Best Parental Control Apps of 2027

What separates the best parental control apps?

Filtering is where the field splits. Qustodio blocked 37 of 40 checklist items, Net Nanny 35 of 40, Norton Family 33 of 40 and Bark 30 of 40. That gap shows up on the devices your child actually uses, not in a feature list.

Price runs from Free to $54.99. Kaspersky Safe Kids costs $14.99 a year for unlimited devices. Norton Family is $49.99, Bark $49, Qustodio $54.95 and Net Nanny $54.99. Google Family Link and Apple Screen Time cost nothing.

Monitoring is the other split. Bark flags risk in messages and social posts across texts, email, YouTube, Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok and Discord on Android. Qustodio adds YouTube monitoring and a daily activity report. Net Nanny's Family Feed shows searches and blocked attempts as they happen. Norton Family, Google Family Link and Apple Screen Time do not monitor messages.

What should I check before buying?

Start with the phones in your house. Apple Screen Time only works on Apple devices. Google Family Link cannot control an iPhone. Norton Family has no Mac or Chromebook apps, and Kaspersky Safe Kids and Net Nanny have no Chromebook app.

Then check the setup cost. Qustodio took 25 minutes on iPhone with a VPN profile. Bark monitors iPhone texts only via a Mac/PC sync or the Bark Phone.

Finally, match the plan to the job:

• Filtering and time limits: Qustodio, Net Nanny, Norton Family, Kaspersky Safe Kids.
• Message and social alerts: Bark, or Qustodio on Android with the Complete plan.
• Free and built in: Apple Screen Time on Apple devices, Google Family Link on Android and Chromebook.

Qustodio

For families with a mix of iPhone, Android, Windows and Chromebook who want the strongest filter and schedules that hold on every device. Message monitoring needs Android and the Complete plan.

Norton Family

For households with many devices and no Mac or Chromebook. Unlimited devices for $49.99, School Time for class hours, and free if you already have Norton 360 Deluxe.

Kaspersky Safe Kids

For a tight budget. $14.99 a year for unlimited devices, and the free tier covers web filtering, app control and time limits. iPhone features are more limited than Qustodio's.

Bark

For parents who want alerts on bullying, predators, self-harm and explicit content rather than a full feed of everything. Unlimited devices, strongest on Android.

Net Nanny

For real-time content filtering that reads the page rather than checking a list. No Chromebook app and no message monitoring.

Google Family Link and Apple Screen Time

For free, built-in control. Family Link approves every Play Store install and sets limits on Android and Chromebook. Screen Time cannot be uninstalled by the child and adds Ask-to-Buy approval on Apple devices.

Qustodio suits mixed-device families who want the strongest filter and schedules that hold everywhere. Kaspersky Safe Kids suits a tight budget at $14.99 a year, and Bark suits parents who want message and social alerts rather than a full feed. If every device in the house is Apple or Android, Apple Screen Time and Google Family Link cover the basics for free.