Hāpara Filter vs Bark for Schools
Compare two K-12 web filters that also offer mental health monitoring to protect learners.
Overview
Hāpara offers a Bark alternative for protecting students across schools and districts. Hāpara and Bark both provide K-12 web filters and mental health monitoring, but their full web filtering capabilities are quite different.
This page will explain how Hāpara Filter and Bark for Schools compare.
What does Hāpara do as a Bark alternative?
Hāpara offers a complete suite of K-12 digital tools. The Hāpara Instructional Suite includes a web filter and Chrome browser monitoring tool, as well as tools dedicated to organizing and personalizing learning.
What does Bark do?
Bark offers products that safeguard families and schools. Tools include web filtering, content monitoring and mental health alerts.
An overview of Hāpara Filter
Hāpara Filter, a Bark alternative, is a K-12 web filter that uses real-time AI to restrict content. Because it intelligently understands context, it knows which websites provide educational value. It can also blur or mute the content that is specifically inappropriate or harmful.
An overview of Bark for Schools
Bark for Schools is a free K-12 product that includes a monitoring tool and web filter. Schools can set up the web filter to allow or block specific websites and whole categories of sites.
How they compare
Features
Hāpara Filter
Bark for Schools
Devices
Hāpara Filter works on any device when students are logged in to their school Google account.
Bark for Schools works on devices through students’ Google or Office 365 accounts.
Admin management
Technology administrators can install Hāpara Filter within a few minutes. It then starts using real-time AI to analyze content.
Technology administrators can get started with Bark for School in about 15 minutes. Admins then need to set up web filter allowed and blocked lists.
Teacher management
With Hāpara Filter, teachers can approve websites in-the-moment to help with learning. They don’t need to request approval from a technology administrator. Students can also easily request website approval.
Bark for School does not offer teacher management options.
YouTube
School districts don’t need to block YouTube when using Hāpara Filter. Because its real-time AI understands context, the web filter blurs or mutes the content that is not appropriate, and learners can safely visit YouTube.
School districts need to block YouTube entirely through Bark for Schools to stop students from seeing or hearing harmful content.
Video, audio, images and text
Hāpara Filter intelligently identifies inappropriate or harmful content, including sections of video or audio and specific images and text. The filter works in real-time to blur or mute content.
Bark for Schools blocks entire websites or categories of websites, rather than restricting specific content on a page.
Zoom and Google Meet
Hāpara Filter uses AI in real-time to detect harmful content. During online class sessions, the web filter blurs harmful text or images when they’re detected—without interrupting instruction.
Bark for Schools works by blocking websites, so it can’t restrict text or images during online class meetings.
Google games and games on Google Sites
Hāpara Filter blocks Google games and games on Google Sites. Other web filters can’t detect that they’re games, but Hāpara Filter understands context like humans do.
Bark for Schools does not specifically block Google games or games on Google Sites.
Ads and tracking
Hāpara Filter protects student privacy by anonymizing Google searches and blocking ads and tracking.
Bark for Schools does not block ads or tracking or anonymize Google searches.
Mental health detection
Hāpara also offers a Wellness Module that can be included with the web filter. It sends administrators alerts about issues such as cyberbullying and self-harm.
Bark focuses primarily on mental health detection. As part of Bark for Schools, administrators get alerts about student online searches. Parents also get alerts so that families can intervene when necessary.
How they compare
Hāpara Filter
Devices
Hāpara Filter works on any device when students are logged in to their school Google account.
Admin management
Technology administrators can install Hāpara Filter within a few minutes. It then starts using real-time AI to analyze content.
Teacher management
With Hāpara Filter, teachers can approve websites in-the-moment to help with learning. They don’t need to request approval from a technology administrator. Students can also easily request website approval.
YouTube
School districts don’t need to block YouTube when using Hāpara Filter. Because its real-time AI understands context, the web filter blurs or mutes the content that is not appropriate, and learners can safely visit YouTube.
Video, audio, images and text
Hāpara Filter intelligently identifies inappropriate or harmful content, including sections of video or audio and specific images and text. The filter works in real-time to blur or mute content.
Zoom and Google Meet
Hāpara Filter uses AI in real-time to detect harmful content. During online class sessions, the web filter blurs harmful text or images when they’re detected—without interrupting instruction.
Google games and games on Google Sites
Hāpara Filter blocks Google games and games on Google Sites. Other web filters can’t detect that they’re games, but Hāpara Filter understands context like humans do.
Ads and tracking
Hāpara Filter protects student privacy by anonymizing Google searches and blocking ads and tracking.
Mental health detection
Hāpara also offers a Wellness Module that can be included with the web filter. It sends administrators alerts about issues such as cyberbullying and self-harm.
Bark for Schools
Devices
Bark for Schools works on devices through students’ Google or Office 365 accounts.
Admin management
Technology administrators can get started with Bark for School in about 15 minutes. Admins then need to set up web filter allowed and blocked lists.
Teacher management
Bark for School does not offer teacher management options.
YouTube
School districts need to block YouTube entirely through Bark for Schools to stop students from seeing or hearing harmful content.
Video, audio, images and text
Bark for Schools blocks entire websites or categories of websites, rather than restricting specific content on a page.
Zoom and Google Meet
Bark for Schools works by blocking websites, so it can’t restrict text or images during online class meetings.
Google games and games on Google Sites
Bark for Schools does not specifically block Google games or games on Google Sites.
Ads and tracking
Bark for Schools does not block ads or tracking or anonymize Google searches.
Mental health detection
Bark focuses primarily on mental health detection. As part of Bark for Schools, administrators get alerts about student online searches. Parents also get alerts so that families can intervene when necessary.