moss vs Microsoft Family Safety
Free screen time limits for Windows, Xbox and Android, with a request and approve flow.
Checked 11 November 2026 against Microsoft Corporation's own pages. We make moss, so we have linked every source below.
What Microsoft Family Safety is
Microsoft Family Safety is Microsoft's family group tool. A parent, as family organizer, sets screen time limits on Windows 10 and 11 PCs, Xbox consoles and Android apps and games, filters the web in Microsoft Edge, and can see location. The app is free on the App Store, where it is used to manage the family. The Microsoft pages we read list screen time limits for Windows, Xbox and Android, and none for iPhone. Web and search filters work only in Edge, and Microsoft says other common browsers are blocked for that to work.
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 | Microsoft Family Safety |
|---|---|---|
| Price | US$49 stone, free app | Free on the App Store |
| Subscription | None to lock your own phone. Household features are a paid add-on | None listed for the app |
| Works on | iPhone only, iOS 17 or later | Screen time limits on Windows 10 and 11, Xbox and Android. The iOS app manages the family |
| 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 screen time limits and content filters |
| How you unlock | Tap the stone, in the app | The child sends a request and the parent approves or adds time |
| If you need back in | 3 emergency unlocks a month, refilled automatically | Up to the parent, by request |
| 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 organizer controls child accounts and sees activity summaries |
| Whose key opens your phone | Only your household's own stone, card and sprigs unlock your phones | The parent's Microsoft account |
Where Microsoft Family Safety is better
- It limits Windows PCs and Xbox consoles, which a phone app cannot touch.
- It is free.
- A built-in way for a child to ask for more time.
Where moss is better
- moss locks apps on an iPhone, which the Microsoft pages we read do not list.
- Nobody manages anybody. Each person locks their own phone.
Who should pick which
Pick Microsoft Family Safety if
Your child's screen time is mostly on a Windows PC or an Xbox.
Pick moss if
Your household uses iPhones and wants 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.
