Canopy parental control review 2025
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If you have kids, you know how difficult it can be to juggle between work and household responsibilities and, at the same time, keep your children safe online. Here is where this Canopy parental control review comes in. Canopy is an effective parental control app that answers the increasing need for online safety tools for kids and busy parents like you.
So, as a Cybernews expert, I have investigated alongside the Cybernews research team Canopy’s features, pros and cons, pricing, and how it compares to other renowned parental control apps. Let’s take a closer look and discover if this app is right for you and your family.
Quick overview of the Canopy parental control app
Canopy isn't just another parental control app. On top of the core components typical of most internet safety software, such as online threat alerts, location tracking, and basic screen time management, it includes a unique feature: Smart Filtering.
An explicit content-blocking function powered by artificial intelligence (AI) that takes your kids' internet safety to another level. Here is an overview of the Canopy app’s core characteristics.
| Web and app filtering | Yes, AI-based |
| Screen time limits | Yes, basic |
| Location tracking | Yes |
| Supported platforms | Android, iOS, macOS, Windows, and Chrome OS |
| Number of devices | 3 |
| Free plan | No |
| Trial period | Yes, 7 days |
| Price | Starts at $7.99/month (billed annually) |
About Canopy
Canopy offers real-time protection for children and teens surfing online. It empowers you as a parent to shield your family against harmful content across multiple devices and lets you create a smooth and safe internet experience customized to your needs.
It's available on iOS, Android, and Windows. The tool, born from a collaboration between Canopy and Netspark, is renowned for its capability of blocking explicit images and videos in real time. As a cybersecurity expert and auntie of two, this is what hooked me. Actually, I find the Canopy internet filter and the image-based sexting protection absolutely priceless.
The first leverages the power of AI to filter inappropriate content straightaway without blocking entire sites. Thus, your kids can still access and explore their favorite websites while being swiftly protected from dangerous content by the Canopy blocker.
The latter stops sexting before it happens. You select the level of protection − standard or strict − and the app notifies you about each potentially dangerous picture detected on your kid's device. With Canopy, you decide what is appropriate for your family and nobody else.
Pros and cons of Canopy
The Canopy app comes with a lot of added benefits, making it one of the best parental control apps out there. However, like every other tool, it has its strengths and weaknesses. Here, I have compiled a comprehensive list of its key pros and cons based on trustworthy reviews.
Canopy parental control features
The Canopy app gives you back control of your kids' internet experience by working seamlessly in the background. Here are some of its main features.
AI-powered filtering
If your teens complain that you're blocking access to too many of their beloved websites or apps, you will love how this unique feature works. Canopy’s web filter uses AI to scan, detect, and block inappropriate images and videos in real time.
What makes Canopy one of the best parental control apps for teenagers is that its filtering censors only the inappropriate content with a discreet white rectangle, leaving the site accessible.
Text and image monitoring
Canopy's monitoring covers all your child's internet browsing, including text, images, and videos. It prevents sexting by scanning all photos taken or downloaded to Android devices and those saved on iOS.
Imagine your teenage daughter using an Android phone to take a selfie wearing her new swimsuit. Canopy's algorithm detects the picture and immediately locks it until you have approved it. If you delete it, Canopy removes it automatically also from your daughter's device. And so the same thing goes for every problematic image identified. You get the request, and you decide.
Beware though. Canopy doesn't scan text messages, emails, phone calls, content within non-browser apps, or videos taken on your child's device.
App management
Canopy's app review and management tool lets you view and supervise the apps your kids download. You can customize different settings for each child and device via the user-friendly dashboard.
And if there is an application that the Smart Filter didn't block automatically, for example, a gambling app or website, you can do it manually in a few taps.
Screen time controls
Keeping kids off their devices during dinner, bedtime, or when they should do their homework can be challenging. Canopy’s downtime feature lets you set basic daily or weekly rules for when they can − or can’t − access the internet. Pick a time, and Canopy will temporarily lock the device.
Location tracking
Canopy’s parental control location awareness provides you with an accurate GPS map that shows you where your child is. In addition, when you create a virtual "fenced" area (i.e., geo-fencing), Canopy will send you a notification every time your kid enters or exits the zone.
This is useful to ensure your kids don't venture into unsafe areas in your neighborhood and go straight to school without diversions.
Canopy ease of use and user experience
Canopy is easy to install and can be set up in minutes. The installation process is beginner-friendly enough for non-tech-savvy parents. You sign up, download, and install the Canopy parental control app on your device, just like you do for any other application.
Once in the dashboard, you create your child's profile, install the app − or the browser extension in case of a computer − on your kid's device, and grant the permission required. To make the configuration even smoother, Canopy automatically suggests appropriate settings based on your kid's information.
Canopy Shield and Canopy for Parents apps have an intuitive interface and are dead easy to use. Scheduling usage time limits is a breeze, and so is ensuring your rules are followed. Compelling, self-explanatory reports show you how, when, and where your teens used the device and which websites and apps they accessed. No more internet surfing behind your back.
Canopy performance and reliability
The Canopy app shines for its Smart Filter that blurs browser apps’ explicit visual content on the spot − including Google Images − without disrupting your child's browsing experience. Canopy's tests show that the machine learning-based algorithm categorizes inappropriate content with 99.8% accuracy.
Nevertheless, I'm sure that if I were a child and my parents had installed this app on my smartphone, the little devil in me would have looked for a way to uninstall or disable it. With Canopy, it isn't so easy.
According to the manufacturer, the Canopy Removal Prevention feature makes it impossible for your kids to delete or disable the app. Furthermore, if your tech-savvy kid finds a way to get around it − nothing is 100% hacker-proof in technology − the Removal Alerts function will send you a warning message.
Like other parental control apps, Canopy performs better and is more effective on Android devices than iOS due to Apple's stricter policies on third-party applications. For example, when used on iOS, it identifies and locks inappropriate pictures only after they are saved in the Gallery rather than when they are shot.
Canopy pricing and plans
As summarized in the table below, Canopy offers two different packages. They all include the same functionalities, but their price varies depending on the number of devices covered. Personally, I find the family annual plan a fantastic deal. It covers 10 devices for the same individual package's monthly price, and it's over 38% cheaper than the family monthly plan.
| Plans | Cost (billed monthly) | Cost (billed annually) | Number of devices |
| Individual | $9.99/month | $7.99/month | 3 |
| Family | $15.99/month | $9.99/month | 10 |
Unlike Qustodio, another parental control app, Canopy doesn't offer a free tier. However, all packages include a 30-day money-back guarantee and a 7-day free trial that lets you test all features without restrictions.
So, despite being a bit pricey compared to competitors like Bark and lacking protection against scams provided by software like Aura, Canopy still stands out as an affordable application that excels in inappropriate image obfuscation and sexting prevention.
Canopy vs. competitors
So, let's see how Canopy compares with apps like Bark, Aura, and Qustodio. To help you understand if Canopy protection can be the best option for your family, I have focused on essential aspects, such as content filtering, app control, cost, and ease of use.
| Parental control app | Filtering | App control | Price annual billing | Ease of use |
| Canopy | Yes, 20+ filtering categories, in-category exceptions, real-time AI-powered explicit in-browser images and video censoring | Allow, block, basic screen time management, app removal prevention | $7.99/month | Easy and fast installation process, clear interface, user-friendly mobile app, and web app with similar look and feel |
| Aura | Yes, 25+ web filter categories, age-based filtering | Allow, block, set time limits, usage time tracking | $10/month | Easy setup, beginner-friendly, straightforward navigation, desktop app has limited controls |
| Bark | Yes, 19+ web filter categories, machine-learning-based slang and keywords filtering | Allow, block, and rule settings | $4.08/month, limited features | Long installation process, user-friendly interface, and some features require disabling the Android built-in VPN |
| Qustodio | Yes, 23+ categories | Allow, block, set time limits, rules, notifications, and first-time usage alert | $4.58/month | Quick setup, simple interface, minimalistic design, no panic button in the iOS app |
Canopy customer reviews and ratings
Real users who shared their Canopy reviews on Google Play and App Store praise the effectiveness of the real-time AI-powered filter in blocking inappropriate content. Some users consider the app superior to other software they have tried, while also mentioning areas for improvement.
Among those who gave the software 1 star, missing features were their most common concern, followed by billing misunderstandings, support issues, and battery draining.
Overall, Canopy has an average rating of 3.8 stars out of 5 on Google Play (tablet) and 3.3 on the App Store. This indicates how the benefits of Canopy's real-time content-blocking capabilities somehow outweigh the concerns highlighted.
Is Canopy right for you? (final verdict)
Canopy is like a virtual guardian standing between inappropriate content and your family. It's a valid ally to help you protect your children from the ever-increasing challenges of exploring the digital world without being too intrusive or disrupting their internet experience.
Its unique, powerful real-time AI filtering and sexting protection features make it a well-worth investment, especially for small families concerned with the proliferation of explicit content. Whether you have young kids, teenagers, or both, Canopy's versatile settings let you adapt to each level of content moderation. For younger children, you can use the all-or-nothing approach, and the softer method for the older.
So, don't miss the opportunity to give your loved ones a better internet experience and protect your family online, just like you do in real life. Try Canopy today and you won't be disappointed.
FAQ
Is Canopy available on iPhone and Android?
Yes, it is. As shown in Canopy's official how-to videos on YouTube, the parental control app can be easily installed on iPhone and Android. However, due to Apple's stricter policies on third-party applications, some functions might be limited or unavailable on iPhones and iPads.
Can Canopy block YouTube?
Yes, it can. You can block the whole app and website or use a more subtle approach and block only potentially disturbing content.
Does Canopy monitor social media?
No, it doesn’t. However, it does let you block all social media or one or more specific social media applications (e.g., Snapchat, Instagram, TikTok).
Is there a free version of Canopy?
No, there isn’t. However, you can try any plan for free − all features included − for seven days.
