Best Phones for Kids: A Parents' Guide

When parents look for the best first phone for their child, safety is a priority — but they also don’t want to break the bank. The top choices offer similar features to help keep kids safe and keep families in touch. Look for:  

• Unlimited talk & text paired with parent controls such as contact list approval, time limits, and the ability to set quiet times. 

• Real-time location tracking to know where the child is. 

• No internet, apps, or social media — the things that fuel addictive scrolling — or at the very least parental controls to limit access and time spent.  

Beyond those must-haves, safe first phones vary a bit in approach, cost, and ease of use. Here’s how they stack up. 

Summary: Best first phone for kids 

Methodology: How we chose the best kids phones  

In evaluating first phones for kids, we looked at the interplay of several factors:

Safety features: Kids first phones are all about providing a safe introduction to carrying a phone. Must-haves include an environment that avoids internet access and social media while providing easy communication with parent-approved contacts. We also looked for location tracking and whether parents can set screen time limits or quiet times.  

Ease of use for child and parent: Younger kids need an easy-to-use device, but ease of use for parents matters too. Some platforms rely on lots of adult intervention or continuous monitoring and alerts, which could overload parents. 

Coverage and usability: The network and speeds (5G vs 4G) matter as well, because slow response or a dead zone in coverage cuts into the effectiveness of safety measures.  

Cost and value: Safety is top of mind, but families don’t have unlimited budgets, either. We examined how much functionality you get for the price you pay.  

Guide to the kids phone market  

Gabb and Bark have dominated the market on safe phones for kids. But with the new Yello! kids phone and plan from TextNow, parents have a better, more affordable alternative. Yello! offers more while costing less and avoiding extra fees — and gives reliable coverage on TextNow’s nationwide 5G network. 

What is Yello! 

Yello! is a kids phone and plan bundle from TextNow that’s designed for children ages 5-12. The phone features a safe, parent-friendly environment with no app downloads, no social media, and no open internet browsing. Parents approve the contacts list, which limits calling and texting to a safe circle of known people. Real-time GPS location tracking lets parents know where the child is for peace of mind. The emphasis is on simplicity, with one phone and a single, affordable plan. 

What is Gabb Phone? 

Gabb Phone currently offers one phone and two phone plans. Its safety approach relies on tight controls over the phone environment: no web browsers, no social media, and only a few pre-set apps to start, with an emphasis on faith-based apps. Its Gabb Messenger app filters message content and alerts parents about worrisome or inappropriate content. Gabb Messenger also restricts video calling to approved contacts only (and other users of Gabb Messenger). If nudity is detected, the call ends, video calling is disabled, and parents are alerted.  

What is Bark Phone? 

Bark offers a choice of two kids phones built on Samsung models and several phone plans that add access as a child ages. The high-end phone and plan choice are notably more expensive than competitors’. The lowest-cost Starter plan is geared toward young users, with no apps, browser, or social media. Advanced plans let parents allow app downloads, internet access, and social media. Parents get notifications about problematic use and can add or remove functions as needed.  

(Note that the Bark Phone is different from the Bark app, which can be used on any phone to monitor phone use, location, and screen time.)   

What is Pinwheel?  

Pinwheel has a choice of three phones but is cagey about stating the maker or model they’re based on. When it comes to plans, Pinwheel’s notable for offering a choice of its own wireless service or a Caregiver Portal subscription that lets you use the phone on your existing wireless plan. As with Gabb and Bark, several safety features depend on continuous background monitoring of texts and other phone use. Rather than sending parent alerts about usage, though, it simply lets parents remotely read text and monitor calls.   

Yello! vs. Gabb comparison 

Both Yello! and Gabb use a stripped-down phone environment to keep kids safe, which is why neither offer screen time or quiet time functions: The addictive stuff is not on the phone, by design.  

They differ, however, in the approach. Gabb focuses on continual background monitoring and parental alerts about problematic use. That can lead to battery drain and laggy phone performance for the child and may overload the parent with notifications. Yello! concentrates on a simplified, purpose-built phone that avoids extra apps or access — so no need for monitoring and alerts.  

Yello! has a single plan and price, with no ongoing contract or early termination fee. Gabb offers two plans, with the higher-cost plan offering more features. Prices listed below are for Gabb’s no-contract choice; you get a monthly discount of $3 if you commit to a 1-year contract and $5 if you commit to a 2-year contract. 

Why choose Yello! over Gabb Phone?  

The biggest disadvantage with Gabb is its cost compared to what you get. You’ll need the costlier plan to unlock the full suite of options, including additional apps, better music streaming, and access to data — and even then the data is at 4G LTE speeds. The Advanced Plan’s 3GB of data per month is pretty low, and you have to pay an extra $3.99 to raise it to 5GB total or $9.99 for 10GB total in a month.  

Also, a couple of the key features aren’t top-of-line. The location tracking has a 15-minute interval, while most competitors offer real-time tracking. And if parents pay to allow more apps, they’re limited to items vetted for the Gabb App Store — which may not include academic or sports apps students may need.  

In contrast, Yello! has a single plan that offers its whole slate of features. At $19.99/month it costs less than Gabb’s lowest-priced Standard Plan using a 2-year contract to cut the price to $29.99. It runs on TextNow’s nationwide 5G network, and has no activation or early-termination fees.  

Yello! vs. Bark Phone: Feature and plan comparison 

Bark Phone focuses on spanning a wide range of ages and access levels — with a wide range of prices to match. With the Advanced plans, parents can add access to apps and internet if desired. There’s no early termination fee, but you must pay off the remaining phone cost before you can cancel. 

Yello! emphasizes simplicity and low cost as a kid’s first phone (when the child’s ready for more, the TextNow Free Plan offers a $0 cost base plan with flexible options for adding data).  

Why choose Yello! over Bark Phone?  

Bark Phone’s main advantage is its “grow with the child” graduated access. The Starter plan blocks internet browsers and social media, but Advanced plans let parents gradually layer on more freedom. That’s also its main disadvantage — there’s a lot of parental controls, and you can get as granular as setting access and time limits app-by-app. That’s a ton to manage, and some users complain about the sheer volume of parental alerts the controls can generate.  

While Bark can cost a lot and be a lot to manage, Yello! focuses on a single plan and a streamlined experience for kids and parents alike. The phone and monthly plan are less expensive than Bark’s lowest-cost choices. And it’s easy to take your child’s Yello! phone number to the family plan or another provider when they’re ready for more access — or just bump them up to regular TextNow service, which offers graduated data access or absolutely free service if you choose.  

Yello! vs. Pinwheel: Feature and plan comparison 

Pinwheel offers three phones and gives you the option to pair them with your existing wireless service or choose Pinwheel Wireless. But to get real usability, you pay a premium. Only the most expensive phone works with all carriers and includes 5G access. Service isn’t cheap, either, whether you opt for Pinwheel Wireless or pay the $17.99/month subscription to use Pinwheel with your existing cell plan. There are discounts for paying quarterly or annually, but no refund if you cancel partway through the quarter or more than 30 days into the yearly plan.  

Conversely, Yello! offers a safe environment at a more affordable price for both the phone and service. You get a nationwide 5G network with no ongoing contract or early termination fee.  

Why choose Yello! over Pinwheel  

Pinwheel’s main calling card is the flexibility to use it with an existing family phone plan. But you still have the Caregiver Portal Subscription to manage separately. Still, some parents might find the co-parenting features and graduated access attractive despite the costs.    

Yello! Offers a much simpler experience at a lower price point. When the child is ready for more access, the TextNow Free Plan offers no-cost service with limited data access and flexible options for adding more. 

Other safe first phone choices

Troomi: This is a less-known choice, with a single phone offered right now ($249.95) paired with monthly service plans for $24.95-$34.95. Safety features include parental contact list management, no social media, monitoring and parental alerts on worrisome communication (self-harm, etc.). To get group and picture texting or the ability to white-list browsers or apps, you have to choose a higher-cost plan. But user reviews note it’s fairly easy for kids to defeat settings that restrict internet access.  

Teracube Thrive: Like with Pinwheel, you have the option to use the Thrive phone ($249.99) with your own phone plan. Or you can bundle it with a wireless plan from Teracube starting at $35/month and get the phone at a discounted $119 price. Important note: Teracube Wireless does not have service in Hawaii or Alaska. Safety features include parent approval for contacts and apps, location monitoring, and an activity tracker for screen time, app use, and call history.  

KosherCell: This is the rare kids phone that doesn’t offer its own wireless plan. Instead, KosherCell sells a variety of phone models to use with a service plan you choose. Pick what apps you want on the phone during checkout from an approved list (web browsers and social media are not offered). KosherCell also sells flip phones, car navigation devices, and handheld game consoles. You can opt to block AI or Wi-Fi use.  

FAQs about first phones