moss vs MMGuardian
Monitors a child's messages for risks and alerts the parent. $4.99 a month for one phone.
Checked 11 November 2026 against Pervasive Group Inc.'s own pages. We make moss, so we have linked every source below.
What MMGuardian is
MMGuardian is parental control focused on message monitoring and risk alerts, with app, web and time controls as well. One phone is $4.99 a month or about $49.99 a year, and a family plan for up to 5 child devices is $9.99 a month or about $99.99 a year. It also sells its own MMGuardian Phone, from $229 plus a service plan. MMGuardian says that when the child's phone is an iPhone, an extra computer app is needed for message and call history reports, and that social chat monitoring on a child's iPhone covers only WhatsApp and Kik.
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 | MMGuardian |
|---|---|---|
| Price | US$49 stone, free app | $4.99 a month or about $49.99 a year (1 phone). $9.99 a month or about $99.99 a year (up to 5) |
| Subscription | None to lock your own phone. Household features are a paid add-on | Yes. 14-day trial |
| Works on | iPhone only, iOS 17 or later | Child Android phone or tablet, iPhone and iPad, with limits on iPhone |
| 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 app, web and time controls |
| How you unlock | Tap the stone, in the app | The parent sets the rules. The steps are not stated |
| 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 has access to messages, apps and browsing activity, plus location and call logs |
| Whose key opens your phone | Only your household's own stone, card and sprigs unlock your phones | The parent's account |
Where MMGuardian is better
- Safety alerts at the level of messages: grooming, self-harm, bullying. A lock does none of that.
- Its own phone for children, if you would rather not hand over an iPhone.
- Web filtering.
Where moss is better
- moss reads nothing. Not messages, not browsing, not app names.
- It is for everyone in the home, adults included.
- Locking is free. Household features are a paid add-on.
Who should pick which
Pick MMGuardian if
Your worry is who a child is talking to and what is being said.
Pick moss if
Your worry is how much time everyone at home, you included, spends on a phone.
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.
