Join the millions that have trusted BuyersGuide.org's expert reviews and data-driven recommendations. Compare the top parental control apps and find the one that's right for your family, no matter your child's age or the type of devices they use.
- Monitors: Online activity, online gaming, app usage, screen time, online chatting (voice and text)
- Devices: iOS and Android devices. Safe Gaming available on Windows PC
- Time Limits: Yes
- Alerts: Cyberbullying & predator alerts, online usage alerts, personal info requests, and alert parents if child deletes the app
- Monitors: Online activity, online gaming, app usage, screen time, online chatting (voice and text)
- Devices: iOS and Android devices. Safe Gaming available on Windows PC
- Time Limits: Yes
- Alerts: Cyberbullying & predator alerts, online usage alerts, personal info requests, and alert parents if child deletes the app
- Monitors: Texts, emails, screen time, social media, and app usage
- Devices: Android, iPhone, iPad, Chromebook, Kindle Fire
- Time Limits: Yes
- Alerts: Cyberbullying, online predators, suicidal ideation, sexting, and more
- Monitors: Texts, emails, screen time, social media, and app usage
- Devices: Android, iPhone, iPad, Chromebook, Kindle Fire
- Time Limits: Yes
- Alerts: Cyberbullying, online predators, suicidal ideation, sexting, and more
- Monitors: Social media, SMS, iMessage, screen time, location, keystrokes, calls, photos, videos, browsing history
- Devices: Android, iPhone, iPad
- Time Limits: No
- Alerts: Set alerts based on trigger keywords
.jpeg)
- Monitors: Social media, SMS, iMessage, screen time, location, keystrokes, calls, photos, videos, browsing history
- Devices: Android, iPhone, iPad
- Time Limits: No
- Alerts: Set alerts based on trigger keywords
- Monitors: View child’s search terms, videos watched, age-appropriate content, screen time, location
- Devices: Windows PC, Android, or iOS
- Time Limits: Yes
- Alerts: Internet usage, search terms, app downloads and installs
- Monitors: View child’s search terms, videos watched, age-appropriate content, screen time, location
- Devices: Windows PC, Android, or iOS
- Time Limits: Yes
- Alerts: Internet usage, search terms, app downloads and installs
- Monitors: Online and app activity, internet and app usage, screen time, and location
- Devices: iOS smartphones and tablets with iOS 15 or higher, Android smartphones and tablets with Android 11.0 or higher
- Time Limits: Yes
- Alerts: SOS alerts, location, online usage (daily, weekly, or monthly), battery status, find a lost phone, and alert parents if child deletes the app
- Monitors: Online and app activity, internet and app usage, screen time, and location
- Devices: iOS smartphones and tablets with iOS 15 or higher, Android smartphones and tablets with Android 11.0 or higher
- Time Limits: Yes
- Alerts: SOS alerts, location, online usage (daily, weekly, or monthly), battery status, find a lost phone, and alert parents if child deletes the app
- Monitors: Online activity, screen time, social media, location, apps, phone files, texts
- Devices: iPhone/iPad, Android, Windows, Mac
- Time Limits: Yes
- Alerts: Location, toxic relationship, self-harm/suicide, sexual content, bullying, anxiety, depression
- Monitors: Online activity, screen time, social media, location, apps, phone files, texts
- Devices: iPhone/iPad, Android, Windows, Mac
- Time Limits: Yes
- Alerts: Location, toxic relationship, self-harm/suicide, sexual content, bullying, anxiety, depression
- Monitors: Phone calls, texting, location, and contacts
- Devices: Gabb Phone, Gabb Phone Plus, Gabb Watch 2
- Time Limits: Yes
- Alerts: Location alerts, emergency call option on watch, usage summaries and call/text logs available
- Monitors: Phone calls, texting, location, and contacts
- Devices: Gabb Phone, Gabb Phone Plus, Gabb Watch 2
- Time Limits: Yes
- Alerts: Location alerts, emergency call option on watch, usage summaries and call/text logs available
.png)
We also considered 1 other:
Our Top Choice
- Monitors: Online activity, online gaming, app usage, screen time, online chatting (voice and text)
- Devices: iOS and Android devices. Safe Gaming available on Windows PC
- Time Limits: Yes
- Alerts: Cyberbullying & predator alerts, online usage alerts, personal info requests, and alert parents if child deletes the app
- Monitors: Online activity, online gaming, app usage, screen time, online chatting (voice and text)
- Devices: iOS and Android devices. Safe Gaming available on Windows PC
- Time Limits: Yes
- Alerts: Cyberbullying & predator alerts, online usage alerts, personal info requests, and alert parents if child deletes the app
Compare Features
.png)
.png)
Parental Control Apps Buyer's Guide
The internet can be a wonderful learning tool, and it can help you meet and interact with people you may have never met face-to-face. Having a smartphone can allow you to stay in touch with your loved ones no matter where you are. But when you're a parent, you worry about your child's online and smartphone activities.
Using parental control apps can help you protect your children from the dark side of the internet and smartphone usage by allowing you to monitor their texts, emails, social media, and app usage. Parental control apps also allow you to decide how much screen time your child will get every day, and they can block specific websites and alert you to problems like cyberbullying. In short, they can be your eyes and ears when you aren't around.
Visit our overall top pick for Parental Control Apps, Aura.
Our Top 3 Parental Control App Picks
1. Aura - 10.0
With the increasing use of smartphones, tablets, and computers among children, parents are finding it challenging to provide a safe online environment. Aura Parental Controls is a smart solution that allows parents to easily monitor and control their children's online activities. In this review, we'll examine the product's features, pros, and cons, and other essential factors that users should consider before making a purchase. Read our full Aura review.
2. Bark Parental Controls - 9.3
As a responsible parent, you are always looking for ways to ensure the safety of your children. With technological advancements in smartphones and computers, parenting has become a bit more complicated. The internet is full of potential threats such as cyberbullying, inappropriate content, and even predators. Bark Parental Controls aims to help parents in monitoring their kids' online activities. In this review, we will take a closer look at Bark Parental Controls, its features and functionality, pricing, and support to help you decide if this is the right solution for your family. Read our full Bark Parental Controls review.
.png)
3. mSpy - 9.1
mSpy is a well-known and popular phone monitoring software that offers a range of monitoring features for parents and employers alike. In this review, we will delve into the various factors that users should consider before making a purchase. We will also provide answers to some common questions to help users make an informed decision. Read our full mSpy review.
ABOUT BUYER'S GUIDE
Navigating the many choices for every consumer purchase can be challenging. Our team spends hours doing research, combing through forums, and reading consumer reviews on even the most basic of household items, and we summarize that information in clear, precise comparisons.
Join the millions that have trusted BuyersGuide.org to help them make smarter buying decisions. We help our readers spend their money wisely and find the right product to suit their specific needs. Our independent expert reviews and data-driven shopping recommendations empower you find the meal delivery service that's right for you.
We leverage user data to understand decision-making and put the best products in front of each user. We tailor our comparisons to what matters to our user's needs, specific or broad. We keep our content up to date, we are constantly looking for new merchants and products to compare, and we are quick to remove any that are outdated or no longer meeting our standards.
Our rankings change day-to-day based on our proprietary algorithms that crunch data to identify top-performing products and tailor recommendations to exactly what our readers are looking for.
How Parental Control Apps Can Help with Video Game Bullying
When is the Right Age to Get a Child a Smartphone?
Screen Time Guidelines for Children of Different Ages
.png)
1,200+ shoppers have used Buyer's Guide in the last week to help find the best Parental Control Apps.
Learn more about our rankings.
Expert Analysis
Our team of experts highlights useful information so you can easily compare products to find the one that's right for you.
Award-Winning Tech
Our technology analyzes thousands of purchase trends to bring you the top product recommendations.
Brands Evaluated
Topics Considered
Hours of Research
Purchases Analyzed
Helping millions of users make smarter purchases online.
