Aura vs Bark: Which Is The Best Parental Control App For Your Family?

[@homesecurityheroes]

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[@daltonrichardson5833]

Thanks for the detailed comparison. Going with Aura. Seems like the right choice for a teenager.

[@anthonyayo6525]

I didnt like how I had to install Bark on a home PC and that’s when the device would check in and alert the devices issues. I also COULD NOT STAND that it was constantly asking for the passcode to allow the sync to occur. Does Aura need a home PC to run as a main hub and will it constantly prompt for the passcode when sending/syncing data? This is for iOS (iPads) by the way.

[@svf76]

I appreciate the time you took to present the two apps, however it seemed to me that you were more biased towards Aura. Do you represent them or have they requested you to promote them? Did you use the same equal incentive to research these two apps together, without a bias? You mention that you are part of a team on 9 online security experts? What are the credentials that make you an expert and who are the other 8? I ask all these questions because I really am looking to find out by doing my own research what would be a better choice between the two apps, but so far I feel I could not fully rely on this video to make a decision, since I found things might be missing. Might have to keep researching ... I guess.

[@homesecurityheroes]

Thanks for the comment and the informed skepticism, it will keep you safe. More info on our business model and team here: www.homesecurityheroes.com/our-testing-process/ www.homesecurityheroes.com/about/

[@digitaltamer]

I am researching to find the right app for my daughter's first phone. You can really feel the affiliate in you for this video. I have no problem with someone being an affliate, but I still want an less biased opinion. You completely ignored text message monitoring because Bark offers some monitoring while Aura doesn't offer it at all. That's a huge feature. Which means I can't really trust any of your videos since you are leading with your pocket.

[@homesecurityheroes]

Thanks for the feedback. New comparison video is coming soon that will be more nuanced and balanced. Best of luck finding the right fit for your family!

[@forusonly.freedomisawesome3639]

One issue only here. You absolutely CAN block Internet with BARK.

[@homesecurityheroes]

yes, it has a one push 'disable internet' button. you are right - thank you for noting this. amended in an upcoming vid :)

[@T-kind]

Great vid! Audio is a bit low.

[@homesecurityheroes]

Thank you - should be improved in newer vids 🙂

[@onionpeeler2023]

Thanks for the review, does Aura provide any use cases or capabilities in using these features to help secure the elderly?

[@homesecurityheroes]

I don't believe Aura has documentation for this, but I do know people who use parental controls for their elderly parents. This AARP article explains some of the ways they can be used to reduce the risk of elder fraud: www.aarp.org/home-family/personal-technology/info-2019/limiting-digital-access.html

[@onionpeeler2023]

@@homesecurityheroes thank you

[@burlyn88]

Does either one allow the parents to block or heavily monitor texts conversations between your xhild and a specific friend? We want to give a certain amount of freedom but there may be a friend or two we eant to watch out for. One is a kich older kid who may try to start something romantic with our kid. Thoughts?

[@homesecurityheroes]

If you really wanted to monitor conversations in great detail, you might consider mSpy. It's an invasive software but it will track everything your child is doing.

[@peterfreeman6990]

@@homesecurityheroes mspy is so difficult to get up and running, also doesn't allow to track apps

[@bcarroll03]

I just purchases Aura. My kid can just disable any blocked websites toggling the VPN, the app doesn't inform me when he does this. The program frequently disables apps and internet even when the time limits are not reached. It's also far less feature rich than Circle, it feels like a ghost app. I can't speak for Bark but jeez Aura is a pain. They did refund me very quickly though, Emily was great.

[@homesecurityheroes]

Thank you for the feedback. Sorry that there was such a gulf between Circle and Circle + Aura. I'll be addressing this in an upcoming video.

[@laurayeh2246]

Did you find anything that works? We use Norton family controls and my son can easily disable it. He does a lot of coding, so I need something robust enough that he can't disable it.

[@monamarie1984]

@@laurayeh2246if you're kid is tech savvy... He's probably going to be able to get around it. I have a student like that. 😂😂

[@xxthursday09xx]

Can aura or bark completely block the use of a browser? So block Firefox, Chrome, brave.... Anything like that? Can it also block the ability for the kid to download apps?

[@bloo2005]

hi. will mspy work with aura simultaneously?

[@homesecurityheroes]

It should. We have since re-tested all of these apps and, while mSpy is the 'least bad' aggressive parental control app, I'd still caution against it. Our conclusion: "Honestly, this isn't a parental control app. This is spyware. You're not setting screentime limits or blocking harmful content. You're full-blown spying, and I'm not sure I trust the company. They use strange grammar, as if English isn't the marketing team's first language. And having to jailbreak your child's phone to use all services doesn't seem like a good idea security-wise."

[@CommentsAllowed]

It's a trap. The answer is that your child does not need digital entertainment from their cell phone. The best type of security is of least privilege. Your child should have access to nothing and only as they NEED more do they get that access.

[@amandamichael7908]

But Bark has a phone

[@limayri3181]

Does Aura monitor Roblox on IOS?

[@homesecurityheroes]

I'd confirm with their live chat. Their Parental Control app monitors iOS, and their safe gaming app (Kidas) definitely monitors Roblox, but that is designed for PCs.