Parental control software lets adults set screen time limits, filter websites and apps, and see where a child's phone is.
This ranking favours small vendors with one clear product, then weighs what the first ninety days cost in setup time, how yearly renewals change the bill, which operating systems are supported, and whether the vendor states who runs it.
Vendors can pay for more visibility on this website, for example a higher place in a ranking or more room on a page. Commercial relationships can also affect which products we feature and how prominently. Every vendor link is marked the same, whatever the arrangement behind it. How that works.
In short
What parental control software does
Parental control software installs on a child's phone, tablet or computer and lets a parent filter content, schedule screen time, block apps and track location from one dashboard.
Every parental control tool was judged on five points in a fixed order: setup effort, cost in practice, how data is exported, how easily you can leave, and the buyer it was designed for. On top of them sits one rule. The top three places are for challengers, which means vendors outside the big names, where the category has any, and the household brands come in from fourth place. Why those five, and why there is no score out of ten, is on the how we work page.
Quoted through a demo or sales contact; no prices listed on the pricing page
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School and district buyers who also want a family-facing app
Households wanting a self-serve app with visible prices
The country column shows the vendor's headquarters or contracting entity. Data hosting is a separate matter, and an entry flags it when the two diverge.
Windows and Android time control sold as a licence, not a subscription
Ranked #1 of 13 in Best Parental Control Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
Time control is the core: daily, weekly or monthly limits in 15-minute steps, separate limits per program and per website, and roaming screen time that follows a child across linked devices.
Parents can grant bonus time through time codes and receive daily or weekly email reports with screenshots. Web filters work by category and by age. A calculator prices one to ten or more devices. The trade-off is the fixed term and a short platform list.
What stands out
24-month licence
Windows and Android
Screenshot email reports
Where it costs you
The licence expires after 24 months, so continued cover means buying again.
The feature list names Windows and Android only, with no iOS support stated.
Right for
Families with Windows PCs and Android phones who dislike recurring subscriptions
Wrong for
Households where the children mainly use iPhones or iPads
Not stated by the vendorPublished one-time licences for 24 months; 30-day trial; nothing renews automatically
Three annual tiers that differ only by device count
Ranked #2 of 13 in Best Parental Control Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
Pricing logic is easy to follow here. Lite covers up to five devices, Standard up to ten and Premium up to twenty, with a custom quote above that.
All paid tiers include app blocking and limits, a website blocker, schedules, a social media monitor, a family locator, remote device lock, activity reports and uninstall protection. The free basic tier is small, at two managed devices. The weak point is transparency about who runs the company and where.
What stands out
Device-count tiers
Social media monitor
Uninstall protection
Where it costs you
The site shows no country, address or imprint beyond a copyright line naming Mobicip.LLC.
Online subscriptions bill annually, so a monthly price is not a monthly commitment.
Right for
Parents who want identical features on every plan and only pay for device count
Wrong for
Buyers who need a stated legal address before signing up
Not stated by the vendorFree basic tier for two devices; annual paid tiers published; 7-day premium trial
Android-first child controls sold per licence that does not auto-renew
Ranked #3 of 13 in Best Parental Control Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
A distinctive idea is Encouraged apps, which stay exempt from time limits so reading or homework tools keep working. Bedtime schedules, daily limits, time-outs, extensions and round-the-clock location tracking apply on every plan.
On Android, parents also get keyword alerts on texts, call control limited to saved contacts, install approval, app blocking and YouTube history review. Payment runs through Google Play or the App Store, with no country stated for the company.
What stands out
No auto-renewal
Android-first
Encouraged apps
Where it costs you
The paid licences are described for Android child devices only.
Text monitoring, call control and app install approval are listed as Android-only features.
Right for
Android households wanting a yearly licence that stops by itself rather than renewing
Wrong for
Families whose children carry iPhones and need full monitoring
Not stated by the vendorPublished per-device and family-pack licences paid in-app; 14-day trial; no auto-renewal
Barcelona-domiciled family filter with a one-device free version
Ranked #4 of 13 in Best Parental Control Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingEurope
Qustodio gives a clean upgrade path: a free account for one device with basic protection, then Basic for web filtering, daily limits, game and app blocking, location monitoring, internet pausing and social monitoring.
Complete adds call and message monitoring, YouTube monitoring and phone support, with unlimited devices for families. The home page promises a premium trial on the free account without a card, but the premium plan pages show none, so confirm the trial first.
What stands out
Free single device
Yearly billing
YouTube monitoring
Where it costs you
The Basic plan card and its comparison table disagree on the device count.
Calls and messages monitoring, YouTube monitoring and phone support need the higher Complete tier.
Right for
Parents wanting to test a one-device free version before paying yearly
Wrong for
Schools and businesses, since Complete covers family devices only
SpainFree single-device version; two yearly premium tiers published; 30-day money-back
Two paid tiers where the dearer one adds screenshot-based content flagging
Ranked #5 of 13 in Best Parental Control Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
The product combines a screen time manager, an app blocker, location sharing, a screen viewer and a web filter that blocks adult content, across iPhone, iPad and Android restrictions.
Premium and Premium+ both allow twenty child devices, so household size rarely drives the tier choice. Premium+ is chosen for the screenshots, which raises a privacy conversation with older children. Check the iOS 18 note before relying on tamperproofing.
What stands out
Screenshot monitor
Twenty child devices
Eturi Corp
Where it costs you
Tamperproofing is stated to work only on iOS 18 and earlier.
The screenshot content monitor is limited to the Premium+ tier.
Right for
Parents who want screenshot flagging and need many child devices under one account
Wrong for
Families with children on current iPhones needing removal protection
Not stated by the vendorPublished monthly or annual rates for two tiers; 14-day trial
Explicit-content filtering that also covers AI chatbots and sexting
Ranked #6 of 13 in Best Parental Control Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
Where Canopy stands apart is content filtering that reaches into AI chat tools such as ChatGPT, Gemini and Claude, alongside real-time filtering of explicit images, videos and text and sexting prevention.
It also lists internet downtime schedules, removal prevention, location alerts and social media monitoring, on Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, Chromebook and Chrome. The entry tier covers one device and the middle tier three, so a family with several children climbs the ladder quickly. Only a one-week trial is offered.
What stands out
Image and text filtering
AI chatbot filtering
Sexting prevention
Where it costs you
The Premium tier says unlimited devices, yet a footnote limits it to ten.
The footer names no legal entity or country.
Right for
Parents whose main worry is explicit images, text and chatbot conversations
Wrong for
Buyers who need the operating company and its country identified
Not stated by the vendorPublished annual tiers by device count; one-week trial; 30-day money-back guarantee
Per-child-device yearly plans with SOS alerts and device pause
Ranked #7 of 13 in Best Parental Control Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
The plan ladder is built on child devices rather than features: one, three or five. Screen time limits, app and game blocking, web filtering with SafeSearch, chat monitoring on social media, call and SMS logs, location tracking with geofences and SOS alerts all appear in the feature list.
Inviting a second guardian carries no charge. Yearly plans renew automatically, so diarise the date, and ask what the trial actually lasts.
What stands out
SOS alerts
Geofences
FamilyPause
Where it costs you
The trial length is not stated consistently across the pages read.
The company is shown only as Azizolious, with no country.
Right for
Parents of one to five children who want SOS alerts and call logs
Wrong for
Buyers needing a clearly stated trial length and company location
Not stated by the vendorPublished yearly plans by child-device count; trial button on each plan; 15-day refund
Monthly or annual app plans, plus its own locked-down phone
Ranked #8 of 13 in Best Parental Control Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
The app monitors messages, apps, web activity and location, and adds app limits, screen time, app blocks and social media monitoring on Android phones and tablets and on iPhones and iPads.
A branded phone is the other route, sold with a separate service plan. The pricing is straightforward, but monitoring of messages is exactly the kind of feature where a missing privacy policy matters, so ask for the document before paying.
What stands out
Single-phone plan
MMGuardian Phone
Message monitoring
Where it costs you
No privacy policy or terms page is linked from the home page.
The site names no legal entity or country.
Right for
Parents with one child phone who want a monthly plan
Wrong for
Buyers who must read privacy terms before installing monitoring software
Not stated by the vendorPublished single-phone and family plans, monthly or annual; 14-day trial without a card
Instant lock and schedules for iOS and Android under one account
Ranked #9 of 13 in Best Parental Control Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
The strongest idea is the instant lock, which freezes a device from the parent app, backed by schedules and screen time limits. Web filtering, social network and content monitoring, statistics, reporting and childproofing against removal complete the list.
One account allows up to ten devices. Because the plan table did not render in our check, treat the cost as unknown until the in-app screen shows it, and use the three-day trial to test lock behaviour.
What stands out
Instant lock
Ten devices per account
iOS and Android
Where it costs you
Plan names and prices were not readable on the pricing page fetched.
The three-day trial is short for judging a family routine.
Right for
Parents who want a one-tap lock for phones and tablets at bedtime
Wrong for
Buyers who need published prices before installing anything
Not stated by the vendorPlan names and prices could not be read on the pricing page; 3-day trial; cancel anytime
Windows, Mac and iOS filtering sold as one-desktop or family passes
Ranked #10 of 13 in Best Parental Control Software in 2026.
Published pricingElsewhere
Filtering is the focus: real-time internet filtering that can block, warn or allow, website blocking by profile, a porn blocker, screen time schedules, app blocking, location tracking, alerts and reporting, all managed through a Parent Dashboard.
Organisations are sent to sales for commercial pricing. Compatibility is the concern, because the supported list is narrow. Check your operating system versions against the page before paying for a pass.
What stands out
Family Protection Pass
Block, warn or allow
Parent Dashboard
Where it costs you
Android is not listed among supported platforms on the products page.
The macOS support range stops at 11.x.
Right for
Windows and iPhone households that want filtering with block, warn or allow
Wrong for
Android families and organisations, since the pass is consumer-only
Not stated by the vendorPublished yearly passes by device count; discounts advertised; trial not listed
Wondershare-sold monitoring with a one-device free plan and three billing periods
Ranked #11 of 13 in Best Parental Control Software in 2026.
Free tierPublished pricingElsewhere
Premium features cover a WhatsApp monitor, call and message monitoring, YouTube and TikTok history, usage time limits, instant block, app block, a website filter, real-time location, geofencing alerts and location history reports.
The free plan lets one device try the interface with sample data. Annual billing is the cheapest per month, but auto-renewal is the default, so switch it off if you only need cover for a school term.
What stands out
Free one-device plan
WhatsApp monitor
TikTok history
Where it costs you
Some premium features show only demo data on the free plan.
Subscriptions auto-renew by default.
Right for
Parents who want WhatsApp and TikTok visibility and several billing periods
Wrong for
Buyers who expect a usable free plan rather than a preview
Not stated by the vendorFree one-device plan; monthly, quarterly and yearly rates published; 3-day yearly trial
Wi-Fi 7 router whose app manages screen time and age-based profiles
Ranked #12 of 13 in Best Parental Control Software in 2026.
Published pricingNorth America
Controls apply at network level through the Gryphon Connect app, which manages screen time, internet schedules and personal profiles with age-based filtering, with an internet pause button.
The manufacturer states coverage of up to 4,000 square feet and over 200 devices. Premium Protection adds home cybersecurity as a subscription. Because enforcement sits on the router, a child using mobile data away from home is outside what the page describes.
What stands out
Router hardware
Internet pause
Age-based profiles
Where it costs you
Premium Protection and HomeBound+ list no prices on the page read.
It requires buying a router, so it suits few households that only want an app.
Right for
Households replacing their router that want home-wide controls without per-device apps
Wrong for
Families who only want an app on a few phones
United StatesRouter sold at a published one-time price; app free to install; optional subscription unpriced
School-focused filtering suite with a separate family engagement app
Ranked #13 of 13 in Best Parental Control Software in 2026.
Pricing on requestElsewhere
Securly belongs here because of its Home app, yet the evidence points to school buyers: the filter is described as a cloud content filter for schools, and the other modules cover alerts, classroom control and Apple device management.
Reveal analyses screen time usage and budget. The pricing page offers no plan names, trial or free version. A parent should treat it as a conversation with sales, not a download.
What stands out
School filtering
Request a demo
Home app
Where it costs you
The pricing page lists no prices, billing basis or device limits.
Most listed products target schools, with Home as the only family app.
Right for
School and district buyers who also want a family-facing app
Wrong for
Households wanting a self-serve app with visible prices
Not stated by the vendorQuoted through a demo or sales contact; no prices listed on the pricing page
Parental control software installs on a child's phone, tablet or computer and lets a parent filter content, schedule screen time, block apps and track location from one dashboard. Differences that change the outcome seldom sit in the features. Here is the sequence we would follow.
01
Decide whether you need a published price
2 vendors on this page sell by quote, while 11 publish a pricing model you can read today: Salfeld Child Control, Mobicip, Boomerang, Qustodio, OurPact, Canopy, FamilyTime, MMGuardian, Net Nanny, FamiSafe, Gryphon.
02
Decide how much the jurisdiction matters
The 13 companies behind this list are established in 3 countries, by region Elsewhere 11, North America 1, Europe 1. Disclosure obligations attach to the company, so they travel with the vendor even when the servers stay at home.
Choosing parental control software by operating system: Boomerang, Net Nanny and OurPact
Platform coverage splits this market more sharply than price does. Boomerang describes its paid licences for Android child devices, and its text monitoring, call control and install approval are Android features. Net Nanny lists Windows, macOS up to 11.x and iOS 11 and higher, but not Android. OurPact says its tamperproofing works only on iOS 18 and earlier.
Salfeld Child Control names Windows and Android. A household with a Windows laptop, an Android phone and an iPad can easily end up with three partial answers. List every device your children use, with the exact operating system version, before reading a single feature table, and discard any tool that leaves a device uncovered.
Write down each child's device model and operating system version
Match the list against the vendor's supported platforms page
Test removal protection on the oldest device in the house
Reading Qustodio, Mobicip and FamiSafe plans: device caps and free tiers
Tiers here are built on device counts, and the free versions are small. Qustodio's free version protects one device, Mobicip's basic tier covers two, and FamiSafe's free plan covers one with some premium features showing demo data only. Paid ladders differ too: Mobicip's Lite, Standard and Premium reach five, ten and twenty devices with identical features, while FamiSafe offers five, eight and ten devices across monthly, quarterly and yearly billing.
Qustodio's own Basic plan card and comparison table disagree on devices, so ask which one binds. Count every child device, add a spare, and choose the smallest tier that still leaves room for a new phone next year. Recheck the cap each year as the family's devices change.
Count every child device plus one spare
Ask support which device number appears in the contract
Open the free plan and check which features show only sample data
Renewals and trials at FamilyTime, MMGuardian and Salfeld Child Control
How a plan ends matters as much as how it starts. FamilyTime and MMGuardian renew automatically, and MMGuardian adds local sales tax to its monthly or annual rates. FamilyTime shows a trial button on each plan but also links a three-day trial, so the length is unclear.
Salfeld Child Control sells a licence that runs 24 months and expires, with a 30-day trial and no subscription, which suits a child who will outgrow supervision within a couple of years. Boomerang's licences do not auto-renew either. Put the renewal date in a calendar the day you buy, and decide in advance whether the child will still need controls when it arrives. Cancelling after the charge is harder than cancelling before it.
Find the renewal clause and diarise the date
Ask what the trial actually lasts in days
Check whether sales tax is added to the quoted rate
Gryphon, Securly and Canopy: when the category stretches past an app
Three entries here ask different questions from a phone app. Gryphon controls the network through a router sold at a one-time price, with Premium Protection and HomeBound+ left unpriced on the page read. Securly is built mainly for schools, lists no prices and sends buyers to a demo, with Home as the family app.
Canopy leans on content: it filters explicit images, text and AI chatbot conversations. Each fits a narrow need. A router covers devices at home, a school suite suits a school administrator, and a content filter suits a worry about what a child sees. Decide which problem is real before choosing the product type, because a good answer to the wrong question wastes the first ninety days.
Say in one sentence which risk you are trying to reduce
Confirm whether controls still work on mobile data away from home
Ask schools which products they already deploy before buying a second one
What goes wrong most often when buying parental control software
Buying a plan counted in devices without listing every phone, tablet and laptop the child touches.
Treating a monitoring tool that reads messages as harmless without first reading its privacy terms.
Letting a yearly auto-renewing subscription roll over after the child no longer needs supervision.
Assuming a free version offers full protection when some features show only demo data.
07
Frequently asked questions
6 answers
What is the best parental control software in 2026?
Our ranking of 13 puts Salfeld Child Control first. Salfeld Computer GmbH, which labels the product Made in Germany, sells Child Control as a licence for 24 months in euros, priced for one, three or five devices.
A 30-day trial and a 30-day money-back guarantee come with it, and there is no subscription to cancel. Once the term ends the licence expires, and the feature list names Windows and Android only, so iPhone households must look elsewhere.
Which parental control tools publish their pricing?
11 of the 13, with the pricing model each one publishes:
Salfeld Child Control: Published one-time licences for 24 months; 30-day trial; nothing renews automatically.
Mobicip: Free basic tier for two devices; annual paid tiers published; 7-day premium trial.
Boomerang: Published per-device and family-pack licences paid in-app; 14-day trial; no auto-renewal.
Gryphon: Router sold at a published one-time price; app free to install; optional subscription unpriced.
Everything else on the list is priced on request.
Is there a free parental control tool?
Mobicip, Qustodio, FamiSafe come with a no-cost entry point, a free plan or a self-hosted edition.
Where are these parental control software vendors established?
Vendor countries on this page, Elsewhere 11, North America 1, Europe 1:
Salfeld Child Control: Not stated by the vendor.
Mobicip: Not stated by the vendor.
Boomerang: Not stated by the vendor.
Qustodio: Spain.
OurPact: Not stated by the vendor.
Canopy: Not stated by the vendor.
FamilyTime: Not stated by the vendor.
MMGuardian: Not stated by the vendor.
Kidslox: Not stated by the vendor.
Net Nanny: Not stated by the vendor.
FamiSafe: Not stated by the vendor.
Gryphon: United States.
Securly: Not stated by the vendor.
What should you use instead of Salfeld Child Control?
Look at Mobicip (made for Parents who want identical features on every plan and only pay for device count) and Boomerang (made for Android households wanting a yearly licence that stops by itself rather than renewing), which hold places two and three.
Who should not buy Salfeld Child Control?
Households where the children mainly use iPhones or iPads. The licence expires after 24 months, so continued cover means buying again..
This list covers 13 parental control software products. A product we left out can be put to us by its maker, with a short note on its purpose and its customers; we decide on inclusion ourselves. The rules are under software advice.
