MMGuardian Phone vs Troomi Phone
Trying to decide which is the best first phone for your child? Read on to learn about the Troomi Phone and how it compares to the MMGuardian Phone.
Summary
- The Troomi Phone does not come with any sort of alerts for parents about concerning content in messages, nor does it offer social media message monitoring. The MMGuardian Phone provides AI-powered Safety Alerts about concerning content in messages and reports social media messages, if parents choose to allow their child to use social media.
- Troomi includes cellular service (AT&T network) in its subscription plan which you cannot change. The MMGuardian Phone does not come with cellular service, so you are free to choose your own.
- The Troomi Phone subscription ranges from $19.95/month to $29.95/month. The MMGuardian Phone subscription costs $9.99/month. As far as the pricing for the phones themselves, Troomi offers one model at $199.95. MMGuardian offers multiple models ranging from $119 to $289.
- On the Troomi Phone, parents can only download specific apps from an “approved” list of apps. The MMGuardian Phone allows parents to download any app from Google Play onto their child’s phone.
- The Troomi Phone has basic parental controls, but children will quickly outgrow them as they get older. The MMGuardian Phone comes with a robust set of parental control options that can be adapted to the child as they get older. See comparison chart below.
| Feature | MMGuardian Phone | Troomi Phone |
| No Social Media Option | ||
| GPS Location | ||
| Remote Management | ||
| SMS Message Monitoring | ||
| Contact Safelist | ||
| Limit Screen Time | ||
| Filtered Internet | ||
| Supports Multiple Carriers | ||
| Message Safety Alerts | ||
| Picture Monitoring | ||
| Social Media Message Monitoring | ||
| Find Phone Siren | ||
| Automatic Location Tracking | ||
| Download Any Approved App | ||
| Block Specific Apps | ||
| Monthly Subscription Price | $9.99/month | $19.95 - $29.95/month |
Monitoring & Control
MMGuardian:
With the MMGuardian Phone, parents can monitor and control their child’s phone as much or as little as necessary, all from the MMGuardian Parent App on their own phone! You can keep track of:
- who your child is communicating with,
- what they are texting, even if they delete the text,
- which websites they are viewing,
- how long they are spending on apps,
- and more!
You also have in-depth control over your child’s ability to use those functions, and you will receive AI-generated alerts about concerning content in messages.
Troomi:
With a Troomi Phone, parents are able to monitor their child’s SMS text message and call history from the Parent Portal, but they do not offer any sort of parent app nor do they show usage reports for anything other than texting and calling. There is not currently an option for receiving alerts about concerning messages.
Apps & Games
MMGuardian:
The MMGuardian Phone gives parents full freedom to block or allow any app available on Google Play, with the Google Play app requiring a password. Parents can also assign apps daily time limits or block them according to custom schedules.
Troomi:
The Troomi Phone limits which apps are available to download from Google Play. If an app isn’t on the approved apps list, it cannot be downloaded. Unless an app it is added, it cannot be downloaded which could be frustrating if children need specific apps for school or want to play a game that isn’t on the list. Parents cannot individually block apps, nor set time limits and schedules. The only way to block apps is all at once, and it only blocks nonessential apps.
Internet Browsing
MMGuardian:
The MMGuardian Phone lets parents have full control over their child’s internet use. They can disable it entirely, they can set up age-appropriate filtering via website cateogires, or they can allow/block specific websites. Parents can also view all browsing history.
Troomi:
The Troomi Phone offers browsing in one of two ways: via their restricted custom browser or via Chrome which is totally unrestricted. The restricted browser automatically blocks “inappropriate” sites and allows parents to add specific sites to be allowed or blocked. Parents cannot view browsing history.
Screen Time
MMGuardian:
With the MMGuardian Phone, parents have extreme flexibility in limiting their child’s phone use. The MMGuardian Phone can be totally locked, allowing only for communication with emergency contacts. This can be done on-demand, from the parent’s own phone, or according to custom schedules which will lock the phone automatically at specific times and days. The MMGuardian Phone also comes with extremely granular controls for apps, allowing parents to highly customize which apps their child is able to use, along with when and for how long.
Troomi:
With the Troomi Phone, parents are only able to block phone use by disabling the internet (so apps that don’t require internet would still be usable). Parents can set time schedules when their child is allowed to have internet, and internet will be disabled outside of that schedule, but there is no flexibility as far as limiting internet for specific apps or based on the amount of time the phone is used.
Future Considerations
As your child matures and becomes more responsible, the MMGuardian Phone can be adapted accordingly. With limited apps and lack of restriction flexibility, your child will outgrow the Troomi Phone very quickly.