Comparison

Freedom vs Bark

Price, ratings, monetisation and update history for both apps, side by side — with what reviewers say about each.

Head to head
About

Freedom

This app helps you block distracting apps and websites to improve focus and productivity. Schedule blocking sessions across all your devices to build better screen time habits and reclaim productive hours.

Highlights
  • Block distracting apps and websites
  • Schedule blocking sessions
  • Sync across all devices
  • Block the internet
  • Locked Mode for habit commitment
  • Focus sounds
Features
Read full description

Block distracting apps and websites so you can focus, be more productive, and build better screen time habits. We've built the world's best app and website blocker, trusted by over 3 million individuals and teams to deliver focused attention for the things that matter most. During a Freedom session, when you attempt to open an app or website on your blocklist, Freedom blocks the app from opening and displays a peaceful green screen - reminding you that you're currently free of that distraction. Freedom users report gaining an average of 2.5 hours of productive time every day. They're more fulfilled, happier with work and family life, and have a healthier relationship with their technology. Schedule a Freedom app blocking session to start automatically when you need it – for complete, seamless control over distractions. Because Freedom works across all your devices, you'll feel confident knowing you're in complete control. We call it mindful productivity. There's no limit to the number of devices (including phones, tablets, and computers) you can connect to Freedom, so you can block apps and websites regardless of where you are or what you're doing. You'll stay focused, productive, and distraction-free. "Our favorite distraction-killing app blocker." – Lifehacker "One antidote to the always-on life is Freedom…" – Time Magazine "As Freedom shows, the solution to the problems created by technology isn't anti-technology, but more and better technology." – Huffington Post "Freedom has garnered celeb fans like Dave Eggers, Nick Hornby, Seth Godin, and Nora Ephron." – Mashable PEACE OF MIND - COVER EVERY DEVICE - For one price, Freedom covers all your devices (phones, tablets, and computers) with our powerful distraction-blocking technology. TURN OFF THE NOISE - BLOCK APPS and WEBSITES - Block distracting apps and websites for as long as you want. Select from a pre-made blocklist or create a custom blocklist of your time-consuming distractions. EXPERIENCE TOTAL PEACE - BLOCK THE INTERNET - Block the internet with a single button. Enjoy peace, quiet, and focus, away from all distractions. Freedom won't block important texts or calls, so you can enjoy offline time knowing you can be reached if need be! SMART COVERAGE - SYNC ACROSS YOUR DEVICES - Distractions aren't limited to your phone! Sync block sessions to your phones, tablets, and computers. There's no limit to the number of devices you can use. CREATE GOOD HABITS - USE POWERFUL SCHEDULING - Schedule your blocks now, later, or create recurring blocks to help make focus and productivity a habit. LOCKED MODE - Use Locked Mode to commit to breaking bad digital habits and addictions. FOCUS SOUNDS - Free audio tracks give you an assortment of music, café, office, and nature sounds to help you stay focused and productive, no matter where you are. We're excited about helping you be the best version of yourself. We're continually building new tools - and they're always included in your subscription. We've also got a great Perks program which offers discounts on top productivity products. SUBSCRIPTION PRICING AND TERMS We’re confident that you’ll love Freedom, but just so you can be sure, we offer a 7-day free trial of Freedom Premium. After that it’s only $39.99 per year. Many Freedom users tell us it pays for itself within a few days! These prices are for United States customers. Pricing in other countries may vary and actual charges may be converted to your local currency depending on the country of residence. Your Freedom subscription will automatically renew at the end of each term and your credit card will be charged through your iTunes account. Your subscription will automatically renew unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24 hours before the end of the current period. You can turn off auto-renew at any time from your iTunes account settings. Terms and Conditions - https://freedom.to/terms Privacy Policy - https://freedom.to/privacy Thank you!

About

Bark

This service helps families manage their children's digital lives by monitoring online content, managing screen time, and filtering websites. It alerts parents to potential issues like cyberbullying or adult content, offering peace of mind.

Highlights
  • Content monitoring for texts, email, YouTube, and social media
  • Alerts for cyberbullying, adult content, and threats
  • Screen time limits and scheduling
  • Website filtering by category or specific sites
  • Monitors 30+ apps and social media platforms
Features
Read full description

Bark provides families with all the tools they need to raise kids in the digital age. Our comprehensive service lets you monitor content, manage screen time, and filter websites so you can get peace of mind while your child is online. CONTENT MONITORING Bark monitors your child’s texts, email, YouTube, and 30+ apps and social media platforms for issues like cyberbullying, adult content, sexual predators, profanity, suicidal ideation, threats of violence, and more. Parents receive alerts only when something potentially problematic occurs online. You won’t have full access to everything on your child’s phone — just the things you might need to know about. SCREEN TIME MANAGEMENT Families can set healthy time limits and create schedules for when their children’s devices can connect to the internet (through both cell service and Wi-Fi). WEB FILTERING Our web filter lets you select which websites your child can access on their devices. You can allow or block specific sites — or even whole categories like streaming services, online gaming, sexual content, and more. BARK TESTIMONIALS • "My wife and I LOVE Bark. We've had some tough but productive conversations with our 13-year-old son. It's proving to be extremely valuable." — Josh L. • “It’s just another set of protections we as parents give our kids for the digital environment (or as my 10-year-old calls it, a “cell phone seat belt”). My oldest is a 9th grader, and while I trust her, I’ve come to realize through the alerts that some of her friends aren’t truly her friends. It’s led to some amazing conversations about choosing friends wisely and recognizing toxic people. While she wasn’t for Bark at first, she’s since said she’s grateful that I saw those messages because it reaffirmed what she was feeling but didn’t know how to verbalize without sounding sensitive.” — Bark Parent • "Bark notified me that my young daughter had unknowingly revealed her phone number to strangers on Twitter. The fact that Bark notified me was impressive and led to an informative discussion with her the same day." — Jon B. • “Since Bark alerted us to the suicidal language used in the Google doc that was being used in a chat document with a friend, we have seen both a pediatrician and a licensed counselor. We are hopeful for a positive outcome. Thanks to Bark for letting us peek into our child’s mind!” — Bark Parent • “This app is a lifesaver! It has allowed us to catch so many “red flags” in the content my kids have accessed on their devices and in their interactions with friends and other people online that I wouldn’t have ever known about otherwise. The big difference between Bark and other “Parental Control” software is that Bark allows your kids to have so much more privacy. It doesn’t show you everything they do, but sends an instant alert regarding any activity that might be concerning. Highly recommended!” — Bark Parent With Bark, you can help keep your kids safe both online and in real life. Try it out for seven days absolutely free! Our Family Online Safety Specialists are standing by to help answer any questions you may have. Email help@bark.us or visit help.bark.us to get answers and advice from the Bark Team. Terms of Use https://www.bark.us/terms

Screenshots

Freedom4 screens
Bark3 screens

Verdict

The call

Freedom and Bark both sit at 4.4 stars, but that hides the real split: 64% of Freedom's written reviews are positive against 13% of Bark's. Freedom also leads on update cadence (every 2 weeks vs every 2 months). Bark's advantage is monetization model (free with in-app purchases vs subscription) and chart position (#83 vs unranked). On price, rating, ads and in-app purchases there is nothing between them.

Scored on Price · Rating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings · Update frequency · Ads · In-app purchases · Monetization · Best chart rank · Devices · Requires iOS

CostPrice · In-app purchases · Ads · Monetization

Both are free to download. Freedom sells 6 in-app purchases, starting at $8.99 per month and Bark sells 4 in-app purchases, starting at $5.99 per month. Whichever you choose, the download price is not the number that matters.

ReceptionRating · Positive reviews · Number of ratings

Freedom holds the better App Store score, 4.4 against 4.3. That said, the two scores are not equally well evidenced: Bark has 36K ratings behind it against 6.1K, so its average is the more settled of the two. Written reviews point the same way: 64% of Freedom's written reviews are positive against 13% of Bark's.

UpkeepUpdate frequency

Freedom ships an update every 2 weeks, Bark every 2 months. Both last shipped on October 28, 2026.

Scorecard5 real differences · 6 level
Freedom versus Bark: the parameters behind the verdict, then further details
ParameterFreedomBark
PriceFreeFree
Rating4.4 (6.1K ratings) — better4.3 (36K ratings)
Positive reviews64.2% of reviews — better12.6% of reviews
Number of ratings6.1K36K — better
Update frequencyEvery 2 weeks — betterEvery 2 months
AdsNoNo
In-app purchasesYesYes
MonetizationSubscriptionFree with in-app purchases — better
Best chart rank—#83 — better
DevicesiPhone, iPadiPhone, iPad, iPod — better
Requires iOS16.115.1 — better
Further details — not scored
Size94 MB53 MB
Age rating4+12+
DeveloperEighty Percent SolutionsBark Technologies, Inc.

Customer experience

Freedom

All ratings6,006 ratings
Positive85.5%
Neutral3.0%
Negative11.4%
Written reviews1,368 reviews
Positive64.2%
Neutral7.5%
Negative28.3%

Bark

All ratings36,182 ratings
Positive80.8%
Neutral3.3%
Negative15.9%
Written reviews597 reviews
Positive12.6%
Neutral7.5%
Negative79.9%

User reviews

Freedom

From 6.1K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 🚀 Effective at blocking distractions
  • 👍 Customizable blocklists
  • 🔒 Locked mode prevents bypassing
  • 💡 Cross-device sync
  • 👍 Helpful for productivity and focus

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Inconsistent blocking, doesn't always work as expected
  • 🐛 Scheduled sessions don't always start automatically
  • 🐛 Buggy, crashes frequently
  • 🔒 Easy to bypass by disabling VPN or deleting app
  • 👎 Limited app blocking on iOS

Bark

From 36K App Store ratings

What we love

  • 💯 Solid recommendation
  • 🔒 Helps keep watch over family
  • 🔒 Necessary for child safety
  • 🚀 Disturbingly good app so far
  • 🚀 Unique helpful tracker

Room to improve

  • 🐛 Very hard to navigate
  • 🐛 Can't install
  • 🐛 Annoying features
  • 🐛 Useless, don't waste money
  • 🐛 Confusion during setup

Bugs and requests

Freedom

Reported bugs

3 issues
  • Blocks unintended apps/websites
  • Fails to block certain apps like Facebook, Instagram
  • Doesn't work in low power mode on iOS

Requested features

4 requests
  • Allow specific app whitelisting
  • Add time limit/usage tracking features
  • Improve scheduling options (e.g. by day, not just time)
  • Better integration with mobile OS features (e.g. iOS Screen Time)

Bark

Reported bugs

4 issues
  • Frequent disconnections and reconnections required
  • Inability to monitor certain popular apps like TikTok and Snapchat
  • Delayed alerts and notifications
  • Unexpected phone performance issues like slower speeds and battery drain

Requested features

4 requests
  • Improve compatibility with iOS devices
  • Provide cloud-based backups instead of manual device backups
  • Add password protection to prevent app uninstallation
  • Improve sensitivity settings and notification management

In-app purchases

6 purchases

Freedom

Subscriptions5
  • Monthly Subscription$8.991 Month
  • Freedom Monthly$12.991 Month
  • Freedom Yearly Subscription7 Days trial$39.991 Year
Show 2 more
  • Yearly Subscription1 Year trial$39.991 Year
  • Freedom Yearly7 Days trial$59.991 Year
One-time1
  • Freedom Forever$199.00
4 purchases

Bark

Subscriptions4
  • Bark Jr Monthly7 Days trial$5.991 Month
  • Bark Monthly7 Days trial$14.991 Month
  • Bark Jr Annual7 Days trial$49.991 Year
Show 1 more
  • Bark Annual7 Days trial$99.991 Year

Questions

Is Freedom free?
Freedom is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Is Bark free?
Bark is free to download, with in-app purchases available.
Which has better reviews, Freedom or Bark?
Freedom is rated higher. Freedom averages 4.4 out of 5 from 6.1K ratings, while Bark averages 4.3 from 36K ratings.
Do Freedom or Bark have ads?
Neither Freedom nor Bark shows ads.
Which is updated more often, Freedom or Bark?
Freedom ships an update every 2 weeks, and Bark every 2 months. Most recently, Freedom was updated on October 28, 2026 and Bark on October 28, 2026.

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