The 10 Best Parental Control Apps of 2020

The Google Family Link app is a completely free tool that parents can use to control what apps their child downloads on their Android device, how much screen time they’re allowed to have each day, and what content they can purchase.

Once set up, the Google Family Link app, which is available on iOS and Android devices, can also track the location of the connected Android tablet or smartphone, which makes this service a solid child tracking app as well.

Google Family Link can’t track iOS devices, but for those that have kids with an Android device, this is a fantastic tool that comes with almost all of the features other apps charge a monthly membership fee for.

KidLogger is a great kid tracker and parental control tool for those who don’t want to pay a pricey monthly fee. This service can connect to a child’s iOS, Android, Mac, or Windows device and can be used to track their location, monitor web and app usage, record call numbers and times, place time limits on video games, block certain apps, and even record Skype chats.

The iOS app, unfortunately, is limited to just the tracking feature, but it works extremely well by logging the GPS coordinates every minute or so and syncing that data to the web dashboard, which can be checked from any device by a parent or guardian. The data also provides links to a Google Map which can be incredibly useful for working out where someone is.

Qustodio is one of the most popular monitoring apps for parents, and for good reason. The app is available on iOS, Android, Windows, Mac, and Kindle and gives parents the ability to receive daily reports on what apps their kids are using and how much time they’re spending on their devices.

Specific screen time windows can be set, outside of which the device becomes unusable, and the advanced web filtering limits what content minors can view when surfing the web, whether they’re using Safari, Firefox, Edge, or whatever browser they prefer.

PhoneTracker is a completely free app that lets anyone turn their iPhone or Android smartphone into a GPS tracking device. The app takes just a few seconds to set up, then only two taps to connect with friends or family to add their GPS data to your dashboard.

Once added, each friend or family member’s location shows up within their own mini-map. Tapping on each map displays a fullscreen version which can be zoomed in on to find out exactly where someone is.

While a lot of parental monitoring apps on Android require a premium fee to unlock all of their features, ESET offers a surprising amount for its free version. Simply by downloading and installing the app on their Android tablet or smartphone, parents can monitor what websites their children visit, limit what apps they can install from the Google Play app store, set time limits for certain apps, limit how much money can be spent on digital purchases, and view a basic activity report.

The yearly premium subscription unlocks web filtering which actually restricts what kids can see online and also unlocks a tracking tool for parents to pinpoint where their child is in the real world but these are features that are offered elsewhere for free so aren’t really a requirement here.

Parents can also monitor all activity from the ESET website which is very convenient for households with only a few smart devices.

RealizD is one of the best apps on iOS and Android for tracking just how much time you really spend on your device. Not only does this app tell you how much time you’ve spent looking at your screen over the course of a day, week, or month, but it also records how many times you pick up your tablet or smartphone and the length of time you’ve managed to go without doing so.

The RealizD app can be downloaded and used on a device by one person for free, meaning all parents need to do is download the app onto their child’s device and check it whenever they want.

If you pay for the premium upgrade, though, the ability to view data from other users on other devices from your own smartphone or tablet is enabled, which can make tracking the entire family much easier. All family members are also included in the one premium upgrade.

OpenDNS FamilyShield is a free service that essentially prevents everyone connecting to your internet connection from accessing adult or inappropriate content when going online.

What's particularly impressive is how, once set up, the security settings affect every single device in a household, from personal computers to smartphones and tablets.

Nintendo’s Nintendo Switch Parental Controls app is a completely free app for iOS and Android that connects directly to your Nintendo Switch. Once connected, the app can monitor how much the console is played, what games are played, and who's been playing. All of the data is displayed within the app in an easy-to-understand fashion and makes monitoring video game screen time incredibly easy.

The true power of the app lies in its ability to restrict how much the Nintendo Switch is played per day. Time limits can be set up within the app in just a few seconds and the option to suspend the console completely after bedtime is also an option.

It can be difficult for parents to monitor all of their child’s gaming. Luckily Microsoft’s designed a completely free set of tools for parents to use to monitor and limit what their children do on Windows 10 devices and Xbox One.

These Family features can track exactly how much time each member of the family spends online and what apps they’re using, and there are also some web browsing censorship options that can limit what websites kids can view when using Microsoft Edge or Internet Explorer.

Admittedly, the censorship tool isn’t that useful on Windows 10 where kids can just use another browser, but it’s very effective on Xbox One where apps are limited.

Profiles for family members can be set up and managed from the Microsoft website or from within the official Xbox app on iOS and Android devices.