Best parental control software to set device limits without confiscating your kid's phone

You may not know how to pronounce it upon first glance, but there's nothing confusing about Qustodio's setup. Everything about it is easy to navigate — from installation, to adding profiles for different children, to jumping between each kid's activity timelines.

It's a particularly great (albeit a bit outdated) interface for parents, grandparents, or other guardians who aren't super tech-savvy. The mobile app is much fresher than the desktop app.

Though Qustodio's monthly fee is a bit steeper than others, it feels like an appropriate trade-off for the robust list of ways to keep an eye on behavior. The expected screen time controls, pornography blocking, and browsing history are here (including time limits for specific apps or games), plus a look at posts and comments on social media like Instagram or WhatsApp. YouTube monitoring is a rare addition that plugs a loophole that can occur once savvy kids notice that sketchy websites have already been blocked. The SMS monitoring doesn't apply to iMessages, obviously.

The panic button (only available in the Premium package) provides an extra layer of protection for parents who don't get peace of mind from location tracking alone. When away from home, children can send a direct text alert to emergency contacts pinpointing their whereabouts.

The ability to sync unlimited profiles is hardly the only reason Kaspersky is a savior for large families. Geofencing is priceless for parents who need a hand in keeping up with the schedules of multiple kids. Use it to define safe places where a child should be during certain hours and receive an alert if they leave the designated area (or if they don't arrive somewhere on time, like coming home after school). If your kid's battery is running low, you'll get a heads up to ensure that you don't lose touch without notice.

Web and app filtering are pretty black and white. You can choose to block specific apps or URLs or use Kaspersky's pre-determined factors to decide whether a website or app is appropriate for the age of your child. (Older kids might appreciate that something like Netflix isn't blocked for them even if it's blocked for a younger sibling.) Unlike Qustodio, Kaspersky does not actively scan the page.

Sketchy links, webcam or selfie camera hackers, and sites asking for credit card info open a new can of worms when it comes to kids and the internet.

The purchase of Norton 360 Deluxe and Select (both often on sale) includes Norton Family (also known as Parental Control). It provides dedicated features and additional protection for your devices, online privacy, and personal information, all in a single solution. Unless you already have antivirus software that you really like, paying $104.99 per year (for deluxe - 5 devices) or $149.99 per year (for select - 5 devices) for both ends of the spectrum seems like a no-brainer. Even at full price, it's still a steal.

A menu of 40 web filtering categories (compared to 14 or 15 on competing software) will block or warn your kids about sites they shouldn't be on. These range anywhere from sites themed around drugs and explicit content to file sharing and online chat, which comes in handy since kids tend to use way more messaging apps than adults even know exist. If an important website (like one to share documents for school) is accidentally blocked, you can reverse the setting directly from the notification.

Safety features revolving more around personal data include real-time malware threat detection, a password manager, and Safecam, which notifies you if cyber criminals try to access your webcam. Norton also scans the dark web in the background to ensure your personal info isn't floating around.

Apple products don't always play nicely with foreign downloads. Net Nanny (AKA Zift) is one of the only parental control softwares that has a near-identical mobile app for both iOS and Android devices.

To be fair, the parental controls built into iOS will suffice for a lot of people. You can set screen time limits, block certain apps and websites, or restrict new downloads or things with an explicit content rating all together. However, most actions require you to be on your child's iPhone or iPad. Dedicated software like Net Nanny puts all controls, activity history, and profiles for multiple children on one screen: yours.

The shining parental control feature here is web filtering, and there are a few ways to make sure nothing slips through the cracks: block or receive an alert for all websites that fall under categories like "weapons" or "provocative content," manually choose websites to hide, or leave it to Net Nanny's real-time scan to determine whether a site appropriate or not.

Keeping track of every single app on an older child's phone may not be necessary. You could instead opt for App Advisor, which will only notify you when an app involves potential risks like location or photo sharing. The option for a temporary time boost without altering the official settings is nice, too.

Cybersecurity-wise, Chromebooks are some of the safest devices you can get for a kid. Every ChromeOS webpage runs its own sandbox, and most malware is designed for Macs or PCs.

Relying on the cloud means that a Chromebook can't exactly store downloaded software. That's where Circle with Disney comes in: it's a filter for your home WiFi that monitors behavior, has control settings, and presents it in a clean dashboard that is super easy to navigate. The Circle Home Plus device connects with your router to manage every internet-connected device on your home network. Use the Circle Parental Controls App to operate Circle and manage mobile devices (iOS and Android) everywhere.

Setup on each device is time-consuming but the overarching account can be synced to the Circle Home Plus with a QR code. Each profile is color-coded based on age filters: kid, teen, adult, and none. The "kid" platform lists supported apps like Cartoon Network and TikTok, but you can toggle these on or off and add custom URLs. Turning on "Bedtime" turns internet access off at a certain time each night, but doesn't affect any offline games or books. The limits that you've set are extended with a local VPN when a phone leaves the house, but laptops need to be within your home's WiFi range.

Actual activity and history reports are vague. Circle can report specific URLs that were accessed but can't narrow down queries on Google or YouTube. Circle also stays out of all things call or text-related.

If your schedule doesn't really necessitate hardcore GPS tracking, Mobicip's bare bones cybersecurity basics could suffice, especially for the price. Anything over five devices will require you to move up into the 10 or 20-device category, but all subscriptions are less than $10 per month.

The "basics" still score you app or URL blocking and screen time breakdown, including the option to customize allotted time for specific apps, keywords, or for a category like "social apps." It's not the most detailed information you'll ever see, but the color-coded graphs on a simple white background make features easily navigable and digestible. Unfortunately, screen time limitations can only be applied in a daily schedule instead of making a "10 hours per week" rule.

The premium version lets you monitor social media and YouTube, and features app-limiting abilities. Kid- and parent-friendly features such as an SOS panic button and goals and rewards are coming soon.

Locategy takes some of the pain out of parenting with its geofencing capabilities, app blocker functionality, activity reports, and easy setup. It’s not as feature-rich as some of the other picks on our list, but Locategy is still a good way to keep tabs on your kid’s activities. It is available on the Apple App Store or the Google Play Store.

Location tracking lets parents keep tabs on their children’s location at any time – see where they are with just a click of a button. Usage reports let parents receive activity reports to help understand their children’s activities: time usage of any application like social apps or games. Locategy is also ideal for making sure older kiddos get to where they’re going, with the ability to set automatic alerts for when their child reaches a defined location (school, home, sports center, etc.).

McAfee Safe Family offers robust parental controls for devices such as Windows PCs, as well as mobile devices. It also offers web filtering, time management, geofencing, and app-blocking tools for an unlimited number of devices. However, it does not support Macs, and some features are limited on iOS devices. It can also be removed without a password on iOS and Windows, which might be a drawback for those with older, more tech-savvy kids.

Safe Family starts you off with predefined age-based rules that you can customize based on your kid’s needs. The Family Request feature allows parents and guardians to collaborate with kids by allowing them to request extra app time or access blocked apps or websites.