FamilyTime vs mSpy
rents who understand the threats of technology are intended to look through the possible options for keeping their kids safe. In this process, they land in the market of parental control apps. But sometimes, they might end up spying and keeping a secret eye on their kids. To some extent, parents believe that parental monitoring is similar to spying. But technically, these are not the same.
Certain features are quite suspicious, but they must be monitored for young kids with devices. When looking for the best parental control apps, you come across apps like mSpy, which are considered parental control apps. Technically, these are monitoring and spy apps. However, they can be used for parental monitoring.
On the other hand, apps like FamilyTime are dedicated to children’s digital well-being and designed to provide ultimate digital safety. In a detailed comparison, let’s examine both apps, their similarities, differences, efficiency, etc.
| Feature | FamilyTime | mSpy |
|---|---|---|
| Location Tacking | ✔ | ✔ |
| Screen time limit | ✔ | 🗶 |
| Content Filter | ✔ | ✔ |
| App Blocker | ✔ | ✔ |
| Website Blocker | ✔ | ✔ |
| SOS/Panic Alerts | ✔ | 🗶 |
| In-App Alerts | ✔ | 🗶 |
| Time Bank | ✔ | 🗶 |
| Activity Insights | ✔ | ✔ |
| Calls & SMS Tracking | ✔ | ✔ |
| Multiple Devices Supported | ✔ | ✔ |
| Free Trial | ✔ | 🗶 |
| 24/7 Customer Support | ✔ | ✔ |
Having an overview of features explains that mSpy has many features similar to FamilyTime; however, these two are quite different.
FamilyTime vs mSpy Review at a Glance
| FamilyTime | mSpy |
|---|---|
| Dedicated Parental control app | Monitoring app with spying features |
| Includes dedicated features for child’s digital well-being | Not designed for dedicated child monitoring, contains limited features |
| Keeps the child’s privacy intact using robust data protection policies | It might compromise children’s privacy with extreme spying features |
| Support parents with dedicated tools and features to set rules for kids |
Does not contain screen time limits |
| Contains interactive alert options for kids to send parents notifications |
No two-way alerts and notification options |
FamilyTime vs mSpy – Dissecting Details for Evaluation
At a glance, you can see that FamilyTime and mSpy are quite different; both have their exclusivities. The base difference is in their functioning and purpose. FamilyTime is a full-option premium parental control app that supports parents in increasing their children’s digital safety. However, mSpy is a spying app that can be used by anyone from children to adults to spy on their digital activities. However, it does have a few features that support the parenting purposes.
Let’s dissect both apps, their features, and their functioning to explore their differences and exceptions further. This detailed valuation will help you decide which app is better for you.
Cross Platform Compatibility
The world uses multiple devices with different interfaces and formats. Therefore, you need to have software and apps that are compatible with all operating systems and devices. Luckily, we found both apps compatible with cross-platform platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows, and more. However, the best thing we found about FamilyTime is its compatibility with operating systems. You can still use the app if you use an iOS device, but your child has an Android or vice versa. The app’s iOS and Android versions are compatible, so it is convenient for parents to set up the devices and work them out. However, the features in both iOS are different, so parents can access the features according to the OS of their child’s device.
Screen Time & Schedules
Limit screen time for kids to create safer digital spaces and balance. On average, kids spend more than 5-8 hours on their digital devices. This impacts their health, mental capacity, and attention to their surroundings. Parents need to limit screen time using appropriate controls to control and manage these habits.
FamilyTime offers the feature of setting up a daily screen time limit. You can either use similar settings and limits for every day or customize the settings for each day differently. It helps to limit your kid’s digital screen consumption to limited hours, like 2-3 hours or even less. Now, you must decide how much time your kid will spend on the device.
Additionally, FamilyTime lets you schedule device and internet downtime. You can block the device or disable the internet for a specific schedule, like bedtime, dinner, study, or school. It helps keep screen exposure limited and in control.
Alternatively, things are quite different on mSpy. You cannot find a single setting to limit screen time or device. It does not let you proceed with a schedule to reduce your child’s digital device usage time.
Keyword Tracking & Web Filters
Kids’ having digital devices and the internet lets them open up to anything in the world. They search for any single topic that excites them. It is a major concern for parents as many adults are exposed to mature content at an early age. So, restricting their access to sensitive content is essential.
mSpy offers a keyword tracking feature that helps you identify specific keywords when the kid searches for or uses them. You can add custom keywords to the settings and as many as you want.
In contrast, FamilyTime provides better coverage with web filters. It offers access to SafeSearch filters, in which the app detects and blocks all searches and results related to drugs, weapons, and the rest of the mature content categories. You can enable them to relax, as your child cannot access explicit content.
Web Blocker & Browsing History
Sometimes, restricting searches may not be the solution, as kids may know the domains. It’s pretty dangerous as sometimes kids directly open the URLs and bypass the filters.
Well, in that case, FamilyTime offers you the web blocker feature. You can block the domains on your child’s browser. This means the child cannot access the blocked domain and will avoid explicit content.
mSpy, on the contrary, does not have any such feature. However, it shares with FamilyTime access to browsing history. Both apps showcase the browsing history of the child’s device in their records. You can check out what your child’s been searching for so far.
App Management Tools
Another major difficulty that parents have to deal with is the apps and games on their children’s devices. The apps and games attract kids a lot and keep them engaged for hours, so it’s essential to control them. Moreover, kids can access apps randomly, including games and adult apps.
Both the apps, mSpy and FamilyTime, offer access to the installed apps on your child’s device. Seeing these devices, you can review the list of apps installed on your child’s device and then block the inappropriate ones using an app blocker. The child won’t be able to access these apps anymore.
Still, here is a catch: Even if you block the apps, you cannot fully secure the child. There is a chance your child will install any other app without you noticing. So, FamilyTime has got you governed. Along with the app blocker, it offers you app approval permissions. Whenever the child installs a new app, you will get a notification for permission to accept or reject the app installation and proceed. It keeps the chill away from installing unwanted apps on devices.
Another exceptional app management feature that FamilyTime offers is the daily app limits. When you offer children specific screen time, they normally consume it all on their favourite apps or the ones they are obsessed with. So, now you can also plan and split their screen time allowance for different apps. It will help you in controlling their obsession with specific apps or games.
Overall, FamilyTime offers complete coverage to help you manage your child’s app interactions and activities online. It makes FamilyTime the right choice for achieving the best outcomes.
Social Media Monitoring
You also need to work around the social media apps and manage the apps and games. Social media channels are extensive and crucial for a child’s digital safety. Kids can connect with many people, known or unknown, which can cause major issues with their privacy, personal information, etc.
FamilyTime considers the threat and offers a social media monitoring tool kit covering several social apps. You can easily monitor your child’s WhatsApp, Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, BiP, Signal, Twitch, and other social chats. The feature gives you complete access to these chat boxes, letting you know what they are discussing and with whom. Doing so will help you keep the kids safe from cyber predation.
Similarly, mSpy offers a social monitoring feature for various social media apps. It covers diversified platforms, including Tinder, Viber, Telegram, Skype, Kik, LINE, and more. These platforms are not so popular among kids or young teens but teens and adults. Since mSpy is a spying app for everyone, this feature covers it for consumers.
Contacts Monitoring
Knowing your child’s contact details is interesting, other than what he or she consumes online. The FamilyTime app allows you to access your kid’s contact list. It gives you a clear view of the contacts added to your child’s device.
Reviewing the names and contacts, you can determine any new or strange contact added to your child’s profile. You can also spot the shady ones and keep track of their communication. Add these numbers to your Watchlist, and you will get notifications and alerts when these contacts make calls or messages to your child. Such a feature is not available in mSpy, so you cannot expect the app to accommodate you with this one.
Calls & SMS Monitoring
Sometimes, your child is not active on social media but on regular communication channels like calls and SMSs. In such cases, you have a blind spot for decoding your child’s communication and life. In this case, FamilyTime and mSpy offer a big deal for monitoring calls and SMSs on the go.
Using FamilyTime, you can review the incoming and outgoing calls on the log with time and duration.Additionally, it lets you access the SMSs on your phone so you can easily look through the messages and their content. It helps you know what’s happening in your child’s life.
Similarly, mSpy is no different in this manner. It gives you a comprehensive look at your child’s SMS and call history. You can review the messages clearly and stay in touch with their life matters.
Live Alerts & Notifications
Subscribing to a parental control app and not getting notifications or changes in real time is bad. FamilyTime is focused on improving your experience with the app, so it offers real-time alerts for almost everything.
You will get geofence alerts, low battery alerts, SOS and PickMeUp alerts, driving alerts, and more. Detailed reports and activity logs are also on the dashboard and in your email. On the other hand, mSpy does not have a robust live alert or notification system. You can only get alerts for the geofence movements and nothing much. You will have to review the dashboard for the rest of the details.
Location Tracking & Geofence
Monitoring your child through online activities, digital interactions, and offline is important. Knowing your child’s location and movements when you are busy at work or out on a business trip is a blessing. FamilyTime and mSpy offer you the convenience of having your child’s live location 24/7. You can keep track of places they visited and even look at the current location whenever you want. The apps provide you with the pin locations at certain intervals.
Additionally, both apps offer geofence limits. You can set limits by adding safe zones and locations. You will get notifications and alerts whenever your child moves between these locations and limits. It helps you know where your child is moving.
Doing so helps keep the kids safe even when you are not around. Plus, knowing your child’s location movement makes it easy for you to track their activities and interactions. If you observe them going to unusual places, you can simply note the situation and take appropriate action.
Teen’s Driving Checks
FamilyTime offers another exclusive feature that allows you to monitor your teen’s driving patterns. You can set the teen’s speed limits and receive alerts when they drive above the speed limit.
The feature lets you access their driving patterns and history to identify how they are driving. It’s an exceptional feature when your teens drive alone or explore their driving skills with friends.
Co-parenting
Being the best and most promising parental control app, FamilyTime covers another important aspect of parenting: co-parenting. When parents are not together anymore, giving their kids the required attention and care is difficult. So, using FamilyTime’s co-parenting feature, they are at ease.
Adding a parent to the profile makes it convenient for parents to look into their child’s digital activities, set rules, get alerts, and more. By doing this, both parents remain involved in knowing what’s happening in their child’s life. The feature is equally helpful for current partners separated parents, and even multiple guardians. You can also add the utility teachers or trainers as parents.
Reports & Notifications
Both apps are efficient enough to provide you with activity reports and notifications. However, there is a slight difference. FamilyTime offers detailed reports via email and a complete activity summary on its dashboard. You can easily access the data for daily or weekly activities from your dashboard. Moreover, for all the alerts, you will get in-app alerts on your device, whether these are from the child or the app mentioning geofence or low battery.
On the contrary, mSpy does not offer you in-app notifications but reports and notifications via email. You will receive every alert in an email, where
you can review the details and learn about what’s happening.
Final Verdict
A detailed review and comparison of FamilyTime and mSpy reveals that both apps have their exceptions. mSpy is stronger on the monitoring and spying side, with gallery monitoring, key logger, email monitoring, screen recorder, and event calendar. These features tell much about the child’s activity, interests, and interactions.
However, the app lacks the basic tools of screen time management and child offline safety. It does not allow the child to restrict the use of any device for prolonged hours. Plus, it lacks features like SOS alerts that a child can send when they need immediate help or rescue.
On the contrary, FamilyTime proves to be a complete parental control app offering exclusive digital parenting features. It offers the ultimate screen time controls with app management toolkits, alerts, notifications, and more. Since it’s designed as a parental control app and offers co-parenting features, this appears to be an exceptional feature for separated parents struggling to manage their digital parenting responsibilities.
FamilyTime covers all the basic to advanced features you need for digital parenting. It helps enhance your child’s digital safety, maintain the digital balance, and enable them to safely use digital devices.
Additionally, the FamilyTime Jr. app allows kids to participate in digital well-being. They can check their daily screen time limits, TimeBank assets, FunTime assets, send SOS and PickMeUp notifications and more. It keeps them engaged and motivates them to prioritize tasks and manage their routines.
