Updated 16 October 2026 · Edited by the Benchmark Buyer team · How we review
We do the homework you'd do before buying, so you don't have to. Like any careful buyer, we read the independent lab tests, the expert reviews and what users say, then sum up where they agree and where they don't. We don't run our own tests. This guide draws on 6 expert reviews published between January and October 2026. The independent labs haven't tested these apps against each other, so their results appear as background only. We only rank apps sold in the UK.
The short answer
Qustodio is the clearest consensus pick. It is the only app in all six expert lists, and every one puts it in its top three. Norton Family comes second, some way behind. If you want something free and your child uses an Android phone, Google Family Link is the experts' choice.
Stars show the consensus score out of 10, turned into a 5-star scale and rounded to the nearest half star; the exact score is in each product's section. Expert view sums up where the expert reviews place each app. Popularity (●●●● very high to ●○○○ lower) is based on how many people have rated each app on Google Play: very high (5m+ ratings), high (1m+), medium (500k+) or lower. It shows how widely used an app is, not how good it is, so it doesn't affect the score.
1. Qustodio: the app every expert recommends
★★★★★Consensus score: 9.9
Qustodio is the only app that all six expert sources list, and all of them rank it second or third. None puts it first: TechRadar, Security.org and All About Cookies prefer Aura, Tom's Guide prefers Net Nanny, SafeWise prefers Bark and Cloudwards prefers Surfshark. But each of those top picks appears in fewer lists, and Aura and Bark aren't sold in the UK. Its score is a perfect 10 because it comes from expert rankings alone; no lab has tested it.
"Qustodio is the best parental control app available and it includes a free version." (Cloudwards)
Reviewers mostly praise how many devices it covers and its free version. Tom's Guide notes that "Qustodio supports iOS and Android devices, Amazon Fire tablets, Macs, PCs and Chromebooks." (Tom's Guide) TechRadar adds: "The free option for Qustodio is still quite comprehensive, and few of its rivals can match it on that front." (TechRadar)
Where opinions differ: Tom's Guide says the paid plans get expensive if you need to cover a lot of devices.
Who it suits: families with a mix of phones, tablets and computers who want one app across all of them, and anyone who wants to try a free version first.
2. Norton Family: strong on schedules, weaker on iPhone
★★★★☆Consensus score: 7.8
Norton Family appears in half of the expert lists: third at Tom's Guide ("best for big families"), and fourth at TechRadar and All About Cookies. TechRadar picks out its homework mode: "I think School Time, though, is perhaps the standout feature of Norton Family." (TechRadar)
All About Cookies says it focuses on web filtering and schedules rather than reading messages: "That makes it a better fit for younger kids or families that want oversight without reading messages." (All About Cookies)
Where opinions differ: All About Cookies names it the best app for iPhone, but Tom's Guide warns: "App management doesn't work in the iOS app at all." (Tom's Guide) Tom's Guide also says Norton's time allowances work only on Windows and Android.
Who it suits: parents of younger children, especially on Android or Windows, who want filtering and school-time schedules rather than message monitoring.
3. Google Family Link: the free choice for Android
★★★★☆Consensus score: 7.5
Google's own parental controls are free. Tom's Guide names Family Link best for Android, Cloudwards calls it the best free app and TechRadar names it best for Google users.
"Google Family Link is the only option on this page that's totally free." (Tom's Guide)
Where opinions differ: reviewers agree it is more basic than paid apps. TechRadar says "Google Family Link lacks more premium features like in-depth app blocking and flexible time restrictions." (TechRadar) Cloudwards raises privacy: "In case you decide to use Google Family Link, know that Google has a poor reputation for privacy practices." (Cloudwards)
Who it suits: families whose children use Android phones and who want the basics without paying. Tom's Guide notes there is no iPhone version of the child app, though parents can manage from an iPhone.
iPhones and iPads come with Apple's own parental controls, Screen Time, free and built in. TechRadar's separate guide to free parental control apps names it the best free option for Apple devices (TechRadar). We haven't ranked it because none of our six expert sources includes it in their main list.
What about lab tests?
The independent labs test parental controls one product at a time, as a pass or fail, rather than comparing them. In 2026 only Kaspersky Safe Kids passed both. AV-Comparatives found it blocked 96.5% of 1,000 adult websites with no false alarms on 200 child-friendly sites (April 2026). AV-TEST found it blocked 98.6% of adult content on Windows and 96.6% on Android, but also blocked 8.7% and 7.9% of harmless sites (tested November to December 2025). Of the four vendors who entered AV-Comparatives' 2026 test, only two passed; the other is Fortinet, whose product is for businesses. None of the apps ranked here has a published lab result.
Not ranked, and why
Bark would have scored 9.1 and is the top pick at SafeWise, but Bark says its app is only available in the United States, South Africa and Australia (Bark).
Aura is the top pick at TechRadar, Security.org and All About Cookies, but All About Cookies notes it is only available in the United States.
Net Nanny is Tom's Guide's top pick and third at TechRadar, but only two of our six expert sources list it. We need at least three.
Kaspersky Safe Kids passed both lab certifications, but none of our six expert sources lists it. Since 2024 Kaspersky software has been banned from sale in the US (US Bureau of Industry and Security), and most of our expert sources are US-based.
OurPact, MMGuardian and Life360 each appear in two expert lists. Surfshark, Microsoft Family Safety, Mobicip, FamilyTime, Canopy, FamiSafe and FamilyKeeper each appear in one.
How we score
We don't run our own tests. Each app's consensus score combines two things:
Expert rankings (70%): each app's position in 6 expert "best parental control app" lists, from TechRadar, Tom's Guide, Security.org, Cloudwards, All About Cookies and SafeWise. Positions 1 to 3 earn full points, 4 to 6 a little less, and so on.
Breadth of agreement (30%): how many of those 6 lists include the app.
Independent lab results carry no weight in this guide. The two labs that test parental controls, AV-Comparatives and AV-TEST, publish pass-or-fail certifications for the products that enter, and in the last 18 months only one consumer app (Kaspersky Safe Kids) has a result. Scoring that would reward or penalise apps simply for entering. If the labs start comparing apps side by side, we'll add them.
To be ranked, an app needs a place in at least three expert lists and must be sold in the UK. We leave out evidence older than 18 months; for example, Tech Advisor's guide was last updated in 2023 and Comparitech's shows a 2022 date, so neither is counted. Affiliate commission plays no part in the score.
Evidence last checked: 16 October 2026. Full details on how we review.