Software Alternatives & Startups

Bark App VS CtrlKid

Compare Bark App VS CtrlKid and see what are their differences

Bark App

Bark is a parental control app that helps keep kids safer online. Bark monitors devices, social media, texts, emails, and much more.

Rating
0 reviews
CtrlKid

You pick the YouTube topics. Your child picks the video. When your child types a watchlist word, CtrlKid can erase it or alert your phone. Free to start.

Rating
0 reviews
Pricing
Freemium Free trial $24.95 / One-off (Pro, 1 PC)

Which is more popular?

Based on our record, Bark App seems to be more popular. It has been mentioned 1 time since March 2021.

social mentions
1 vs 0
Parental Control popularity
94% vs 6%
alternatives listed
96 vs 11

Base details

Website, pricing, platforms and company facts side by side.

Bark App
CtrlKid
Website bark.us ctrlkid.com
Pricing
Freemium Free trial $24.95 / One-off (Pro, 1 PC) Official pricing
Platforms —
Windows Linux Google Chrome Firefox +1
Listed in

About Bark App and CtrlKid

In their own words, as submitted to SaaSHub.

Bark App
CtrlKid

No description of Bark App yet.

CtrlKid is parental control for the family PC, made for parents of children aged about 4 to 11. It has two parts: a free YouTube extension for Chrome and Firefox, and a free desktop app for Windows and Linux. CtrlKid for YouTube (browser extension) You pick the YouTube topics and channels. Your...

Read more about CtrlKid

Features and specs

What each product offers, as listed by its team.

Bark App 5 features
CtrlKid 6 features
  • Comprehensive Monitoring
    Bark offers extensive monitoring features, covering a range of platforms and applications including text messages, emails, YouTube, and more than 30 different social networks. This provides parents a wide overview of their children's online activity.
  • Customizable Alerts
    The app allows parents to set up custom sensitivity levels for alerts, so they can determine what kind of activities are flagged and how often they receive notifications.
  • Parental Control Tools
    Bark includes parental control features such as screen time management and web filtering capabilities, allowing parents to have more control over the amount of time their children spend online and what content they can access.
  • Focus on Privacy
    Bark is designed with privacy in mind, ensuring that children's messages are only scanned for potential issues, rather than shared with parents in their entirety, aiming to respect family privacy.
  • Educational Resources
    Bark provides parents with resources and expert advice on how to talk with their children about online safety, bullying, and digital citizenship.

Possible disadvantages

  • Monthly Subscription Fee
    To use Bark, parents need to pay a monthly subscription fee, which might be considered costly by some families, especially over time.
  • Limited Control Over Apps
    While Bark monitors many platforms, it may not provide direct control over certain apps or all aspects of device usage, leaving some gaps in monitoring capability.
  • Initial Setup Complexity
    The app requires a significant setup process to integrate with all desired platforms and applications, which can be time-consuming and may be challenging for less tech-savvy parents.
  • Potential for Overalerting
    Some users report receiving excessive alerts, which can be overwhelming, especially in families with multiple children, leading to alert fatigue.
  • Device Compatibility Limitations
    Bark may not be fully compatible with all devices or operating systems, which can result in partial service loss or incomplete monitoring capabilities.
  • YouTube topic whitelist
    You pick the topics and channels; your child sees only videos on them
  • No Shorts or autoplay
    Removes Shorts, the homepage feed, Up next and autoplay
  • Keyword watchlist
    When your child types a word you chose: erase it, lock the screen, sound an alarm or log it
  • Phone alerts (Pro)
    Alert on Telegram, Discord, Slack or ntfy when a watchlist word is typed
  • Daily screen time limit
    Locks the screen when time is up; video watching counts
  • Runs on your PC
    No account, no cloud; nothing about your child is uploaded

Category popularity

How often each product is chosen within a category, 0–100% relative to the other.

Score bands 0–20 21–40 41–50 51–60 61–100
Bark App
CtrlKid
94% 94%
6% 6%
0% 0%
100% 100%
100% 100%
0% 0%
0% 0%
100% 100%

Questions & Answers

As answered by people managing Bark App and CtrlKid.

What makes your product unique?

CtrlKid's answer:

CtrlKid controls two things on a family PC: what your child watches on YouTube, and what your child types.

  • YouTube: you pick the topics and channels. Your child sees only videos on them. Shorts, autoplay, Up next and the homepage feed are removed.
  • Typing: you list words to watch for, such as your home address or words linked to bullying or adult content. When your child types one, CtrlKid does what you chose for that word: log it, send an alert to your phone, erase it, lock the screen, or sound an alarm.

Everything runs on your PC. There is no account to create, and nothing about your child is uploaded. Pro is a one-time payment, not a subscription.

Why should a person choose your product over its competitors?

CtrlKid's answer:

Most parental control apps, such as Qustodio, Net Nanny and Norton Family, charge a yearly subscription and send your child's activity to the company's servers. CtrlKid works differently:

  • One-time price: Pro costs $24.95 once for 1 PC, or $34.95 once for up to 5 PCs. There is no yearly fee.
  • Your child's data stays on your PC: there is no account and no cloud upload.
  • YouTube limited to what you pick: your child sees only videos on the topics and channels you chose, with no Shorts or autoplay.
  • You choose what happens for each word: log it quietly, alert your phone, erase it, lock the screen, or sound an alarm.
  • Free to start: the YouTube extension is free with 5 topics. Pro has a 30-day free trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee.

How would you describe the primary audience of your product?

CtrlKid's answer:

Parents of children aged about 4 to 11 who use a family computer running Windows or Linux.

These parents want two things:

  • to choose what their child watches on YouTube, instead of leaving it to YouTube's recommendations
  • to know when their child types something unsafe, such as personal details sent to a stranger in a game or chat app

CtrlKid is not built for teenagers or for phones.

What's the story behind your product?

CtrlKid's answer:

CtrlKid was started by a parent who wanted two things from the family PC: YouTube time spent on videos the parent had picked, and a way to know when a child types something unsafe.

Most parental control apps charge a yearly subscription and send a child's activity to the company's servers. CtrlKid was built to run on the PC itself, with no account, no cloud upload and a one-time price.

The free YouTube extension came first and was approved on the Chrome Web Store and Firefox Add-ons. The desktop app for Windows and Linux added the keyword watchlist, phone alerts and screen time limits.

Which are the primary technologies used for building your product?

CtrlKid's answer:

  • Desktop app: Python, built for Windows (.exe) and Linux (.deb and AppImage)
  • Browser extension: JavaScript WebExtension for Chrome and Firefox
  • Website and licensing: WordPress
  • Builds and tests: GitHub Actions and Docker

User comments

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Reviews and articles

External articles and on-site reviews we used to compare the two products.

Bark App no reviews yet
CtrlKid no reviews yet

We have no reviews of CtrlKid yet. Be the first one to post

Social recommendations and mentions

Recommendations tracked on public social media and blogs since March 2021.

Bark App 1 mention
CtrlKid 0 mentions
  • Sitting in my car crying right now
    I also recommend adding an app called Bark. The app basically checks everything your child is doing so you don’t have to go through their phone. It not only monitors texts, websites they visit, etc but it connects with Roblox and other... Source: over 3 years ago

Tracking CtrlKid since Oct 2026.

Alternatives to Bark App and CtrlKid

When comparing Bark App and CtrlKid, you can also consider the following products.