screen Time

Life360 logo

Life360

Software

Family safety and location sharing

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite
Apple Screen Time logo

Apple Screen Time

Software

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

From
Free
Rated
-
Full reviewWebsite

The short version

  • Each has a real cost: Life360 the Silver membership stores only 2 days of location history and allows only 2 Places with alerts; Apple Screen Time parental controls require setting up Family Sharing and a Child Account rather than working standalone
  • They diverge on capability: Life360 covers Real-time location sharing, Apple Screen Time covers Screen time tracking.

Where they differ

Only the attributes on which Life360 and Apple Screen Time actually diverge.

Attributes where Life360 and Apple Screen Time differ
AttributeLife360Apple Screen Time
Pricing modelfreemiumfree
PlatformsIos, Android, WebIos, Ipados, Macos
Founded20082016

Identical on both: starting price (Free), free tier (Yes), user rating (Not yet rated), category (Unknown).

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 Life360

  • Real-time location sharing
  • Place alerts
  • Location history
  • Crash detection
  • Emergency SOS
  • Driving safety reports
  • Roadside assistance
  • Family messaging

Only in Apple Screen Time

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

Both cover

  • Cloud deployment
  • Ios support
  • English language support

What people use each for

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

Life360

  • Sharing family member locations on a shared mapnot Apple Screen Time
  • Alerting parents when a child arrives at or leaves school, home or worknot Apple Screen Time
  • Crash detection and roadside assistance for family driversnot Apple Screen Time

Apple Screen Time

  • Screen time managementnot Life360
  • Content filteringnot Life360
  • Device controlnot Life360
  • Family safetynot Life360

Where each one falls short

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

Life360

  • The Silver membership stores only 2 days of location history and allows only 2 Places with alerts
  • 30 days of location history and unlimited Place alerts require the Gold membership
  • Crash detection with emergency dispatch and live agent support, 24/7 roadside assistance and individual driver reports are Gold membership features
  • Stolen phone protection is capped at $250 on Gold and $500 on Platinum
  • Stolen fund reimbursement is capped at $25,000 on Gold, with $1 million only on Platinum
  • Free towing is limited to 50 miles and only on the Platinum membership
  • Travel support with disaster assistance and medical support are Platinum only
  • The Android app contains ads and in-app purchases

Apple Screen Time

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

Pricing, plan by plan

Life360

Free
  • FreeFree
    • Location sharing
    • Place alerts
    • 2 days location history
  • Silver$7.99/month
    • Everything in Free
    • 30 days location history
    • Unlimited place alerts
  • Gold$19.99/month
    • Everything in Silver
    • 24/7 emergency dispatch
    • Roadside assistance
  • Platinum$39.99/month
    • Everything in Gold
    • SOS emergency response
    • Medical assistance

Apple Screen Time

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

Which should you pick?

Choose Life360 if

  • You need real-time location sharing.
  • You want to start without paying.
  • You work on Ios, Android, Web.
  • You also want place alerts.
Life360 review

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

Questions people ask

Is Life360 or Apple Screen Time better?
Neither clearly leads. Life360 starts at Free and Apple Screen Time at Free, and user ratings are close enough to be indistinguishable. Choose on capability and platform support.
Which is cheaper, Life360 or Apple Screen Time?
Life360 starts at Free and Apple Screen Time at Free.
Does Life360 or Apple Screen Time run on more platforms?
Life360 runs on Ios, Android, Web. Apple Screen Time runs on Ios, Ipados, Macos.
Can I use Life360 for free?
Both have a free tier, so you can try either at no cost before committing.
What is Life360 best used for?
Life360 is most often used for sharing family member locations on a shared map, alerting parents when a child arrives at or leaves school, home or work, crash detection and roadside assistance for family drivers. Of those, sharing family member locations on a shared map and alerting parents when a child arrives at or leaves school, home or work are not what Apple Screen Time is typically brought in for.
What can Life360 do that Apple Screen Time cannot?
Life360 covers Real-time location sharing, Place alerts, Location history, Crash detection. Apple Screen Time covers Screen time tracking, App limits, Downtime scheduling, Content filtering. Both handle Cloud deployment, Ios support, English language support.
ShareXLinkedInRedditWhatsAppEmail

Related pages

More on Life360

More on Apple Screen Time

Keep looking

Other head to heads