Visibility in this ranking can be paid for. Payment gives a vendor more visibility, higher up on the review pages; it never adds a vendor, and it never changes a word of the review. The largest vendors in parental control apps
cannot hold places 1 to 3. Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands in a category,
wherever the category has them; the established names follow from place 4 in their ranked order. How it works: placement disclosure ·
editorial process.
The 12 tools, reviewed
#1 Qustodio
Barcelona-built filter and screen time app with two annual plans · Spain · qustodio.com
Spanish vendor Euro pricing Cross-platform
Qustodio earns the top spot on plain readability.
- Pricing: Per year, device tiers. Basic is listed at 46.95 euros a year for up to five devices and Complete at 79.95 euros a year for unlimited family devices, both on the pricing page checked. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: European families with mixed devices
- Strengths: Web filtering and SafeSearch; Daily time limits and routines; Pause internet access.
Where it falls short
The best monitoring is Android-heavy. On iPhone, calls and messages monitoring needs a Windows or Mac computer in the loop, and the social alerts listed above are Android only.
Wrong for
A family where every child has an iPhone and wants message-level alerts should read the iOS footnotes before paying, or look at Apple's own Screen Time first.
Visit Qustodio →
#2 Mobicip
Parental control with three tiers priced by device count · United States · mobicip.com
Three tiers Kindle Fire 7-day trial
Mobicip's strongest point is how little there is to decide. All three plans list the same eleven features, and the only variable is whether you manage five, ten or twenty devices, so you never discover that location sharing sits behind the dearer tier. It works on iPhone, iPad, Android, Kindle Fire, Mac, Windows and Chromebook, a longer list than several better-known rivals.
- Pricing: Per month, billed annually, device tiers. Lite is 2.99 dollars a month for 5 devices, Standard 4.99 for 10 and Premium 7.99 for 20, all billed annually after a seven-day free trial. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Households with Kindle or Chromebook devices
- Strengths: App blocker with uninstall protection; Website blocker by category; Screen time limits and schedules.
Where it falls short
Support runs Monday to Friday by email or a scheduled call, not around the clock. Social media monitoring is described in terms of alerts for dangerous conversations, with no list of the apps covered on the pages checked.
Wrong for
Parents who want live screenshots or message-level content review will find the monitoring shallow and should compare OurPact or Qustodio.
Visit Mobicip →
#3 Aura Parental Controls
Unlimited-device kids plan that is part of an identity-protection suite · United States · aura.com
Unlimited devices In-game chat alerts Bundle with identity tools
Aura breaks the usual pricing habit. A single Kids plan covers unlimited children and devices, so a family with four kids and six screens pays the same as one with a single phone. The pages list a gaming layer, Safe Gaming by Kidas, that reads in-game chat on more than 200 popular games for cyberbullying and predator signals on Windows computers.
- Pricing: Per month, per household plan. The Kids plan is 10 dollars a month billed annually or 13 monthly, and the Family plan 32 dollars a month billed annually or 50 monthly, after a 14-day free trial. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Households that already want Aura's wider safety bundle
- Strengths: Content filtering and site blocking; Screen time limits and scheduling; Pause the internet.
Where it falls short
Controls run on iPhone and iPad (iOS 16 or later) and Android 12 or later, with Windows for the gaming module, so a Mac or Chromebook is not covered by the filter.
Wrong for
Anyone who needs Mac or Chromebook coverage, or who wants a parental tool without an identity-protection sales funnel, should look at Qustodio or Mobicip.
Visit Aura Parental Controls →
#4 Google Family Link
Google's own supervision for child accounts and Android devices · United States · families.google
Android Google account Chrome and Play
Family Link is the default answer on Android for a reason: it sits at the account layer, so a child's Chrome, Play Store, Search and YouTube settings are set in one place. The pages show per-app time limits with unlimited time reserved for educational apps, school time and downtime schedules, and approval of new installs.
- Pricing: Included with Google account. No price appears on the Family Link page, which presents it as a Google account feature rather than a subscription. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Android families that live inside Google services
- Strengths: App time limits and downtime; App approvals in Google Play; Chrome and SafeSearch restrictions.
Where it falls short
It governs Google surfaces, not everything on the phone: a child who finds another browser or a messaging app falls outside the filter.
Wrong for
A parent who needs to see messages, block categories across every browser or supervise a Mac should pair it with a paid tool such as Qustodio or Net Nanny.
Visit Google Family Link →
#5 Apple Screen Time
Built-in controls on Apple devices through Family Sharing · United States · apple.com
Apple devices Family Sharing Ask to Buy
Apple sets controls at the operating system, so they are hard to sidestep without a parent. The families page walks through a Child Account required under 13 and available up to 18, then layers Ask to Buy, Ask to Browse and a requirement that a child ask before adding a new contact for calls, FaceTime or Messages.
- Pricing: Included with Apple devices. Apple's families page shows no price and describes the controls as part of Child Accounts and Family Sharing on Apple devices. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: All-Apple households with children
- Strengths: Child Accounts with age-based safeguards; Ask to Buy for apps and purchases; Ask to Browse for new websites in Safari.
Where it falls short
Nothing works across platforms. A child's Android tablet, a Windows laptop at school or a console is outside the controls, and the families page lists iPhone, iPad and Mac only.
Wrong for
A household with an Android phone, a Windows PC or a Chromebook needs a cross-platform product such as Qustodio or Mobicip alongside, or instead.
Visit Apple Screen Time →
#6 Microsoft Family Safety
Microsoft account supervision for Windows, Xbox and Android · United States · microsoft.com
Windows and Xbox Edge filter Microsoft account
For a family whose children play Minecraft on an Xbox and do homework on a Windows laptop, Microsoft Family Safety is the product that already sees both. Screen time limits apply to Windows 10 and 11, Xbox One and Series consoles, and Android apps and games, and children can request more time from within the app.
- Pricing: Included with Microsoft account. The Family Safety page invites a free try and shows no price on the page checked. Free plan: free plan.
- Best for: Windows and Xbox households
- Strengths: App and game time limits on Windows, Xbox and Android; Device time limits on Windows and Xbox; Screen time requests.
Where it falls short
The browser rule is the catch: the web filter works only in Microsoft Edge, and blocking every other browser means a child on Chrome cannot browse at all.
Wrong for
A family whose children use iPhones or Chromebooks should look at Apple Screen Time or Qustodio, because the device limits will not reach them.
Visit Microsoft Family Safety →
#7 OurPact
Screen blocking schedules plus screenshot-based content monitoring · United States · ourpact.com
Screenshots Block schedules 20 devices
OurPact reads like a tool built by parents of younger children. Block schedules set app and device access for school, bedtime and family time, a button locks the phone at once, and an encrypted gallery stores screenshots taken on demand or at intervals.
- Pricing: Per month, billed annually. Premium is 5.83 dollars a month on a 69.99 dollar annual bill (6.99 monthly) and Premium Plus is 8.33 a month on 99.99 a year (9.99 monthly), each covering 20 child devices. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Parents of children under 13
- Strengths: Screen limits and block schedules; Instant block and unblock; App blocker.
Where it falls short
Screenshot monitoring is invasive, and tamperproofing is described only for iOS 18 and earlier, so newer iPhones may have a weaker guard.
Wrong for
Parents of teenagers who expect privacy, or families that want a plain web filter and nothing else, would do better with Mobicip or Net Nanny.
Visit OurPact →
#8 Canopy
Filter built around blocking explicit images and sexting alerts · United States · canopy.us
Porn blocking Sexting alerts Accountability partner
Canopy focuses on one problem and says so. The FAQ on its pricing page claims it detects and blocks pornography on any website and alerts a parent when it detects sexting, and the plan list adds AI chatbot filtering and an accountability partner, a human or AI ally who is told when the filter is bypassed.
- Pricing: Per month, billed annually, device tiers. Essential is 8.33 dollars a month for one device, Plus 9.99 for up to three and Premium 12.50 for up to ten, all billed annually after a seven-day free trial. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Parents focused on explicit content
- Strengths: Smart content filtering; App and website blocking; Removal prevention.
Where it falls short
It is priced per device tier, and the one-device Essential plan costs more per month than Mobicip's entry tier for five. Features outside content filtering, location and screen time are thin, and there is no social message review.
Wrong for
A family with four or five devices or one needing deep social media oversight should compare Aura's unlimited plan or Qustodio.
Visit Canopy →
#9 Net Nanny
Long-running web filter that scans pages on the device · United Kingdom · netnanny.com
On-device scanning Windows and Mac iOS app blocking
Net Nanny has been selling filtering since 1994 and the home page claims use in 115 countries. Its approach is to scan every page on the child's device as it loads rather than rely on a blocklist, with alerts in a Family Feed for searches around pornography, suicide, weapons and drugs.
- Pricing: Per year, device packs. A desktop license is 39.99 dollars a year, five devices 54.99 and twenty devices 89.99, all shown as 30 percent off a higher list price. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Desktop and iPhone households
- Strengths: Real-time page content detection; Website blocker; Screen time management.
Where it falls short
Only Windows, macOS and iOS are listed, so Android phones and tablets are unsupported on the page checked. Prices are quoted with a permanent-looking 30 percent promotion, so the true list price is unclear.
Wrong for
Anyone with Android devices or children who live in chat apps should pick Qustodio, Mobicip or Aura instead.
Visit Net Nanny →
Wondershare Driving report Social alerts
FamiSafe's page lists more monitoring surfaces than any other product here: calls and messages, screen viewer, one-way audio, YouTube and TikTok history, a driving report for new teen drivers and an SOS alert. Version 9.0 adds AI risk flags across more than 30 social apps. There is a version for schools beyond the family product.
- Pricing: Subscription (price not readable). The pricing page returned a not-found error on 29 October 2026, so no price is quoted here; the product offers a free trial. Free plan: free trial.
- Best for: Parents who want maximum monitoring
- Strengths: Calls and messages monitoring; Screen time and app rules; Screen viewer.
Where it falls short
The feature list is wide and the transparency is not. The main pricing page did not load on the day, no street address was found and the privacy policy describes transfers outside the EU.
Wrong for
European parents who want clear EU data handling, or those who prefer a plain filter, should look at Qustodio or Mobicip.
Visit FamiSafe →
#11 Norton Family
Parental control bundled into Norton's security suites · United States · us.norton.com
Bundled Windows Android iOS 30-day history
Norton Family is worth reading about mainly if the suite is already on the credit card. The page positions it for Windows, Android and iOS, with app supervision on Android and Windows, web rules, scheduled time limits and a history held for 30 days.
- Pricing: Bundled in annual suite. On the page checked, Parental Control appears in Norton 360 Deluxe at 119.99 dollars for the first year (5 devices) and Select Plus at 189.99 (10 devices). Free plan: none.
- Best for: Households already paying for Norton 360
- Strengths: App supervision on Android and Windows; Web browsing rules; Time limits for devices and internet.
Where it falls short
A stand-alone price was not readable, and the lower Norton tiers omit the parental tool entirely. Feature depth on iOS is not described in the same detail as Android and Windows.
Wrong for
A family that wants only parental controls, or that does not use Norton security, should buy a dedicated tool such as Qustodio or Mobicip.
Visit Norton Family →
#12 Kaspersky Safe Kids
Parental control app with a child-facing limit bar · Russia · kaspersky.com
GPS YouTube Safe Search 4 platforms
Safe Kids differs from the others in how it speaks to the child. A limit bar lets younger children see their remaining time, and teenagers get their own dashboard for managing screen time without a parent in the loop. Age bands of 3 to 5, 6 to 12 and 13 to 18 carry different default settings.
- Pricing: Subscription (price not readable). No price was readable on the page checked, which links a 30-day money-back guarantee and compares Safe Kids with the Premium plan. Free plan: none.
- Best for: Families outside US restrictions
- Strengths: Web filtering and Safe Search for YouTube; App use control; Screen time management and scheduling.
Where it falls short
Sales of Kaspersky products are restricted in the United States (a point not stated on the vendor page itself), so availability depends on where you live and should be checked first. The company lists Moscow headquarters, which some buyers rule out.
Wrong for
Anyone in the United States, or any buyer who cannot accept a Russian vendor, should choose another product, such as Qustodio or Mobicip.
Visit Kaspersky Safe Kids →
Questions and answers
What is the best parental control app in 2026?
Qustodio ranks first of 12, best for european families with mixed devices. Mobicip is second (households with Kindle or Chromebook devices) and Aura Parental Controls third (households that already want Aura's wider safety bundle). Places 1 to 3 go to challengers, vendors outside the best-known brands, wherever the category has them.
Are free parental controls from Apple, Google and Microsoft enough?
Often yes for younger children on one platform. Apple's Child Account, Ask to Buy and Time Allowances work on iPhone, iPad and Mac, Family Link covers Android and Chrome, and Microsoft covers Windows, Xbox and Android apps.
Do parental control apps work on iPhones?
They do, but with narrower reach than on Android. Qustodio states that calls and messages monitoring on iOS requires a Windows or Mac computer, and the panic button and several social message alerts are Android only.
Can a child get around a parental control app?
Sometimes. Children can open a different browser, create a new account, change the device clock or uninstall an app without removal protection.
How much do parental control apps cost?
Prices on the pages checked range from nothing for the platform tools to roughly 90 dollars a year for twenty-device Net Nanny.
Is it legal to monitor my child's phone?
Parents of minors generally have wide latitude to supervise a child's device, and the tools listed here are designed for that purpose with the child's knowledge.
What is the difference between a filter and a monitoring app?
A filter blocks content before the child sees it, as Net Nanny scans pages as they load and Canopy blocks explicit images.
Can I use one app for several children and many devices?
Yes, but the limit differs. Aura's Kids plan covers unlimited kids and devices, Qustodio's Complete plan covers unlimited family devices, Mobicip's Premium covers 20, OurPact lists 20 child devices on both plans and Canopy's Premium covers up to ten.
Does a VPN or antivirus include parental controls?
Some security suites do. Norton 360 Deluxe lists Parental Control in its feature list, and Kaspersky sells Safe Kids next to its Premium plan, while Aura bundles it with identity tools.
Should I worry about where the vendor is based?
It is a fair question, since the app sees a child's location and searches.
What age should I start using a parental control app?
Most vendors build for the first phone or tablet, around ages 5 to 13, and add teenage settings afterward.
