moss vs Pinwheel
An Android phone with a parent-managed system: approved contacts, vetted apps, no social media.
Checked 11 November 2026 against Pinwheel's own pages. We make moss, so we have linked every source below.
What Pinwheel is
Pinwheel sells Android phones that run its own parent-managed system. The parent approves contacts, picks from vetted apps and sets schedules, and there is no social media. Pinwheel says: "There's no web browser by default and no adult apps." The Slim 6 phone is $199. The Caregiver Portal alone is $17.99 a month or $174.99 a year if you bring your own carrier, and Pinwheel Wireless, which includes service, is $29.99 a month or $284.99 a year. It replaces an iPhone; it cannot be added to one.
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 | Pinwheel |
|---|---|---|
| Price | US$49 stone, free app | Slim 6 phone $199, plus a plan from $17.99 a month or $174.99 a year |
| Subscription | None to lock your own phone. Household features are a paid add-on | Yes |
| Works on | iPhone only, iOS 17 or later | Pinwheel's own Android phones 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 approved contacts, apps, schedules and modes |
| How you unlock | Tap the stone, in the app | The parent changes schedules or modes in the Caregiver Portal |
| 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 and invited caregivers control the phone, can read text messages and see location |
| Whose key opens your phone | Only your household's own stone, card and sprigs unlock your phones | The Caregiver Portal |
Where Pinwheel is better
- No browser or social media by default, so there is far less to lock.
- An approved-contacts list.
- Modes for the time of day, set by the parent.
Where moss is better
- moss works on the iPhone people already own. There is no new phone to buy.
- Nobody's messages are read.
- No monthly fee to lock your own phone.
Who should pick which
Pick Pinwheel if
You are choosing a first phone for a child and want it limited from the start.
Pick moss if
Your household already has iPhones and is old enough to agree to put them down together.
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.
