Family Orbit vs Microsoft Family Safety
Family Orbit
familyorbit.comMicrosoft Family Safety
microsoft.comSide by side
| Figure | Family Orbit | Microsoft Family Safety |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | $7.50/mo | $10.83/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | — |
| Windows | Yes | Yes |
| macOS | Yes | — |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 3 | 2 |
| Spec score · Parental control apps | 8.8 (#9) | 8.4 (#21) |
| Activity reports | Yes | Family members can view activity summaries and weekly activity reporting after devices are connected to the family group. |
| App blocking | Yes | Yes |
| Content filtering | Yes | Yes |
| Free plan | No | Yes |
| Location tracking | Yes | Yes |
| Privacy | The privacy policy says data may be stored or processed in Australia, the United States, India, and Hong Kong, and describes transfers via HTTP or FTP. | Microsoft says people may access, modify, or delete their data, and that it will not use data without agreement. |
| Purpose | Family Orbit is a parental control app for monitoring a child’s phone usage, location, and online activities. | Microsoft Family Safety provides digital family safety features, including content filtering and screen time limits. |
| Screen-time schedules | Yes | Yes |
| Support | The support center says support tickets are answered by email within 24 hours and links to a knowledge base. | For technical support, Microsoft directs users to Contact Microsoft Support, enter the problem, select Get Help, and then Contact Support if needed. |
Plans
Family Orbit
- Monthly$19.95 a month
- QuarterlyPrice not published
- Annual$89.95 a year
Microsoft Family Safety
- Microsoft 365 Family$12.99 a month
- Microsoft 365 Family$129.99 a year
In their own words
Family Orbit
Family Orbit is a parental control app for monitoring a child’s phone use, location and online activity. Parents can review text messages, call logs, browsing history, photos, videos, contacts and calendar events, and use content filtering, app blocking, screen-time schedules and activity reports. GPS features include real-time location, location history, geofence alerts, check-ins and panic alerts. The maker describes AI-powered alerts for inappropriate photos, profanity, sexting, cyberbullying and harassment. WhatsApp monitoring is listed, and the pricing page also names iMessages. Family Orbit supports Android and iOS devices, with desktop downloads for Windows and macOS; web is also listed as a platform. A desktop app supports Wi-Fi Sync with iTunes or Finder from the parent’s computer. iCloud monitoring uses the child’s iCloud credentials and does not require installing an app on the child’s device. The Monthly plan costs $19.95 a month for up to five devices, and a 3-day trial is offered. The maker says explicit parental authorization is required and the product is for legal parental monitoring.
Microsoft Family Safety
Microsoft Family Safety has no write-up on Specifiction yet; its figures are above.