Tim Mocan
Fact-checked by Eric Goldstein
Short on time? Here’s the best free parental control app in 2025:
-
🥇 Qustodio
: Its free plan comes with excellent time limits, web filtering (that not even top VPNs can bypass), and comprehensive activity reports. It works on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Kindle, and Chromebook devices, but you can only use it on 1 device at a time. Its paid plans add support for 5 or unlimited devices, app filtering, call and text message monitoring, and more. You can test all features with a free 3-day trial — no credit card required!
I don’t really like free parental apps as many of them are dangerous. You give them tons of permissions, which allow them to access and control your device, without any real guarantee that they won’t steal your data. In addition, most free parental apps lack essential parental control features like time limits, web filtering, scheduling, and activity reports, so it’s nearly impossible to fully protect your child from online threats and screen addiction.
That said, I understand that some parents are on a tight budget, so a free parental app is the only option. The good news is that I managed to find a few great parental apps that have excellent privacy policies in place to protect all of your data and either provide a good free plan or a free trial that lets you fully test the paid services (which are also very affordable). Qustodio, my top pick, has a completely free (but limited) plan, a 3-day free trial, and a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee, which gives you plenty of time to test it and see if it’s the best fit for your family.
Quick Summary of the Best Free Parental Control Apps
Marc 2025 update: We’ve updated this article to reflect the latest changes in Mobicip’s free plan. We also added new information about what other features these parental controls offer in their free and paid plans, explained how we tested these products in more detail, and whether the free plans/trials require credit card information. Lastly, we updated screenshots to ensure they show the current interfaces of the apps.
🥇 1. Qustodio — Best Free Parental Control App in 2025
Qustodio has the best free parental control plan in 2025 — you get essential parental control features that keep your kids safe on the web. Plus, its free plan monitors a wide range of platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Chromebook, and Kindle.
Upon signing up, Qustodio gives you access to a free 3-day trial without having to enter your credit card details. This includes all of its paid features, so that you can see the paid subscription in action.
When the free trial is over, Qustodio downgrades you to the free plan, which includes access to:
- Web filtering. Blocks access to 25+ harmful or distracting website categories, and you can block or whitelist specific sites. In my tests, none of the top VPNs could bypass its filtering, and there’s an option to block unsupported browsers to prevent your kids from working around your restrictions. It also enforces safe searches on Google, Bing, and YouTube, but you’ll need the paid plan to get alerts about attempts to access blocked sites.
- Time limits. You can set screen time limits for any day in increments of 15 minutes and choose what happens when the time is up — either you disable web access or block all apps except basic applications, or you lock the device, which blocks apps on Android, hides apps on iOS, and logs out of desktop sessions). Qustodio can even send alerts when your kid uses all of their allocated daily screen time.
- Screen time monitoring. Lets you see how much time your kids spend on their devices.
- Activity reports. The free plan provides access to daily, weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly reports that include information about your child’s device usage and online activities.
Qustodio takes privacy seriously — all data collected from your child’s device is securely stored and kept separate from personal identification information, so it can’t be traced back to you or them. It also doesn’t share data with any third parties, regardless of whether you’re a free or a paid user.
I like that it’s difficult for a kid to bypass Qustodio’s restrictions. This isn’t the case with built-in parental controls like Apple Screen Time and Google Family Link. Qustodio monitors your kid’s device no matter what network they’re connected to, its rules apply in incognito mode, and it syncs its time-based restrictions with its own servers, so changing the device’s time settings won’t work. It also requires a password for uninstallation and sends alerts if there are any tampering attempts.
However, Qustodio’s free plan only allows you to monitor 1 device (the paid plans monitor 5 or an unlimited number of devices) and it’s missing premium features like setting daily time limits for specific apps and tracking your child’s location.
Qustodio’s paid plans also let you monitor your child’s text messages and phone calls, track their YouTube searches and watched videos, and there’s a Panic Button (Android only) that allows kids to send distress signals to trusted contacts in emergencies.
I strongly believe upgrading to one of Qustodio’s paid plans is worth it because it’s the best parental control app on the market, so you get excellent value. Plus, Qustodio backs each purchase with a risk-free 30-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Qustodio is my favorite free parental control app in 2025. It comes with excellent web filtering (which even top VPNs can’t bypass), screen time monitoring, and easy-to-use time limits and scheduling features. In addition, you also get daily and weekly activity reports over email and can monitor almost any device — but Qustodio’s free plan limits you to just 1 device. Its paid plans monitor 5 or unlimited devices and include many useful features, like YouTube monitoring, location tracking, and the Panic Button.
Read the full Qustodio review here
🥈 2. Mobicip — Great Free Plan for Web Filtering for Young Kids
Mobicip comes with great web filtering on its free plan, and it’s a good pick if you have young children. This is because it has a special “Whitelist-only Mode” that lets you restrict access to only the websites you choose — so your kid only visits a few sites as you gradually introduce them to the online world.
You can further manage website access by setting permissions for 15+ predefined content categories, such as Shopping, Social, and Games, and block specific words and phrases, too. In my tests, it blocked everything I restricted from the parent app. If that’s too much work, the app can automatically adjust filtering based on your kid’s age, so you don’t need to fine-tune settings unless necessary.
One of my favorite things about Mobicip is that it uses real-time AI-powered scanning to analyze both content and context before blocking a website. This helps it keep up with constantly changing online material, ensuring that inappropriate content is filtered out accurately.
You can block specific apps and app categories on the free plan, too. Blocking app categories is very convenient if you don’t want your kid to play games or use social media — it takes just 1 click.
In terms of screen time control, Mobicip lets you use preset schedules for School and Sleep to restrict device use during specific times. It allows you to adjust Daily Free Time limits but only once per day per user profile. The app reports on all screen time and app usage for free as well.
Plus, the free plan provides you access to Vacation Mode, which lets you temporarily disable all screen time restrictions without deleting schedules or settings. This is useful for holidays, family trips, or special occasions when kids are allowed more screen time. Once turned off, all previous restrictions and schedules resume automatically.
It’s also pretty neat that Mobicip includes its location tracking feature — most free parental controls put it behind a paywall. However, it only shows you real-time location updates for the current day.
Mobicip has a 7-day free trial, allowing you to test the rest of its features. Once the trial ends, you’re automatically downgraded to the free plan. Plus, the free plan doesn’t ask for your credit information. With the paid plan, you get monitoring for 2 social media sites (Facebook and Snapchat), but it lacks text and call monitoring — if you want this feature, I recommend using Qustodio.
I like how Mobicip uses industry-standard encryption and SSL to protect your data, so yours and your kid’s data remains secure and confidential. The app doesn’t sell or share data with third parties either, and it comes with uninstall protection.
Mobicip offers 3 paid plans that come with a 30-day money-back guarantee. The Lite (£2.31 / month) and Standard (£3.86 / month) plans include device monitoring for 5 and 10 devices, respectively. The Premium plan (£6.18 / month) lets you monitor up to 20 devices and unlocks social media monitoring.
Bottom Line:
Mobicip has a great free plan for managing your child’s browsing activities, especially if they’re super young. It lets you block access to everything online except for the sites you allow, filter websites by 15+ predefined categories, blacklist and whitelist sites, and ban keywords and phrases for free. You can also filter apps and app categories, and use its accurate location tracking feature. Mobicip monitors up to 20 devices, offers a 7-day free trial, and backs its plan with a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Mobicip review here
🥉 3. Kaspersky Safe Kids — Great Free Plan for Content Control for Older Kids
Kaspersky Safe Kids allows you to manage your kid’s app and web usage on the free plan. You can allow or block 10+ preset app categories, such as Social Networks, Games, and File Sharing, and 15+ web categories, like Profanity and Adult content on iOS, Android, Windows, and macOS devices.
Mobicip is a great option for older kids because instead of blocking apps, it can send notifications when they try to access them. It can also warn kids about certain websites rather than blocking them outright, so you monitor their web use without excessive restrictions. Unlike Google Family Link, which stops enforcing controls after age 13, Mobicip provides flexible supervision for teens.
If you’re worried about false positives, you can whitelist all websites you want your kids to have access to and blacklist specific sites. Similarly to Mobicip, you can set Kaspersky to only allow access to whitelisted websites, which is great if your children are younger.
The Safe Search function for YouTube is also available on the free plan, and it’s pretty convenient that on Android, it works in the YouTube app as well. That said, you’ll need to upgrade to the premium plan to see your child’s search history on YouTube. And even then, it’s not as comprehensive as Qustodio’s dedicated YouTube monitoring tool.
Kaspersky’s screen time feature is available for free users, too. You can set a daily time limit for each day of the week and decide whether you want Kaspersky to block the device entirely or show a warning to your child that they’ve used up their screen time.
I particularly like that you can allow your kid to use certain apps even when screen time is blocked. For example, they can still use their calculator or Word app for their homework. Kaspersky also shows you app and web statistics to see what your kid spends most time on but only on the premium plans.
As a free user, you’ll be missing out on Kaspersky’s location tracking and geofencing features (which work really well), its scheduling feature, its social media monitoring tool that works with the Russian social media site VK, and its battery tracker.
Kaspersky is very safe — it secures your family’s data by encrypting it, which protects it from unauthorized access (including by Kaspersky), and the app doesn’t sell personal information. There’s also uninstall protection, so your kid can’t easily disable any restrictions.
Kaspersky Safe Kids is available for only £1.68 / month. You can also get 1 year of free access to Kaspersky Safe Kids via the Kaspersky Premium subscription, which costs only £24.99 / year and comes with an antivirus, a password manager, a VPN, and more. Kaspersky backs all purchases with a 30-day money-back guarantee. Unfortunately, Kaspersky can’t be purchased in the US due to regulatory restrictions.
Bottom Line:
Kaspersky Safe Kids’s free plan is really good for content control on your kid’s device, especially if they’re older. You can block and allow 10+ app and 15+ web categories on your kid’s device, choose to only warn them about certain websites or get alerts about specific app categories, set screen time limits for every day of the week, and decide which apps they can use even when their device is blocked. Kaspersky also allows you to enforce Safe Search on YouTube for free. Its paid plans, which include a location tracker, app and web usage, and more, include a 30-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Kaspersky Safe Kids review here
Bonus. Norton Family — Great 30-Day Free Trial (All Features Included!)
Norton Family doesn’t have a free plan, but it comes with a free 30-day trial with access to all features — this way, you can test it out to see if it’s right for you. I like how you don’t need to provide your credit card details, either.
However, Norton Family can only monitor iOS, Android, and Windows devices, so if you need to monitor macOS, Chromebook, and Kindle devices, I recommend checking out Qustodio instead.
Norton Family’s free trial includes web filtering, screen time monitoring, time limits, and scheduling, all of which passed my tests. I especially like that kids can request access to blocked sites or more screen time directly in the app, making it more convenient for parents.
In addition to blocking 45+ predefined web categories, you can warn your child about a site and let them choose if they want to access it. However, its web filtering isn’t great on PC — the app relies on browser extensions to enforce restrictions, and there’s nothing stopping your child from deactivating them (you’ll receive an alert if that happens, though). For web filtering on PC, Qustodio is a much better choice.
The free trial also includes access to app filtering, activity reports, location tracking and geofencing, and features that track your kids’ YouTube searches and watched videos on the YouTube site and Hulu. There’s also a School Time feature, which allows you to set time limits and blacklist distracting sites during school hours. You’ll be hard-pressed to find extras like these with any built-in parental control app like Apple Screen Time.
Norton Family prevents kids from bypassing its restrictions by requiring a secure password for uninstallation and sending alerts for any tampering attempts. Like Qustodio, it monitors browsing activity even in incognito mode and enforces time limits through its servers, so your kid won’t be able to change device time settings to get around time limits.
Norton Family is a very secure and private option, too. It doesn’t monitor any data that travels between your and your kid’s devices, doesn’t sell or rent any data it collects, and only retains it only as long as necessary to provide the service.
Norton Family is available as a standalone subscription, which is priced at £14.99 / year, so it’s very affordable. In addition, it comes included with the Norton 360 Deluxe (£24.99 / year) and Norton 360 Advanced (£29.99 / year) subscriptions. These bundles also provide access to Norton 360, which is the best antivirus on the market, and Norton Secure VPN, which is one of the best antivirus-bundled VPNs on the market. Norton also backs all of its yearly plans with a very generous 60-day money-back guarantee.
Bottom Line:
Norton Family doesn’t come with a free plan, but it has a free 30-day trial that lets you fully test all of its features. The free trial comes with web and app filtering, time limits and scheduling, location tracking, YouTube video and search tracking, and more. Norton Family is available as a standalone subscription or bundled with the Norton 360 Deluxe and Norton 360 Advanced subscriptions. It also has a 60-day money-back guarantee.
Read the full Norton Family review here
Quick Comparison Table
Testing Methodology: Comparison & Ranking Criteria
I followed our tried and tested methodology to find and rank the best free parental control apps in 2025. I looked for feature-rich parental control apps with free plans or free trials that last a worthwhile length of time. I then ran real-life tests to check their features. Here are the testing criteria I used to decide which parental control apps to include:
- I looked for strong free plans or free trials. I wanted a free plan that had a decent number of features from the paid plans, and if there wasn’t a free plan, I wanted a free trial of at least 3 days, which would give me plenty of time to check out many, if not all, the apps’ features. All of the apps on this list have a strong free plan or a free trial of at least 3 days, but I really like Qustodio’s free plan because of the many strong parental controls it includes.
- I searched for free plans with key features. An important part of my evaluation was the range of essential parental control features, such as web filtering, time management, and location tracking, offered in free plans or free trials. I prioritized apps that provide a substantial suite of tools at no cost, although I also considered the value of upgrading to premium plans for extended functionality.
- I sought out and tested web and app filtering capabilities. I looked for apps with web or app filtering, or both, included in their free plans or trials; the majority of the ones on this list include at least web filtering. I meticulously evaluated each app’s web filter for its ability to reliably block inappropriate content on websites in various categories. I found that every web filter did at least an adequate job of either blocking inappropriate websites or filtering out search results with undesirable keywords.
- I considered screen time management tools in the free plans. All parental control apps I recommend have some type of time limit or screen time scheduling included in their free plans. I tested how well each app tracked total device time, or in some cases, time spent on individual apps, and in each case found these essential features worked well.
- I tested the features and accuracy of location tracking. There aren’t a lot of free parental control apps that include location tracking (Mobicip is an exception), but you do get access to this tool in the free trials of the apps that offer them. All of these parental control apps have very accurate location tracking.
- I checked for uninstall protection & how easy each app is to bypass. The parental controls apps that I picked for my list come with uninstall protection. This means the kids app requires a PIN or your log credentials for changing restrictions or deleting the app from your kid’s device. These apps also make it very hard to bypass your restrictions — even for tech-savvy kids.
- I made sure every parental control protects your data. The parental controls I recommend have strict privacy policies in place that prevent them from selling or sharing any data they collect. They also anonymize your and your kid’s data, so no activity can be traced back to you.
- I examined the apps’ activity reports. I looked at the parental control dashboard’s ease of use and the number of useful activity reports it provides. I also sought out apps that let me filter reports in daily, weekly, bi-weekly, and monthly time periods. The majority of apps on my list have easy-to-digest activity reports with useful information.
Are Free Built-in Parental Controls Good Enough?
Apple, Google, and Microsoft all offer free built-in parental controls, but they’re limited in scope and fall short compared to the free parental controls I recommend. Here’s what you get with each:
Apple Screen Time
Apple’s Screen Time includes time limits and content and app filtering. It only works on iPhones, iPads, and Macs, unlike the free parental controls I list above, which monitor both mobile and desktop devices.
Apple also allows for screen time limits and downtime scheduling. You can set daily limits on device use, specific apps, and even app categories. I also like having the ability to block phone and FaceTime calls, as well as messages from certain contacts. Additionally, it lets you choose whether to apply these restrictions at specific times of the day or continuously.
That said, it’s not great for controlling your kid’s browsing. Apple’s web filtering is limited to blocking explicit content in the Safari browser and movies and music your kid downloads from the App Store. You can also whitelist and blacklist sites, but that’s pretty much it. Qustodio’s free plan gives you much more granular controls and monitors more browsers, as do the rest of the free parental controls apps I discuss above.
The biggest limitation of Apple’s system is the ease with which children can bypass restrictions. If kids know how to access the device settings, they can easily reset the time or uninstall the restrictions. The apps I recommend all come with uninstall protection, including on the free plan, and send you alerts if your kid attempts to tamper with the app.
Google Family Link
Google’s Family Link only works on Android and Chromebook devices, and it’s only for kids that are no older than 13 years — once they turn 13, they can stop supervision at any time (you’ll get notified when this happens).
Family Link only allows you to filter our explicit content and images and can apply Safe Search in the Google Chrome browser (as opposed to the apps I recommend above which monitor all popular browsers). There are no predefined categories like with Qustodio or Mobicip, so you need to whitelist and blacklist sites, meaning there’s a lot of manual work involved if you want to protect your kids from more than a couple of sites.
Family Link does allow you to set screen daily time limits, set time limits for individual apps, and create schedules. You can even filter content in Google Play, which is very convenient.
It allows you to track the location of your kid’s device, too, which not many free parental controls offer. But since it lacks in other key areas like web filtering, I think it’s a good idea to use it alongside any of the good free parental control apps I list above — and only if your kid uses an Android.
Unfortunately, like Apple Screen Time, Family Link has several loopholes that tech-savvy children can exploit. Some common bypass methods include clearing Google Play Store data, which removes parental control settings, or using guest mode or a secondary Google account to evade restrictions. Additionally, kids may boot the device into Safe Mode to disable Family Link or factory reset the device, removing all parental controls. Location tracking can also be turned off if the device settings allow it.
The apps I recommend rely on data stored in their servers, so no amount of device tweaking can allow them to get around any restrictions.
Microsoft Family Safety
Microsoft Family Safety focuses more on screen time management than content filtering. It’s great for controlling your kid’s Xbox screen time and app access, but it also works on Windows and Android. Family Safety is available on iOS, but it’s only a good idea if you’re the parent — it can’t monitor or set limits on iPhones and iPads, unlike the free parental control apps I recommend here.
Family Safety’s screen time management lets you set daily time limits and schedules on Windows and Xbox and individual time limits for apps and games on Windows, Xbox, and Android.
I like how you can set age limits to filter out inappropriate apps and games on Windows and Xbox, where your kid will need your approval to download games that aren’t suitable for their age. You can also add money to their account for purchasing apps and games, which gives you 100% control over how much they spend.
In terms of content filtering, Family Safety allows you to block mature content, but it only works on Edge (you can block other browsers in the app, too). It also applies Safe Search on Bing. With apps like Qustodio and Mobicip, you can monitor a lot more browsers, including in private mode.
When it comes to uninstall protection, Microsoft Family Safety does ask for the parents’ account info to uninstall the app, but not if the child is over 13.
Risks & Disadvantages of Using a Free Parental Control App
Be cautious with free parental control apps as they might risk your child’s privacy. Such apps need funds to operate, so if they’re free, they might be selling user data to advertisers. Given the permissions these apps get on your child’s device, there’s a lot of sensitive information at stake.
The free parental controls on this list are great and very safe — they don’t sell or share data with third parties, but they have their shortcomings. For example, Qustodio’s free plan lacks app filtering and location tracking, and Mobicip’s doesn’t offer the social media monitoring available with the paid plan.
Ultimately, the best way to keep your kids safe online is to get a paid parental control app. Luckily, most top apps are pretty affordable — for example, Qustodio starts at £3.33 / month and Norton Family is only £14.99 / year. Plus, most top parental apps provide free trials or generous money-back guarantees, so you can test the service risk-free before you buy it.
Top Brands That Didn’t Make the Cut
- Bark. Bark is an excellent pick for keeping an eye on teenagers, especially if you want to monitor your kid’s social media and emails and texts. However, there’s no free plan and the free trail only lasts 7 days.
- FamiSafe. FamiSafe offers all the industry-standard features like web filtering, time limits, a scheduling feature, and location tracking. It also has a unique tool that monitors your kid’s driving habits. However, it doesn’t offer a free plan and its free trial only lasts for 3 days.
- mSpy. It monitors lots of social media apps and lets you read all of your child’s conversations, including texts and email. It’s also nearly impossible for your kid to uninstall it since it hides all traces of its existence on your child’s phone. Unfortunately, there’s no free plan or trial, and it doesn’t even offer a money-back guarantee.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best free parental control app?
I think Qustodio has the best free plan in 2025 — it provides access to really good web filtering, screen time monitoring, time limits and scheduling, and detailed activity reports. It protects both your and your kid’s privacy, and it’s nearly impossible for your child to get around its restrictions (the ones that are available on the free plan).
I also really like that it can monitor tons of platforms, including iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Kindle, and Chromebook (but you can only monitor 1 device).
Is there a completely free parental control app?
Not really, as most free parental control apps (like Qustodio) also have paid plans that provide you with access to more features. There are some built-in parental apps that are completely free to use, but they usually lack lots of essential parental control features, and they’re also easy to bypass — so they barely provide any value.
As for completely free third-party parental apps, there aren’t many out there. The only one that I was able to find is Spyrix Free Keylogger, but I don’t think it’s worth getting. While it can monitor app usage and alert you about specific keywords, it can’t block harmful websites and its missing time limits, scheduling, and location tracking. What’s more, it records your child’s keystrokes and takes screenshots of their screen, which I find extremely invasive and which is more likely to damage your relationship with your kids than improve it.
Can’t I just use free built-in parental control apps?
Apple and Microsoft provide free access to built-in parental control apps, but I don’t really recommend using them — they do offer some useful features, but they’re not great at web filtering, some of the features are difficult to find and set up, and most importantly, they’re very easy for kids to bypass. If you truly need something they offer, I believe it’s best to still use them alongside a good free parental control app.
Qustodio is my #1 pick because it provides excellent web filtering time limits and scheduling, includes detailed activity reports, and can monitor iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, Kindle, and Chromebook devices.
Can I monitor my kid’s device with a free parental app?
Yes, the free parental apps I listed in this article allow you to monitor children’s devices — for example, Qustodio’s free plan lets you monitor what sites your kids access and how long they use their devices for, and it also allows you to set time limits and block inappropriate sites.
However, a free parental control app won’t let you fully monitor your child’s device — you’ll need to upgrade to the paid plan to get access to all monitoring features.
