Best Parental Control Apps in 2023 — Top 10 Reviewed and Compared

With one of the best parental control apps, you’ll be able to oversee your child’s online activity, manage their digital habits, control app and website access, and protect them online. You’ll have what you need to monitor your kid’s text messages, internet activity, social media, and more for complete peace of mind.

In this post, we’ll show you how to monitor your kid’s phone and review the market’s best spy apps for the job. Our testing found mSpy to be the best of the bunch for parents. Its impressive suite of monitoring tools and affordable pricing gives it the upper hand. Try it now, or read on to learn how mSpy compares to other robust parental control apps.

The Best Parental Control Apps | Quick Answer

Our research and testing found these 10 to be the best apps to monitor your kid’s phone:

1. mSpy — The Best Parental Control App in 2023. Take Advantage of its 14-Day Money-Back Guarantee!
2. EyeZy — Popular Parental Monitoring Solution. Try the 3-Day Free Trial and Demo Before Committing.
3. uMobix — Offers Powerful Parental Control on Android + a Demo and a 14-Day Refund Policy.
4. Norton Family — Popular Brand with Superb Parental Control for PC, Android, and iOS. Try it with the 30-Day Free Trial + a 60-Day Money-Back Guarantee!
5. Qustodio — Offers Superb Parental Control for PC (Windows and Mac). Cover up to 15 devices. Solid 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee.
6. Cocospy — Decent Cross-Platform Parental Control Capabilities. Try it for 1 Day for $1 Before Committing to a Plan.
7. TheOneSpy — Get Your Hands On Incredibly Advanced Parental Monitoring Tools + a Free Demo and a 14-Day Refund Policy
8. NetNanny — One of the Best Parental Control Apps for iPhone and iPad. Monitor Up to 20 Devices + Offers a 14-Day Refund Policy.
9. KidsGuard — Get Impressive Parental Control on Android + a 30-Day Money-Back Guarantee.
10. FamiSafe — One of the Best Apps to Monitor Kids’ Phones (for Families and Schools) + Has a Free Demo and a 7-Day Money-Back Guarantee.

These apps will have you know more and worry less. Whether you’re looking for the best parental control app for iPhone, Android, or even PC devices, you’ll find a suitable fit for your needs here.

Let’s get into our reviews. You must be eager to learn what makes these the best apps to monitor your child’s phone. If you are, let’s dive right in.

The Best Child Monitoring Apps in 2023 ⏐ In-Depth Reviews

From mSpy through to FamiSafe, we delve into their unique offerings, pricing, and customer reviews shortlisted into pros and cons for a complete overview of each parental control app.

1. mSpy — Overall, the Best Parental Control App in 2023

With over 10 year’s experience in the spyware industry, mSpy is a name you’ll find top of lists like these time and time again — and for parents looking to monitor their child’s online activity, it certainly doesn’t get better than this.

With groundbreaking monitoring tools like the keylogger that gives you insight into every word typed on the device — whether a search, in a text, or otherwise, plus the ability to block and restrict access to apps and websites, mSpy is a gem for parental control.

This means that parents can block certain games, porn content and other sites that aren’t appropriate and manage their child’s screen time for a healthier digital balance.

If you’re not after hardcore monitoring, you can also set up keyword alerts to get notified if your child uses specific phrases or leaves ‘safe’ areas, such as home or school, with the geo-fencing functionality.

Overall, mSpy is a reputable parental control app with the built-in capacity to put you in full control for complete peace of mind about your loved one’s safety, both online and offline.

Pricing

With mSpy, you have these 3 subscription models to choose from:

1. Monthly — $69.99/month
2. Quarterly — $40/month
3. Yearly — $16.67/month

The current specials offer massive savings. If you sign up now, you’re looking at just $11.67/month with the annual plan! Or $48.99/month with a monthly subscription.

2. EyeZy — Popular Parental Monitoring Solution

Whether you need reassurance about who your child is communicating with, peace of mind regarding the content they’re engaging in, or insight into where they are at any moment, EyeZy gives you every detail to rest easy about your child’s safety.

As with mSpy, EyeZy also gives you a powerful keylogger and geo-fencing capabilities, plus the means to set up custom alerts, but on top of all of this, you even get a screen recorder!

This lets you know what your loved one is up to, whether on social media platforms like Facebook or messenger apps like WhatsApp; you can see all the activity happening in real-time.

As a solution designed for parental control, you can also control what websites and apps your child can access and monitor their time on them with the scheduler.

Pricing

As with mSpy, EyeZy has these 3 subscription packages:

1. Monthly — $47.99/month
2. Quarterly — $27.99/month
3. Yearly — $9.99/month

Considering what you can do with EyeZy, $9.99/month offers incredible value. And to sweeten the deal, EyeZy has a short 3-day free trial, a demo, plus a 14-day refund policy. Try it out. What have you got to lose?

3. uMobix — Offers Powerful Parental Control on Android

As one of the best spy apps for Android, and one that’s kitted for parental control needs, it was a no-brainer putting uMobix top 3 on our list.

As with all the best parental control apps, you can easily monitor your child’s phone and enforce balanced screen time by limiting or blocking access to certain apps and websites with uMobix.

uMobix goes a little further, too, because, on top of this, you can also restrict calls and disable messages, view deleted chats and even contacts that have sneakily been renamed!

On a final note, parents will adore that uMobix is one of the best WhatsApp spy apps and, overall, a leading solution for social media and messenger monitoring — so if you’re wondering how to monitor your kid’s Snapchat, uMobix is a solid choice.

Advanced Android spyware. The parental control for iPhone is decent too. All at a bargain price!

Pricing

uMobix’s popularity is unsurprising, especially with pricing this competitive:

1. Monthly — $49.99/month
2. Quarterly — $27.99/month
3. Annual — $11.66/month

Considering the valuable monitoring capabilities, $11.66/month is incredibly competitive and a juicy offering for parents looking for a top parental control solution.

4. Norton Family — Popular Brand with Superb Parental Control for PC, Android, and iOS

For less than $50 a year, you can monitor your family’s devices with Norton Family, making it a must-have if you have more than one child you’d like to keep safe online.

You can monitor your children’s internet activity and pick up on the search terms they use online, plus view the videos they’re watching with a snippet of each to know whether they’re appropriate for your child’s age.

Besides this, you can also schedule screen time limits and remotely lock the device if necessary to get them to complete their homework before browsing the web or playing games.

On the whole, Norton Family is an excellent parental control app for iPhone, Android, and Windows monitoring needs.

Pricing

$49.99 a year is all that Norton Family will cost you, and this is for unlimited device coverage!

Besides a lengthy 30-day free trial, Norton Family also has a solid 60-day money-back guarantee! Don’t like it? Get a full refund.

5. Qustodio — Offers Superb Parental Control for PC (Windows and Mac)

With over 4 million users, Qustodio’s parental control app is doing ample right. For one, unlike most, it lets you monitor your child’s phone (whether Android or iOS), plus Windows, Mac, and even Kindle devices!

Whether protecting your child from online predators, inappropriate content, cyberbullying, or controlling screen time to improve their sleep, Qustodio lets you do it.

You can set screen time limits to enforce positive habits and a healthy digital balance and block apps, websites, and games you disapprove of.

On top of this, you can also monitor Android and iOS calls and SMSes, plus track their physical locations with real-time alerts on when they arrive or leave saved places.

Pricing

Qustodio has these plans suitable for various-sized families:

1. Small — $54.95/year ($4.58/month) — 5 devices
2. Medium — $96.96/year ($8.08/month) — 10 devices
3. Large — $137.95/year ($11.50/month) — 15 devices

The equivalence of just $4.58 to $11.50 per month for 5-15 devices is a rare sighting and, undoubtedly, a real bargain!

6. Cocospy — Decent Cross-Platform Parental Control Capabilities

Cocospy has what many are after at a competitive price point, and jailbreaking or rooting the device isn’t necessary for full functionality.

Whether you’re wondering how to block websites on iPhone, or perhaps you want to monitor your child’s text messages on Android or iOS — Cocospy has you covered.

Parents can view, manage, and block access to specific apps and online content. Plus, as one of the best Facebook spy apps, you have a host of spyware great for monitoring activity on popular social media and messenger apps.

Besides this, you can even mark contacts as “suspicious” and receive alerts on any communications with that individual.

Pricing

These are the pricing plans available with Cocospy:

1. Monthly — $49.99/month
2. Quarterly — $29.99/month
3. Annual — $12.50/month

There’s a free demo you can check out, or you can try Cocospy for a full day for $1.

7. TheOneSpy — Get Your Hands On Incredibly Advanced Parental Monitoring Tools

TheOneSpy is one of the best phone spy apps for advanced spyware capabilities.

From screen recording to remote screenshots — regardless of what the target user is up to, you’ll know about it. In fact, unlike most, you’re even able to record calls (including those placed on VoIP apps like WhatsApp!).

Parents will also appreciate the ability to apply web filters to manage and monitor their children’s internet activity, plus you get a keylogger and geo-fencing capabilities to know what they’re saying, where they’re going, and everything in between.

The magic, of course, doesn’t end there either.

Pricing

TheOneSpy has several plans depending on the device you’re looking to cover. For Android, these are the price tags:

1. Monthly — Starts at $25/month
2. Quarterly — Starts at $15/month
3. Annual — Starts at $6.25/month

Unfortunately, the above is for the Lite version, which lacks functionality. For Premium, however, you’re looking at just $10/month on an annual subscription, which is competitive.

iOS monitoring costs more. We recommend looking at the website to determine the best plan for you based on the device you’re looking to cover.

8. NetNanny — One of the Best Parental Control Apps for iPhone and iPad

As the name suggests, NetNanny is a fantastic parental control app for anyone looking to protect their children from harmful content (websites, apps, or games) and efficiently manage screen time.

As a parent, have you wondered how to block YouTube on iPad? Or how to block websites on iPhone? NetNanny gives you complete control without jailbreaking iOS devices! Of course, NetNanny is also a solid parental control app for Android and even PCs.

Besides blocking apps and websites, you can view the apps used and your child’s online searches, plus receive alerts on issues that concern you, such as pornography, suicide, weapons, or drugs.

Pricing

NetNanny has 2 plans:

1. 5 Devices — $59.99/year ($11/device)
2. 20 Devices — $89.99/year (>$5/device)

The above pricing factors in the current special of 30% off. These prices are, however, subject to changes.

9. KidsGuard — Get Impressive Parental Control on Android

From the popular ClevGuard comes KidsGuard Pro — a quality parental control app with advanced capabilities like screen recording and streaming the user’s surroundings in real time.

Besides being one of the best Tinder spy apps, KidsGuard is the cream of the crop for monitoring all social media and messenger apps on Android and iOS — including Discord, Snapchat, and Facebook, among others.

However, it’s worth noting that the iOS version is disappointing in comparison and is nowhere near as adored as the Android spyware — certainly not the best if you’re looking to monitor your kid’s iPhone.

On the whole, KidsGuard gives you great nice-to-have features to keep a close eye on your children — you even get some hard-to-find ones like remote screenshots and call recording!

Pricing

1. Monthly — $29.95/month
2. Quarterly — $16.65/month
3. Annual — $8.32/month

KidsGuard Pro offers impressive features at incredibly competitive prices, but keep in mind that these prices are subject to change when renewal comes around.

10. FamiSafe — One of the Best Apps to Monitor Kids’ Phones (for Families and Schools)

FamiSafe holds a solid reputation in the realm of parental control. It offers accurate location tracking and allows parents to manage their child’s screen time and the content they can and can’t access.

What stands out about the content filtering functionality is that you can block YouTube channels and websites by category to protect your child from harmful content.

Although there’s no keylogger, you can set custom words to receive alerts if FamiSafe detects their use on social media or beyond. On top of this, the app also scans the device for harmful photos and notifies you of anything suspicious.

Pricing

FamiSafe has plans for families and schools. These are the family plans:

1. Monthly — $10.99/month — 5 devices
2. Quarterly — $6.99/month — 10 devices
3. Annual — $5.08/month — 10 devices

$5.08/month to cover up to 10 devices is a dead giveaway!

It lacks in terms of features when compared to apps like mSpy, but overall, you get solid web and app control to offer your family a safe, controlled online environment.

Compare the Best Parental Control Apps

With ample to take from our reviews section, we’ve made comparing them, head to head, a little easier with this nifty table:

How to Monitor Your Child’s Phone ⏐ Step-By-Step

If you opt for the best parental control app, getting set up is as easy as it gets. Here’s a tutorial on getting started with mSpy’s parental control on Android:

1. Head Over to mSpy’s Website

Once you’re on the website, click “Try Now”. Create your account, choose the device OS you’d like to monitor, and select your subscription model:

When you’ve completed the checkout, you’ll receive an email from mSpy that’ll include your username, password, a link to your control panel and more details to help guide you through the process.

2. Disable PlayProtect

You’ll need to head to the Play Store’s settings and disable PlayProtect on the target device to ensure the app functions as intended:

3. Download mSpy

The email from mSpy will include a URL for the installation. Copy and paste it into the browser on the target device to begin the download.

Accept all the app permissions, and click “Complete Installation”:

There you have it. Once installed, you’ll be able to monitor the device’s activity in real time on your device! Simply log into your account, and you’re all set:

If you’re looking to monitor your kid’s iPhone or iPad, you’ll need to head to the Cydia app on the target device to input the mSpy link for the installation.

For more on this, check out mSpy’s website for in-depth walkthroughs. You’re generally looking at a similar process for other leading spy apps.

How We Chose the Best Parental Control Apps

When researching and testing parental control and monitoring apps, we separated the junk and the sub-par from the best of the bunch by considering their:

• Ease of use — Not only should a parental control app be easy to navigate, but it should also be a breeze to install and set up
• Feature-to-value — This ratio was an important consideration to ensure that the balance gives you good value for money
• Device compatibility — Your child may have an iPhone, Android, tablet, or PC. We ensured our top 10 offered superb compatibility to ensure that you’d find the best app for your family’s needs
• Reviews — Customer feedback was a key driver in our top 10. We did a thorough analysis of customer reviews to give you the top pros and cons as expressed by real users
• Digital management — We ensured that the best parental control apps could block and restrict access to apps and websites and give you the means to manage screen time

Considering these factors and ensuring features valuable to parents were on offer, we’ve got a list of parental control apps designed to help you manage screen time, set online boundaries, and more.

Whatever you need, these apps have you covered.

It’s Always Best to Talk to Your Kids

On the whole, kids aren’t aware of the threats that persist online and can get into a dangerous digital environment without even realizing it.

With open discussion, you can relay the importance of responsible device usage and the dangers lurking online and in the real world to have your child better understand your intent with parental controls.

Education is essential, but being open and honest with your child will also ensure that the trust you’ve built with them doesn’t get damaged if they find the monitoring app on their own. This can lead to rebellious behaviour and effort to remove the software without your knowledge.

Ultimately, you know the best approach better than anyone else, and regardless of your needs, these 10 best parental control apps have you covered.

Parental Control App FAQs

Here are some top questions asked about parental control apps: