10 Best Free Parental Controls Apps for Android and iPhone

Did you just get your child their first phone? When a person has access to the internet, they are wide open to a whole new world of information.

While there are good bits in this new world, it is also full of a lot of perils. Children are especially vulnerable to this malicious side of the internet.

After all, you yourself might have read about tales of deathly games like the blue whale challenge or instances of online predators targeting children.

Therefore, in this guide, I will tell you about the best free parental control software for your child's phone. You can even do it without them knowing if you are worried about their privacy.

Best Free Parental Control App

Let us start the list with the best and move our way down from there. Here it goes:

 

#1 Spyic

If you wonder 'how to track my child's phone', you need to start using Spyic in a heartbeat. It can give you complete control over your child's phone, without your child even being suspicious about it.

To begin with, Spyic can give you every activity that your child does on their phone, be it location tracking, reading their texts, checking call logs, and viewing their browser history.

Every bit of this is important when you want to ensure that your child is using their phone for the right purpose.

The Best Free Parental Control App

Spyic holds the top position on this list for a reason. It is the absolute best when you are looking for a parental control app.

And it is not just me who thinks that way. Millions of users all around the world use Spyic to monitor their child's cell phone activity. There are a lot of reasons that make Spyic so special. These include:

Web Based Interface:

Spyic has a 100% web based interface. You can set up all the parental controls for your child's phone through Spyic dashboard that opens on any web browser on any device. Therefore, there is no need to install any app on your phone or PC.

No Root or Jailbreak:

Spyic does not require you to root or jailbreak your child's phone. This is a huge point in its favor since rooting or jailbreaking can compromise the security of the device. Therefore, with Spyic, your data is completely safe.

Quiet Operation:

When you are using Spyic, your child is never going to know that you have set up parental control on their phone (unless you tell them). This is because of the high tech design of Spyic.

If your kid uses an iOS phone, you don't have to install any app on their phone at all in order for Spyic to work. It just needs their iCloud credentials to operate.

If your kid uses an Android phone, you will need one time access to their phone in order to install the Spyic app. However, this app works in stealth mode for Android.

Once installed, the app icon vanishes from the app menu. Further, the app size is less than 2 MB and installs within seconds. The user is never suspicious.

And when you wish to uninstall it, you can do it remotely through the Spyic dashboard from any web browser.

Customer Service:

Spyic offers the best customer service I have found on any app. They make sure that you are assisted through the entire process of using Spyic. If you feel you are stuck somewhere, they will help you out even at 3 in the midnight.

How to Use Spyic to Set up Parental Control

Using Spyic is as easy as pie. All you have to do is follow these simple steps:

 

Step 1: Sign up for Spyic and get a subscription plan based upon your child's phone (iOS or Android). The plans are so cheap that it feels like Spyic is practically free.

Step 2: Follow the on screen setup wizard to configure Spyic for the target phone. The setup wizard will do most of the work by itself. You only have to do a few clicks here and there.

Step 3: Hit 'Start' and you are ready to monitor the device. You will be taken to your dashboard.

Everything you are going to need is available on this dashboard in the form of tabs on the left side. Every parental control feature has a dedicated tab for it.

The most commonly used parental control features on Spyic are:

 

Application Control

Application control module gives you a list of all the apps that are installed on the target phone. From here, you can set up usage restrictions for each or any of these apps. You can set the time for which your child is allowed to use any particular app.

For example, if you feel like your kid wastes too much time on Facebook, you can restrict it completely or set up a few hours of Facebook access daily.

 

Internet Filter

Internet filter shows you a list of all the websites that your children visit on their phone. You even get to know how many times they have visited it and if the website is bookmarked by them.

You can block their access to any particular website if you like. This will protect them from adult content, things they shouldn't know, and things that are harmful to them.

Geofencing

Geofencing is another good parental control feature. It lets you set a boundary for your child's location on the map. If your child crosses these boundaries, you are sent an emergency alert.

Therefore, you will know if your child is going out of bounds and in places you told them not to go. So if your child says they are going to attend their classes but end up at the movies, you will know. 

This is just a glimpse of the features that Spyic offers to you. To know about all of them, you should go and check out Spyic. It will help you in making a better choice.

 

#2 Cocospy

Cocospy is the only app that comes close to Spyic when we talk about free parental control apps. It can do so much for you with all the same benefits and no cons at all.

It allows you to keep an eye on your child's phone without their knowledge. It works regardless of the type of phone that your child uses, be it Android or iOS. You don't even have to root or jailbreak their phone.

Further, the pricing plans are as cheap as they possibly could be (or even more). I don't even know how they give such amazing features at such low costs.

If you need an all inclusive parental control app and you feel Spyic isn't for you, Cocospy will be.

 

#3 Google Family Link for Parents

Google Family Link for Parents is a parental control application that is developed by Google itself. You can use this app to set up parental control on your child's phone if they are using an Android phone.

This app will help in setting the ground rules for what your child can do with their phone. You can manage what apps your child is allowed through Google Family Link for Parents.

Further, you can also set up their screen time. This makes sure that you restrict your child's internet usage and help in forming healthy habits for them.  

However, this app has no stealth mode. If you are using it, your child is going to know that you are monitoring them. There is no other way around it.

Also, it lacks many premium features that our top contenders are equipped with. These features can be a must have for parents who want to keep their children safe.

 

#4 Qustodio

Qustodio is a parental control app for Android, iOS, Mac, and Windows. The app's name suggests that it is supposed to be a custodian for your child in their online world. It fulfils its promise to a great extent.

This app can monitor your child's search queries to make sure that they are only doing healthy searches. Further, you can also track their screen time so your children don't overexploit their phones.

The thing that I like about this app is that you get daily reports for your child's activity. You will know which apps they used on their phone that day.

However, it lacks other premium features too that I loved in Spyic and Cocospy.

 

#5 Net Nanny

Net Nanny can do much more than Qustodio and Google Family Link for Parents. However, it doesn't fare quite as good as Spyic or Cocospy in terms of features.

Yet, this app ranks below Qustodio. This is because while this app can offer better features, it is considerably expensive to use.

With parental control filters, you can block adult content on your child's phone. Further, you get regular SMS Alerts for your child's activity on their phone.

It works on Android, iOS, Windows, and even kindle.

 

#6 Kidlogger

Kidlogger keeps a track of how long your child used their phone or computer on any particular day. Further, you will also know what they did when they were using it.

It will give you a complete description about which applications were accessed by their phone. You will also know which websites were visited. The past locations can be seen as well too.

However, the interface is not quite as good as our winning apps in these categories. Further, Kidlogger is not free and comes at a price.

 

#7 Kaspersky Safe Kids

Kaspersky is a big name in the security market for protecting computer systems from viruses. Therefore, when Kaspersky steps in the parental control arena, one would expect the same from Kaspersky Safe kids.

You can manage the application usage of the target user through this app. Further, you can also monitor and restrict the websites they are visiting on their phone. This is very helpful for 

 

However, the major disadvantage of this app is that all the good things it offers come at a price. And mind you, that price is not cheap.

Otherwise, it is a workable parental control software that you will like using.

 

#8 Spyrix Free Keylogger

Spyrix is free keylogger software that is specially targeted towards PCs. it is aimed at tracking your child's computer activities.

No matter what your child is typing, be it chat messages on Facebook, searches on Google, or username and passwords on any social media site, Spyrix will note down everything. You 

However, there are safety exploits and other causes of concern that make me feel suspicious whenever I use Spyrix. Therefore, if I feel that I need to deploy a keylogger, I go with Spyic.

 

#9 Norton Family Premier

Like Kaspersky, Norton is a big name in the antivirus market. This is why, its parental control solution can be seen as a trusted one as well.

It offers similar features like Kaspersky Safe Kids, and it is costly all the same too. If you want to use Norton Family Premier to monitor your kids, you need to shell out some big bucks for the same.

Further, features like push notifications of the app don't really work well at times. Most people find flaws with its interface and features.

 

#10 FamilyTime

FamilyTime is one of the best free parental control app for Android. With  FamilyTime, you can set up parental controls on your child's phone. Not only that, but it is also used for screen time management.

You can set up the daily app limits for your child's phone. If the time limit for any particular app finishes up, you get a notification and their access to that app is restricted.

Further, the search filters make sure that no adult content is accessed by your kid on the internet. You can also block complete access to any app you prefer.

 

The Deciding Factor

Now that you have reviewed all the apps, you need to choose which app to go with. Since these apps offer different features and work differently, you have to choose the best fit for yourself personally.

For me, the main point of focus in my child's safety. For that, I have to put considerable weight on the features that are offered by each application.

Obviously, all good things come at a price. So if you want to get good features, you shouldn't mind shelling out a few bucks. You don't have to run after a free app. What you can do is choose an app that charges less than the others.

Lastly, you should decide if you want your children to know that you are keeping a tab on them. Children are sensitive to violation of privacy. Therefore, I prefer to do it quietly without them knowing. After all, it is for their own safety.

 

The Verdict

After reviewing all the aspects, Spyic is the clear winner for me. It has all the features that the other 9 apps in the list offered in bits and pieces.

And while it offers so many features, all this comes at the cheapest price possible. In fact, it is so cheap that it feels it costs nothing.

Talking about the last factor, Spyic works in secret and your child wouldn't find out about it. Therefore, there is nothing you have to worry about anymore.

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