Best Parental Control App: Norton Family Premier vs Net Nanny vs Qustodio & More

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Are you worried about your child being exposed to profanity, pornography, or potential predators while using their smartphone?

Whether your child is eight or sixteen, she could have access to all kinds of inappropriate images, language, and people without your knowledge.

Fortunately, you have some tech help on your side. Welcome to parental control apps. These best family tracker apps and software give you remote supervision over your child’s mobile activity, so you can make sure she is safe and making smart choices with her mobile use.

Article Overview

How Do Parental Control Apps Work?

Kid on tablet (caption: Best Parental Control Apps and Software)Parental control and monitoring apps allow you to:

  1. Set up filters to block websites that contain pornography, profanity, and any other content you deem inappropriate for your child’s age.
  2. Block your kids from downloading specified apps to their mobile devices. And you can get detailed reports on their mobile device activity.
  3. The best parental control apps for smartphones even give you the ability to monitor their texting, calling, and contacts, as well as tracking their location using GPS.

Parental Control Apps FAQ

Before we jump into our reviews, we want to share some important information when shopping around for the best parental control apps.

Is This Spyware?

The apps we’ve reviewed here aren’t technically spyware. Your child knows that you’ve installed the software on her device and that you’re monitoring her usage. Some parental control apps do have a feature called invisibility, which cloaks its existence on the device. But even if you’ve set the software to be invisible, it won’t take long for savvy pre-teens and certainly teens to know it’s there.

iPhone vs Android Monitoring

Android mobile devices are easier to monitor, hands down. Apple’s operating system has more limits on the type of content and activity third-party apps can control. So, most parental control software behaves differently for iOS vs Android devices. Some workaround Apple a bit better, but there are limits.

What Social Media And Chat Apps Should Be On Your Radar?

As a mom of two teenage girls, I have the unwelcome privilege of knowing what apps kids today use to communicate with each other (and with potential predators). So, what’s hot these days? Snapchat, Kik, Vine, Instagram, Tumblr, Twitter, WhatsApp, and Facebook should all be on your radar. There are plenty of other social sharing sites and apps out there, but these are the most popular and a good start for concerned parents.

Best Parental Control Apps

How did we choose our best parental control apps? We based our rankings on several factors, including web filtering and app blocking tools, location tracking features, the ability to block and monitor texting, calling and social media, pricing, and more. Our reviews give you our rankings and recommendations for the type of monitoring you want. Read on to see how you can gain more supervision over your kid’s mobile use!

Best For Multiple Devices: Qustodio Review

Qustodio logo 250

Visit Website |iOS App |Android App

Qustodio is the best parental control app for multiple devices. This app is a strong contender, especially for families who want to monitor multiple users and devices. Its standout features include text and call monitoring, device compatibility, and time limits per Internet, apps, and each device. Qustodio offers data monitoring, location tracking, the ability to set custom limits and alerts, and limited social media monitoring. Qustodio offers a free version for one user on one device — it doesn’t include premium features, but it’s a good option to get you started.

Pros

Cons

  • Free version and affordable pricing tiers for premium versions
  • Strong app blocking tools
  • Monitors texts, calls, and contacts
  • Social media monitoring (mainly Facebook)
  • Can manage multiple users and devices from one admin panel
  • Not as many custom web filters and alerts as our top two apps
  • No geofencing tool (but has child locator)
  • Can’t view deleted content and no tampering alert
  • Customer service via email only

Pricing & Compatibility

  • Free version for 1 user and 1 device
  • Small Plan: $4.58/month for 5 users and 5 devices
  • Medium Plan: $8.08/month for 10 users and 10 devices
  • Large Plan: $11.50/month for 15 devices
  • Compatible with Windows, Mac OS X, Android, iOS, Kindle, and Nook

Best For Web Blocking: Norton Family Review

Norton logo 250

Visit Website |iOS App |Android App

Norton Family is the best app for web blocking. Norton really shines on Android devices (its iOS version is more limited). It’s hard to beat this parental control app and software for its robust web filtering and app blocking tools that you can install on smartphones and computers. And its location tracking feature rivals Qustodio’s. But if you want the ability to adequately monitor your child’s text messaging, calling, and contacts, you’ll have to look elsewhere. You can’t block phone numbers, and text monitoring is very limited. If these features aren’t important to you, then Norton Family Premier has better web filtering control than Qustodio.

Pros

Cons

  • Very affordable pricing
  • Excellent web filtering and app blocking tools and custom filters
  • Unlimited number of users and devices
  • Easy admin tools to manage multiple users/devices
  • 24/7 customer support via live chat, phone, and email
  • 30-day free trial
  • Can’t block texts or calls and limited text message monitoring
  • No social media monitoring for mobile devices
  • Child locator tool doesn’t have geofencing
  • Limited iOS support
  • Can’t view deleted content and no tampering alert

Pricing & Compatibility

Norton Family Premier offers a generous 30-day free trial.

  • $49.99/year for unlimited devices and users
  • Compatible with Windows, Mac OS X, Android, iOS

Best Free Version: ESET Parental Control Review

ESET logo

Visit Website |Android App

ESET Parental Control is a budget-friendly app for Android phones. In fact, ESET offers a decent free version that includes age-based app filters and time limits for such activities as gaming. For only $29.99 per year, you can get ESET’s premium version that also offers site blocking and filtering, a child locator feature, and full reporting. But if you want to monitor your child’s calling, texting, and social media use, ESET is not the app for you. This app is likely all you’ll need for younger children, but it lacks the monitoring features needed to control devices for pre-teens and teens.

Pros

Cons

  • Easy to install and manage from the admin dashboard
  • Free version and very affordable premium version
  • No limit on the number of devices
  • Good time-limit settings per app
  • Can’t monitor calling, texting, contacts, or social media use
  • Lacks more advanced web filtering you get with high-end apps
  • No geofencing or location history (but it does have a child locator)
  • Tech support via email ticket only

Pricing & Compatibility

ESET Parental Control offers a limited free version, as well as a 30-day free trial for its premium version.

  • $29.99/year for unlimited users and devices
  • Compatible with Windows, Mac OS X, and Android (no iOS version planned at time of writing)

Parental Control Apps Features Comparison Table

See an easy, side-by-side comparison of each best parental control software for mobile devices in the table below.

Best for Multiple Devices: Qustodio Best for Web Blocking: Norton Best Free Version: Eset Net Nanny
Best for Multiple Devices: Qustodio Best for Web Blocking: Norton Best Free Version: Eset Net Nanny
Lowest Price Per Year $54.95 $49.95 $29.99 $59.99
Free Trial Free Version 30 Days Free Version
Number of Users 1-10 Unlimited Unlimited 5-15
Number of Devices 1-10 Unlimited Unlimited 5-15
Per User Settings Checkmark Checkmark Checkmark Checkmark
Remote Management Checkmark Checkmark Checkmark Checkmark
Web Filtering Checkmark Checkmark Checkmark Checkmark
App Blocking Checkmark Checkmark Checkmark Checkmark
Time Limits Checkmark Checkmark Checkmark Checkmark
View Video & Photo Sharing Checkmark Checkmark Checkmark
Social Media Monitoring Checkmark Checkmark
Monitor Contacts
Text Monitoring Checkmark Android Only
Real-Time Alerts Checkmark Checkmark Checkmark
Location Tracking Checkmark Checkmark
Panic Button Checkmark
View Deleted Content
Tampering Alert
Remote Lock Checkmark Checkmark
Invisible Mode Checkmark
Supports iOS Checkmark Checkmark Checkmark
Supports Android Checkmark Checkmark Checkmark Checkmark
Supports Windows Checkmark Checkmark Checkmark
Supports Mac OS Checkmark Checkmark Checkmark
Customer Support Email Only 24/7 Live Chat, Phone, Email Email Only Mon-Sat. Via Phone, Email

Honorable Mention: Net Nanny

Parental control is a booming market, with many fantastic options. Net Nanny didn’t make it into our top 3 this year, but is worthy of serious consideration depending on your budget and family’s needs.

Net Nanny Review

Net Nanny logo

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Net Nanny has been around since 1996 and remains one of the most popular parental control software solutions out there. It’s an excellent option for PCs and Macs and internet usage on mobile devices. Net Nanny masks profanity, blocks inappropriate sites and images, and has some of the best web filtering and app blocking capabilities you’ll find. And the higher-end version, called Family Protection Pass, includes social media monitoring on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr, Google+ and LinkedIn. What’s missing? Net Nanny doesn’t offer text or call monitoring, and it doesn’t have a location tracker. But if you’re mainly concerned about your kids’ Internet and app usage, Net Nanny is among the best.

Pros

Cons

  • Competitive pricing
  • Among the best web filtering tools on the market
  • Manage multiple devices and users from the admin panel
  • Solid social media monitoring
  • Excellent tech support via phone and email 6 days/week
  • No text or call monitoring
  • Doesn’t offer location tracking
  • Some user complaints about a difficult installation process
  • Can’t set time limits per app
  • No free trial or free version

Pricing & Compatibility

  • $39.99/year for 1 device (Windows or Mac only)
  • $54.99/year for 5 computers or devices
  • $89.99/year for 10 computers or devices
  • Compatible with Windows, Mac OS X, iOS, and Android
  • View all options

Video: Need More Advice On Keeping Your Kids Safe?

There’s no doubt that a large majority of kids in the U.S. use mobile devices. According to a 2019 report by the Pew Research Center, nearly 95% of teenagers say they have access to a Smartphone, and 45% say they are on the internet “almost constantly.”

Controlling and monitoring your kids’ cell phone activity isn’t easy, but the following news broadcast gives you some added tips to help you do your best.

Parental Controls App Infographic (Printable)

Here’s a summary of the benefits of these tools in a visual format.

Parental Controls App Infographic

How Can Parental Control Apps Build Trust?

We think a major selling point for the parental control apps we’ve reviewed here is the fact that they’re not spyware. The openness of the software encourages parents and kids of all ages to have ongoing conversations about online and cell phone safety. This method builds more trust than simply spying on your child’s mobile activity.

Another huge plus in our book is that you can customize what you’re blocking or filtering at age-appropriate levels. It’s a safe, smart way to keep your kids secure as they grow and gain more freedom.

Also, take a look at our review of family tracking apps that serve a similar purpose.

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The information provided through this website should not be used to diagnose or treat a health problem or disease; it is not intended to offer any legal opinion or advice or a substitute for professional safety advice or professional care. Please consult your health care provider, attorney, or product manual for professional advice. Products and services reviewed are provided by third parties; we are not responsible in any way for them, nor do we guarantee their functionality, utility, safety, or reliability. Our content is for educational purposes only.

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