Aura vs Norton parental controls & security: which should your family trust in 2025?
Being behind major reports like The Mother of All Breaches and RockYou2024, our in-house cybersecurity experts and journalists provide unbiased, real-world testing and in-depth analysis.
We maintain complete transparency by openly sharing our testing methodologies with our audience.
Learn more
Keeping your children safe online is more important than ever today, given how much time kids spend on the internet. Aura and Norton are two of the most popular apps parents use to manage their children’s online activities, from limiting screen time to blocking inappropriate content and monitoring their social interactions.
But, which of these tools offers better protection: Aura or Norton? Aura is easy to use and offers strong parental controls as well as protection from cyberbullying and predators. Norton, on the other hand, is a trusted name in online safety, known for its comprehensive parental control tools.
In this article, I will compare Aura vs Norton, examining the features, strengths, and potential drawbacks of these parental control apps to help you decide which option is best for your family’s needs.
Key takeaways:
- Aura and Norton allow you to set screen time limits and control the platforms your child can access online. They both send real-time alerts if your child is exposed to threats or attempts to circumvent your restrictions.
- Aura is a little more expensive than Norton but offers in-game protection from cyberbullying and potential predators. Norton also has a few features that are missing from Aura’s toolset, like location tracking.
- Both apps are only available on iOS, Android, and Windows (Aura has limited availability on Windows)
Our Cybernews team of experts always conducts detailed testing of the best parental control apps. All of the information is then checked by our cybersecurity experts, who ensure you only get reliable and accurate data. More so, the testing process is transparent and includes testing and analyzing numerous apps and features and disclosing the methodology. Discover more about our testing process.
Aura vs. Norton: side-by-side comparison
| Feature | Aura | Norton |
| Rating | 4.8 | 4.5 |
| Overall rank | #1 out of 7 parental control apps | #4 out of 7 parental control apps |
| Starting price | $10/month | $49.99/yr |
| Free version | 14 days free trial | 30 days free trial |
| Max number of protected devices | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Web filtering | Yes | Yes |
| Screen time limits | Yes | Yes |
| Location tracking | No | Yes |
| Activity reports | Yes | Yes |
Aura and Norton both offer strong parental control tools, but a few differences stand out that might affect your choice. Aura costs $10 per month, while Norton is cheaper at $49.99 per year.
However, Aura offers AI-powered gaming protection and will alert you if it detects any instances of cyberbullying or potential predators. Norton doesn’t offer anything similar. In my opinion, this extra protection is worth the price.
Aura vs. Norton: features comparison
Norton and Aura have unique strengths depending on what you’re looking for. Both give parents a high level of control and monitoring. For a better sense of the features available across the industry, you can also check out our guide to the best parental control apps.
Here’s a side-by-side breakdown of the main features that Aura and Norton offer:
| Feature | Aura | Norton |
| Screen time control | Set screen time limits and schedules, and pause internet usage | Set daily time limits and schedules for device use |
| Monitoring & alerts | Block certain apps, websites, and games, and get alerts if your child tries to access blocked sites | Track your child’s online activities and receive alerts if your child tries to access restricted sites |
| Web filtering | 45+ categories for blocking, customizable per child | 47 categories of customizable filters based on age or type of content |
| Location tracking and geofencing | No location tracking or geofencing | Real-time location tracking and up to 10,500 feet (around 2 miles) geofencing limit |
| Protection from cyberbullies and predators | AI-powered in-game monitoring (both conversations and text) for any signs of cyberbullying or potential predators | None |
| Extra features | Get science-backed recommendations based on your child’s online activity and insights into their social persona | Request access, activity reports, educational insights, and video supervision |
Screen-time & app-time limits
Both Norton and Aura offer solid tools for managing your child's online activities, but they work a bit differently. With Norton, you can set daily screen time limits and even create specific schedules for when devices are off-limits, like during bedtime, schooling hours, or homework hours. This straightforward feature works well for parents who want to be strict about screen time.
Aura’s different approach allows you to set overall time limits for apps and websites. This is great if you want to ensure your kids don’t spend too much time on social media or gaming, and you can easily pause internet usage if needed. Both apps are good for screen management.
Monitoring & alerts
Norton takes a deep dive when it comes to monitoring your child's online activities. It keeps track of online activities across apps, browsers, and devices. It’s like having extra eyes that ensure you’re aware of what your child is doing. You’ll get detailed alerts if they search for something inappropriate or try to access blocked sites.
Aura’s monitoring focuses on blocking certain apps, websites, and games. You’ll receive alerts if your child tries to access blocked content or platforms. Aura also tracks your child’s online activity, including the websites they visit and apps they use, and you can see a full history of their online activity. This makes Aura suitable for parents who want to keep major distractions or harmful content at bay.
Web and content filtering
If keeping your child safe from inappropriate content is a top concern, both Norton and Aura have effective tools, but they take different approaches. Norton offers highly customizable content filters that can be tailored based on your child’s age or the type of content you want to restrict. For example, you can block adult websites, social media, and gaming sites, and even set up safe searches.
Aura’s content filtering is equally effective. You can block content across 25+ categories, such as dating apps, gambling, or shopping sites. It’s easy to use and can be applied to specific children in your account, which makes it a good fit if you have kids of different ages with different needs.
Social media monitoring
If you’re worried about what your child is doing on social media, Norton might offer some peace of mind, but only a little. It only covers YouTube and a few search-related activities. That means you won’t be able to see their interactions on platforms like Instagram, Snapchat, or Facebook.
While Aura doesn’t offer social media monitoring, it tracks and reports the time your child spends on different social media apps.
Location tracking
Norton offers real-time location tracking, so you always know where your child is, plus a location history that shows where they’ve been. This feature is useful for parents with teens who are out and about more frequently. You can even set up geofencing alerts that notify you if your child enters or leaves a specific area, like school or home.
Aura has no location tracking features, which might be a drawback if you need to know your child’s whereabouts regularly.
Protection from cyberbullies and predators
One area where Aura clearly outshines Norton is its Safe Gaming feature, which provides protection from cyberbullies and predators. This AI-powered feature monitors in-game conversations and text in over 200 popular games for any signs of cyberbullying or potential predators. You’ll receive a text if it detects any threats to your child.
The only downside is that this feature is currently only available for Windows PC games.
Aura Vs. Norton: Plans and Pricing
| Feature | Aura | Norton Family |
| Price | $10/month (billed annually) or $13/month (billed monthly) | $49.99/year |
| Free trial | 14-day free trial | 30-day free trial |
| Money back guarantee | 60-day money-back guarantee | 60-day money-back guarantee |
| Discounts | Occasional discounts and bundle offers | Discounts available on bundled Norton 360 plans |
I like the fact that Norton’s Family Plan is significantly more affordable, costing just $49.99/year, which is a good budget-friendly option for parents who only need parental control features.
Aura, on the other hand, is also relatively affordable at $10.00/month. If you spend a little more — $32.00/month — you can get the Aura Family plan, which includes its parental control tools and many additional features, such as identity theft protection, antivirus, and a VPN. This is a more comprehensive online safety solution for families. However, its higher price tag might not be ideal for parents who only need basic monitoring tools.
Ease of use and tamper resistance
Aura is known for its intuitive interface with a minimalist design. It’s very easy to set up and use, even if you’re not familiar with parental control tools. Norton also gets high praise for its usability, but its interface is more complicated than Aura’s.
Setting up Aura and Norton parental controls is generally quite similar. You need to install the app on your child’s device, log in to your account, and configure the parental control features you want, like screen time limits and content filters. Aura and Norton have detailed guides that explain the process in depth.
Note: The process of setting up these apps on desktop and mobile devices may differ slightly.
Like other parental control software, Aura and Norton are designed to be tamper-proof, with features like PIN protection, stealth mode (runs in the background so your child doesn’t know it’s active), and tamper detection. However, they’re not completely tamper-resistant, especially if your child is tech-savvy.
With that said, Aura is generally more tamper-proof than Norton thanks to its root or jailbreak detection feature. On the other hand, a simple factory reset can allow your child to bypass Norton’s parental control settings.
Aura vs Norton: Compatibility and Customer Support
When picking a parental control app, it's important to know if it works well with your devices and how helpful customer support is when you need assistance. Let’s see how Aura and Norton compare in terms of what devices they work on and how easy it is to get help if you run into issues.
Compatibility
When it comes to compatibility, both Norton and Aura work well on iOS and Android devices, so whether you're using an iPhone or an Android phone, either service covers you. The big difference is that Norton also works on Windows computers, while most of Aura’s parental control features are only available on iOS and Android devices. Only its Safe Gaming feature works on Windows devices.
On the downside, neither Aura nor Norton is available for devices running on Apple’s macOS, which can be a dealbreaker for some users.
I consider both services to be pretty solid for mobile devices, offering similar features and ease of use on smartphones and tablets.
Customer support
Both Norton and Aura offer 24/7 customer support, which is great. You can reach out through live chat, phone, or email for assistance. Both providers also have forums where you can find advice and tips from other users. This can be useful if you need to troubleshoot common issues.
I've been impressed with both services for being responsive and quick to help, with live chat being the fastest way to get answers.
Our testing methodology for parental control apps
At Cybernews, we go to great lengths to research and test parental control apps to provide accurate and helpful recommendations. I worked with the Cybernews research team to evaluate Aura and Norton extensively. Here’s a brief overview of the key things I focused on during our assessment.
- Features (20%). I evaluated the core features of each parental control tool and how they can benefit families, like the screen time limits and web filtering. I also looked at extra features that can be useful to parents. For example, Aura’s Safe Gaming is a useful extra feature that made me rank it higher.
- Real-time monitoring (20%). It’s important to be able to get real-time alerts if your child is in danger or if they try to circumvent your parental control restrictions. So, I paid particular attention to the real-time monitoring options of each app, and checked how long it takes to receive alerts.
- Tamper-resistance (20%). Parental control tools are of little use if children can easily undo the settings. So, I assessed the tamper-resistance of both parental control tools. I also checked forums, like Reddit, to see which workarounds are being discussed and determine which parental control tool is more resistant to tampering.
- Pricing (20%). I compared the prices of both parental control apps and put their features side-by-side to determine which option offers the best value for money.
- Compatibility (20%). I looked at the full list of devices each parental control software is compatible with, and ranked them based on my findings.
Final verdict
After assessing both parental software extensively, I think Aura is a much better option for families of all sizes. It provides coverage for an unlimited number of children and devices, and it offers some important extra features that Norton don’t have, particularly in-game protection from cyberbullies and predators.
Plus, Aura is more tamper-proof than Norton. While it’s a little more expensive, the protection Aura offers is worth the few extra bucks.
FAQ
Is Aura better than Norton?
It depends on your needs. Aura offers identity protection and parental controls, making it a more comprehensive security app that is also pricier. Norton is more affordable,, and offers strong parental controls, including location tracking and geofencing.
Can kids delete Aura?
Yes, kids can uninstall Aura from their devices, which stops its parental control features from working. This is a potential drawback, as it makes the app less reliable if your child knows how to delete apps or bypass controls. However, Aura offers tamper-proof features to prevent this from happening.
How old do you have to be to get in Norton?
Norton Family can be set up for children of any age, as it is designed for parents to monitor their kids' activities. There are no specific age limits for using Norton, but it’s mainly targeted at parents with children under 18 who need online supervision.
Is Aura easy to cancel?
Yes, Aura is easy to cancel. You can manage your subscription through your account settings and contact customer support if needed. The company also offer a 60-day money-back guarantee, so you can get a full refund if you’re unsatisfied.
Does Aura or Norton sell my data?
No, Aura and Norton don’t sell user data t. However, they may share your data with third-parties like advertisers. Both providers give users the choice to opt out of this data sharing.
How do I stop my child from uninstalling the app?
You can prevent your child from uninstalling Aura or Norton by tweaking the settings on their devices to restrict their ability to delete or uninstall apps. Both parental control tools also come with PIN protection, which prevents your child from changing your parental control settings.
What happens to the price after the first year?
Most parental control tools will increase your subscription price after the first year, but Aura and Norton maintain the same price unless you sign up at a discount rate.
