Things have gotten tougher for parents in the first world countries especially. I mean, you can’t really rest easy about what your kid does online. There is just an excess of inappropriate content and online predators on the internet. Moreover, you can’t really monitor your kid physically all day and night. So, it is necessary to rely on tools like the Net Nanny app. Consider this app as your parenting partner that sticks to your kids’ devices.
There are also a ton of other parental control tools you can use for your kid’s safety. However, I’ve found the Net Nanny app to be a decent option. It is easy to use and brings plenty of parental control features to the table. So, consider testing out this app if you’re a new parent.
What is Net Nanny?
Net Nanny is a parental control tool. You can use it to track your kids’ devices remotely. Once installed, Net Nanny will offer features like an internet filter. You will get alerts on your phone every time your kid tries to search for something they should avoid. Moreover, you can access a lot of features to remotely micro-manage your kids’ mobile time.
Consider Net Nanny as a personal parenting assistant. It will keep working on your kids’ devices even when you’re busy doing the housework.
Features
- Parental controls
- Screen time management
- Website blocker
- Block apps
- Track location
- Parent dashboard
- Internet filter
- Block pornography
- Alerts and reporting
- Family feed
- Social media protection
- YouTube monitoring
Pros
Excellent website filter.
Gives quick alerts when your kid gets curious about mature content.
Cons
You won’t get social app tracking features.
Compatibility
Both iOS and Android
Pricing Plans
$79.99 per year for five devices.
Most of the customer reviews say that this app is great for web filtering. However, when it comes to other parental control features, you’ll only get sub-par performance. So, don’t expect too much from the Net Nanny app if you’re looking for an app blocker or screen timer limiter.
Is Net Nanny parental control any good?
You’ll notice that people only ever talk about the internet filtering features offered by Net Nanny. There is hardly a parent who uses Net Nanny as a full-time parental control solution. So, you can’t rely on the parental control offered by the Net Nanny app in the long run. Instead, you’ll have to implement a solution to track messages and call data on the target device.
However, if your kid is young and they don’t yet have a social circle, then Net Nanny can be a good option. You can use it specifically as an internet filter. On the other hand, if you’re dealing with a teenager who likes to explore social apps, you’ll need a better option.
Net Nanny parental controls are not good enough to monitor teens. Consider this app as an average parental control solution. It is a nice tool to have when your kid is young, but it becomes ineffective when your kid is exploring their interests in social apps.
Lastly, the scary thing about Net Nanny is that its location tracking can often glitch out. You will not get prompt updates on your kids’ location when they go out. So, use a different tracker like Bark for better peace of mind.
How does Net Nanny app work?
A Net Nanny app works just like any other parental control tool. You can install this app on the kids’ devices, and it will then extract data from the target device to give you updates. You can view these updates on the Net Nanny parental portal. The app will require downloading the Net Nanny MDM profile on iOS devices. Similarly, you can allow the necessary app permissions on Android devices to enable the parental control features.
The installation can be a bit tricky, but once it’s done, the app will send you your mobile’s location data and all the relevant details on the parental control portal. A working network connection is also required for this parental control tool to send updates to the portal. So, subscribe to an appropriate data package on the target device.
Net Nanny vs Qustodio vs Bark VS FlashGet Kids
Finding the right parental control tool can take a while. I mean, there are just a ton of options on the market among Qustodio, Bark, Net Nanny, and FlashGet Kids. So, if you’re also unsure about which app to pick, let’s go through each option thoroughly.
Net Nanny
Net Nanny is an old-school parental control app. Its early release is the primary reason why millions of parents use this tool. However, with time, the user experience kind of deteriorated. You’ll find a lot of 2-star or 3-star reviews on this app. People don’t deny that the features offered by Net Nanny are great. Still, the app crashes and glitches in particular features make things a lot harder for people. So, you’ll have to keep all that in mind if you do decide to choose Net Nanny.
Features
- Parental controls
- Track location
- Parent dashboard
- Internet filter
- Block pornography
Pricing Plan
$79.99 per year for five devices.
Qustodio parental control
Similar to the Net Nanny tool, Qustodio has been in the market for years. However, the reviews are much better for this parental control tool. Unlike Net Nanny, which only excels in internet filtering, Qustodio offers a complete set of parental control features. The app control options are also better in this option, and you won’t be disappointed by the tracking features either. However, there are still flaws in this app, which allow teens to bypass parental controls. Moreover, you’ll be spending a lot on this app monthly.
Features
- Screen time controls
- Blocking apps and games
- Tracking kids on the map
- Pausing internet activity
- Monitoring daily device usage
Comparison
Easier to install.
Consistent functionality from the parental control features.
Quite expensive.
Easier to bypass.
Pricing Plan
$99.95 per year for unlimited family devices.
Bark
Bark is not like your traditional parental control that works in hidden mode to restrict your kids’ activities. Instead, it acts like an alert that will let you know about your kids’ interests. You can use this app to detect cyberbullying and set alerts for online predators. Moreover, the location tracking features from Bark have been praised by a lot of parents. You’ll find the location accuracy of this app to be exceptional. So, if you need a parental control tool that excels in location tracking and predator monitoring, try Bark.
Features
- Manage alerts
- Create custom phone schedules
- Track cyberbullying and online predators
- Get text and email alerts
Comparison
Less range of restrictive feature.
Amazing reviews from all parents.
Decent app for location tracking.
Pricing Plan
$99 per year on the premium plan.
FlashGet Kids
FlashGet Kids is another one-stop parental control solution in the market. This app excels with its remote app restrictions. Even the most motivated teens will struggle to get around the restrictions implemented by FlashGet Kids. Consider this a mesh of all other parental control tools like Qustodio and Bark. Moreover, you’ll only have to spend half as much as other tools on the market. So, if your kids can be mischievous, just stick to FlashGet Kids.
Features
- Real-time location tracking
- GeoFence
- Usage limits
- Route history
- Notification tracking
- App blocking
- Screen time limits
Comparison
Offers a ton of restrictive features.
Cheaper than other options.
Harder to bypass.
Pricing plans
$4.99 per month on the yearly plan.
| Ratings | Pricing | Free trial | Key feature | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Net Nanny | 2.2 stars | $79.99 per year | 15 days | Internet filtering |
| Qustodio | 3.7 stars | $99.95 per year | 3 days | Screen time controls |
| Bark | 4.1 stars | $99 per year | 7 days | Location tracking |
| FlashGet Kids | 4.4 stars | $59.99 per year | 10 days | Live monitoring, App control and restrictions |
All in all, you can decide the best app for yourself after considering your budget and the required parental control features. Personally, I’d recommend the FlashGet Kids app, but you can test out other options here as well. The free trial should give you enough of an idea of which app you should choose.
The best alternative to Net Nanny app
Once again, FlashGet Kids is the best alternative to Net Nanny app. Aside from the easy-to-use parental dashboard, there are a ton of things that make FlashGet Kids great. Here are a few reasons why you should consider FlashGet Kids as your only parental control tool.
- Cheaper subscription prices
- More parental control features than any other app
- Offers hidden mode
- Impossible to bypass for preteens
- Easier to install
- Decent customer support
- Location tracking accuracy
- Hardly any bad reviews on its performance
I am struggling to find anything bad to say about FlashGet Kids here. It seems like the ideal fix to me, and you should also try to use it for your kids’ safety.
FAQs
Does Net Nanny monitor incognito mode?
Yes, Net Nanny will monitor incognito mode if there are no app glitches or crashes.
Can Net Nanny block YouTube?
Yes, this application can block YouTube through the content filtering section.
Does Net Nanny track apps?
Yes, this parental control tool will give you complete details on what apps your kids use and how much time they spend on each app.
