Best parental control apps for Android and iPhone in 2025

Parental control apps ensure better online safety for your kids by preventing access to harmful content, managing screen time, and monitoring who they communicate with. The best parental control app helps your kids explore content appropriate for their age. However, with numerous parental control apps on the market, choosing one to protect your children and teens is hard.

As a Cybernews expert, I worked together with the research team to determine the best parental control apps on the market. I evaluated different criteria to make the best choice, such as features, ease of use, and price.

Due to this, I compiled an article with detailed reviews of the best apps. You’ll also find a side-by-side comparison table and tips on how to choose the best app. So, let’s learn how to ensure a safe online environment for your entire family.

Best parental control apps of 2025– shortlist

1. Aura Parental Control – the best bundle that covers everything you need
2. Qustodio – top choice for multi-platform monitoring
3. Bark – best for social media monitoring
4. Norton Family – great for teens concentrating on their school tasks
5. mSpy – best tracking and monitoring app
6. Google Family Link - best parental control app for Android
7. Microsoft Family Safety - best kids’ phone monitoring with content filters

Parental control app feature comparison table

Parental control app	Screen time management	App blocking and management	Web filtering	Activity monitoring	Location tracking and geofencing	Communication controls	Family account management	Customizable settings	Remote management	Cross-platform support	Privacy and security	User-friendly interface	Cost and subscription plans
Aura Parental Control	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	❌ No	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Basic plan: $12/month (1 device); Family plan: $32/month (up to 5 devices)
Qustodio	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Basic plan: $54.95/year; Complete plan: $99.95/year
Bark	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Basic plan: $6/month (1 child); Premium plan: $14/month (up to 3 children); Family plan: $19/month (up to 10 children)
Norton Family	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Limited	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Basic plan: $49.99/year (covers up to 5 devices)
mSpy	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Basic plan: $48.99/month; Premium plan: $28/3 months; Family plan: $11.67/12 months
Google Family Link	✅ Yes	Limited	✅ Yes	Limited	✅ Yes	Limited	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Free
Microsoft Family Safety	✅ Yes	Limited	✅ Yes	Limited	✅ Yes	Limited	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	Free

Best parental control apps of 2025 – detailed list

Now that you’ve got a general idea about the best parental control apps, it’s time to delve deeper into the detailed reviews of each parental block app. Let’s review their features, platforms, ease of use, and pricing.

1. Aura Parental Control – an all-in-one parental control app

Price:	From $10/month
Platforms:	Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS
Blocking:	Yes
Screen time limiting:	Yes
Location tracking:	No

Visit Aura Parental Control

Aura Parental Control is one of the best parental control apps, allowing you to monitor and restrict your children’s usage of different apps and websites. But what made me place it first is its wide range of robust parental controls. Therefore, you can use it as the best parental app for iPhone, Android, Windows, and macOS.

Features: Aura Parental Control offers mobile device management with content blocking, screen time, internet access limits, and customization options for each family member. I was surprised by how easy it was to pause your kids’ internet access with just one click with this parental internet control app.

Platforms: This application is available for all Windows, macOS, Android, and iOS devices.

Ease of use and setup: Aura Parental Control also features a straightforward installation process.

1. First, you need to allow Aura to configure your device
2. Enable the VPN so you can monitor network traffic
3. Then, click on Allow so it can work in the background
4. That’s it! The app will be up and running in no time

Advanced parental control features: Aura Parental Control offers 24/7 In-Game Voice & Text Monitoring, Cyberbullying & Predator Alerts, and Weekly Gaming Activity Report. It even comes with child identity theft tracking. Additionally, you can find Online & Device Security features with Antivirus, VPN, Safe Browsing, Password Manager, and Sensitive Files Vault. But what stood out to me is the latest addition. With the help of AI and partnership with psychologists, Aura provides you with insights into your children’s online habits. It also gives you recommendations for healthy screen time.

Price: You can get Aura’s Parental Control plan for only $10/month. However, if you want to take advantage of these functionalities, plus identity and fraud protection, the subscription will cost you $32/month.

For more details, check out our comprehensive Aura review.

2. Qustodio – multi-platform monitoring app with a unique Panic Button feature

Price:	From $4.58/month
Platforms:	Windows, Android, iOS, Mac, and Kindle
Blocking:	Yes
Screen time limiting:	Yes
Location tracking:	Yes

Visit Qustodio

If you’re looking for another great phone monitoring app for parents, I recommend exploring Qustodio. This is one of the most powerful parental control apps, providing numerous security features, including geofencing options. It even has AI-powered search and message alerts.

Features: Qustodio has many robust features that help you monitor your kid’s online activities. You can set application and screen time limits, web and application use restrictions, web filtering and alerts, and even monitor particular apps, like YouTube. The best feature I found is the screen time limit, which lets you customize whole usage routines and sleep patterns.

Platforms: You can get a Qustodio plan for any Android, Windows, iOS, Mac, or Amazon Kindle Fire device and secure 1, 5, or unlimited devices.

Ease of use and setup: Qustodio won’t cause you any headaches. It has a well-organized interface with clearly categorized features.

As for the setup, here’s what you’ll need to do:

1. First, you need to add a child
2. Then, they create their account by entering their name and age and choosing an avatar
3. After that, you need to add your kid’s device
4. There you have it! You now have in-depth insights into your children’s internet usage

Advanced parental control features: What I loved about Qustodio is that not only does it have GPS location tracking, but it also has fantastic geofencing features. You can create a boundary and receive an alert whenever your kid arrives or exits this area. It’s incredible how effectively the AI-powered alerts inform you about any suspicious searches or conversations of your kids. There are also detailed phone calls and message tracking. Your kid can even use the panic button in case of an emergency.

Price: Qustodio comes with a 3-day free version, but it also has premium plans. So, you can pick its basic plan for $54.95/year or go for the complete subscription that costs $99.95/year.

If you want even more information, you can also visit our in-depth review of Qustodio.

3. Bark – parental control app for monitoring 30+ social media sites

Price:	From $6/month
Platforms:	Android, iOS, Amazon Fire, and Chromebooks
Blocking:	Yes
Screen time limiting:	Yes
Location tracking:	Yes

Visit Bark

The third app to monitor kids’ iPhone or any other devices is Bark. I was really satisfied with its ability to scan over 30 social media apps. But there are also many other worthy capabilities.

Features: The first thing that caught my attention was Bark’s AI-powered safety alerts in 29+ categories. This is one of the things that makes it the best phone monitoring app, as you can scan texts, social media, images, videos, and audio for any harmful content. Additionally, you’ll receive geofencing and GPS location tracking, allowing you to know where your kid is at any time. There’s also social media and messaging app monitoring, application and web use restrictions and monitoring, and email monitoring.

Platforms: Bark protects an unlimited number of devices with a single subscription, and you can use it on Android, iOS, Amazon Fire, and Chromebooks.

Ease of use and setup: Getting started with Bark is a piece of cake. All you have to do is:

1. Create your account
2. Add your kids
3. Select which apps or social media to monitor or restrict
4. Choose the contacts who should receive the alerts

Advanced parental control features: Bark employs keyword triggers, which means the app analyzes content and conversations and alerts you for potential threats. But you’ll even get personalized reports and expert recommendations on how to handle some challenging moments of your child’s online behavior.

Price: You can get Bark Home for $6/month to monitor all of your internet-connected devices in your home, from gaming consoles to TVs. However, the premium version of the Bark app is $14/month.

If you want to examine Bark’s features in greater depth, check out our comprehensive Bark review.

4. Norton Family – best parental control app for teenagers

Price:	$49.99/year
Platforms:	Windows, Android, and iOS
Blocking:	Yes, on Android and Windows
Screen time limiting:	Yes
Location tracking:	Yes

Visit Norton Family

Norton Family is my next recommendation as the best app for parental control. With it, you’ll get all the necessary insights about your children’s and teenager’s devices.

Features: Norton Family has a decent suite of features, including Time Supervision, Parental Supervision, School Time, and Location Supervision. I found out that these features are not just advertised, but they really help you set time limits, follow your kids’ location, monitor the web search, and see what they watch on platforms like YouTube and Hulu. But what sets it apart from other competitors is that Norton’s School Time lets you create a list of specific school-related websites that your kids can access during the school day.

Platforms: You can download Norton Family and use it on Windows, Android, and iOS apps. However, the blocking feature is currently available only for Windows and Android users.

Ease of use and setup: One of the best things about Norton Family is that you can customize the restrictions according to your kid’s age. Here’s how the process goes:

1. First, you need to add a child to your account
2. Then, in the Create Profile screen, type the child's name
3. Select the restriction level based on your child's age and click on Create

To install the app on your device, you just need to follow these steps:

1. Download the Norton Family app
2. Enter the activation code in the Parent app and tap Activate
3. Verify the personal data on the child's device and click on Confirm & Continue

Advanced parental control features: Norton Family lets you set restriction ranges that are appropriate for your child’s age. This is where this child phone monitoring app becomes suitable even for teenagers who may resist strict restrictions and tracking.

Price: Like Qustodio, the Norton Family parental control app has an annual subscription for $49.99/year.

If you want to dig deeper, visit our complete review of Norton Family and its features.

5. mSpy – best multimedia monitoring app

Price:	From $11.67/month
Platforms:	Android and iOS
Blocking:	Yes
Screen time limiting:	No
Location tracking:	Yes

Visit mSpy

mSpy is another of my top picks for the best apps to monitor a child’s phone. In fact, this app works only on iOS and Android, allowing you to monitor your child's phone activity closely.

Features: With mSpy you can effectively block apps and websites you think aren’t suitable for your children, monitor their browsing history, track their emails, and even monitor their phone calls and messages to see who they’re talking to. On top of this, there’s also geofencing and GPS location tracking so you’re aware of your kids’ location.

Platforms: One minor limitation is that you can only use it to track Android and iOS devices. Although you can access the mSpy Control Panel on a desktop or laptop computer, there’s no support for tracking Windows, MacOS, or Linux devices.

Ease of use and setup: mSpy has a neat interface and intuitive features. Also, you can set it up in a few easy steps:

1. Open Google Chrome on the device you want to monitor
2. In the search bar, paste the installation link you’ll receive
3. Click on Download and if a prompt appears at the bottom of the screen, tap Open > Settings > Allow from This Source and go back. Then, press Next
4. Click on Allow on all popups to grant access to the phone’s data (phone calls, contacts, location, messages, etc.)
5. Enter the Registration Code and click Complete Installation

Advanced parental control features: In terms of advanced features, I was surprised to see that, unlike other parental controls, mSpy has a multimedia tracking option. Based on my and the research team’s investigation, you can check your children’s photos and videos. You can also screen record on their phones for real-time insight into their activities. Ultimately, there’s a keylogger feature that monitors their keystrokes and a keyword trigger, which alerts you if they search for some restricted terms or phrases.

Price: You can get everything for only $11.67/month, which is relatively affordable.

For a full examination of mSpy’s entire feature set, click over to our detailed review of mSpy parental controls.

6. Google Family Link – best parental control app for free

Price:	Free
Platforms:	Android and ChromeOS
Blocking:	No
Screen time limiting:	Yes
Location tracking:	No

Google Family Link is an entirely free parental control app that lets you monitor your kids' devices. It’s available only for Android and ChromeOS devices, which is why it can be one of your top choices as the best phone monitoring apps for Android.

Features: You can set time restrictions and rigid schedules on your kids’ phones with this app. In fact, I found out that you can either set specific app limits or set screen time limits for the whole device. Also, Google Family Link lets you review and approve which apps your kid can install and filter content that you think it’s harmful to them.

Platforms: Google Family Link works only on Android and ChromeOS devices.

Ease of use and setup: Another perk of Google Family Link is that it’s very user-friendly, and you’ll be able to set it on your kid’s device in no time. You just need to:

1. Open the Family Link app. If you don't have the Family Link app, visit the setup page to get started
2. At the top left, tap Menu, and then Add Child
3. Follow the on-screen instructions, and that’s it

Advanced parental control features: One unique feature is the App permission management for installed apps. You'll get a notification if your kid wants to install an app. You can then either allow or deny the installation. Aside from this, I found it pretty brilliant that you can even check their battery life thanks to the geolocation feature. Therefore, you can be sure that your kid’s phone is just out of battery and don’t worry about what may have happened to them.

Price: Google Family Link is an entirely free app that will let you protect your kid from different online threats and harmful content.

7. Microsoft Family Safety – monitoring app with an app and game purchase controls

Price:	Free
Platforms:	Windows, Xbox, Android, and iOS
Blocking:	Yes, on Microsoft Edge and Bing
Screen time limiting:	Yes
Location tracking:	Yes

Last but not least, one of the apps to monitor a child’s phone is the Microsoft Family Safety. As the name implies, this parental control app is suitable for all Microsoft users, but you can also use it for iOS devices.

Features: Microsoft Family Safety has only two features – content filtering and screen time limits. As a result, you can create schedules for the usage of your kids’ phones or block specific content you don’t want your kids to see.

Platforms: You can use Microsoft Family Safety on all Windows, Android, iOS, and Xbox devices, which is a significant range. However, the content filtering works only on Bing and Microsoft Edge.

Ease of use and setup: To set up Microsoft Family Safety, you just need to complete a few steps, such as:

Download the Microsoft Family Safety app in the Google Play or Apple app store.

1. Tap Get Started to sign in
2. From the Your Family View tab, select List
3. Scroll down to select Add a family member
4. Enter their email address
5. Select their family group role – Member or Organizer
6. Click on Next

Advanced parental control features: Microsoft Family Safety offers app and game purchase controls, allowing you to control which apps and games your kids want to access. According to the tests I conducted, this feature works very well in practice.

Price: The best part about this parental control app is that it’s free. Therefore, you can get ultimate safety without paying a dime.

How I tested the best parental control apps

I examined proactive features, such as filters and restrictions. To provide you with the best solution, I worked with my colleagues in the Cybernews research team to simulate and test as many scenarios as possible.

First, I mimic real-world use cases to test the effectiveness of parental controls. In this case, I must use the parent’s and child’s devices (mobile or desktop). To do this, I installed the apps on iOS 18 and Windows 10 Pro devices.

I use the parent’s device (iOS 18) to monitor the child’s online activities, restrict screen time, filter out content, and check for alerts. Meanwhile, the child’s device (Windows 10 Pro) must have parental controls installed and simulate regular internet browsing.

Then, I always check several core features necessary to track a child’s online activities, which is a must for a robust parental control service. These include:

• GPS/location tracking
• Restrict inappropriate content
• Monitor web searches and app activity
• Limit screen time and internet access

Additionally, I evaluate the supported devices and operating systems and check if all of the features are available on all of the supported systems.

Once I identify the features, I evaluate their effectiveness in the following way:

• GPS/location tracking. Open the parental control dashboard and check whether the target device’s location is displayed correctly
• Restrict inappropriate content. I open a browser on the child’s device and try to access the websites that fall into the blocked categories
• Monitor web searches and app activity. To test this feature, I open the parental control dashboard and check if the child's browsing history and accessed apps are visible
• Limit screen time and internet access. I test this feature by enabling the screen time limits or blocking the internet access and using the child’s device to check if I can still access the internet

The last step of the process refers to testing whether children can bypass the parental control apps. A decent parental control app should ensure that a child will not be able to bypass the restrictions that are in place. So, I always try to circumvent the limits by:

• Uninstalling the app. A well-built parental control app should require the parent’s password before uninstalling the application
• VPN connection. A reliable parental control app should block VPN connections
• Using different browsers. Some parental control services can only work when using a particular browser
• Restarting the device. If the parental control app must constantly run in the background, restarting the device might shut down the application
• Accessing websites using proxy-like tools. Proxy search engines, such as Google Translate or ProxySite, may be able to bypass parental control filters
• GPS spoofing. GPS spoofing software, such as Surfshark or Fake GPS, might trick the parental control app into displaying the wrong location
• Change DNS addresses. I check if changing the DNS addresses affects the content filtering
• Disable the internet and GPS on a child’s device. I monitor whether such changes affect the monitoring capabilities on the parental control dashboard

Why should you trust us?

Our reviews are free from external influence and based on empirical evidence. This means you don’t have to question our motives or worry about our reliability. I also update each review regularly to ensure accuracy and relevance.

How to choose the right best parental control app for your family

Monitoring adolescents and younger children can be complex as they develop and assert more independence than younger children. Your teens and tweens likely don’t want you to oversee and control their online activities. This means there is a balance to strike between trust and control features.

Many apps will help you monitor your kids’ devices through their basic features, like screen-time limits and app blocker options. However, there are more advanced features, like geofencing and location tracking.

I’ll help you choose the best parental control app based on your children's ages and your preferences. So, let’s see how to select a parental control app that will provide your kid with a balance of safety and freedom:

• Range of parental controls. You must ensure the app covers all your areas of concern, such as content filtering, screen time restrictions, location monitoring, geofencing, and monitoring online activities.
• Filtering tools. Look for advanced filtering and content-blocking capabilities. This functionality will help prevent access to adult content, explicit lyrics, and communication with strangers or people you don't know.
• Ability to set time limits. Consider choosing an app that allows you to set intuitive and customizable time limits for device usage. This way, you can adapt the parental restrictions to your kid’s schedule.
• Ability to track location and monitor online activities. Features like geofencing and location tracking ensure your child’s safety and enable quick response to unexpected situations.
• Ease of use. Always select an app with an intuitive user interface, clear explanations of features, and a straightforward setup process.
• Cross-platform compatibility. Ideally, choose an app that works seamlessly across all devices you and your child use, including smartphones, tablets, laptops, gaming systems, and smart TVs.

Free vs paid parental control apps

You can find many paid and free parental control apps on the market. Therefore, you need to know which one to choose. So, I’ve got your back. The most crucial difference between a free and paid app to control kids’ phones is in the functionalities.

That said, free versions of parental control apps usually offer basic features. These include necessary options, such as web filtering and screen time limits. For example, while Google Family Link has these functionalities, it doesn’t offer geo-tracking or web blocking.

On the other hand, paid parental control apps have a lot more functionalities, allowing you to protect your kids at a deeper level. Some of the features you’ll enjoy with these apps are social media monitoring and detailed activity reports.

Many apps, like Aura Parental Control, even implement AI-powered insights, recommendations, and alerts. Therefore, they offer more comprehensive protection for your children and teenagers.

Tips for implementing parental controls effectively

If you already have a particular app to monitor kids’ iPhone or any other device in mind, it’s good to know how to use it properly. Due to this, I decided to compile a short list of the most effective tips. Let’s briefly go over my list:

• Open communication. Before you go for the best parental control for iPhone or other device, you need to discuss the purpose and benefits of the app with your children. Explain to them that it’s not only so you can see what they’re doing online but rather to protect them from harmful content and even cyberattacks.
• Setting clear boundaries. The next thing you should do is to establish agreed-upon rules for device usage. This will help your children easily adapt to them and they’ll also become familiar with the time limits they have on particular apps or the whole device.
• Regular reviews. Last but not least, you need to assess and adjust the settings from time to time. This is especially important because your kids grow and technology evolves faster than you think, so you must align the parental control app with the latest events.

Will parental control software block all inappropriate content?

Parental control apps are highly efficient at imposing monitoring and content restrictions. However, the effectiveness and appropriateness of a parental control app’s restrictions for your children are more complex. What may be considered inappropriate for a young child might be perfectly acceptable for a teenager.

The primary concern for many users is having control over what their children can access online. However, even the most advanced tools cannot guarantee complete protection.

For example, your children may find a way to bypass controls, especially as they become more tech-savvy and learn about VPNs or similar tools. Additionally, the expansion of the internet and the loads of data make it difficult to monitor all potential sources of inappropriate content.

Therefore, parental control apps are valuable tools but not an all-powerful solution. You should use them with other strategies, such as open communication and education about online safety.

Bottom line

You should select cell phone monitoring apps based on your needs and preferences. However, based on my detailed review and testing, I recommend Aura Parental Control as the top choice. It has all the necessary features and provides comprehensive reports and insights into your kids' online behavior.

However, if you want more advanced location tracking options, then I recommend checking out Qustodio. But if your kids are in their teenage years, then I also recommend considering Norton Family, as its features are not limited to younger aged kids.

Ultimately, I also put two entirely free parental control apps if you’re on a tighter budget. More precisely, you can go for Google Family Link and Microsoft Family Safety, which although limited, have basic monitoring features.

Regardless of your choice, you must properly implement the app. This requires open communication with your kids, agreeing on device-usager rules, and adjusting the settings as your children grow.

FAQ