Aura parental controls review: Will it keep your kids safe online?

Today, kids are easily exposed to various online threats. From harmful content and cyberbullying to online predators, the list of dangers is constantly growing. This leaves parents with a question: how can you protect your kids online while allowing them to explore the Internet?

One of the best solutions is using parental control apps that help you monitor, manage, and protect your kids' online activities. Aura has emerged as a well-rounded parental control app thanks to its pool of safety features and advanced identity protection.

Together with the Cybernews research team, I conducted extensive tests for this Aura parental controls review. Continue reading to learn about this app, its pros and cons, set-up process and pricing, and how it compares to competitors.

Quick overview of Aura parental control app

The Aura parental control app offers comprehensive online protection tools, including content filtering, screen time management, and identity theft tracking. Here’s a quick overview of its core features:

🌐 Web & app filtering	Yes
🕓 Screen time limits	Yes
📍 Location tracking	No
🖥️ Supported platforms	iOS, Android, Windows, macOS
📲 Number of devices	Up to 50
✂️ Free plan	No
⌛ Trial period	14 days
💵 Price	Starts at $8.33

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What Is Aura?

Aura is a US-based online safety company known for its identity theft protection services. Recently, Aura entered the parental control space by partnering with Circle and incorporating new safety features.

Aura’s parental control features are powered by Circle’s award-winning technology. They enable thorough content filtering and screen time management across devices. You can monitor and set limits on streaming, gaming, and social media platforms, ensuring your children engage with age-appropriate content.

However, parental controls are far from everything that Aura offers. The app also provides identity theft protection, real-time breach alerts, VPN services, and password management, making it a solid all-in-one family safety solution.

Expert comment on Aura parental controls

I tested Aura parental controls for a week, exploring the app on multiple devices. Here’s my breakdown of Aura’s pros and cons:

• Strengths: Aura stands out for its web and app filtering, with intuitive navigation and flexible options for managing screen time. I was impressed by how easy it was to block inappropriate content and set app time limits.
• Weaknesses: One of Aura’s biggest cons is the absence of location tracking and geofencing. This is a major oversight because its parental controls only work on mobile devices.

It’s also worth mentioning that Aura’s pricing (starting at $8.33) is higher than that of standalone parental control apps. However, this is not a disadvantage since Aura offers a bigger pool of features and identity protection services. Aura is a great all-round online security solution for the entire family.

Key features of the Aura parental control app

Aura’s parental control app provides diverse tools for managing your child’s online activities. Below is the breakdown of its key features:

Content filtering

Aura allows parents to customize their children’s online experience by restricting or blocking access to specific websites, apps, and content. It has customizable Circle-powered filters that prevent children from interacting with violent and harmful content, depending on the setting parents select. For example, you can restrict your child’s access to all dating apps. You can also activate customized filters for age-appropriate content based on the child’s age group.

There are more than 25 website categories for filtering, from gaming platforms to shopping websites. You can restrict access to apps or websites like Discord, YouTube, or Disney+. The app provides real-time monitoring and alerts, so you will be informed if your child attempts to access restricted content.

During our testing, filtering ran smoothly — I couldn’t access a single platform or content blocked from the parent’s device.

Social media and app management

Aura lets you set limits on your child’s app and social media usage, blocking certain apps and tracking how much time your kid spends on a platform. That said, it doesn’t have dedicated services for specific apps, except for YouTube.

Another thing worth mentioning is Aura’s Safe Gaming feature, powered by the award-winning ProtectMe software. This feature is especially useful if your child is an avid gamer. Safe Gaming covers over 200 games (including global hits like Apex and Fortnite) and Discord. It also monitors voice and text chats to inform adults of potential cyberbullying, scams, and other threats.

Email and text monitoring

For now, Aura doesn’t offer email and text monitoring. This is one of the app’s weakest spots — especially since most of its competitors, like Bark and Qustodio, take these things into account.

Screen time management

Unlike email monitoring, screen time management is one of Aura’s strongest assets. Aura lets you set daily time limits for separate apps, monitor your child’s time online, and even restrict internet access on the device by clicking “Pause the Internet.”

The best thing about Aura’s screen time management is its flexibility. You can adjust the app to meet your kids’ needs. For example, you can set a 2-hour YouTube limit for one child while limiting time on gaming apps to 1 hour for others.

I also like how Aura encourages parents to award their kids bonus time on the Internet through the app — a potential reward for chores or responsible online behavior.

Location tracking and geo-fencing

Unfortunately, Aura doesn’t offer location tracking just yet. While the app provides other great features like identity theft protection, the absence of geo-fencing and tracking limits its effectiveness.

Activity reports

You can access activity reports for each child through the app’s main dashboard. These reports detail time spent online, in different apps, online history, and more.

Safe Gaming also sends parents weekly reports on cyber-bullying threats. Unfortunately, there is no option to receive them more regularly, which makes it harder to monitor the situation in real-time.

While there is room for improvement, the Aura parental control app proved to be an excellent pick for monitoring and limiting your child’s online presence. Its high customizability and flexible time management solutions are among the stand-out features.

Aura plans & pricing

Aura offers two main plans that include parental controls: Family and Kids. The Family plan provides more extensive features.

The Kids plan costs $10/month and offers basic parental control features (such as content filtering and website blocking) and the Safe Gaming feature. Meanwhile, the pricier Family plan costs $32/month and offers more advanced features like identity theft protection and insurance, VPN, password managers, and search site removal.

You can try both plans for free for 14 days, and Aura has a 60-day money-back guarantee.

Aura's plans are on the expensive side, especially compared to more budget-friendly competitors like Bark. However, it offers a more extensive security suite in addition to parental controls — the only major flaw is the absence of the location tracking features.

Overall, if you’re looking for an all-in-one solution for the entire family, Aura is a great choice. However, cheaper alternatives such as Bark or Qustodio may be a better match for those who only need parental control.

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Aura parental control app user experience and setup process

Setting up Aura’s parental control app is easy. The app is available for iOS, Android, and Windows devices. Parents and kids use the same app, but setting up a child’s device requires a few more steps, including setting permissions and screen time limits.

Installation & setup (parental app + kids app)

1. Download the Aura app from the App Store or Google Play.
2. Create your parent account.
3. Add your child by entering their name and date of birth.
4. Link the devices by opening a link or scanning a code with your kid’s device.
5. Allow Aura to work as a VPN in the background. This is needed to track and limit internet access.
6. You’re good to go! Now, you can start customizing your child’s online presence.

Ease of use

Aura is tailor-made for beginners, so even if you’re new to parental control services, you won’t have much difficulty finding reports, blocking websites, and managing other safety settings. However, the mobile and desktop experience slightly differs.

Mobile & tablets

The app is pleasant to use thanks to its user-friendly interface and minimalistic design. The setup process is a matter of clicks, and parents are given complete control over the app. Meanwhile, navigation is intuitive and straightforward, allowing you to focus on key features like time limits and content filtering instead of overwhelming you with information.

Desktop

Although the desktop app is easy to set up and doesn’t require much effort to navigate, its controls are limited compared to the mobile version. It primarily offers the Safe Gaming feature that runs in the background and sends alerts after detecting potentially suspicious activity.

Customer support

Although Aura’s customer support proved decent during our testing, there is room for improvement.

The 24/7 live chat is mostly run by a bot but is still useful for basic inquiries. It answered most of my questions satisfactorily and redirected me to additional resources (which include phone support).

Meanwhile, the email option is one of the weakest and pretty much had me going in circles, redirecting me to phone support instead of providing an answer to my questions.

Aura’s online help center contains extensive FAQs, but the absence of a public forum and detailed product manuals can be frustrating for users seeking more comprehensive support.

Overall, while its customer support was effective in dealing with common issues, Aura would benefit from more approachable live options.

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Aura parental control app vs. competitors

When comparing Aura to other parental control apps, weighing their benefits and limitations is important.

• Bark: Bark is a comprehensive parental control app with extensive monitoring features, offering email and text message monitoring and geo-fencing. It’s a great alternative if you’re looking for high levels of customization and oversight.
• Norton Family: Norton Family offers the location tracking and geo-fencing features that Aura lacks. It’s an excellent choice if you're already using Norton’s other security products, as it integrates seamlessly with Norton’s antivirus and VPN.
• Qustodio: Qustodio provides real-time alerts and extensive monitoring features at a lower cost than Aura. If you're solely focused on parental controls, Qustodio may offer better value for money.

While Aura is a strong all-rounder, consider one of the options above if you’re looking for a cheaper solution or prioritize geo-fencing. Check out our article on Aura vs. Bark to see how these apps compare.

Conclusion: Is Aura worth the investment in 2024?

Aura’s parental control app is easy to navigate and offers solid protection despite lacking features like location tracking. Its biggest strength lies in its broad, customizable security package, which includes identity theft protection, a VPN, and a password manager.

For families seeking more than basic parental controls, Aura is worth the investment. However, it may be overkill for those looking to monitor their children's online activity.

If you’re unsure whether the app is worth the investment, consider starting with a 2-week free trial. There’s also a money-back guarantee.

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