moss vs Aura Parental Controls
Content filters, time limits and a pause button for a child's internet. Circle is now part of it.
Checked 11 November 2026 against Aura's own pages. We make moss, so we have linked every source below.
What Aura Parental Controls is
Aura Parental Controls is a subscription that gives a parent content filters, time limits, a way to pause a child's internet, and usage reports. It is sold alone as a Kids plan or inside Aura's family identity and security bundle. Circle, the older parental control brand, is now part of Aura and is no longer sold separately. On the day we checked, the Kids plan was listed at $10 a month billed annually or $13 billed monthly, shown next to crossed-out higher prices. Aura says its service "does not monitor for all content or your child's behavior in real time."
What moss is
moss is an iPhone app that comes with a small physical stone. You choose the apps that distract you, tap your phone on the stone, and those apps stay locked until you tap the stone again. People who live together can link their phones to share schedules and put their phones down at the same time, while each person keeps control of their own phone. Locking is free in the app, the stone is a one-time purchase, and the household features are a paid add-on.
Side by side
| Feature | moss | Aura Parental Controls |
|---|---|---|
| Price | US$49 stone, free app | Kids plan listed at $10 a month billed annually, or $13 billed monthly |
| Subscription | None to lock your own phone. Household features are a paid add-on | Yes |
| Works on | iPhone only, iOS 17 or later | iPhone and iPad (iOS 16+) and Android (12+). Gaming alerts are Windows PC only |
| How you lock | Tap the stone, or start from the app, a Shortcut, the lock screen or the Action Button. Schedules by day of week | The parent sets filters, time limits and scheduled downtime, or pauses the internet |
| How you unlock | Tap the stone, in the app | The parent, who can also give bonus time |
| If you need back in | 3 emergency unlocks a month, refilled automatically | Up to the parent |
| Locking together as a household | Yes, as a paid add-on. Shared schedules, sessions others join in one tap, a view of whose phone is down, a streak. Nobody controls anyone else | One-way: the parent controls the child's device and sees history and usage reports |
| Whose key opens your phone | Only your household's own stone, card and sprigs unlock your phones | The parent's account |
Where Aura Parental Controls is better
- Content filtering by category, not only app locking.
- A parent can pause a child's internet remotely and schedule downtime for meals and bedtime.
- Usage reports for the parent.
- Works on Android, and covers unlimited children and devices on the Kids plan.
Where moss is better
- Nobody is watched. moss keeps app choices and usage on each person's own phone.
- Everyone takes part as equals, adults included.
- Locking is free. Household features are a paid add-on.
Who should pick which
Pick Aura Parental Controls if
You want to filter what a child can reach online and see reports of what they did.
Pick moss if
Your household does not need filtering or reports, only phones down at the same time.
Sources
Spotted something out of date? Tell us and we will fix it.
moss is a stone that locks the apps you choose.
Tap to lock, tap to unlock. One price, and locking needs no subscription.
