My daughter just got her first phone last month and I want to keep track of where she goes after school. I’m wondering if the free version of the tracking app will actually work well enough for that.
For basic “where is she after school” tracking, the free Life360 is usually good enough—just set home and school as places and make sure her phone allows location “Always.” If you want driving reports, speed alerts, or longer history, that’s where the paid version and built-in Apple/Google family sharing come in.
The free Life360 tier handles basic location sharing fine, but expect ads, limited place alerts (usually only 2), and 2-day location history. If you just want “did she get home from school?” checks, it’s honestly enough — but for richer alerts and history, Life360 Gold or a competitor like Bark (with location features) or Find My (free on iPhone, if she’s all-Apple) might serve better. TL;DR: for simple after-school tracking, free Life360 works; for deep data and history, you’ll need to pay or use Find My alongside it.