Guides & comparisons
A little homework.
A more confident hello.
Compare phones & one- or two-year costs →
Choosing a first phone comes with questions. Start with yours.
How do they compare?
A closer look at the options you’re considering.
Start with a question.
Practical guides for finding what fits your family.
Choosing their first phone
Start with what your child needs a phone to do.
Read the guideA phone without the screen
Explore a way to stay in touch without adding another screen.
Read the guideWhat does a kids’ phone cost?
Think through equipment and ongoing service together.
Read the guideA home phone over Wi-Fi
Understand how an internet-connected home phone works.
Read the guideKeep a phone you already love
Meet the Bridge for compatible analog phones.
Read the guideHello, Philadelphia
Get to know Ring Ring close to home.
Read the guideMore on choosing a first phone.
Alternatives to giving kids a smartphone, priced
Five real alternatives to a first smartphone, with verified 2026 prices, first-year costs, and the ownership data behind the pressure to buy early.
Read the guideThe Anxious Generation phone alternatives, charted
Jonathan Haidt's four norms, the CDC data behind them, and what a phone looks like when a family actually follows the book's advice.
Read the guideWhat age should a kid get their first phone?
Start with where they need to call from, who they need to reach, and what they can manage. Age is only part of the decision.
Read the guideScreen-free phones for kids: how to choose an alternative
Home phones, portable calling devices and a shared family phone solve different problems. Here is how to compare them.
Read the guideHow to set up a home phone over your internet connection
What to check before setup, how Modern and Bridge connections differ, and how to test the calling plan you chose.
Read the guideHow to delay a first smartphone while keeping your child connected
Separate calling from apps, make room for friendships, and agree on when to revisit the decision.
Read the guideCan an old phone become your child’s home phone?
A familiar handset can have a second life. Check its compatibility, connections and calling plan before you buy an adapter.
Read the guideTin Can vs Ring Ring Club: an honest side-by-side (2026)
Both are screen-free home phones for kids with free tiers and parent-approved contacts. The differences are price, bring-your-own-phone, and shipping. Here is the straight comparison.
Read the guideTin Can vs Ooma MyPhone: an honest comparison (2026)
Two screen-free landlines for kids with approved contacts only. One has a free tier and a sold-out start; the other is on store shelves with a $7.99 plan from day one. Here is how they compare.
Read the guidePinwheel Home vs Tin Can: kids’ home phones compared
Pinwheel now makes a Wi-Fi home phone too. Next to Tin Can, it is cheaper hardware with a cheaper entry plan and a five-number cap. Here is the straight comparison.
Read the guideGifts for long-distance grandparents: a call from the kids
A gift for the grandkids that turns out to be a gift for the grandparents: a phone the kids use to call on their own, while grandparents keep the cell or landline they already have.
Read the guideHow kids can call grandparents on their own, no smartphone
Four ways a child can call a grandparent without borrowing a parent’s phone, what each asks of the grandparent, and how to set up a kid’s home phone in an afternoon.
Read the guideThe Ring Ring blog
Advice for parents.
More on the first-phone decision, screen time, and helping kids stay connected.