Norton vs. Aura Parental Controls

Keeping kids safe online is more important than ever, given how much of their lives kids now spend on the internet. Parental control apps help parents manage their children’s online activities, from limiting screen time to blocking inappropriate content.

Two of the most popular options out there are Aura and Norton. Specifically, these products are the Aura Parental Controls & Child Safety package and Norton Family Parental Control Software. Aura is easy to use and offers strong identity protection, while Norton is well-known for its wide range of security features and is a trusted name in online safety.

In this article, I will compare these two parental control apps, examining their features, strengths, and potential drawbacks. This way, you can decide which one best fits your family’s needs. Whether you’re looking for better online monitoring or a stronger focus on security, understanding what each app offers will help you make the right choice for protecting your kids online.

Overview of Aura vs. Norton

Feature	Aura	Norton
Starting price	$99/yr	$49.99/yr
Free version	14 days free trial	30 days free trial
Max number of protected devices	5 parent devices, 50 child devices	Unlimited
Web filtering	Yes	Yes
Screen time limits	Yes	Yes
Location tracking	Yes	Yes
Activity reports	Yes	Yes

Aura and Norton both offer strong security and parental control tools, but a few differences stand out that might affect your choice. Aura costs $99 per year, while Norton is cheaper at $49.99 per year. Aura gives you a 14-day free trial, while Norton offers a longer 30-day trial.

One big difference is how many devices each service can protect. Aura covers up to five parent services and 50 child devices, but Norton lets you protect as many as you need, which may make it a better fit for bigger families–remember, that’s devices, not users. Both provide important features like web filtering, screen time limits, location tracking, and activity reports.

If you’ve got a lot of devices in your household, Norton’s unlimited coverage makes sense. But if you only have a few devices per human user, Aura is still a great choice. In the end, Norton is ideal for bigger families, while Aura works well for smaller families or individuals who want good protection that goes beyond online safety.

Norton Pros and Cons

Here’s a quick breakdown of Norton’s advantages. Visit our in-depth Norton Family review to gain more insight into its complete feature set and capabilities.

Pros:

• Comprehensive monitoring. Norton Family helps you keep an eye on your child’s online activity with web filtering, location tracking and screen time controls. It gives you a good overview of what they’re up to, so you can step in if needed.

• Detailed location tracking with geo-fencing. One feature that stands out is geo-fencing. You can set safe zones like home or school, and Norton alerts you if your child leaves these areas. It’s great for peace of mind.
• Works well with other Norton products. This parental control integrates easily if you’re already using Norton for antivirus or VPN services.
• Easy to use and quick to set up. The app is simple and user-friendly. Even if you're not tech-savvy, setting up or navigating won’t take long.
• Unlimited devices. You can cover as many devices as you need with Norton Family, which is perfect if your household has lots of gadgets.

Cons:

• Minimal social media monitoring. Unfortunately, Norton Family only monitors YouTube and searches. It doesn’t track social media apps like Instagram, TikTok, or Snapchat, which might be a letdown for parents who want to monitor these platforms.
• No text or call monitoring. Another gap is that it doesn’t let you see text messages or phone calls. For some parents, this may leave out important parts of their kids’ communications.
• Easy to bypass. Web filtering relies on browser extensions that kids can easily disable, reducing its effectiveness. Plus, it doesn’t work on Mac, which can be an issue for Apple families.
• Delayed alerts. Sometimes, alerts can take a while to come through, which might not be helpful if you need to act quickly.

Visit Norton Parental Control

Aura Pros and Cons

Below is a brief overview of the advantages of Aura’s system. Check out our comprehensive Aura Parental Controls review for a more detailed analysis of Aura’s full feature set.

• All-in-One Protection. Aura doesn’t just offer parental controls; it also helps protect your family’s identity from theft and fraud. It’s a complete package covering everything from your kids’ online safety to your personal data, which can be convenient for parents who want more than just basic controls.
• Easy to use. The app is simple and easy to navigate, so you don’t need to be tech-savvy to manage it. You can quickly set limits, check your child’s online activity, and adjust the controls without getting overwhelmed by complicated settings.
• Everything is in one app. With Aura, you don’t have to jump between different apps for security, identity protection, and parental controls. It brings everything together in one place.
• Detailed activity reports. Aura gives you thorough reports on what your kids are doing online, showing which sites they’ve visited and how long they’ve been online. These detailed reports can help you better understand your child’s internet habits.

• Age-based settings. Aura automatically adjusts its content filters and screen time limits based on your child’s age, so you don’t have to figure out what’s appropriate. It saves time and keeps things simple.

Cons:

• Expensive because of its extra features. Aura’s all-in-one setup is more expensive because it includes identity theft protection and parental controls. You might find Aura more expensive than other options if you’re just looking for something to monitor your kids.
• Not as many parental controls as Norton. Aura doesn’t offer as many controls as Norton. For example, Norton has geo-fencing to help track your kids' location, which Aura doesn’t include. Plus, it doesn’t monitor social media or text messages, which can be a downside for parents wanting more oversight.
• Less effective web filtering. While Aura has web filtering, it’s not as detailed as Norton’s. Some inappropriate content might still get through, which could leave you feeling less confident about its protection.

• Kids can delete the app. One big issue is that your kids can delete Aura from their phones, which would stop the controls from working altogether. This makes it harder to rely on if your child knows how to uninstall apps.

Visit Aura Parental Control

Features Overview: Norton Vs. Aura

When comparing Norton and Aura for parental control features, it’s clear that both have unique strengths depending on what you’re looking for. Norton’s parental controls are built to give parents a high level of control and monitoring, while Aura’s Family Plan wraps its controls into a broader security suite. 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 breakdown of their main features side-by-side.

Feature	Norton Family	Aura
Screen time control	Set daily time limits and schedules for device use	Set screen time limits and pause internet usage
Monitoring & alerts	Tracks online activities on apps, browsers, and devices	Blocks certain apps and provides reports on blocked sites
Web filtering	47 categories of customizable filters based on age or type of content	45 categories for blocking, customizable per child
Location tracking	Real-time location tracking	No location tracking
Social media monitoring	Limited to YouTube and searches	None
Geofencing	Yes, up to 10,500 feet (around 2 miles)	No geofencing
Extra features	Request access, activity reports, educational insights, video supervision	Safe Gaming for monitoring online games, cyberbully monitoring (Windows only), identity theft protection

Screen time management

Both Norton and Aura offer solid tools for managing your child's online time, 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 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. While both apps are good for screen management, Norton’s scheduling feature makes it a better choice if you want more structured control.

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 is a bit lighter. It mainly focuses on blocking certain apps and websites and then reporting on what’s been blocked. So, while you get some visibility, it’s not as comprehensive as Norton’s. This makes Aura more suitable for parents who just want to keep major distractions or harmful content at bay rather than needing a full breakdown of their child’s digital life.

Web & 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 a bit simpler but still very 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. However, it lacks some of Norton's more detailed customization options.

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.

Unfortunately, Aura doesn’t include social media monitoring at all. While this might not be a dealbreaker if your child is younger and not active on these platforms, it’s a gap for parents looking to keep tabs on older kids.

Location tracking

Location tracking is another area where Norton shines over Aura. Norton offers real-time 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. I consider location tracking a must-have, so Norton is the clear winner here.

Aura Vs. Norton: Plans and Pricing

Feature	Norton	Aura
Monthly price	$4.16/month (Standalone)	$8.25/month
Annual price	$49.99/year (Standalone)	$99/year
Family plan	The standalone plan supports unlimited devices	Covers up to 10 devices
Free trial	No free trial for the standalone Norton Family software	14-day free trial
Money back guarantee	60-day money-back guarantee	60-day money-back guarantee
Discounts	Discounts available on bundled Norton 360 plans	Occasional discounts and promotions

I like the fact that Norton’s standalone Family Plan is significantly more affordable, costing just $4.16/month or $49.99/year, which is a good budget-friendly option for parents who only need parental control features. For families looking to protect more than 5-10 devices, Norton’s other plans, such as Norton 360 Deluxe or Premium, offer good value but come at a higher price point.

Aura, on the other hand, is almost double the cost at $8.25/month or $99/year but includes many additional features, such as identity theft protection, antivirus, and a VPN. This makes Aura a more comprehensive solution for families wanting more than parental controls. However, its higher price tag might not be ideal for parents who only need basic monitoring tools.

I found that Norton’s standalone plan is the better value if you're purely looking at parental controls. However, Aura’s Family Plan justifies its higher cost by including a wider range of security and identity protection features.

Budget-conscious parents who only need to cover a few devices might find Norton a more suitable option, especially since it supports unlimited devices at a lower cost. However, if a parent needs to protect multiple adults and children, with several devices each, Aura’s plan will likely provide better coverage and value despite the higher price.

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 Aura doesn't.

So, Norton is definitely a better choice if you use a PC. On the downside, neither has Apple computer support, which can be a dealbreaker for Mac users.

I consider both services to be pretty solid for mobile devices, offering similar features and ease of use on smartphones and tablets. But if you have a mix of devices at home, including Windows PCs, Norton offers more flexibility. Aura is more limited, especially if you need coverage beyond just mobile devices.

Customer support

When you need help, both Norton and Aura offer 24/7 customer support, which is great. You can reach out through live chat, phone, or email for assistance. Norton's extra perk is that it also has a user forum where you can find advice and tips from other users. This can help troubleshoot common issues or teach you how to make the most of the service.

Aura provides similar support options but doesn't have a forum, so you're limited to direct contact with their support team. I've been impressed with both services for being responsive and quick to help, with live chat being the fastest way to get answers. While both are strong in customer support, Norton’s user forum adds a nice touch if you prefer to learn from others or find community-driven solutions.

Final Verdict: Aura vs. Norton - Which is the Better Parental Control App?

In my testing, I've found that Norton is the better option for most families. It’s affordable, covers unlimited devices, and offers great tools like location tracking and screen time scheduling, which make it easy to manage your kids’ online activities. It’s perfect for larger families or parents who need more control. However, it doesn’t monitor social media or text messages, and kids can sometimes get around the web filters.

Aura is more expensive because it also includes identity protection, but it has fewer parental controls and doesn’t track your child’s location. It’s best for families looking for extra security beyond just parental controls.

Norton is my top pick for those on a budget or with many devices. If you want broader security, a mix of security for adults and children, with identity protection, and you have fewer devices, Aura might work for you. Both apps offer free trials, so it’s worth trying them out to see which one better suits your family’s needs.

FAQ