Parents Share Their Journeys
From setting bedtime schedules to blocking distracting apps during homework, every OurPact feature is designed to keep your child safe while empowering you as a parent. These stories shine a light on how simple it can be to tailor OurPact to your family’s needs.
For families who want screen-time boundaries everyone agrees on, yes. Parents rate OurPact 4.4 / 5 across 56,650+ App Store ratings, and praise it most for running every kid’s device — iPhone and Android — from one dashboard, a schedule for every part of the day, and built-in family location. It’s Apple-approved, and it’s not covert monitoring: it’s a family agreement that quietly holds the line.
Parents who’ve been exactly where you are
“I tried them all.”
Bark was the app that was atrocious, but for me OurPact setup was easy and it has worked like a charm since setup.
This app does better than anything Apple offers as a solution for managing our kids’ social media.
The only app of its kind — every other similar app lacks all the features and ease of use of OurPact.
Set it once. No more nightly negotiation.
It’s the best. So easy to use. No arguments from my kids.
I appreciate the minute-increment adjustments. It’s a small thing, but it’s the small things that make a momma’s life a little easier!
Incredibly simple and powerful.
Families who’ve stayed since 2015
I’ve been using this app since 2016, and it is super easy to control my child’s device. When my child needs extra time, it’s super easy to enter the time restriction. Highly recommended!
I got this app when you first came out — it helped manage his tablet and later cell phone. Was always such a great tool, would recommend to any parent.
We have ages from 12 to 5 and we’ve used this for over 5 years. It’s been good at teaching responsibility. We pay for the premium and it’s definitely the way to go.
I was mad at first… but now I’m also doing better in school since I’m getting more sleep!
The long stories — the ones you can’t fake
My son has autism and I also split time with his dad, so we wanted a way for him to have a phone… but also didn’t want it to be a distraction at school. That was 6 years ago — and we’ve been using OurPact ever since. His younger sister also has it on her phone now… Timers turn off apps well before bedtime and during the school day… I recommend this app to everyone, especially parents with kids who are about to get their first phone.
After trying 4 different apps that did not work properly, and being super frustrated, I finally tried this and 99.9% of everything is working!! I got my 11y an iPhone and the main purpose is for safety and instant connection during our schedule… b*rk controls all apps but not texting. Texting portion is crucial for us.
Anyone with a child who has their own cell phone needs this app. It works exceptionally well on iPhone… you can make adjustments which show up on their phones within 10 seconds. Don’t want them on socials? Block it… Set schedules for bedtimes, homework… It’s all that easy, and you don’t have to fight them for the phone — just turn it off.
If you’ve ever used Androids and Family Link, you understand how important parent controls are in today’s world… I highly recommend, and it’s the ONLY APP THAT ALLOWS YOU TO BLOCK IMESSAGE — I tried them all.
We have used this app for all my children since 2015. My youngest is still monitored by it… it’s far and away superior to iOS parental (non) controls… OurPact has been consistent and trustworthy. — Loyal longtime customer.
Why parents recommend it
“The most important thing a parent can do is install OurPact on their child’s device.”
“I love how OurPact lets me block or grant my kids’ app access with just one click!”
“OurPact is the app that every single parent needs if their kid has a device. I can’t say enough good things about it.”
“I love how OurPact does everything: tracking your child’s location, knowing when they arrived at or left a scheduled event, and allocating screen time. A must-have in any parenting tool kit!”
“IT WORKS! There are no loopholes for the kids to hack, and we love the peace of mind it brings our family — parents and kids.”
“OurPact is one of my favorite parenting tools. They’ve thought about everything!”
App Store Reviews from Parents
I’ve tried many - After trying 4 different apps that did not work properly, and being super frustrated I finally tried this and 99.9% of everything is working!! This app allows me to put a schedule on her phone and it completely removes all wanted apps during the scheduled times like school and sleep.
Finally what I need! - Easy to use, works perfectly so far. I have the option to completely hide certain apps at times (perfect for school days 😉). And I can still use the screentimes app for times when I need more flexibility. I can have multiple schedules and apply apps as needed. Makes my life so much easier.
The only cross platform parental control app that worked as advertised. App is loaded with control features to include even screenshots of childs phone if desired so you may see exactly what their looking at. We find a child whom isn't attempting to hide their actions will not feel victim of an invasion of privacy.
The app works, support is excellent - This app does better than anything Apple offers as a solution for managing our kids social media addiction. What is so remarkable about this product, and the people who support it, is they succeed in spite of my best efforts to do everything wrong technically.
Works great! - I absolutely love this app! I have been using it since 2016. Some apps never add new features but the developers keep coming up with more things that make my life easier and give me peace of mind. I love the new geofencing feature. My daughter tends to become a bit obsessed with her electronics and it’s helpful to eliminate the distracting apps during times that she needs to do homework.
Highly recommend - Have been using this app for years now and would recommend to any parent who is looking for some safety and security around device usage and internet access. You have complete control of your child’s device and what they can access - that could be a complete block or individual apps. As a parent, this is a very helpful tool, and well worth the monthly fee.
It works - My son has autism, so we needed a way for him to communicate with us while allowing us to control his apps and internet to avoid distractions. We found OurPact 6 yrs ago, and now his sister uses it too. I love the periodic screenshots for easy monitoring. Timers and schedules limit game time before bed and during school. It’s also great for quickly turning off apps when needed! I highly recommend it for kids using their first phone or for sneaky kids who use their phones inappropriately or excessively.
Love it, I have an android and my son iPhone and I can manage his 2 devices pretty easily, block apps and functions individually, set times and customer service is awesome. No complaints.
This is a stellar app! It is well worth the trouble of connecting the phone to your PC for initial setup. It has probably lowered my blood pressure 10 mm Hg. I've tried several others and I can say hands down this is the best. One improvement I would suggest is an automatic pause in allowance if the child is inactive for 5 minutes or so. The premium features are worth the money.
Great App - My son is now 16 but I realize I never got to review how wonderful this app was as he grew. I got this app when you first came out it help manage his tablet and later cell phone. Was always such a great tool would recommend to any parent
OurPact In the News
CNN - Opinion
The best parental control apps in 2025, tested by our editors
The Screen Time capability was customizable to fit our child’s schedule. Its unique features included the ability to view our child’s screen either via an automated periodic, on-demand or gallery mode. It could block texting across Android and iOS devices and also blocked Chrome and Safari browsers...
Cloudwards
The 7 Best Parental Control App Options for 2025
OurPact is the best parental control app for iOS. It includes many unique features parents would find incredibly useful. One such feature is automatic screenshot captures. The OurPact app also comes with real-time GPS monitoring, geofencing and history tracking. Another rare feature among parental control apps is blocking text messages on Apple’s iMessage.
beebom
7 Best Parental Control Apps for iPhone in 2024
If you’re looking for a top-rated iOS app that offers complete parental control over your child’s online activity, OurPact is an absolute must-have. It’s a powerful parental control iPhone app that lets you set rules for apps, prevent access to certain websites, block internet or text messages at a touch, receive app install alerts, and do much more.
CiroAPP
OurPact vs Bark
OurPact emerges as the overall winner due to its robust screen time management, content filtering, and web history tracking features. It offers a comprehensive solution for parents looking to manage and protect their children’s online experiences while maintaining a healthy digital balance.
Honest answers about OurPact
For families who want screen-time boundaries everyone agrees on, yes. Parents rate it 4.4/5 across 56,650+ App Store ratings. The features they mention most: running every kid’s device — iPhone and Android — from one dashboard, a schedule for every part of the day (not just one), and family location built in. There’s a free tier to try it, so you can see if it fits before paying.
Yes. OurPact has been around since 2016 and is Apple-approved — it holds Apple’s management certificate, which Apple recertifies every year. It’s a family-agreement tool, not covert spyware: kids know it’s there, and it’s built around rules everyone understands.
It works because everyone knows the rules. No screen-time tool is unbeatable, but OurPact’s approach is a pact, not a puzzle: schedules and app blocks are agreed on up front and enforced consistently across every device from one dashboard. Long-time reviewers — many using it 5–10 years — say the consistency is what finally ended the nightly renegotiation.
The most common reason parents switch: Apple Screen Time is iPhone-only and gives you one schedule a day, with no real web app for juggling multiple kids and devices. Reviewers call OurPact “far and away superior to iOS parental controls” and praise running both iPhone and Android from one dashboard, schedules for every part of the day, and family location. (OurPact is Apple-approved — a trust signal, not a claim to be “more powerful.”)
Bark leans into monitoring — always-on scanning of what your kid is saying. OurPact leans into boundaries everyone agrees on: screen-time schedules, app rules, and family location. The difference is control and transparency. With OurPact’s View, you can check in on what’s on your child’s screen when you choose — a spot-check your kid knows about, not a covert feed running in the background. So if you want to end the screen-time fight with rules everyone understands, check in when you need to, and know where your kids are and have been without the constant “where are you?” texts — that’s OurPact. If you want always-on content surveillance instead, that’s Bark’s lane.
There’s a free tier to get started, with paid Premium and Premium+ plans that unlock more features. New families can start a 14-day free trial.
Manage Screen Time. Protect Your Family. Stay Connected.
OurPact makes digital parenting simple. Set app schedules, block distractions, and guide your kids toward smarter tech use, all in one easy-to-use app.