Aura Parental Controls vs Bark: An In-Depth Comparison for 2026
As a cyber security professional who has specialized in digital family safety for over 10 years, I‘ve seen firsthand the growing risks children face in today‘s hyper-connected world. From cyberbullying and explicit content to online grooming and fraud, kids are increasingly exposed to threats that can jeopardize their wellbeing, privacy, and future.
Consider these startling statistics:
- 45% of teens say they are online "almost constantly", up from 24% in 2014-2015. (Pew Research)
- 1 in 3 young people have experienced cyberthreats online. (UNICEF)
- 70% of kids encounter sexual or violent content online while doing homework research. (Enough.org)
- 90% of children ages 8-16 have viewed pornography online, often unintentionally. (British Board of Film Classification)
- 59% of U.S teens have experienced some form of cyberbullying. (Pew Research)
Clearly, online dangers are prevalent and escalating. While technology offers incredible benefits, it has also unleashed serious challenges for families. As parents, we have a responsibility to guide and safeguard our children‘s digital lives, just as we do their physical ones.
That‘s where parental control software comes in. These tools give parents visibility into kids‘ online activities, the ability to set boundaries and block threats, and peace of mind that children have a safe space to learn, explore, and socialize online. With so many options on the market, it can feel overwhelming to determine the best system for your family‘s needs.
In this article, I‘ll provide an in-depth comparison of two leading parental control solutions: Aura Parental Controls and Bark. We‘ll dive into pricing, features, performance, compatibility, ease of use, privacy, and more to help you make an informed decision. Plus, I‘ll share some alternative parental control tools to consider.
Aura Parental Controls vs Bark: Key Similarities and Differences
Before we get into the detailed comparison, let‘s highlight the core commonalities and contrasts between Aura Parental Controls and Bark:
Similarities:
- Both filter inappropriate web content and allow blocking specific sites/apps
- Both offer screen time management features like setting limits and schedules
- Both monitor some level of online interactions for cyberbullying, predatory behavior, etc.
- Both cover popular devices and operating systems (Windows, Mac, Android, iOS)
- Neither offers a free version – only paid plans
Differences:
- Aura bundles parental controls with a full security suite (VPN, antivirus, etc.) while Bark is dedicated parental control software
- Bark offers more comprehensive monitoring of texts, social media, email; Aura only monitors certain games/apps
- Bark provides more robust location tracking and geofencing vs Aura
- Aura stores less user data and emphasizes privacy more than Bark
- Bark has more affordable plans focused solely on parental controls
As you can see, while both Aura and Bark aim to protect kids online, they differ significantly in approach, scope of features, and target market. Let‘s explore each of these areas more closely.
Pricing & Plans
Aura avoids some of the content and communication monitoring that Bark does, so it‘s tricky to compare their pricing apples-to-apples. Aura bundles its parental controls with a broader identity theft and cyber security product, rather than offering it standalone.
The Aura "Ultimate" plan which includes Parental Controls costs $30/month or $240 annually for a family. That covers credit lock, fraud alerts, VPN, antivirus, password manager in addition to parental control features. You can get just the Parental Controls in the "Pro" plan for $20/month or $180 annually. There‘s no free version.
In contrast, Bark has three parental control-specific plans:
- Bark Jr ($5/month or $50/year): Includes web filtering, screen time management, location check-ins. Best for young kids.
- Bark Premium ($14/month or $100/year): Adds monitoring texts, email, 30+ apps and social media platforms for concerning content. Generates more detailed reports.
- Bark Home ($20/month or $180/year): Allows setting internet controls on the network level and managing all devices centrally.
Bark also offers a 7-day free trial for its Premium plan. All Bark plans allow unlimited kids and devices.
So while Aura forces you into a larger security bundle, Bark provides targeted options for parental controls at lower price points. Budget-conscious families can get robust protection with Bark Jr or Premium. Those wanting network controls and location features need Bark Home. The only way to get location tracking with Aura is the pricey Ultimate plan.
Here‘s a comparison of what you get at different price tiers:
| Monthly Price | Aura Parental Controls | Bark |
|---|---|---|
| $5 | Not offered | Bark Jr: Web filtering, screen time management, location check-ins |
| $14 | Not offered | Bark Premium: Adds monitoring texts, email, 30+ apps/social media for concerning content. More detailed reports. Manage screen time and filter web content. |
| $20 | Aura Pro: Web content filtering, time limits, anti-malware, password manager | Bark Home: Adds ability to set controls/rules at network level, manage all devices centrally. Includes all Bark Premium features. |
| $30 | Aura Ultimate: Adds location tracking, identity theft monitoring, credit lock and more to Pro features | Not offered |
Features & Performance
Now let‘s examine how Aura Parental Controls and Bark stack up in terms of specific capabilities. We‘ll focus on three key pillars of parental control solutions:
- Content Filtering & Blocking
- Screen Time Management
- Activity Monitoring & Alerts
Then we‘ll compare extra features like location tracking, cybersecurity tools, and ease of use.
1. Content Filtering & Blocking
Both Aura and Bark allow you to block inappropriate websites and apps based on categories like violence, substances, porn, etc. They let you set up blacklists (what‘s disallowed) and whitelists (what‘s permitted). You can also block or limit specific sites by URL.
However, Bark offers more advanced filtering, with 18+ content categories compared to Aura‘s 12. It analyzes page context beyond keywords and site reputation to block questionable content in real-time, even on obscure sites. You can also block apps by age-rating.
For example, with Bark you could allow your teen to watch YouTube videos but block anything tagged 17+. Aura can only block or allow the entire YouTube.com domain.
Bark also provides an app management feature where you can see all the apps installed on your child‘s device and selectively block/allow access. Aura doesn‘t currently offer this functionality.
Where Aura shines is blocking malware/phishing sites with its built-in WebShield anti-malware (powered by BitDefender). This protects kids from accidentally downloading malicious software or giving sensitive info to fake sites.
2. Screen Time Management
Both tools let you specify total daily/weekly screen time limits, set scheduled "always allow" or "always block" times (like bedtime), and see reports of your child‘s device usage.
Bark offers more granular options, like setting time limits for specific sites/apps (e.g. only allow 30 min of Instagram per day). It also lets you instantly pause internet access on kids‘ devices. Aura can only turn off internet via scheduled "off times".
However, Aura provides a unique Internet Pause button for meal times, study sessions, family game night, etc. It also has a Rewards feature to grant extra screen time for chores, grades, or behavior.
3. Activity Monitoring & Alerts
This is the heart of parental control software – keeping tabs on what kids are doing online and getting alerts of potential risks. It‘s also where Aura and Bark differ the most.
Bark offers unparalleled monitoring across SMS/MMS texts, emails, photos/videos, and 30+ social apps like YouTube, Instagram, Snapchat, WhatsApp, Reddit, Twitter, and more. For each app, you decide whether to monitor messages, posts, comments, photos, and/or videos kids send and receive.
Bark‘s advanced machine learning scans all this content 24/7 and sends you real-time alerts for signs of:
- Cyberbullying
- Depression/self-harm
- Suicidal ideation
- Sexual content
- Violence and threats
- Drugs/alcohol
- Profanity
- Predatory behavior
- More
It can even catch subtle signs of issues through slang, emojis, and context. Plus it stores all the message history (not just the flagged content) so you can drill down into conversations.
In contrast, Aura Parental Controls does not monitor email, text messages, or social media content at all. It confines its oversight to identifying offensive language and signs of bullying/predatory behavior via in-game chat on PCs only.
Parents can only see the concerning screenshots; no surrounding context. And it only stores 7 days of data vs Bark‘s 30 days.
Basically, unless your child uses in-game PC chat, Aura won‘t be monitoring their communications for risks at all. This gap means issues could go unnoticed until they escalate. Lack of message monitoring is the biggest weakness of Aura Parental Controls compared to competitors.
Extra Features
A few other notable differences between Aura and Bark:
-
Location Tracking: Bark offers location tracking for your child‘s mobile devices. You can see their current location on a map any time, set allowed/restricted zones, and get alerts when they enter/exit zones. Aura Parental Controls does not include any location features.
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Security Extras: With Aura Ultimate, you get a VPN for private browsing, antivirus/malware protection, password manager, identity theft monitoring, and $1M insurance. Bark has none of these security extras. However, in my opinion, threat monitoring and content filtering offer better kid-specific digital protection.
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Number of Devices: Both tools support unlimited devices (with some exceptions). Only Bark Home manages all devices on your network centrally.
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Ease of Use: I give Bark the edge for its clean, modern parent dashboard. Aura‘s console feels cluttered. Bark also offers more how-to resources.
Compatibility & Platforms
Both Aura Parental Controls and Bark work on:
- Windows 7, 8, 10, 11
- Mac OS X 10.9+
- Android 4.4+
- iOS 11+
- Chromebook (filtering only)
For monitoring calls/texts, a child‘s device must be Android. iPhones only allow monitoring of iMessages currently, not SMS or calls.
They also offer browser extensions for Chrome, Firefox, and Safari to enforce filtering.
For homes with lots of devices, Bark Home provides network-level protection to manage all devices (computers, phones, gaming consoles, smart TVs) from one place. Aura relies solely on individual device installs.
Privacy & Security
Understandably, many parents worry about the privacy implications and security of services that monitor their kids‘ personal data. No parental control system is immune to these concerns, but I believe both Aura and Bark take reasonable precautions.
First off, both firms are fully COPPA compliant and emphasize they do not sell any customer data, ever. They use encryption and access controls to protect the data stored in their systems. Employees must pass background checks to access data.
One difference is Bark relies heavily on AWS (Amazon) cloud servers to process and store user information. That makes some folks uneasy. Aura primarily uses its own servers and deletes user data frequently (30 days for web activity, 90 days for video). It has also passed PCI-DSS audits for security.
Another contrast: Aura only collects the minimum data needed to deliver its promised features. Bark collects and stores more data (like full message content) to provide its in-depth monitoring. More data means more risk if breached.
Personally, I‘m comfortable with Bark‘s practices given its strong security controls. And I believe the safety benefits of comprehensive monitoring outweigh the theoretical privacy downsides. But if data privacy is a top concern, Aura offers decent basic protections with minimal data.
Customer Support
When issues arise with your parental controls, having responsive support is critical. Fortunately, both companies offer extensive online resources to help you install, customize, and troubleshoot their software.
Aura has a deep knowledge base of guides and how-tos. If you can‘t find an answer there, you can get help via:
- Phone: 877-624-7611 (M-F, 8am-11pm ET; Sat-Sun, 10AM-7PM ET)
- Email: Avg. 1 business day response
- Facebook Messenger chat
Bark provides:
- Step-by-step onboarding videos
- Searchable help center
- Text message support: 405-561-2275
- Email: [email protected]
- Automated chatbot: Avg. 3 min response
I‘d give Aura a slight edge for phone support with weekend hours. But both offer ample docs to resolve common queries on your own. Just don‘t expect instant 24/7 support from either.
Alternatives to Aura and Bark
While I rank Bark as the best overall parental control solution, it may not fit every family‘s needs. Here are some other top contenders, along with the key reasons to choose them over Aura or Bark:
- Qustodio: More affordable. Ultra-simple setup. Emphasizes child self-regulation vs blocking/monitoring.
- Norton Family Premier: Included with popular Norton 360 security suite many families already have. Detailed activity reports.
- Net Nanny: Best for young kids. Less monitoring; more automated blocking. Strong web filters.
- FamilyTime: Good multi-platform support. Lots of customization options. Can block device on demand.
- Kaspersky Safe Kids: Robust free version. Extensive real-time location tracking. Social media monitoring.
The best parental control software depends on your particular goals, budget, devices, and family dynamics. Consider your child‘s age, maturity, existing tech usage, and your main concerns. More restrictive blocking may work better for preteens, while monitoring/mentoring is often wiser for teens.
Bottom Line
When it comes to protecting kids across all aspects of their digital lives, Bark is my clear winner over Aura Parental Controls. While Aura provides capable web filtering, time limits, and cybersecurity extras, it simply can‘t match Bark‘s unparalleled monitoring coverage spanning texts, email, social media, and 30+ apps.
As a cyber safety expert, I believe proactive monitoring is critical to identify and intervene in concerning situations before they escalate. Content filtering and screen limits aren‘t enough when so many threats occur in private messages. Bark‘s ability to intelligently scan communications 24/7 and alert parents to signs of danger – without requiring manual oversight – is a game-changer.
Aura Parental Controls makes sense if online security and privacy are higher priorities than monitoring. Its built-in VPN, malware scan, and data breach features protect the whole family. And its lower data collection offers more privacy (though less oversight). For streamlined, automated web filtering and time controls with security extras, Aura is a solid choice.
But for the most comprehensive, effective safeguarding of kids online, Bark stands alone. It‘s my go-to recommendation for parental control software thanks to its:
- Advanced monitoring of texts, email, social media, apps
- Intelligent alerts for cyberbullying, self-harm, sexual content, more
- Customizable content filtering and screen time management
- Location tracking and geofencing
- Intuitive, modern parent dashboard
- Affordable plans for every budget
No tool is a substitute for active parenting and open communication. But in a world where technology changes faster than young minds can process it, Bark gives families a valuable safety net and unmatched peace of mind.