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Best for older kids
- Excels at app blocking and content filtering across 47 categories
- Offers age-specific restriction levels to enhance safety and unlimited device connections
- Can't add screen time limitations on a per-app basis
Best for elementary-aged kids
- Extensive monitoring capabilities
- Real-time location tracking
- More of a tracker than a monitor
If you’re considering Norton Family or mSpy for a parental control option but aren’t sure which one is right for you, we’ve broken them down side by side.
Norton Family is great for older kids who are flexing their independence but still need parental guidance. While we think mSpy does a little too much, it could still work for younger children getting their first phone. Ultimately, it’s up to you, but we’ve included all the info you need to make that decision.
Norton Family vs. mSpy: monitoring and alerts
Which is safer, Norton Family or mSpy?
Norton Family vs. mSpy: compatibility and customer support
Norton Family vs. mSpy FAQs
Norton Family vs. mSpy: Which is better?
Norton Family vs. mSpy review at a glance
Parental controls can be tricky because you want to keep your kids safe without making them feel like you don’t trust them or are constantly surveilling them.
Norton Family has customizable controls that can grow with your kids. These controls are especially helpful in teaching older children and teens about healthy online habits.
If you want to have complete and total access, including being able to view your child’s screen in secret, then you may want to choose mSpy. It might be ok for younger kids with their first devices, but ultimately we think mSpy has a lot of overreach when it comes to parental control.
- Norton Family: Best for older kids
- mSpy: Best for elementary-aged kids
Norton Family vs. mSpy compared
Starting price | $49.99/yr | $11.67/mo (billed annually) |
Free version | ||
Max number of protected devices | 50 | 1 |
Web filtering | ||
Screen time limits | ||
Location tracking | ||
Activity reports | ||
Learn more | Get Norton Family
Read Norton Family Review |
Get mSpy
Read mSpy Review |
Norton Family pros and cons
- Grows with your kids
- Lots of compatibility
- Free resources for parents
- No self-harm or cyberbullying alerts
- Text monitoring currently suspended
mSpy pros and cons
- Could help younger children
- Customizable levels
- User-friendly dashboard
- Has a high potential for abuse
- Invasive
- Jailbreaking can leave your phone open to hackers
Norton Family vs. mSpy: prices
Our Pick
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Price range | $4.16-$24.99/mo (billed annually) | $11.67-$48.99/mo |
Best value plan | Norton Family for $49.99/yr | mSpy Basic 12-month plan for mSpy Premium Monthly |
Free trial | Yes — 30 days | |
Money-back guarantee | Yes — 60 days | Yes — 14 days |
Learn more | Get Norton Family
Read Norton Family Review |
Get mSpy
Read mSpy Review |
Norton Family plans
The Norton Family service can be purchased separately or as part of a larger Norton 360 subscription. It includes all of the monitoring features and is backed by Norton support and functionality.
- Norton Family: This plan can monitor up to 50 devices with features including web and app monitoring. It also includes search term alerts, geolocation services, and social media monitoring.
- Norton 360 with LifeLock: This plan includes Norton Family, LifeLock, and Norton antivirus. It has several different price points and features, including identity theft protection and cloud backup.
Norton offers a 60-day money-back guarantee for all annual plans.
mSpy plans
Three plans are offered with more features as the price increases. All three plans include keyword tracking and the ability to view events, calendars, calls, contacts, and reminders. All plans also offer live chat and phone support.
- Basic: This plan includes the ability to read texts and emails, see stored information in apps, photos, videos, notes, and files, and even see deleted text messages. You’ll also have location tracking, control over online activity, and help to install the app on iOS or Android secretly so no one knows it’s on the phone.
- Premium: This plan includes everything in the basic plan. Additionally, you’ll be able to capture screenshots and use the keylogger to see what’s being typed in real time. You can also access private chat messages on social media sites.
- Extreme: This plan includes everything in the first two plans plus a remote camera and the ability to tap into the microphone on the target phone to hear what’s going on around your kids.
Norton Family vs. mSpy: monitoring and alerts
Our Pick
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Website filtering | Yes — individual or by category | Yes — block sites |
App filtering | Yes — restrict permissions | Yes — view and block apps |
Social media monitoring | Yes — via web and app monitoring | Yes — most major apps |
Text message monitoring | Currently disabled | |
Email monitoring | ||
Internet search monitoring | ||
Screen time limits | ||
Remote lock | ||
Cyberbullying and online predator alerts | ||
Location tracking | ||
Geo-fencing | ||
Activity reports | ||
Learn more | Get Norton Family
Read Norton Family Review |
Get mSpy
Read mSpy Review |
Norton Family offers a lot of functionality without getting too far into the weeds. While kids may be annoyed with parental control software, there are ways to modify it so your child doesn’t feel spied on 24/7.
Norton even empowers parents with conversation topics and tools to help open up a dialog between them and their children about online safety. It’s a good choice for teens and older kids, especially if you’re concerned about staying safe on social media.
We found that mSpy lacked a lot of functionality that parents may want in parental control software. While you can set alerts for specific keywords, it glazed over categories like bullying, self-harm, and sexual issues.
This led us to more of a feeling of surveillance than parental control, especially considering it runs silently (and without detection) in the background of the device. It could be good for families with young children who are getting their first device, but we wouldn’t recommend it for teens.
Which is safer, Norton Family or mSpy?
Parental control software handles a lot of data from both you and your kids. When geo-fencing or location-enabled features come into play, it’s even more important that the software is secure.
You wouldn’t want a hacker learning your child’s location or their daily habits for where they are at any given time. The more security for parental control software, the better.
Norton Family vs. mSpy data security
Our Pick
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Two-factor authentication | ||
Collects data | ||
Shares data with third parties | ||
Learn more | Get Norton Family
Read Norton Family Review |
Get mSpy
Read mSpy Review |
Norton Family allows you to set two-factor authentication (2FA) protection, while mSpy doesn’t offer that feature. Considering each of these services is handling your children’s data, we think it’s a necessary feature to include.
As far as data collection and storage, both services collect, store, and share your data. Children are still protected from data sharing, but the information is still hosted on each site’s servers.
Norton Family vs. mSpy: compatibility and customer support
Our Pick
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Windows | ||
macOS | ||
Android | ||
iOS | ||
Browser extensions | Yes — Firefox, Chrome, Edge | |
24/7 customer support | ||
Customer support options | Online guides, phone, community forums, social media messages, live chat | Phone, email, live chat |
Learn more | Get Norton Family
Read Norton Family Review |
Get mSpy
Read mSpy Review |
Norton products offer broad compatibility across a variety of devices, operating systems, and browsers. There are also lots of customer support options available. While we tried to see if any of the support or compatibility options were specific to the Norton Family, it seems they’re all-encompassing across all of Norton’s products and services.
Alternatively, mSpy offered barely any compatibility options. This is likely due to the invasive nature of the product working at the base level of the device, but we experienced bugginess when trying to sync with our iCloud account. While mSpy has fewer support options, we did try the live chat and found it to be helpful and informative.
Norton Family vs. mSpy FAQs
Can Norton Family see apps?
Norton Family can see apps that are installed on Android devices and help you decide what is best for your child. Norton Family also offers The Smart Talk, a program in conjunction with the National Parent Teacher Association (PTA) that can help you open a dialog with your children about their online activities. It includes topics and discussion points so you can broach sensitive topics like app safety.
What is better than mSpy?
We would suggest using Norton Family, Aura, or Bark over mSpy. The level of invasive monitoring mSpy provides is concerning. While you can see everything that happens on the device where it’s installed, it can feel like a massive invasion of privacy for your child. We suggest opening a dialogue with your child about why parental controls are important and what the two of you can do together to create healthy online habits.
Is Norton Family any good?
Yes, Norton Family has many good features and functions that allow parents to guide their children through their online world. Norton also partners with The Smart Talk to give you discussion topics and conversation starters about online security.
Screen time limits, web monitoring, and location tracking are all helpful features that can empower your child with their budding independence while also allowing you to parent them through their choices.
Is mSpy legal to use?
Yes, mSpy notes that it is a legal parental control application. We would caution, however, against actually using it. The level of monitoring available with mSpy’s technology is extremely invasive. We would also note that technology like mSpy may be legal to install on the devices of minors of whom you are a guardian, but installing this software on the devices of adults could be considered illegal spying.
Norton Family vs. mSpy: Which is better?
Norton Family is hands-down better than mSpy. It’s less invasive while still being protective, offers 2FA, which is an important safety feature when dealing with children’s data, and has more compatibility and support options.
While mSpy might be good for very young children receiving their first devices, Norton Family offers the ability to grow out of specific controls as your child shows more responsibility and maturity.
Norton Family vs. mSpy alternatives
If neither of these is what you’re looking for to help keep your child safe online, we have some additional suggestions below. These are some of the best parental control options available. Each has its pros and cons, but we definitely would feel comfortable using any of them with our own families.
- Bark: You can monitor texts, emails, and applications and get friendly advice from child psychologists on how to talk to your kids about online safety. Bark uses AI technology to monitor and analyze your child’s activity to alert you to any potentially dangerous situations.
- Aura Parental Controls: Whether you want to limit the internet, pause screen time, or help your kids game safer, Aura has a setting for that. The content alerts keep you informed of their activity while the filtering and blocking alerts help you create a safer online environment for your child.
Get Aura Parental Controls | Read Our Aura Parental Controls Review
- Qustodio: Its easy-to-use dashboard keeps parents well informed about their kids’ online activities. You can also set screen time limits, track calls and texts, and use geolocation features. Qustodio even offers new subscribers a trial of its Premium plan.