SafeCircle vs Aura
Aura is a paid family safety subscription. Its parental controls cover content filtering, screen time and usage reports on iPhone and Android, and its family plans include identity protection. SafeCircle detects risks in conversations on the phone. Here is where each one is ahead.
Note
At a glance
Aura is strongest for families who want filtering, screen time and identity protection in one subscription, on iPhone and Android. SafeCircle is for detecting risks in a child’s chats. It does not include identity protection, and it is a child-safety tool, not a subscription bundle.
SafeCircle and Aura side by side
| Feature | SafeCircle | Aura |
|---|---|---|
| Main purpose | Detect grooming, bullying and other risks in conversations | Content filtering, screen time and usage reports. Family plans also include identity protection |
| Where analysis happens | On the child’s phone | Not stated on their site |
| What parents receive | Category, severity and a short written reason for each alert | Online history and usage reports |
| Platforms | Android child app today, iOS on the waitlist, plus a web dashboard | Phone controls for iPhone and iPad (iOS 16 or later) and Android (Android 12 or later). Gaming protection on Windows PCs |
| Price | Free for one child and one device. Family plan €4.99 a month or €39.99 a year | Paid subscription, with a free trial. Check their site |
| Open models | Model weights published on Hugging Face | Not open source |
| Schools | Invoiced school plans, priced by number of students | Check their site |
Last reviewed: November 2026. Based on each company’s public website. Check their site for current features and prices.
Where Aura is ahead
- 01
iPhone and Android
Its phone controls work on both iPhone and Android. SafeCircle’s child app is on Android only today.
- 02
Filtering and screen time
It blocks sites and apps, filters explicit search results, sets time limits and has a pause for the internet.
- 03
Identity protection
Family plans bundle identity protection. SafeCircle is a child-safety tool and does not include this.
- 04
Gaming
On Windows PCs, its gaming add-on watches in-game chat for cyberbullying and predator signals.
Where SafeCircle differs
- 01
Risks, not only rules
SafeCircle looks for signs of grooming, bullying, threats and other risks. Each alert gives a category and a short reason.
- 02
Text stays on the phone
The child app reads on-screen text on the child’s phone, and Horizon, our model, classifies it there. Only a short alert leaves the device, and message text is never sent.
- 03
Open models
Horizon’s model weights are published on Hugging Face, so anyone can inspect them.
- 04
What we do not do yet
SafeCircle does not filter websites or set time limits yet. Time limits are coming soon. iOS is on the waitlist.
- 05
Detection is not perfect
Our published tests show Horizon catches about 94% of risky chats similar to its training data, and about 63 to 68% of text from models it never saw. Treat an alert as a reason to talk, not as proof.
Which should you choose
If you want one subscription that covers filtering, screen time and identity protection for a family with iPhones and Android phones, Aura is designed for that. If you want to know when a child may be at risk in their messages, SafeCircle is designed for that. It does not replace filters or limits.
Whichever you look at, ask how the alerts work, where the analysis happens, and what the full price is after the trial. You can see all our comparisons.
Questions about SafeCircle and Aura
Does SafeCircle include identity protection?
No. SafeCircle is a child-safety product. If identity protection matters to you, look at it separately.
Does Aura work on iPhone?
Yes. According to Aura’s site, its parental controls work on iPhones and iPads running iOS 16 or later, and on Android 12 or later. SafeCircle’s iOS app is on the waitlist.
Is there a free trial?
Aura’s site lists a free trial for its plans. SafeCircle has a one-month full trial with no card, and a free tier for one child and one device.
Try SafeCircle with your family
Setup takes a few minutes on an Android phone. iOS is on the waitlist.
If your child is in dangerGet help now