Optional reading. Separate from the settings checklist.

Monitoring apps, compared

This page compares parental monitoring and control apps. It is not a recommendation, and the order is not a ranking. There are no affiliate links. Names are plain text.

Sources were read on 30 Sep 2026. Prices are US list prices from vendor pages that day, before tax. Prices change. Check the vendor page before you pay. A partial row is missing a core fact, or the vendor's own pages disagree. Anything still open is labeled in that row, not treated as a fact.

Platform reality check

Apple Screen Time and Google Family Link are the base layer, and neither asks for a separate monitoring subscription. Screen Time is built into iPhone, iPad, and Mac. Family Link supervises Android phones and Chromebooks. Its own pages do not show a price, and the text that was captured does not say "free," so this page does not invent one.

On an iPhone, Apple does not let one app read another app's messages. A third-party app gets a few approved doorways. Screen Time can report time and block apps, and only one parental-control app can hold that permission. A VPN or content filter can see sites and domains. A device-management profile can apply restrictions. Texts and iMessages, when a vendor offers them, are copied off the phone through a computer or a charger, and only when the phone is connected. Android apps are described by the same vendors as able to see more, because the phone allows broader access.

Family Link cannot supervise an iPhone. Screen Time does not cover Android or Windows. Other apps sit on top of one of those two, or they do not cover that device at all.

Quick comparison

Swipe sideways on a small screen. Coverage is what the vendor says it supports, not a score.

Price, iPhone, Android, and computer coverage, and what each app can see on an iPhone, as of 30 Sep 2026
App	US price	iPhone	Android	PC	What it sees on iPhone
BarkVerified	Bark Jr $5/mo or $49/yr. Premium $14/mo or $99/yr. Both plus tax.	Yes. The phone app blocks, sets limits, and tracks location.	Yes. The phone app also monitors content.	Chrome and Edge extensions, plus connected accounts. Windows S mode cannot install Bark.	Texts, photos, videos, and WhatsApp are not read by the iOS app. Those scans need a Bark Sync charger, the Bark desktop app on a Windows or Mac computer, or Bark Home. Alerts are copies of flagged content, not every message. Scans can pause unless the passcode is entered, and they are not instant.
QustodioVerified	Basic $59.95/yr for up to 5 devices. Complete $104.95/yr. The pricing page shows annual billing only.	Yes. Web filtering in Safari and Chrome. App limits cover supported apps only.	Yes, including app monitoring and a Panic Button.	Windows and Mac. Kindle and Chromebook are also listed.	Calls and messages, including SMS and iMessage, need a parent's Mac or Windows computer, a cable for setup, and the same Wi-Fi network before data updates. Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and X message alerts, and the Panic Button, are described as Android only. Qustodio says all traffic to and from the iOS device is channeled through its servers.
AuraVerified	Kids $10/mo billed annually, or $13 billed monthly. Family $32/mo billed annually, or $50 billed monthly. 14-day trial.	iOS 16 or later. Uses a VPN configuration, the Aura Keyboard, and Screen Time permission.	Android 12 or later.	Windows only, for in-game voice and text alerts. No Mac or Chromebook child app is listed.	Parents get message volume and tone, and alerts when messages may indicate self-harm risk. Aura does not describe this as reading the messages. Its parental-controls notice says captured communications content is not retrievable by parents.
Norton FamilyVerified	$49.99 for the first year. The renewal price was not shown on the product page. Also included with Norton 360 Deluxe and Premium.	Yes, for web, search, time, and video supervision.	Yes. App supervision is available here and on Windows. Text supervision and call blocking are described as disabled on Android.	Windows. Norton says the child app is not supported on Mac, and Windows S mode is not supported.	Site monitoring expects the Norton Family browser. Norton says it does not monitor Safari. Other apps need a VPN. Instant Lock needs a device-management profile. App supervision is not listed for iOS. Location history is 30 days.
Net NannyPartial	Shown that day as $39.99/yr for 1 desktop, $54.99/yr for 5 devices, and $89.99/yr for 20 devices.	Yes. The child app uses a VPN and must keep running, or internet access stops.	The support page says Android, Kindle Fire, and Chromebook are not supported. That page still mentions a 2024 release. No newer statement was found.	Windows and Mac.	Filtering depends on the child app staying open. The pages that were read do not describe text or social-content monitoring on iOS.
Life360Verified	Free tier. Silver $9.99/mo or $99.99/yr. Gold $16.99/mo or $169.99/yr. Platinum $24.99/mo or $249.99/yr. Paid plans say 7 days free. These are web prices.	Yes. Location, driving, and crash features.	Yes. The same kind of location app. It is not a content monitor on either platform.	No computer app is described on the plan pages.	Location history, place alerts, driving summaries, crash detection, and related emergency features. It does not read messages or browsing.
Google Family LinkPartial	No price on the official pages that were read.	Cannot supervise the device. Screen time, location, app blocking, and Chrome limits will not work on a child's iPhone or iPad.	Android 6.0 and up, plus Chromebook (ChromeOS 71 and up) and Fitbit Ace LTE.	Chromebook only. Other computers cannot be supervised.	Device controls do not apply. Parents can still manage the child's Google Account settings. Family Link is not described as reading messages on any platform.
Apple Screen TimeVerified	Built into Apple devices. No separate subscription.	The native layer: limits, schedules, contact approval, Ask to Buy, Ask to Browse, and Communication Safety.	Not covered.	Mac, for the same family controls. Not Windows.	Parents set limits and approvals and can use Find My location. They do not receive message content. Communication Safety blurs nudity on the device. Apple says it does not get the photos or videos and does not get a notice that sensitive content was detected.
Microsoft Family SafetyPartial	No price on the product page.	The iOS app is for managing other devices. Screen-time limits and web filters are not listed for an iPhone as the child's device.	App and game limits, and Edge web filters.	Windows and Xbox. A Mac child device is not listed. Web filters apply in Microsoft Edge, and other common browsers are blocked so that can work.	It does not apply screen-time limits or filters to the iPhone. The current product page does not list location features.
Kaspersky Safe KidsVerified	Purchase is unavailable for US customers.	Not assessed for the US.	Not assessed for the US.	Not assessed for the US. Outside the US, the product page lists Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS.	Not assessed. Kaspersky says US app-store downloads and renewals have stopped.
MobicipVerified	Lite $2.99/mo for 5 devices, Standard $4.99/mo for 10, Premium $7.99/mo for 20. All billed annually. 7-day Premium trial. A free Basic plan covers 2 managed devices; its features are not listed on the pricing page.	Yes. Uses Screen Time permission. Only one parental-control app can hold that permission at a time.	Yes. App and category limits are described as taking effect immediately.	Windows, Mac, Chromebook, and Kindle Fire are listed.	Screen time reporting and limits need Screen Time access. Time limits work only on apps that use the internet, because Apple does not provide tracking data for other apps. Which social networks the Social Media Monitor covers on iOS is not stated on the pages that were read.
FamiSafePartial	Monthly $9.99 for 5 devices, quarterly $19.99 for 10, annual $59.99 for 30, on the plan page that rendered. The page says renewal charges the same amount.	Yes, with a device-management profile and Screen Time permission. iOS 11 or later.	Yes. Activity, browser-history, and app-usage reports are described as Android only.	Windows, Mac, and Chromebook are listed. Blocking app downloads on Windows and Mac is not supported, and computer browsing-time limits are described as not supported.	The vendor says it cannot capture WhatsApp on iOS and cannot access detailed social-media content. System apps such as Camera, Phone, and Contacts cannot be blocked. The phone shows a notice that the device is monitored.
CanopyPartial	Essential $8.33/mo for 1 device, Plus $9.99/mo for up to 3, Premium $12.50/mo for up to 10. All billed annually. One-week trial.	iOS 12 or later on the pricing page. Image filter, app and site blocking, screen time, and location alerts.	Android 9 or later. Sexting prevention and removal prevention are described here, not only alerts.	macOS 10.13 or later, Windows 10 or later except ARM, and ChromeOS.	An AI filter blocks explicit images. Sexting alerts scan Camera Roll photos, not videos, and not private or encrypted folders. Removing the app raises an alert. It does not prevent removal on iPhone. The pages do not describe reading texts or social messages. How the iOS web filter is installed (VPN, content filter, or device management) is not stated.

Who it fits, and a privacy fact

Bark

Verified. Checked 30 Sep 2026.

Who it fits. Fits families who want an alert when Bark's algorithms flag content, especially on Android or Chromebook, without a full message log. An iPhone-only setup needs the charger, a computer, or Bark Home before those content alerts work.

Privacy. Bark's policy says proprietary algorithms review posts and other communications, including texts, email, chat, and social content. Identifiable user data is generally kept 30 days, and portions may be kept indefinitely for reports. Bark says it does not sell or share personal information for money under the CCPA. The policy does not say whether a person reviews flagged content.

Qustodio

Verified. Checked 30 Sep 2026.

Who it fits. Fits mixed-device families who want web and app rules in one dashboard. It is a poor match for an iPhone family that will not keep a home computer on the same Wi-Fi, or that does not want device traffic routed through the vendor.

Privacy. The family privacy policy says device data can include websites, apps, contacts, messages, and other communications. Device data from the past 30 days is kept for 60 days, and identifiable device data is also kept in 12-month periods for an annual report. Qustodio says it uses its own and third-party AI for features such as social monitoring and gaming voice alerts, and that gaming audio is not stored. A free version covers one device with basic features.

Aura

Verified. Checked 30 Sep 2026.

A separate Circle subscription price was not on the pages that were read. Circle's own site says it is now part of Aura.

Who it fits. Fits families who want filtering and screen-time rules for unlimited kids and devices, with identity protection on the Family plan. It does not fit families who want to read messages, who need a Mac or Chromebook child app, or who do not want keystroke patterns sent to an AI subprocessor.

Privacy. If the Aura Keyboard is added, Aura collects keystroke patterns and where they happened. The subprocessor list names OpenAI for labeling those keystrokes, under a zero-data-retention contract. Aura says it never sells personal data from Parental Controls and that the app is not ad supported. Child data may be used to improve Aura's own AI. No fixed retention period is stated.

Norton Family

Verified. Checked 30 Sep 2026.

Who it fits. Fits families with Windows PCs and Android devices who want web, search, and time limits at a yearly price. It does not cover a Mac as the child's computer, or an iPhone family that expects Safari and in-app activity without Norton's browser or VPN.

Privacy. The product notice says Norton Family collects child geolocation in the background, URLs, search terms, and device and app usage time. Account, location, URL, and search data are kept while the account is active or 60 days. Gen's general notice says it does not sell or share personal data of consumers under 16 for cross-context advertising in connection with its services.

Net Nanny

Partial. Part of this entry is incomplete or in conflict. Checked 30 Sep 2026.

The prices below were shown as a limited-time discount. The page does not say the renewal price. A free trial is not shown.

Who it fits. Fits households that mainly want web filtering and screen-time rules on Windows, Mac, and iPhone. It does not fit a family whose phones are Android, or whose other devices are Kindle Fire or Chromebook, while the vendor's support page still says those are unsupported.

Privacy. The policy says personal data is deleted from live systems within 30 days after the contract ends, and from backups after 12 months. It also says Net Nanny and third-party ad networks may serve targeted ads through the Net Nanny services, and that it does not advertise to children. The rendered policy did not include a COPPA or CCPA sale section or a last-updated date.

Life360

Verified. Checked 30 Sep 2026.

Who it fits. Fits families whose main need is where people are, plus driving or crash alerts, on iPhone and Android. It does not fit families who want content filtering or message monitoring.

Privacy. For adults, Life360 says it licenses precise geolocation to select business partners for their own advertising and monetization. A Texas notice says it may sell sensitive personal data. It also says it does not share or sell personal information of members it knows to be under 18, and does not show ads in Child or Teen accounts. Opt-outs are in the app settings. In-app store prices were not compared with these web prices.

Google Family Link

Partial. Part of this entry is incomplete or in conflict. Checked 30 Sep 2026.

Official pages show no price. They also do not say the word free in the text that was captured, so no dollar amount is listed here.

Who it fits. Fits as the no-subscription base layer for a child on Android or Chromebook. It does not fit as the control layer for an iPhone or iPad.

Privacy. Google says it will not serve personalized ads to children under 13, and that those ads are not based on the child's account or internet activity. Contextual ads may still use the page, the current search, or general location. A children's privacy policy URL returned page not found, so retention details are not listed here.

Apple Screen Time

Verified. Checked 30 Sep 2026.

Who it fits. Fits as the no-subscription starting point for iPhone, iPad, and Mac, and as the layer other iOS apps have to use. It does not fit families who want alerts that include message content, or who need Android or Windows in the same tool.

Privacy. Communication Safety uses on-device analysis. Apple says the Personalized Ads setting is off and cannot be turned on for a child's Apple Account, and that Ask to Track is disabled. Apple says it keeps personal data only as long as needed for the purpose collected.

Microsoft Family Safety

Partial. Part of this entry is incomplete or in conflict. Checked 30 Sep 2026.

No price is shown on the product page. Whether any feature needs a Microsoft 365 subscription is not stated there.

Who it fits. Fits families whose children mainly use Windows, Xbox, and Android and who want screen time and Edge filters. It does not fit location tracking or an iPhone or Mac as the child's device.

Privacy. The product page and a Microsoft Q&A moderator answer say location sharing and Drive Safety have been removed. The September 2026 Microsoft Privacy Statement still describes those features, so that retirement is only partly confirmed. Activity reports of search, web, app, and game use are collected, and Microsoft says those reports are routinely deleted from its servers.

Kaspersky Safe Kids

Verified. Checked 30 Sep 2026.

Features and the privacy policy were not assessed, because new US customers cannot buy or download it.

Who it fits. Not an option for a new US customer. Kaspersky says existing US licenses keep working until they expire, and that new sites and apps will not be categorized as unsuitable by default.

Privacy. Not assessed for US families, because the product cannot be bought or downloaded by new US customers.

Mobicip

Verified. Checked 30 Sep 2026.

Who it fits. Fits families with several device types who want filtering, schedules, and location at a low annual price. It does not fit families who need message content on iPhone, or who already gave the Screen Time slot to another app.

Privacy. Mobicip says it does not share a child's usage data with third parties for any reason, and that it will not voluntarily sell personally identifiable data without express consent or a legal requirement. It says it complies with COPPA. The policy does not state how long that data is kept.

FamiSafe

Partial. Part of this entry is incomplete or in conflict. Checked 30 Sep 2026.

These prices are from a Wondershare plan page. The main pricing page did not show prices when it was checked, so it is unverified whether that page matches.

Who it fits. Fits Android-centered families who want location, app blocking, and alerts on social and SMS text, plus some computer coverage. It does not fit an iPhone family expecting WhatsApp or social-media content, or a family that wants a US-based data controller.

Privacy. The FamiSafe policy names Wondershare Technology Group Co., LTD in Lhasa, China, as controller. It says the app may read clipboard data for referral tracking, with an opt-out. Contract data is kept for the contract and 60 days after. The FamiSafe policy says it does not share or sell personal data for third parties' promotion. Wondershare's website policy says it sells or shares device, network, and usage data for ads across other sites.

Canopy

Partial. Part of this entry is incomplete or in conflict. Checked 30 Sep 2026.

Month-to-month prices are not on the pricing page. A FAQ says iOS 9 or later, while the pricing page says iOS 12 or later.

Who it fits. Fits families whose main concern is explicit images, including photos on the iPhone, across phones and computers. It does not fit families who want to read texts, or who need the app to stop a child removing it from an iPhone.

Privacy. The policy says Canopy may collect pictures stored on the device, and the FAQ says flagged photos go to parents. The FAQ says Canopy will never sell your data. The policy also says anonymous information may be disclosed to third parties, including advertisers. No fixed retention period is stated. Whether Canopy staff review images is not stated.

The settings checklist is separate. Build a plan from the child's age and the apps they already use. Prices and policies were current on 30 Sep 2026.