OurDot vs Messenger Kids
Both are free, ad-free and parent-controlled. The difference is who the app is built around: a child's approved contact list, or the whole family in one shared space.
Messenger Kids is a mature, free messaging app for kids under 13 where parents approve each contact. OurDot is a whole-family app, for all ages, where kids share, message, play and learn inside one invite-only family, and adults other than guardians never chat with a child one-on-one.
| OurDot | Messenger Kids | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Free | Free |
| Ads | None | None, and no in-app purchases |
| Who it’s for | Whole families, every age | Kids under 13 (eSafety lists it as 6+) |
| Who can contact a child | Only people in their family; adults other than guardians only in family chats or groups | Contacts a parent approves, which can include adults who use Messenger |
| Sleep and time limits | Sleep mode, school mode, daily game time | Sleep mode (set days and times) |
| What guardians see | Everything shared with the family; a weekly summary; never the journal | Who the child chats with and what they send and receive |
| Beyond messaging | Family feed, voice notes, video calls, games, lessons, meal planning, journal | Messaging and video calls |
| Who makes it | MadCap Associates LLC | Meta |
What Messenger Kids does well
It's free, has no ads or in-app purchases, doesn't need a Facebook account for the child, gives parents a dashboard to approve and remove contacts, includes sleep mode, and lets parents download their child's data. It's been around since 2017, and many families already use it.
Where they differ
Messenger Kids is built around a child's contact list; OurDot is built around a family. In OurDot, grandparents, aunts and family friends talk with kids in shared family spaces with a guardian present, not one-on-one, and the same app grows with kids into their teens.
A note on the FTC
In May 2023, the FTC alleged that between late 2017 and mid-2019, flaws in Messenger Kids let children join group chats and calls with contacts their parents hadn't approved, and proposed changes to Meta's earlier privacy order. Meta disputes the proceedings, and as of February 2026 they were unresolved. These are allegations, not findings.