We use the Internet in our day-to-day lives for many purposes and it has become an integral part of our lives, whether we like it or not. But being so connected to the Internet has its risks and being safe is a top priority. As it is available to anyone with an internet connection, even small children can use the internet without any guidance or regard for their safety.
They are more susceptible to visit harmful websites, talk to strangers online or view adult content. This can often lead them, and you, into trouble. To prevent that, measures like using Parental Control Softwares are taken.
What are Parental Control Softwares
Parental control softwares are used to monitor the child’s internet usage and restrict or filter any harmful content that they may search or are problematic in nature. These allow you full access to the child’s browser history, limit their time online and record their browser activities.
The main use of these softwares are to safeguard the child from cyberbullying and pornography.
In this article, we will look at 10 of the best Parental Control Softwares, to protect your children as well as yourselves from cyberharm.
1. uMobix
This is a spyware designed for parental control and works on mobile devices while monitoring usage in real-time. The parent installs this software on their child’s device and they gain full access to mainly their child’s:
- Call history, duration, info etc
- Messages
- Real-time GPS location
- Social media messages
- Keystrokes and Passwords
- Photos and Videos
While the app supports both Android and iOS, it is nearly useless on iOS for many features such as GPS location and does not support most of the social media apps.
The app comes with 3 price plans:
- $49.99 for one month
- $29.99/ month for 3 months
- $12.49/month for 12 months.
As good of a software it is, it has some downsides as well. The app is a bit finicky to install on iOS devices. Also, it does not have a geofencing feature.
2. Spyic
Spyic is a mobile tracker app that allows you to monitor your child’s location, calls, texts etc. easily. It also has geofencing, which was missing in uMobix. The various features include monitoring:
- WhatsApp chats and media
- Location and enabling geofencing
- Contacts
- Calls and logs
- Browser history
Various other features include monitoring Facebook messages, tracking SIM location, spying on Instagram and Snapchat among other apps.
There are three versions with three pricing plans:
Basic:
- $39.99 for 1 month
- $59.99 for 3 months
- $99.99 for 12 months
Premium:
- $49.99 for 1 month
- $69.99 for 3 months
- $119.99 for 12 months
Family:
- $69.99 for 1 month
- $99.99 for 3 months
- $199.99 for 12 months
The software is also discreet and stealthy, so that the child is not alerted to it.
While the premium and family plans have support for many apps, their tech support is not up to the mark compared to the others on the list, but it may vary from person to person. This is also not the most value for money software on this list.
3. GEOfinder
This is a geofencing app that allows you to track your loved ones effectively and anonymously. The user sends a text message through the app, which contains a link that the target must click in order for GEOfinder to work. You can view the precise location and location logs of the target. But the issue with this app is it’s complete reliance on whether the target accesses the link sent via GEOfinder.
The software also allows you to find out someone’s number. It does all this undetected. The target phone must be turned on for tracking to occur.
GEOfinder has a flat rate of $29.99 per month.
As this software is not a complete parental control suite and only just a geo-locator, the price may not be justifiable to most.
4. Kaspersky Safe Kids
Finally, a company we’re all familiar with. This software by Kaspersky offers a really good parental control suite at an affordable price. Kaspersky Safe Kids has two versions: free and paid, of which even the free one supports unlimited devices and child profiles. The features include:
- Location tracking
- Geofencing
- Web monitoring
- Web filers
- Time limits
Children have the ability to ask to unblock content, which is a somewhat rare feature among softwares and should be made more accessible by others.
Kids’ Protection plan comes at $21.99 a year, which blows most parental control softwares away.
The Family Protection plan comes at $58.99/year for the first year(includes anti-virus protection) and $89.99/year after that.
The main downsides to this software are that it is somewhat limited on the iOS, the mobile apps are poorly designed and the web portal is slow. But given that you can overcome these small limitations, Kaspersky Safe Kids is one of the best apps on this list.
5. Xnspy
It is a software to monitor mobile devices. You can remotely track what a person is doing by checking their WhatsApp, SMS, iMessages, Skype, etc. You can also view the media shared through the apps as well. The app can monitor:
- Browsing history
- Keystrokes
- Screen Activity
- Emails
- Location
- Calls and SMS
There are two versions with three pricing plans:
Basic:
- $29.99 for 1 month
- $13.99/month for 3 months
- $4.99/month for 12 months
Premium:
- $35.99 for 1 month
- $19.99/month for 3 months
- $7.49/month for 12 months
Xnspy also has a bit of a maligned name as it sometimes synonymous with illegal spying.
The app needs to be physically installed by the user on the target device. The tech support is said to be a bit slow for most users, but the feature set is extensive.
6. Net Nanny
One of the top parental control softwares out there, Net Nanny is a top choice for your child’s safety. Containing many of the industry standard features like:
- Screen time management
- Web filtering
- Location tracking
- Activity reports
- App management
Net Nanny has 3 pricing plans:
- Basic: $39.99/year for 1 device
- Family Protection Plan 1: $54.99/year for 5 devices
- Family Protection Plan 2: $89.99/year for 20 devices
Only the Family Protection Plans support iOS alongside Windows, Android and MacOS.
The issues with Net Nanny are the inabiltiy to monitor the YouTube app(works fine on browser), inability to block as many iOS apps as other competitors, and limited geofencing features.
But overall, Net Nanny is a good piece of software all things considered.
7. Qustudio
Qustodio is a top competitor when it comes to the best parental control software, butting heads with Kaspersky, Net Nanny and Norton Family. It runs on both mobile and desktop platforms as well as on the Chromebook and Amazon Kindle and has a well-designed web interface, so the parents can monitor children from their PC as well. Some of the features include:
- App blocking
- Web filtering
- Location tracking
- Screen time monitoring
- Call and SMS monitoring
The free version of Qustodio has limited functionality and is limited to only one device.
Paid versions include:
- Basic: $54.95/year for 5 devices
- Complete: $99.95/year for unlimited devices
The complete plan feels worth the money considering, you use it to its maximum.
The downsides include no social media tracking and its so-so geofencing feature.
8. Norton Family
Another anti-virus company, Norton offers a very affordable parental control solution. Unlike most on this list, this is not a stealth-based software. Instead, it encourages parents to make the rules known to their children. It is easy to setup and has a great set of features, making this a top choice. The main features include:
- Web filtering
- Location tracking
- Geofencing
- Time limits
- Video supervision
Other features include getting activity reports, scheduling when to use the device, etc. Kids can ask for more screen time as well, similar to Kaspersky Safe Kids.
It is priced at just $49.99/year, with a 30-day free trial. This is really one of the most bang for the buck deals on the list.
There is no restriction on the number of devices, and you can add upto 15 child profiles.
There are a few downsides, such as the inability to monitor macOS devices and block individual apps and games on PC.
9. MMGuardian
Meant for Android and iOS, this is an easy to use software that allows you to monitor your child and keep them safe. It has many of the required features, such as:
- Time limits
- Web filtering
- Location tracking
- App scheduling
- Call and SMS monitoring
There are two versions each with monthly and yearly plans:
- Single Child Device: $4.99/month, $49.99/year
- Family Plan(5 devices): $9.99/month, $99.99/year
A few of the disadvantages of using MMGuardian are its lack of geofencing, inability to monitor YouTube activity and inability to set device usage limits.
10. mSpy
Similar to uMobix, mSpy is a parental control software, which can also be used for other purposes, such as monitoring employees. The feature set includes tracking:
- Call logs
- Social media
- Messages
- Location
mSpy comes with 3 pricing plans:
- 1 month: $48.99/month
- 3 months: $27.99/month
- 12 months: $11.66/month
The app runs in stealth-mode, like many in this list, meaning it won’t be found out by the targets. For all the features, the target phone must be rooted, which is not possible for many. Also, for every device that is supposed to be tracked, a new subscription must be taken.
Conclusion
Out of all the softwares in this list, we feel the Kaspersky Safe Kids is the most affordable. No matter what software you choose, spying on someone without their consent is illegal. Make sure you understand the ethical and moral issues with using parental control softwares and use it only to safeguard your children from harm.
