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Best for Advanced Features
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Parental control app with lots of features
User-friendly, clean interface
Best for Value and Support
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Excels at app blocking and content filtering across 47 categories
Offers age-specific restriction levels to enhance safety and unlimited device connections
While we believe Norton Family has a slight edge over Qustodio, thanks to having better support and an overall better value, both are highly rated parental control apps, making this a very tight race.
Norton Family is available as a standalone product or bundled with other cybersecurity products, giving you an all-in-one solution that can help you monitor your child's location, screen time, and internet use. Qustodio, on the other hand, is entirely focused on parental controls, giving you a few extra features, like text message monitoring and a panic button.
We'll do a deep dive into how each product compares to the other, so you can determine which of these parental control apps is best for your needs.
Overall, Qustodio and Norton Family are neck and neck. They're both good options for parental controls, with Norton winning out by having a better overall value.
That said, if monitoring text conversations is one of your main priorities, then Qustodio will be the better option for oyu.
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 Our Pick | |
| Star rating | ||
| Starting price | Free-$8.33/mo (billed annually) | $4.16-$24.99/mo (billed annually) |
| Free trial | Yes — 31 days | Yes — 30 days |
| Max number of protected devices | 1, 5, or unlimited | 15 children |
| Web filtering | ||
| Conversation monitoring | Text only | |
| Screen time management | ||
| Location tracking | ||
| Activity reports | ||
| Remote lock | ||
| Supported devices | Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, iPad, Chromebook, Kindle | Windows, Android, and iOS |
| Learn more | Get Qustodio | Get Norton Family |
We put every parental control app through vigorous hands-on testing by downloading the software to our own devices. We test how the product works from both the parent's and child's perspectives, evaluating how well we're able to monitor device usage and deliberately attempting to sneak around the limitations.
By taking a fine-tooth comb through all available features and settings, we carefully compare each product using our proprietary grading rubric. The star ratings take into account price, screen time management, content filters, location tracking, monitoring, alerts, and ease of use.
To learn more about how we test, check out our full testing methodology here.
Qustodio is one of the best parental control apps available, offering you almost all the features parents can imagine when it comes to monitoring their children's devices.
During our testing, we found Qustodio worked well and dashboard updates were very timely. We were able to block or set time limits for every app on the tracked device, and were also able to see all text message content that was sent or received. We also were happy with the alerts we received for things like Google searches.
The main downside of Qustodio has to do with some security flaws that were pointed out by a 2020 study by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). Though it wasn't the only parental control app named in this study, we don't feel fully comfortable recommending this product until these security flaws are confirmed to be fixed.
We were impressed with Norton Family during our testing, since Norton is primarily an antivirus company and not totally dedicated to parental controls. That said, the app provides most of the features you'd want, including content filtering, screen time management, and location tracking.
We liked Norton Family a lot during our testing, and found everything worked as advertised. We were able to block websites, monitor searches, set up geo-fencing, and set overall screen limits.
The main thing we didn't like about Norton Family was that we couldn't set screen time limits per app. It was either the whole device was locked, or nothing was. This is the main thing that brings it below other products in this category, in our opinion.
Norton Family has the better overall value, because you can choose to bundle the parental controls with a Norton 360 subscription. This can give you a whole suite of extra security features, like antivirus, a VPN, and more. It also has a better money-back guarantee for peace of mind.
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Best Value | |
| Price range | Free-$8.33/mo (billed annually) | $4.16-$24.99/mo (billed annually) |
| Best value plan | Complete for $8.33/mo (billed annually) | Norton 360 Select for $8.33/mo (billed annually, first year only) |
| Free trial | Yes — 31 days | Yes — 30 days |
| Money-back guarantee | Yes — 30 days | Yes — 60 days |
| Learn more | Get Qustodio | Get Norton Family |
Qustodio offers free monitoring on one device with limited features. If you want expanded access, try one of the paid plans. While Basic coverage has a device cap, Complete coverage is unlimited. You’ll also find more monitoring features in the paid plans with expanded reporting.
There is only one option for Norton Family, and it includes all of the service's features and functions. But you can bundle the parental control features with other Norton plans as well.
When it comes to monitoring features, Qustodio has Norton beat. This is largely due to its text monitoring capabilities as well as being able to set screen time limits for each app on the device.
Our Pick |
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| Website filtering | ||
| App filtering | ||
| Social media monitoring | ||
| Text message monitoring | ||
| Email monitoring | ||
| Internet search monitoring | ||
| Screen time limits | ||
| Remote lock | ||
| Cyberbullying and online predator alerts | ||
| Location tracking | ||
| Geo-fencing | ||
| Activity reports | ||
| Learn more | Get Qustodio | Get Norton Family |
Both apps offer screen time management, but Qustodio has more advanced features than Norton Family. You’ll have text monitoring and better screen time management options.
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Though Qustodio is said to have geo-fencing, we weren't able to get it to work during testing. Norton Family's geo-fencing worked like a charm though. This feature is nice because you’ll be alerted when your child is in a set location, like school or an afterschool program, and when they leave. This is especially helpful for younger children who want a little independence but are too young to be on their own.
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Norton Family includes all of the features necessary to have a successful parental control experience but does lack the conversation monitoring features. Unlike Qustodio, however, you don’t have to purchase a more advanced tier to get all of Norton’s features. With one plan, you can feel good knowing everything is included for one price.
Though Norton Family isn't available on macOS, it does have better support overall which makes it the better choice if you don't need your Macbook monitored.
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Our Pick | |
| Windows | ||
| macOS | ||
| Android | ||
| iOS | ||
| Other devices | iPad, Chromebook, Kindle | |
| 24/7 customer support | ||
| Customer support options | Guides, email, phone | Guides, phone, live chat, forum |
| Learn more | Get Qustodio | Get Norton Family |
Qustodio offers more device compatibility, with the ability to install its monitoring features on a Mac and a Kindle. Norton Family offers more compatibility with various browsers, including Firefox and Microsoft Edge. If you like what Norton offers, you can always set up the parental controls on iOS and then use Norton as another layer of security. This levels the playing field a little, but there are still some major differences; the biggest being the customer support options.
Qustodio’s customer support is pretty sparse and makes users purchase the Complete package if they want phone support. Since Norton has only one plan option, everyone is covered by Norton’s 24/7 customer support, which includes community forms, social media messaging, and live chat, none of which Qustodio offers. We love a live chat, so that’s always a huge win for us.
Norton Family doesn’t monitor texts or emails, and it doesn’t allow you to set time limits for each app on the phone, only the device at large. It also lacks compatibility with macOS and has limited features on iOS.
There are also no direct alerts about cyberbullying or potential predators. You can set up protections to reduce the risk of those things happening, but if something slips through, there isn’t a notification system in place for parents. This means you can allow your child to use Discord, but you won’t get a notification if something happens.
Qustodio lacks two-factor authentication to protect your account and also has limited customer support options. It also makes users buy the most expensive plan if they want any type of phone support. While the features included in Qustodio can assist in preventing cyberbullying and online predators, there aren’t any direct alerts that let parents know if something slips through those features. Sites like TikTok and Instagram can be full of trolls and haters, so it’s good to have software that can help you talk to your child about people like that and how to protect themselves.
Bark. Other parental control apps don't offer comprehensive social media, text message, and email monitoring features. Bark’s features include the ability to scan texts and emails, and the parental control software uses machine learning to monitor your children’s interactions with predators and potential cases of self-harm. To top it off, Bark has different product offerings to cover your needs. This helps keep kids safer on social media platforms and online forums, where they might find an outlet for their interests but won’t have to deal with bullies.
No, Norton Family can’t see or scan text messages. It also lacks the ability to scan emails. Qustodio does have some text message monitoring, but the best parental control app we’ve found for monitoring texts and emails is Bark. If text message monitoring is important to you, you may want to check out that service.
Both are good options, but Norton Family wins over Qustodio by the slimmest of margins. We pick Norton Family because it can give you better value if you opt for their 360 plans that cover antivirus, VPNs, password managers, and ID theft. It also has better support to keep you at ease whenever you need it.
Qustodio is still a good option though, and edges out Norton Family in terms of monitoring features, most notably its ability to monitor text messages.
| Category | |
Our Pick |
| Value | ||
| Features | ||
| Compatibility & customer support | ||
| Learn more | Get Qustodio | Get Norton Family |
If you’re not an Apple user, Norton Family may be a great option because you’ll get all of its benefits as well as great customer service. If you have multiple devices on varying operating systems and want to monitor your child’s texts and calls, Qustodio may be for you. Whichever you choose, it’s always a good idea to protect your kids. Using this kind of software helps them create healthy habits and gives you peace of mind while they explore their independence. It’s a win-win.
Excels at app blocking and content filtering across 47 categories
Offers age-specific restriction levels to enhance safety and unlimited device connections
If neither parental control app works for you, or you want to evaluate all of the best parental control services out there, we have suggestions. All of these services offer robust monitoring plus additional features you’re sure to find useful. Keeping your kids safe in this digital world is a top priority. Parental control software can help you do it.
| Service | 
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| Star rating | |||
| Price | Starts at $5.00/mo | Starts at $4.58/mo (billed annually) | Starts at $8.25/mo (billed annually) |
| # of people covered | Unlimited | 1 - 20 devices | Unlimited |
| Screen time management | |||
| Content filtering | |||
| Conversation monitoring | Yes, on social media, texts, and email | Yes, on social media | |
| Location tracking | |||
| Details | Get Bark | Get Net Nanny | Get Aura |
Robust parental controls to track, monitor, and limit device usage
Machine learning catches the latest slang and keywords
Screens content across 19 categories
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