Skie vs Balance Phone and Balance OS

What Balance is and how it works day to day

Balance is a Barcelona company that sells three Samsung phones with its own system layer, Balance OS, installed from the factory. The Kids model is built on a Galaxy A17, the standard model on an A37 5G and the Pro on a Galaxy S25. A fourth product, Balance OS, is a yearly subscription that installs the same layer on a compatible Samsung you already have.

Day to day, the phone looks like a calm Samsung. Social media, games, gambling, streaming, dating and adult content are off by default, and the maker says they are off for the whole community rather than phone by phone. Everything else, from WhatsApp and maps to banking and school apps, comes from the normal Play Store. If someone installs a blocked app it can download but shows a block screen when opened.

The maker is clear about its philosophy: parents do not decide per app. If a family thinks something was misclassified, they can use the double-check option on a block screen or write to support. That keeps the phone simple, and it also means two children of different ages on Balance see the same rules.

What it costs in total against Skie on a device you already own

As of November 2026 the maker's own pricing blog lists the Kids phone at 299 euros, with a note that prices in pounds or dollars are available on request. Add a SIM plan from your own carrier, or the optional Balance Mobile eSIM plans that its activation page lists from $25 a month. Balance OS on a Samsung you already own is 79 euros a year, billed annually.

The Skie side is shorter. Skie is software, so there is no phone to buy and no plan to take from us. A family uses a phone or tablet it already owns, which can be a hand-me-down. It does need to be Android 12 or newer, freshly set up or reset once. Pricing is on request, so ask for a quote for your number of children.

One honest point: if you have no spare device at all, a Balance Phone Kids comes ready to use, with a 3-year hardware warranty. Skie does not sell phones, so in that case the family buys its own Android device and the hardware cost sits outside Skie either way.

Controls compared: apps, web, location and SOS

On apps, Balance blocks categories for everyone. Skie works the other way round: the parent builds the allowed set for each child, apps are hidden or suspended rather than deleted so data returns when allowed again, and an app installed after setup that is not on the list is removed silently. The Play Store can be hidden entirely.

On the web, Balance applies its category rules in Chrome and Ecosia, and the FAQ says those are the only browsers where its restrictions apply. It can switch browsers off on request. Skie forces SafeSearch and YouTube restricted mode in Chrome, blocks incognito, and always blocks more than 50 other browsers, VPN apps, proxy apps and DNS changer apps. A filtering DNS is locked on the device, so the filter also applies on mobile data.

On location and emergencies, Skie has live location, a trail, geofence alerts, go-to directions and an SOS button that calls the emergency number. Balance does not document a location or SOS feature on its own pages, and its FAQ suggests pairing with Family Link or Samsung parental controls for screen time and settings. That pairing is a legitimate choice, but it is two tools instead of one.

Tamper resistance and what happens after a factory reset

This is Balance's strongest argument, and it deserves a fair read. The maker's FAQ says Balance OS is a system-level layer that cannot be switched off in Settings, uninstalled or cleared. It also says the layer survives a factory reset because the device is registered to Balance by IMEI on Samsung's servers, so a wiped phone or reinstalled firmware pulls Balance OS back. Removal is only possible by the buyer through a verified process, and the maker handles requested resets remotely. Cancelling a Balance OS subscription returns the phone to a normal Samsung within 24 to 48 business hours.

Skie takes a different route to the same goal. It runs as the Android device owner, so the rules come from Android itself. Factory reset from Settings is blocked, safe mode is blocked, developer options and adb are blocked, and Skie cannot be uninstalled or force-stopped. If a phone is wiped from the recovery menu, Android's Factory Reset Protection is on, so the device asks for the Skie organisation's Google sign-in before it can be set up again. Only Skie holds that sign-in, which makes a reset device of no use to whoever took it. If anything ever did get through, the parent is alerted immediately, down to the exact device.

Both approaches are built so a child cannot simply undo them. They differ in who holds the key: with Balance the maker verifies the buyer, with Skie the organisation account holds the sign-in and the parent sees the device on the dashboard.

Phones and tablets

Balance sells phones only, and Balance OS is listed for compatible Samsung phones. A tablet is not part of its range, and tablet support is not publicly documented. Skie treats phones and tablets equally: any Android 12 or newer tablet can be managed with the same app lists, schedules and web rules, and a Wi-Fi-only tablet works for most features. If a child has a phone for school travel and a tablet for homework, one Skie parent dashboard covers both, with one device per child.

Who should pick Balance

Pick Balance if you want to buy a new Samsung and have the rules set before it arrives. It suits parents who do not want to configure anything, who accept one block list for all users, and who like having the maker handle questions about resets and removal. It also suits adults who want a calmer phone for themselves, which is half of Balance's own audience. If you live in Spain or another market the phones ship to, the Samsung warranty and repair network are real benefits.

Pick it too if your child already has a compatible Samsung and a yearly subscription feels simpler than a new tool. Just plan for a factory reset and Wi-Fi at first boot, and be aware that a refurbished phone with a changed IMEI may not enrol.

Who should pick Skie

Pick Skie if the device is not a Samsung, if you want to keep the phone or tablet you already have, or if you want to choose apps per child. Skie also suits families who need a bedtime schedule, a school-hours mode, geofence alerts and an SOS button without adding a second app. It works in any country where the device has Google Play services, and parents get one dashboard for every child.

Be clear about what Skie is not. It includes no mobile plan, so you keep your own carrier. It does not sell hardware. Per-app time limits and screen time reports are not available yet, and the team is working on them. If those are your top needs today, say so when you ask for pricing.

How setup with Skie works

Android only allows device-owner management on a device that has not been set up, so the phone or tablet is freshly set up or reset once, and any Google account is removed first. The parent then provisions it with the Skie Provision app from Google Play, or with a computer and cable. A new device model goes through a one-time model review during setup. After that the parent signs in to the dashboard in a browser, chooses apps, sets a schedule and adds a geofence. The phone shows that it is managed, because Skie has no hidden mode and does not read messages.