moss vs Boomerang Parental Control
Parental control built for Android child devices. $19.99 a device a year, no auto-renewal.
Checked 11 November 2026 against Boomerang's own pages. We make moss, so we have linked every source below.
What Boomerang Parental Control is
Boomerang is a parental control app built mainly for Android. It has schedules, daily limits, app approvals and text and call monitoring. A single device licence is $19.99 a year and a Family Pack of 10 licences is $39.99 a year, and Boomerang says the licence does not renew automatically. Its paid licences are listed for Android child devices. Boomerang states that text and call monitoring, app approvals, per-app blocking and YouTube history are Android only.
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 | Boomerang Parental Control |
|---|---|---|
| Price | US$49 stone, free app | $19.99 per device a year, or $39.99 a year for 10 devices |
| Subscription | None to lock your own phone. Household features are a paid add-on | A yearly licence that does not auto-renew. 14-day trial |
| Works on | iPhone only, iOS 17 or later | Paid licences are listed for Android child devices. A parent app is available for iOS |
| 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 schedules, daily limits and time-outs |
| How you unlock | Tap the stone, in the app | The parent grants a time extension or ends a time-out |
| 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: on Android the parent sees text and call logs, location, YouTube history and new app installs |
| Whose key opens your phone | Only your household's own stone, card and sprigs unlock your phones | The parent's account |
Where Boomerang Parental Control is better
- Strong controls for a child's Android phone.
- "Encouraged apps" that do not count against limits.
- A low yearly price that does not renew by itself.
Where moss is better
- moss is made for iPhone, where most of Boomerang's features do not apply.
- Nobody is monitored. With moss no one reads anyone's texts or call logs.
- One purchase, no yearly licence.
Who should pick which
Pick Boomerang Parental Control if
Your child has an Android phone and you want to manage it.
Pick moss if
Your household uses iPhones and wants to lock together as equals.
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.
