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Bark
Keep kids safer online and in real life
As of 30 August 2026, Bark starts at $14/month. Bark is a comprehensive parental control and monitoring solution that helps families manage and protect their children's online lives. Softwr lists it under Parenting. Bark is made by Bark Technologies, Inc., launched in 2015, available on Web, iOS, Android, Windows.
Overview
What Bark does
Bark is a comprehensive parental control and monitoring solution that helps families manage and protect their children's online lives. Using advanced AI, Bark monitors texts, emails, social media, and more for potential issues like cyberbullying, depression, suicidal thoughts, and online predators. It also offers screen time management and location tracking.
What people use it for
- Monitoring a child's texts, social media and photos for concerning content
- Blocking websites and apps by schedule
- Location tracking for a child's phone or watch
- Screen time limits across home devices
- A restricted phone or watch with no browser or social media
Related searches
The honest half
Where it falls short
Concrete and checkable, so you can decide whether any of them matter to you. This is the half of a review a vendor will not write about Bark.
- The hardware products lock you into 24 month device payments on top of the monthly service
- The app costs more on iOS at $20 a month than on Android at $14, because of what Apple allows a monitoring app to do
- Sold in the United States only, with the app also available in South Africa and Australia
- Bark Home at $6 a month covers home network devices only and does not travel with a phone
Cross-shopped
What people choose instead of Bark
Each pairing was judged by two reviewers asking whether a buyer would genuinely weigh the two against each other. The ones that failed were deleted rather than published.
- BarkvsGohenry
Gohenry: The debit card for kids, managed by you
- BarkvsGreenlight
Greenlight: The family finance app for modern families
- BarkvsApple Screen Time
Apple Screen Time: Apple's built-in parental controls for iOS and Mac
Pricing
What Bark costs
Taken from the vendor's own pricing page. Prices move, so check before you buy.
Bark App
$14 /mo
- Parental monitoring for unlimited children and devices
- 7-day free trial available
- Optional Bark Sync smart charger at $6/month
Bark App
$99 /yr
Bark Phone Service
$29 /mo
- Phone plan starting at $29/month
Bark Watch
$15 /mo
- Family premium subscription included
Capabilities
Features
AI-powered content monitoring
Social media monitoring
Text & email monitoring
Screen time management
Web filtering
Location tracking
Check-in alerts
Cyberbullying detection
Instagram
Integration with Instagram
TikTok
Integration with TikTok
Snapchat
Integration with Snapchat
YouTube
Integration with YouTube
Answered, with sources
Questions people ask
Each answer names the page it came from, so you can check it rather than take our word for it.
What does the Bark App cost?
Bark App subscription is $14 per month or $99 per year, with a 7-day free trial. A single subscription covers unlimited children and devices.
SourceIs there a free trial for Bark?
Yes, Bark App offers a 7-day free trial before you pay.
SourceWhat additional features cost extra on Bark?
Bark Sync smart charger costs $6 per month or $49 per year as an optional add-on to the main Bark App subscription.
SourceBehind it
Who makes Bark
- Company
- Bark Technologies, Inc.
- Based in
- Atlanta, GA
Keep looking
Where to go from Bark
- Bark alternativesEvery product people weigh against it
- Bark pricingPlans, floors and what the tiers exclude
- Bark badgesWhich rules it meets, and the figure behind each
- All Parenting softwareThe full category
- Best Parenting softwareThe shortlist, and how it was cut
Best Parenting software for
Compare Bark with
- Apple Screen Time
- Greenlight
- Circle
- Gohenry
- Qustodio
- FamiSafe
- Net Nanny
- Google Family Link
- Kaspersky Safe Kids
- Norton Family
- Kidslox
- Canopy
- Winnie
- Mydoh
- RoosterMoney
- Baby Tracker - Newborn Log
- BabyCenter
- Brightwheel
Other Parenting software
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Softwr does not host reviews and shows no star rating for Bark, because a rating we did not collect is not ours to publish. What is here is the pricing and platform detail from the vendor’s own pages, limitations we could state concretely, and alternatives a reviewer confirmed people weigh against it. Tell us if any of it is wrong.
More on Bark
Bark alternatives
What people switch to, and what they give up
Bark pricing
Every tier, and where the cost actually lands
Compare Bark
Put it head to head with anything we hold
Bark badge
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