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Best for Lightweight Parental Control
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Blocks harmful content on mobile devices
Robust screen time management tools
Unlimited devices
Best for Comprehensive Monitoring
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Parental control app with lots of features
User-friendly, clean interface
Overall, Qustodio is a better parental control app than Aura because it offers more comprehensive monitoring features. While Aura has numerous features that can help your child maintain a healthy digital balance, such as screen time management tools and web filtering, Qustodio offers additional features like location tracking and text monitoring.
However, Aura still offers great lightweight parental control coverage, along with robust online protection. Aura and Qustodio offer cyberbully and predator alerts, but Aura includes real-time antivirus software and dark web monitoring alerts.
We’ll compare Aura Parental Controls and Qustodio so you can learn which one is the best parental control app for your needs.
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 Our Pick |
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| Star rating | ||
| Price | $8.25-$32.00/mo | $4.58-$8.33/mo (billed annually) |
| Free trial | Yes — 14 days | Yes — 31 days |
| Max number of protected devices | Unlimited | 1, 5, or unlimited |
| Web filtering | ||
| Conversation monitoring | Text only | |
| Screen time management | ||
| Location tracking | ||
| Activity reports | ||
| Remote lock | ||
| Supported devices | Android, iPhone, iPad (Windows for Safe Gaming features only) | Windows, Mac, Android, iPhone, iPad, Chromebook, Kindle |
| Learn more | Get Aura Parental Controls | Get Qustodio |
We put every parental control app through vigorous hands-on testing by downloading the software to our own devices. We test how the product works from both the parent's and child's perspectives, evaluating how well we're able to monitor device usage and deliberately attempting to sneak around the limitations.
By taking a fine-tooth comb through all available features and settings, we carefully compare each product using our proprietary grading rubric. The star ratings take into account price, screen time management, content filters, location tracking, monitoring, alerts, and ease of use.
To learn more about how we test, check out our full parental control testing methodology here.
Aura is a top name in digital privacy and security, known for its comprehensive identity theft protection. Aura Parental Controls is available as a standalone app or bundled with your Aura Family plan, which includes a full suite of ID theft protection features (it's actually one of the best ID theft protection options available).
When we tested the parental controls, we were pleased with the easy-to-use interface and simple screen time management features. We were able to easily monitor and limit device screen time, as well as force safe search.
The main downsides we found during our testing were that it was easy to delete the app from our Samsung phone, and our parent dashboard didn't even update to let us know we were disconnected. It's also missing location tracking features, which could be a deal breaker for you.
Overall, we think Aura Parental Controls is a worthwhile standalone app, but its monitoring and tracking capabilities aren't as comprehensive as other parental control apps.
Qustodio is one of the best parental control apps available, offering nearly all the features you can imagine for keeping your children's device time healthy and safe.
Our testing found everything worked as advertised with little drain on our device. We were able to block or set time limits for each app on the phone, monitor searches and text conversations, and block unsafe web content by category.
The main downside to Qustodio is that it was named in a scathing review of parental control apps by the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM) published in 2020. Though it wasn't the only app named in this study, we're hesitant to recommend Qustodio without confirmation that the security flaws named in this study have been fixed.
When it comes to sheer value of the amount of features you can receive with each product, Aura is the winner, thanks to the ability to bundle your parental controls with some of the best ID theft protection on the market if you purchase Aura Family.
Our Pick |
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| Price range | $8.25-$32.00/mo | $4.58-$8.33/mo (billed annually) |
| Best value plan | Aura Family for $25.00/mo (billed annually) | Qustodio Complete for $8.33/mo (billed annually) |
| Free trial | Yes — 14 days | Yes — 31 days |
| Money-back guarantee | Yes — 60 days on annual plans | Yes — 30 days |
| Learn more | Get Aura Parental Controls | Get Qustodio |
Aura offers two different plans for parental controls: Aura Kids and Aura Family. Both plans offer the full suite of parental control features, but the Family plan also includes Aura's full ID theft protection plan.
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Qustodio also offers two different plans with varying monitoring levels and parental controls, as well as a free plan for those who just want the basics.
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When it comes to monitoring, Qustodio offers many more of the core features parents are looking for.
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Our Pick |
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| Website filtering | ||
| App filtering | ||
| Social media monitoring | ||
| Text message monitoring | ||
| Email monitoring | ||
| Internet search monitoring | ||
| Screen time limits | ||
| Remote lock | ||
| Cyberbullying and online predator alerts | ||
| Location tracking | ||
| Geo-fencing | ||
| Activity reports | ||
| Learn more | Get Aura Parental Controls | Get Qustodio |
Aura Parental Controls and Qustodio both offer the basics. If you want to manage screen time, filter inappropriate content, and pause internet access, either Aura or Qustodio can help.
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We also like that Aura offers features to ensure a safe gaming environment for your child. It provides 24/7 monitoring for in-game voice and texts and it provides alerts for cyberbullying and predators online.
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Qustodio’s Complete plan offers a few standout features that make monitoring your children’s activity a little easier. You can set up alerts to help keep parents informed in real time about what their kids are doing online. Some alerts include web activity, blocked websites, app downloads, and saved places. Qustodio provides a comprehensive dashboard that allows parents to easily access information.
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Qustodio also provides location tracking, so parents can always know where their children are — as long as the children have their devices with them. You can also receive alerts when your child’s device arrives or leaves locations of your choosing, to help better monitor their location.
If you’re looking to monitor text messages and calls from your child’s device, you can do so with Qustodio. However, there are a few hoops to jump through if you want to monitor texts on an iOS device. You’ll just need to set it up on a Mac computer to get started.
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Though Aura offers a better customer service experience, Qustodio is available on a wider range of devices, making it a better option overall.
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Our Pick |
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| Windows app | ||
| macOS app | ||
| Android | ||
| iOS | ||
| Other devices | iPad | iPad, Chromebook, Kindle |
| 24/7 customer support | ||
| Customer support options | Chat, phone, email, guides | Guides, email, phone |
| Learn more | Get Aura Parental Controls | Get Qustodio |
One big difference between Aura and Qustodio is that Aura doesn’t have an app for Mac or Windows computers. However, you can access Aura Parental Controls from any browser.
Unfortunately, we experienced significant issues accessing the portal on Safari and signing in on our iPad. While we waited for a response from customer support, we couldn’t set any controls other than the default.
Alternatively, Qustodio was easy to download and install. We also found the interface to be user-friendly, and we received alerts in real time.
Both services offer ample customer support options. Aura’s support options include chat, email, and phone support, all of which are available 24/7. Qustodio offers limited phone and email support, but you can also purchase Care Plus to receive priority expert assistance.
Aura offers a solid parental control app that includes real-time antivirus protection, alerts for cyberbullies and predators, screen time management, app limits, and more. It currently does not offer location tracking or monitoring for texts, calls, and emails, unlike Bark or Qustodio.
Overall, Qustodio is a good parental control app. However, some disadvantages include the inability to geo-fence your children’s devices for added security and its lack of email monitoring. For certain features, such as text message monitoring, you’ll need to purchase the premium plan.
Bark is a better parental control app than Aura because it offers more robust monitoring features, including location tracking and geo-fencing. Overall, Bark offers a more tailored experience for parents. You can learn more about how these two compare in our Aura Parental Controls vs. Bark review.
Some flaws with Qustodio are you can’t monitor email activity for your kids and you must have a Mac computer in order to set up text message monitoring for iPhones.
Qustodio is the better parental control app because it offers more robust core features, such as location tracking and call and text monitoring. Qustodio was easy for us to set up and install on our child’s phone. Within just a couple of minutes, you’ll have full insight into your child’s devices and online activity.
Even still, Aura Parental Controls offer robust online protection. Standalone plans include antivirus software, while Aura Family plans include an entire digital security suite.
| Category | |
Our Pick |
| Value | ||
| Features | ||
| Monitoring | ||
| Compatibility & customer support | ||
| Learn more | Get Aura Parental Controls | Get Qustodio |
Although Aura and Qustodio offer some of the best parental control apps we've tested, you may want to consider Bark as the best alternative to Qustodio and Norton Family as the best alternative to Aura Parental Controls.
| Service | 
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| Star rating | |||
| Price | Starts at $5.00/mo | Starts at $4.17/mo (billed annually) | Starts at $3.33/mo (billed annually) |
| # of people covered | Unlimited | Up to 15 kids | 1 - 20 devices |
| Screen time management | |||
| Content filtering | |||
| Conversation monitoring | Yes, on social media, texts, and email | Yes, on social media | |
| Location tracking | |||
| Details | Get Bark | Get Norton Family | Get Net Nanny |
Blocks harmful content on mobile devices
Robust screen time management tools
Unlimited devices
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