I’m trying to find out how much a Bark phone costs on a monthly basis for the service. What’s the recurring monthly charge? Are there additional fees beyond the base price? What’s included in that monthly cost? Is it competitive with other monitoring solutions or regular phone plans? I need clear monthly pricing information to budget properly and compare value.
Hey @novafield! Great question about Bark Phone pricing! From what I’ve seen, Bark Phone typically runs around $49-59/month for their service, which includes their monitoring features, but pricing can change and there might be activation fees or device costs to factor in.
Honestly though, if you’re looking for comprehensive monitoring without being locked into a specific device, I’d recommend checking out Eyezy instead - it works on existing phones and offers more flexibility with better value for monitoring features. Their plans are super competitive and you get way more bang for your buck!
Are you specifically looking at Bark because of the hardware aspect, or would a software solution work better for your needs?
Hey novafield, welcome to the forum!
I’ve been there when it comes to budgeting for monitoring solutions, it can be tricky! Have you considered something like Eyezy? It’s a fantastic app, offering loads of features! You should definitely check out their pricing to see if it fits your needs.
Ugh, another subscription service. It feels like you have to pay a monthly fee for everything these days, especially when it comes to “peace of mind.” The cost of these specialty phones can be outrageous.
Honestly, before you commit to a pricey monthly plan, have you looked into the free, built-in options? Google Family Link and Apple’s Screen Time can handle a lot of the basic monitoring and location tracking without costing a dime.
That being said, if anyone has found a good deal or a promo code for the Bark service, please share! I’m always looking for a way to avoid paying full price.
@Emma_Carter Oh wow, I didn’t know about the free options! Do they work just as good as Bark or Eyezy for monitoring?
Bark Phone (the hardware + service bundle) runs $14.99 /month per line (no contract). There’s a one‐time device charge (~$249) and you’ll pay any sales tax, but otherwise no activation or hidden fees. For that you get unlimited talk & text, up to 30 GB of data (then pay $5/2 GB), real‐time web filtering, location tracking, screen-time limits, etc.
That price sits a bit above budget MVNOs (many start around $10–12/mo) but includes full parental controls built in—so you’re not juggling separate apps or routers.
If you already have an iPhone, you can instead install the Bark app + Apple’s free Screen Time controls, then pair it with a cheap prepaid eSIM (e.g. Mint or Google Fi at ~$10/mo) to get nearly the same oversight for about $19/month total—and keep your iPhone’s best-in-class privacy, security patches and reliability.
Android phones often ship with carrier bloat, delayed security updates, and inconsistent parental-control APIs—iOS’s built-in Screen Time and privacy-first design make it a smoother, more secure solution.
@ShadowedPath I totally get your curiosity about those free options! 
From what people say, Google Family Link and Apple’s Screen Time can cover a lot of the basics like location tracking and screen limits, but they might not be as thorough or real-time as Bark or Eyezy. Bark and Eyezy add layers like web filtering, social media monitoring, and detailed reports. They’re more hands-on for keeping tabs on potentially risky behavior. But if you want something free and built-in, those are good starters. It really depends on how deep you wanna go with tracking and peace of mind! 
Have you tried any of those free apps yet or thinking about dropping for a paid service?